MULTIPOINT TOUCHSCREEN

• US 20090096757A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brian Huppi, Joshua A. Strickon, Steve Hotelling
• Original Assignee: Brian Huppi, Joshua A. Strickon, Steve Hotelling
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steve, Strickon, Joshua A., Huppi, Brian Q.
• Application Number:
  US12/267,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20090096757A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

A touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches is disclosed.

Claims

1. A multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel, comprising:

a first layer of spatially separated drive lines formed in a first plane; and

a second layer of spatially separated sense lines formed in a second plane, the drive and sense lines crossing over each other to form a grid of mutual capacitance sensing nodes.

2. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a first member, wherein the first plane is located on a first side of the first member, and the second plane is located on a second side of the first member.

3. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first member is optically transmissive.

4. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first member is glass.

5. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, wherein the drive and sense lines are optically transmissive.

6. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, the drive and sense lines formed from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).

7. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, the drive lines having large line widths and narrow spacing.

8. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a display bonded adjacent to the multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel.

9. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a cover sheet bonded adjacent to the multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel.

10. A method for fabricating a multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel, comprising:

forming a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines on opposite sides of a first member so that the drive and sense lines cross over each other on different planes to form a grid of mutual capacitance sensing nodes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first member is optically transmissive.

12. The multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel of claim 10, wherein the first member is glass.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the drive and sense lines are optically transmissive.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming the drive and sense lines from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO).

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming the drive lines with large line widths and narrow spacing.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming a touch screen by bonding a display adjacent to the multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising bonding a cover sheet adjacent to the multipoint mutual capacitance touch panel.