Reducing floating ground effects in pixelated self-capacitance touch screens

• US 10,289,251 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shih, David H. C., Lin, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, David D
• Application Number:
  US14/318,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96031 Combination of touch switch and LC display

Abstract

A touch controller is disclosed. In some examples, the touch controller can include sense circuitry configured to be coupled to a first touch pixel and a second touch pixel on a touch sensor panel. In some examples, the sense circuitry can be configured to drive and sense the first touch pixel during a first time period while coupling the second touch pixel to a reference voltage. In some examples, the sense circuitry can be configured to drive and sense the second touch pixel during a second time period while coupling the first touch pixel to the reference voltage. In some examples, the reference voltage can be a system ground of the touch controller. In some examples, the sense circuitry can be configured to drive and sense pluralities of touch pixels in a similar manner.

Claims

1. A touch controller comprising:

sense circuitry configured to be coupled to a plurality of touch pixel electrodes arranged in rows on a touch sensor panel, each touch pixel electrode of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes corresponding to a unique horizontal and a unique vertical position on the touch sensor panel, the sense circuitry configured to;

during a first time period, drive and sense self-capacitances of a first plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes using a first voltage signal while concurrently driving a second plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes at a reference voltage, different from the first voltage signal; and

during a second time period, drive and sense self-capacitances of the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes using a second voltage signal while concurrently driving the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes at the reference voltage, different from the second voltage signal, wherein each row of the rows of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the row.

2. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage comprises a system ground of the touch controller.

3. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel are arranged in the rows and in columns on the touch sensor panel, and

the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are arranged in a checkerboard pattern alternating in two dimensions on the touch sensor panel such that;

each row of the rows of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the row, and

each column of the columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the column.

4. The touch controller of claim 3, wherein:

the sense circuitry is configured to be coupled to the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes using a first set of routing on the touch sensor panel,

the sense circuitry is configured to be coupled to the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes using a second set of routing on the touch sensor panel, and

the first set of routing and the second set of routing are alternately disposed between the columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel such that the first set of routing and the second set of routing are not both disposed between any two adjacent columns of the columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel.

5. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein one or more distances between touch pixel electrodes in the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes are substantially the same as one or more distances between touch pixel electrodes in the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes.

6. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the sense circuitry is configured to drive and sense multiple other pluralities of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel during other respective time periods, the multiple other pluralities of touch pixels being different than the first and second pluralities of touch pixel electrodes, and the other respective time periods being different than the first and second time periods.

7. The touch controller of claim 1, further comprising:

logic configured to dynamically determine which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes to be driven and have their self-capacitances sensed by the sense circuitry.

8. The touch controller of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to:

determine a size of an object interacting with the touch sensor panel; and

determine which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes based on the determined size of the object.

9. The touch controller of claim 8, wherein the logic is configured to:

prior to determining the size of the object, initiate an initial scan of the touch sensor panel in which the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are driven and sensed simultaneously; and

determine the size of the object based on the initial scan.

10. The touch controller of claim 7, wherein the logic is configured to:

determine a location of an object interacting with the touch sensor panel; and

determine which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes based on the determined location of the object.

11. The touch controller of claim 10, wherein the logic is configured to:

prior to determining the location of the object, initiate an initial scan of the touch sensor panel in which the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are driven and sensed simultaneously; and

determine the location of the object based on the initial scan.

12. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage the first and second voltage signals are out of phase.

13. A method of operating a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including a plurality of touch pixel electrodes arranged in rows on the touch sensor panel, each touch pixel electrode of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes corresponding to a unique horizontal and a unique vertical position on the touch sensor panel, the method comprising:

during a first time period;

driving and sensing self-capacitances of a first plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel using a first voltage signal while concurrently driving a second plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel at a reference voltage, different from the first voltage signal; and

during a second time period;

driving and sensing self-capacitances of the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes using a second voltage signal while concurrently driving the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes at the reference voltage, different from the second voltage signal, wherein each row of the rows of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the row.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein driving the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes, respectively, at the reference voltage comprises driving the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes, respectively, at a system ground of the touch sensor panel.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the plurality of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel are arranged in the rows and in columns on the touch sensor panel, and

the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are arranged in a checkerboard pattern alternating in two dimensions on the touch sensor panel such that;

each row of the rows of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the row, and

each column of the columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel includes touch pixel electrodes from the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and touch pixel electrodes from the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes alternately arranged along the column.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

coupling the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes to the sense circuitry using a first set of routing on the touch sensor panel; and

coupling the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes to the sense circuitry using a second set of routing on the touch sensor panel,

wherein the first set of routing and the second set of routing are alternately disposed between columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel such that the first set of routing and the second set of routing are not both disposed between any two adjacent columns of the columns of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more distances between touch pixel electrodes in the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes are substantially the same as one or more distances between touch pixel electrodes in the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

driving and sensing multiple other pluralities of touch pixel electrodes on the touch sensor panel during other respective time periods, the multiple other pluralities of touch pixel electrodes being different than the first and second pluralities of touch pixel electrodes, and the other respective time periods being different than the first and second time periods.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

dynamically determining which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes to be driven and have their self-capacitances sensed by the sense circuitry.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein dynamically determining which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes comprises:

determining a size of an object interacting with the touch sensor panel; and

determining which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes based on the determined size of the object.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

prior to determining the size of the object, initiating an initial scan of the touch sensor panel in which the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are driven and have their self-capacitances sensed simultaneously; and

determining the size of the object based on the initial scan.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein dynamically determining which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes comprises:

determining a location of an object interacting with the touch sensor panel; and

determining which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and which of the plurality of touch pixel electrodes is the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes based on the determined location of the object.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

prior to determining the location of the object, initiating an initial scan of the touch sensor panel in which the first plurality of touch pixel electrodes and the second plurality of touch pixel electrodes are driven and have their self-capacitances sensed simultaneously; and

determining the location of the object based on the initial scan.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the reference voltage the first and second voltage signals are out of phase.