SINGLE LAYER TOUCH SENSOR

• US 20120255167A1
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Badaye, Massoud, Vavaroutsos, Peter, Carey, John, Prendergast, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/846
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49105 Switch making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

Embodiments for constructing capacitance sensing devices include, but are not limited to, forming a plurality of electrodes on a central portion of a substrate, the substrate comprising a central portion and an outer portion, forming a first plurality of conductors on the substrate, each of the first plurality of conductors being connected to and extending from at least one of the plurality of electrodes, and forming an insulating material on the outer portion of the substrate and at least partially over some of the first plurality of conductors. The constructing also includes forming a second plurality of conductors on the insulating material, wherein the second plurality of conductors and the insulating material are configured such that each of the second plurality of conductors is electrically connected to at least some of the first plurality of conductors and is insulated from the others of the first plurality of conductors.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a capacitance sensing device, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of electrodes on a central portion of a substrate, the substrate comprising a central portion and an outer portion;

forming a first plurality of conductors on the substrate, each of the first plurality of conductors being connected to and extending from at least one of the plurality of electrodes;

forming an insulating material on the outer portion of the substrate and at least partially over some of the first plurality of conductors; and

forming a second plurality of conductors on the insulating material, wherein the second plurality of conductors and the insulating material are configured such that each of the second plurality of conductors is electrically connected to at least some of the first plurality of conductors and is insulated from the others of the first plurality of conductors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulating material comprises a plurality of openings extending therethrough between one of the second plurality of conductors and one of the first plurality of conductors.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming a conductive member in each of the plurality of openings of the insulating material, the conductive member electrically interconnecting the one of the second plurality of conductors and the one of the first plurality of conductors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the insulating material comprises a heat curing insulating material, an ultraviolet curing material, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the insulating material comprises a resist ink, an acrylic resin, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming the second plurality of conductors on the insulating material comprises filling the plurality of openings with a conductive material to electrically interconnect the one of the second plurality of conductors and the one of the first plurality of conductors.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the conductive members comprise carbon ink, silver ink, copper ink, indium tin oxide (ITO), or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of conductors comprises silver, ITO, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes and the first plurality of conductors each comprise ITO, a silver nano-particle film, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises glass, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination thereof.

11. A method for constructing a capacitance sensing device, the method comprising:

providing a substrate having a central portion and an outer portion;

forming a plurality of substantially co-planar electrodes on the central portion of the substrate;

forming a first plurality of conductors on the substrate, each of the first plurality of conductors having a first end portion electrically connected to one of the plurality of electrodes and a second end portion on the outer portion of the substrate;

attaching an insulating body to the outer potion of the substrate adjacent to the second end portions of the first plurality of conductors; and

electrically connecting each of a second plurality of conductors on the insulating body to the second end portion of at least some of the first plurality of conductors, each of the second plurality of conductors being insulated from the second end portion of the others of the first plurality of conductors by the insulating body.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the insulating body comprises a flexible insulating substrate, and wherein the second plurality of conductors are formed on the flexible insulating substrate before the attaching the insulating body to the outer portion of the substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the insulating body comprises a flexible printed circuit (FPC) tail.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming a plurality of bond pads on the outer portion of the substrate, each of the plurality of bond pads being electrically connected to the second end portion of one of the first plurality of conductors.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the insulating body comprises polyimide, PET, or a combination thereof, and wherein the second plurality of conductors comprises copper, silver, or a combination thereof.

16. A method for constructing a capacitance sensing device comprising:

providing a substrate having a central portion and an outer portion;

forming a plurality of substantially co-planar electrodes over the central portion substrate;

forming a first plurality of traces over the substrate, each of the first plurality of traces having a first end portion electrically connected to one of the plurality of electrodes and a second end portion over the outer portion of the substrate;

forming an insulating body over the outer potion of the substrate, wherein the insulating body has a first width at a first portion thereof and a second width at a second portion thereof, the first width being greater than the second width; and

forming a second plurality of traces over the outer portion of the substrate, wherein the first plurality of traces, the second plurality of traces, and the insulating material are arranged such that each of the second plurality of traces is electrically connected to at least some of the first plurality of traces and is insulated from the others of the first plurality of traces.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first plurality of traces and the insulating body are arranged such that the first portion of the insulating body is formed over at least a portion of a first number of the first plurality of traces and the second portion of the insulating body is formed over at least a portion of only a second number of the first plurality of traces, wherein the first number is greater than the second number.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of conductors are arranged such that a distance between adjacent ones of the first plurality of conductors increases as the first plurality of conductors extend towards the outer portion of the substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first plurality of traces substantially extend in a first direction on the central portion of the substrate, and the second plurality of traces substantially extend in a second direction, the second direction being substantially orthogonal to the first direction.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second end portions of the first plurality of traces substantially extend in the second direction.