Capacitance sensing electrode with integrated I/O mechanism

• US 8,022,935 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steve P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Viet
• Application Number:
  US11/483,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345156-172
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/0293 with an integrated touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96015 Constructional details for touch switches for capacitive touch switches see H03K2217/9607
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96046 Key-pad combined with display, back-lit
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960795 using organic light emitting devices, e.g. light emitting polymer [OEP] or OLED

Abstract

A touch sensing device is disclosed. The touch sensing device includes one or more multifunctional nodes each of which represents a single touch pixel. Each multifunctional node includes a touch sensor with one or more integrated I/O mechanisms. The touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanisms share the same communication lines and I/O pins of a controller during operation of the touch sensing device.

Claims

1. A touch sensing device, comprising:

a controller,

an I/O mechanism,

a touch sensor,

the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor being structurally and electrically integrated wherein disparate parts of the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor are incorporated into a single defined unit and the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor form a unitary multifunctional node representing a single touch pixel configured to provide multiple functions at one location,

the I/O mechanism comprising a first connection point electrically coupled to the touch sensor and a second connection point electrically isolated from the touch sensor,

a first communication line connecting the touch sensor and the controller,

a second communication line connecting the I/O mechanism and the controller,

the first communication line being electrically coupled to the touch sensor and the second communication line being electrically isolated from the an electrode and electrically coupled to the second connection point.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the touch sensor comprises a capacitive sensing electrode.

3. The device of claim 1 comprising a capacitive sensing electrode is based on self capacitance.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises an input mechanism.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the input mechanism comprises a switch or sensor.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises an output mechanism.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the output mechanism comprises a light source or LED.

8. The device of claim 6 comprising configurable I/O pins, and wherein the functionality of the I/O pins are adjusted according to the operation being performed.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the controller selectively switches operations between touch sensor and the one or more I/O mechanism, the switching being serially repeated while the touch sensing device is activated.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the controller selectively switches via time multiplexing.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the touch sensing device comprises multiple I/O mechanisms.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same communication lines and I/O pins of a controller during operation of the touch sensing device.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same plane.

14. A touch sensing device, comprising:

multiple touch sensing nodes positioned in an array within a touch plane, each of the multiple touch sensing nodes comprising;

an I/O mechanism,

a touch sensor,

the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor being structurally and electrically integrated wherein disparate parts of the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor are incorporated into a single defined unit and the I/O mechanism and the touch sensor form a unitary multifunctional node configured to provide touch sensing operations in addition to one or more I/O operations at one location,

the I/O mechanism comprising a first connection point electrically coupled to the touch sensor and a second connection point electrically isolated from the touch sensor,

a first communication line electrically coupled to the touch sensor and a second communication line electrically isolated from an electrode and electrically coupled to the second connection point.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein each of the touch sensing nodes comprise a capacitive sensing electrode, and each of the multifunctional nodes comprise one or more I/O mechanisms that are integrated with the capacitive sensing electrode at the node.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch sensing device comprises more than one multifunctional node, and wherein the multifunctional nodes are different.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch sensing nodes comprise multifunctional nodes.

18. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch sensing nodes are arranged in a circle and each touch sensing node is associated with a distinct angular position within the touch plane.

19. The device of claim 14 wherein the multifunctional nodes are located at least at the north, south, east and west positions within the circular arrangement.

20. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch device comprises a touch pad.

21. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch device comprises a touch screen.

22. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch device comprises a touch sensitive housing.

23. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same communication lines and I/O pins of a controller during operation of the touch sensing device.

24. The device of claim 14 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same plane.

25. An I/O device comprising:

a multifunctional I/O node and a controller, the controller and the multifunctional node being in communication, the multifunctional I/O node comprising;

a capacitive sensing electrode configured to detect capacitive changes at the multifunctional I/O node, and

an I/O mechanism integrated with the capacitive sensing electrode, wherein disparate parts of the I/O mechanism and the capacitive sensing electrode are incorporated into a single defined unit and the capacitive sensing electrode and the I/O mechanism form a single node.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises a first connection point electrically coupled to the electrode and a second connection point electrically isolated from the electrode and the device comprising a first communication line electrically coupled to the electrode and a second communication line electrically isolated from the electrode and electrically coupled to the second connection point.

27. The device of claim 25 wherein the controller comprises a first adjustable I/O contact and a second adjustable I/O contact and the device comprises a first communication line connected to the first adjustable I/O contact and a second communication line connected to the second adjustable I/O contact.

28. The device of claim 25 wherein all of the I/O mechanism is located within the electrode.

29. The device of claim 25 wherein at least a portion of the I/O mechanism is located within the electrode.

30. The device of claim 25 wherein the I/O mechanism is located adjacent to an edge of the electrode.

31. The device of claim 25 wherein the electrode is located in a plane and the I/O mechanism is located in a plane that is underneath, above or coextensive with the plane of the electrode.

32. The device of claim 25 wherein the controller comprises a capacitance sensing circuit configured to monitor capacitance at the multifunctional I/O node.

33. The device of claim 25 wherein the controller comprises an I/O circuit configured to drive the I/O mechanism during operation.

34. The device of claim 25 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises a switch.

35. The device of claim 34 wherein the switch comprises a dome switch or momentary switch.

36. The device of claim 25 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises a light source.

37. The device of claim 36 wherein the light source comprises an LED.

38. The device of claim 25 wherein the I/O mechanism comprises a switch and a light source.

39. The device of claim 25 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same communication lines and I/O pins of a controller during operation of the touch sensing device.

40. The device of claim 25 wherein the touch sensor and integrated I/O mechanism share the same plane.