Touch panel with improved linear response and minimal border width electrode pattern

• US 6,781,579 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Geaghan, Bernard O., Huang, Jianming
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/377,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20030137498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 178/18-1-, 200/5.A
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04113 Peripheral electrode pattern in resistive digitisers, i.e. electrodes at the periphery of the resistive sheet are shaped in patterns enhancing linearity of induced field
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch screen panel including an insulative substrate; a resistive layer disposed on the insulative substrate; and a plurality of spaced conductive segments on the resistive layer along the border thereof. The conductive segments are disposed in rows, and every row has at least two segments which face at least a portion of three segments in the next inner row for optimizing the linearity of the touch screen panel and at the same time reducing the space occupied on the touch screen panel by the conductive segments.

Claims

1. A touch screen panel comprising:

an insulative substrate;

a resistive layer on the insulative substrate; and

a conductor pattern disposed along the border of the resistive layer for improving linearity of an electric field generated across the resistive layer, the conductor pattern comprising at least two rows of conductive segments, the conductive segments in each row being of equal length and being separated by gaps of equal length, the number of conductive segments per row being odd in number and progressively increasing from outermost to innermost rows, the conductive segments being positioned so that no gaps within adjacent rows overlap.

2. The touch screen panel of claim 1, wherein each row includes a center conductive segment, each of the center conductive segments being electrically connected.

3. The touch screen panel of claim 1, further including a back shield layer disposed on the insulated substrate opposite the resistive layer.

4. The touch screen panel of claim 1, further including a dielectric layer disposed on the resistive layer.

5. The touch screen panel of claim 1, further including a flexible layer spaced from the resistive layer.

6. The touch screen panel of claim 1, further including a plurality of electrode leads connected to different conductive segments to generate an electrical field across the resistive layer.