Pen writing on one-dimensional capacitive touch sensor

• US 9,696,576 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchplus information Corp.
• Original Assignee: Touchplus information Corp.
• Inventors: Hu, Shih-Hsien, Chou, Yaosheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phu
• Application Number:
  US15/285,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20170023818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making

Abstract

A touch panel includes a base, which is a liquid crystal module serving as a ground; a flexible dielectric layer over the base; and a one-dimensional pattern layer with sensor cells positioned as the same layer over the flexible dielectric layer. The sensor cells form a sensor array, and each of the sensor cells is individually controlled and sensed via an independent sensing line, wherein press sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change resulting from a distance change between the sensor array and the base in response to an external force, and touch or gesture-based sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change in the sensor array without involving the base.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a base, which is a liquid crystal module serving as a ground;

a flexible dielectric layer over the base; and

a one-dimensional pattern layer with sensor cells positioned as the same layer over the flexible dielectric layer, wherein the sensor cells form a sensor array, and each of the sensor cells is individually controlled and sensed via an independent sensing line;

wherein press sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change resulting from a distance change between the sensor array and the base in response to an external force, and touch or gesture-based sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change in the sensor array without involving the base.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the capacitance change in the sensor array is caused by capacitive coupling of a conductive object to the sensor array.

3. The touch panel of claim 1 further comprising:

a sensor plate positioned over the sensor array for protecting the sensor array.

4. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensor cells are hexagon and are arranged to form a honeycomb sensor array.

5. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the press sensing control is conducted with a pen to produce the external force.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit, and an electrode pattern layer over the one-dimensional pattern layer, wherein the electrode pattern layer is electrically connected to the control circuit and controlled by the control circuit to switch between a grounded state for facilitating press sensing control and a floating state for facilitating touch sensing control.

7. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the switching of the electrode pattern layer between the grounded state and the floating state is in a time-division multiplexing manner.

8. The touch panel of claim 6, further comprising a sensor plate positioned over the sensor array for protecting the sensor array, wherein the electrode pattern layer is formed on the sensor plate.

9. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to both the electrode pattern layer and the sensor array.

10. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the electrode pattern layer includes a plurality of electrode cells, which entirely cover each of the sensor cells.

11. The touch panel of claim 10, wherein each of the electrode cell is identically or similarly shaped as the sensor cell thereunder.

12. A touch panel comprising:

a liquid crystal module for displaying images and serving as a ground;

a pattern layer with sensor cells positioned as the same layer over the liquid crystal module wherein the sensor cells form a sensor array and each of the sensor cells is individually controlled and sensed via an independent sensing line;

a sensor plate positioned over the sensor array for protecting the sensor array; and

a spacer structure positioned between the sensor plate and the liquid crystal module; and

wherein the spacer structure and the sensor plate are flexible, and the gap is used for allowing deformation of the sensor plate and spacer structure; and

wherein press sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change between the sensor array and the liquid crystal module, and touch or gesture-based sensing control is conducted according to a capacitance change in the sensor array without involving the liquid crystal module.

13. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the capacitance change in the sensor array is caused by capacitive coupling of a conductive object to the sensor array, and the capacitance change between the sensor array and the base is caused by a distance change between the sensor array and the base in response to an external force.

14. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the spacer structure includes gaskets positioned between the sensor plate and the liquid crystal module and forming therebetween a gap.

15. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the spacer structure includes a flexible spacer film positioned inside the gaskets and under the pattern layer such that the gap is formed between the spacer film and the liquid crystal module.

16. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the spacer structure includes a flexible spacer film positioned over the gaskets and the gap and under the pattern layer such that the gap is formed between the spacer film and the liquid crystal module.

17. The touch panel of claim 12, further comprising a control circuit, and an electrode pattern layer over the one-dimensional pattern layer, wherein the electrode pattern layer is electrically connected to the control circuit and controlled by the control circuit to switch between a grounded state for facilitating press sensing control and a floating state for facilitating touch sensing control.

18. The touch panel of claim 17, wherein the switching of the electrode pattern layer between the grounded state and the floating state is in a time-division multiplexing manner.

19. The touch panel of claim 17, further comprising a sensor plate positioned over the sensor array for protecting the sensor array, wherein the electrode pattern layer is formed on the sensor plate.

20. The touch panel of claim 17, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to both the electrode pattern layer and the sensor array.

21. The touch panel of claim 17, wherein the electrode pattern layer includes a plurality of electrode cells, which entirely cover each of the sensor cells.

22. The touch panel of claim 21, wherein each of the electrode cell is identically or similarly shaped as the sensor cell thereunder.