Capacitive touch sense device having polygonal shaped sensor elements

• US 20070229470A1
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Snyder, Warren, Seguine, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US11/605,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229470A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

A touch sensor pad having polygon shaped sensor elements of five or more sides is described.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch sensing array having a plurality of sensor elements to detect a presence of a conductive object on the touch sensing array, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensor elements has a first polygon shape having five or more sides.

2. The apparatus of claim, 1, wherein the first polygon shape having five or more sides is a hexagon shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of sensor elements has the hexagon shape.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of sensor element have the hexagon shape to increase a vertical capacitance of each of the sensor elements to the conductive object while not increasing a fringe capacitance of each of the plurality of sensor elements to each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first polygon shape having five or more sides is a pentagon shape.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein another one or more of the plurality of sensor elements has a second polygon shape having five or more sides.

7. The apparatus of claim, 6, wherein the first polygon shape having five or more sides is a hexagon shape and wherein the second polygon shape having five or more sides is a pentagon shape.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the hexagon shaped sensor elements are configured to increase a vertical capacitance of each of the sensor elements to the conductive object while not increasing a fringe capacitance of the plurality of sensor elements to each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing array is non-planar.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor elements is fabricated from indium tin oxide.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor array having a plurality of sensor elements to detect a presence of a conductive object on the sensor array, wherein the plurality of sensor elements have a polygon shape to increase a vertical capacitance of each of the sensor elements to the conductive object while not increasing a fringe capacitance of the plurality of sensor elements to each other.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the vertical capacitance is equal to an area of the polygon shape of one sensor element times a dielectric property of an insulator layer between the one sensor element and the conductive object divided by the distance between the one sensor element and the conductive object 13.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the polygon has five or more sides.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensor elements have a hexagonal shape.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensor elements have a pentagon shape.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a first group of the plurality of sensor elements has a hexagon shape and a second group of the plurality of sensor elements has a hexagon shape.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a processing device; and

a sensor array coupled to the processing device, the sensor array having a plurality of sensor elements to detect a presence of a conductive object on the sensor array, the sensing array comprising means for increasing a vertical capacitance of each of the sensor elements to the conductive object while not increasing a fringe capacitance of the plurality of sensor elements to each other.

18. A method, comprising:

providing a sensing array having a plurality of sensor elements, wherein one or more of the plurality of sensor elements has a first polygon shape having five or more sides; and

detecting a presence of a conductive object on at least one of the plurality of sensor elements.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein another one or more of the plurality of sensor elements has a second polygon shape having five or more sides.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first polygon shape is a hexagon shape, and wherein the second polygon shape is a pentagon shape.