PET-based touch pad

• US 9,626,061 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US15/157,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 345174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0353 consisting of two or more materials, e.g. two or more polymers, polymer + filler, + reinforcement
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/11 Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0108 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0326 Inorganic, non-metallic conductor, e.g. indium-tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/10 in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49165 by forming conductive walled aperture in base

Abstract

A space-efficient substantially transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel can be created by forming columns made of a substantially transparent conductive material on one side of a first substantially transparent substrate, forming rows made of the substantially transparent conductive material on one side of a second substantially transparent substrate and bringing column connections down to the second substrate. The columns can be routed off-panel at an edge of the second substrate. In some examples, the first and second transparent substrates formed from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In some examples, the substantially transparent conductive material formed from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).

Claims

1. A transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel, comprising:

a first transparent substrate having columns of a first transparent conductive material formed thereon, the columns terminating near first and second opposing edges of the first transparent substrate and configured for carrying first signals; and

a second transparent substrate having rows of the first transparent conductive material formed thereon, the rows configured for carrying second signals, wherein the first edge of the first transparent substrate and a first edge of the second transparent substrate are aligned;

wherein the columns on the first transparent substrate are coupled at the first edge of the first transparent substrate to first traces formed on the second transparent substrate in border areas of the first edge of the second transparent substrate and configured for providing off-panel connections at the first edge of the second transparent substrate;

wherein the rows on the second transparent substrate are coupled to second traces formed on the second transparent substrate in the border areas and configured for providing off-panel connections; and

wherein one or more mutual capacitance sensors are formed between the columns and rows at locations at which the columns and rows cross over each other, a mutual capacitance of each mutual capacitance sensor capable of being modified by an object in close proximity to the sensor.

2. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, at least one of the first and second transparent substrates forming a dielectric material separating the rows and columns and providing mutual capacitance between the rows and columns.

3. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising a third transparent substrate coupled between the first and second transparent substrates, the third transparent substrate forming a dielectric material separating the rows and columns and providing mutual capacitance between the rows and columns.

4. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, the first and second transparent substrates formed from plastic.

5. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, the first and second transparent substrates formed from polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

6. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, the first transparent conductive material formed from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).

7. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the first traces are further configured for routing the first signals to the first edge of the second transparent substrate and the second traces are further configured for routing the second signals to a second edge of the second transparent substrate.

8. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 7, the first and second edges of the second transparent substrate being the same edge.

9. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 7, the second traces for additionally routing the second signals to the first edge of the second transparent substrate for providing off-panel connections, the second edge being opposite from the first edge.

10. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 7, the second transparent substrate having a first tail formed at the first edge for providing off-panel connections.

11. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 7, the second transparent substrate having a second tail formed at the second edge for providing off-panel connections.

12. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising vias formed in the first and second transparent substrates and connected to the columns on the first transparent substrate and the first transparent substrate for electrically connecting the columns to the second transparent substrate.

13. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising a computing system that incorporates the sensor panel.

14. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 13, further comprising a mobile telephone that incorporates the computing system.

15. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 13, further comprising a digital audio player that incorporates the computing system.

16. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 1, the first transparent substrate being different from the second transparent substrate.

17. The transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel of claim 16, wherein the second transparent substrate is coupled to the first transparent substrate with transparent adhesive.

18. A mutual capacitance touch sensor panel, comprising:

column means for carrying first signals, the column means terminating near first and second opposing edges of the first substantially transparent substrate;

row means for carrying second signals on a second substantially transparent substrate, wherein the first edge of the first substantially transparent substrate and a first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate are aligned;

first and second trace means in border areas of the second substantially transparent substrate;

means for coupling the column means on the first substantially transparent substrate at the first edge of the first substantially transparent substrate to the first trace means in border areas of the first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate for providing off-panel connections at the first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate;

means for coupling the row means on the second substantially transparent substrate to the second trace means for providing off-panel connections; and

wherein one or more mutual capacitance sensors are formed between the column means and row means at locations at which the column means and row means cross over each other, a mutual capacitance of each mutual capacitance sensor capable of being modified by an object in close proximity to the sensor.

19. The system of claim 18, the first substantially transparent substrate being different from the second substantially transparent substrate.

20. A method for forming a substantially transparent mutual capacitance touch sensor panel, comprising:

forming columns of a first substantially transparent conductive material on a first substantially transparent substrate, the columns terminating near first and second opposing edges of the first substantially transparent substrate and configured for carrying first signals;

forming rows of the first substantially transparent conductive material on a second substantially transparent substrate, the rows configured for carrying second signals, wherein the first edge of the first substantially transparent substrate and a first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate are aligned;

forming first and second traces in border areas of the second substantially transparent substrate;

coupling the columns on the first substantially transparent substrate at the first edge of the first substantially transparent substrate to the first traces in border areas of the first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate for providing off-panel connections at the first edge of the second substantially transparent substrate;

coupling the rows on the second substantially transparent substrate to the second traces for providing off-panel connections; and

forming one or more mutual capacitance sensors between the columns and rows at locations at which the columns and rows cross over each other, a mutual capacitance of each mutual capacitance sensor capable of being modified by an object in close proximity to the sensor.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising orienting at least one of the first and second substantially transparent substrates to form a dielectric material separating the rows and columns and provide mutual capacitance between the rows and columns.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising coupling a third substantially transparent substrate between the first and second substantially transparent substrates to provide a dielectric material separating the rows and columns and provide mutual capacitance between the rows and columns.

23. The method of claim 20, the first and second substantially transparent substrates formed from plastic.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising forming the first and second substantially transparent substrates from polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

25. The method of claim 20, the first substantially transparent substrate being different from the second substantially transparent substrate.