Multi-axial touch-sensor device with multi-touch resolution

• US 20080150906A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Grivna, Edward L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,072,429 B2
• 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 3/04166 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device. The method may include detecting presences of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device at respective locations on the touch-sensor device, and resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device. The apparatus may include a first set of sensor elements disposed in a first axis, a second set of sensor elements disposed in a second axis, and a third set of sensor elements disposed in a third axis.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting presences of a plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device at respective locations on the touch-sensor device; and

resolving locations of two substantially simultaneous touches of the plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising resolving locations of three substantially simultaneous touches of the plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving locations comprises:

sensing for presences of conductive objects on a first axis of the touch-sensor device;

sensing for presences of conductive objects on a second axis of the touch-sensor device;

sensing for presences of conductive objects on a third axis of the touch-sensor device; and

determining locations where the sensed presences of the three axes intersect on the touch-sensor device to determine actual touches.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein resolving locations further comprises:

determining a number of three-axis intersections on the touch-sensor device; and

determining if a ghost touch is present on the touch-sensor device when the number of three-axis intersections is greater than three.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving locations comprises resolving the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device without an all-points-addressable (APA) array of touch sensor elements in the touch-sensor device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving locations comprises resolving the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches when the two substantially simultaneous touches share a common axis.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein resolving the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches that share the common axis comprises:

validating presences of the two substantially simultaneous touches using information from the common axis and two additional axes; and

determining locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches using information from the two additional axes.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a first set of sensor elements disposed in a first axis;

a second set of sensor elements disposed in a second axis; and

a third set of sensor elements disposed in a third axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor elements of the first, second and third sets of sensor elements have a hexagonal shape.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor elements of the first, second and third sets of sensor elements have a diamond shape.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third sets are disposed having approximately 60 degrees between each axis.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor elements of the first, second and third sets of sensor elements each include one or more lines of tessellated shapes.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a processing device coupled to each of the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements,

wherein the processing device is configured to detect presences of two substantially simultaneous touches on the sensor elements of the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements, and

wherein the processing device is configured to resolve the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches on the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing device is configured to resolve the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches when the two substantially simultaneous touches share a common axis.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a processing device coupled to each of the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements,

wherein the processing device is configured to detect presences of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on the sensor elements of the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements, and

wherein the processing device is configured to resolve the locations of at least two substantially simultaneous touches of the two or more substantially simultaneous touches on the first, second, and third sets of sensor elements.

16. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a fourth set of sensor elements disposed in a fourth axis.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth sets are disposed having approximately 45 degrees between each axis.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising

a processing device coupled to each of the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements,

wherein the processing device is configured to detect presences of four substantially simultaneous touches on the sensor elements of the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements, and

wherein the processing device is configured to resolve the locations of the three substantially simultaneous touches on the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising

a processing device coupled to each of the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements,

wherein the processing device is configured to detect presences of three or more substantially simultaneous touches on the sensor elements of the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements, and

wherein the processing device is configured to resolve the locations of at least three substantially simultaneous touches of the three or more substantially simultaneous touches on the first, second, third, and fourth sets of sensor elements.

20. An apparatus, comprising a tri-axial touch sensor device configured to resolve locations of two substantially simultaneous touches.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the touch sensor device is a touch-sensor pad.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the touch-sensor device is a touch screen.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tri-axial sensor device comprises a tri-axial hexagonal sensor array configured with dual-touch resolution.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the tri-axial hexagonal sensing grid is disposed on one or more substrates with low-sheet-rho material.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tri-axial sensor device comprises a tri-axial diamond sensor array configured with dual-touch resolution.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the tri-axial diamond sensor array is disposed on one or more substrates with high-sheet-rho material.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tri-axial sensor device comprises a tri-axial sensor array routed on two layers.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the touch-sensor device is configured to detect presences of any of three substantially simultaneous touches.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the tri-axial touch sensor device is configured to resolve locations of two substantially simultaneous touches that share a common axis.

30. An apparatus, comprising:

a touch-sensor device;

means for detecting presences of a plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device at respective locations on the touch sensor device; and

means for resolving locations of two substantially simultaneous touches of the plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising means for resolving locations of three substantially simultaneous touches of the plurality of substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein means for resolving comprises resolving the locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device without an all-points-addressable (APA) array of touch sensor elements in the touch-sensor device.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising means for resolving locations of the two substantially simultaneous touches when the two substantially simultaneous touches share a common axis.