Capacitive touch panel and recognition method and fabrication method thereof

• US 9,035,901 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Te-Mu, Lee, Hsin-Hao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almeida, Cory
• Application Number:
  US13/206,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20130038562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/43 Electric condenser making

Abstract

A capacitive touch panel and operating and fabrication methods thereof. The capacitive touch panel has a plurality of transmitter electrodes and a plurality of receiver electrodes. An electric field is formed by the receiver electrodes and the powered one of the transmitter electrodes. The changes, caused by the touch of a user, in the electric field are used in touch recognition. The receiver electrodes are all in a fork shape. For one receiver electrode, the teeth are spaced in a first distance. Note that adjacent teeth from different and adjacent electrodes are spaced apart by another distance. The second distance is greater than the first distance.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a first set of electrodes, disposed to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate; and

a second set of electrodes, disposed to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate and spaced apart from the first set of electrodes,

wherein each one of the second set of electrodes contains branches which are spaced apart by a first distance, and adjacent two branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the second set of electrodes are spaced apart by a second distance longer than the first distance, and the second distance is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

2. The capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a detection structure is built by intersection of the first and second sets of electrodes to detect electric field changes caused by at least one touch.

3. The capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of branches contained in each of the second set of electrodes is 2.

4. The capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second sets of electrodes are transparent conductive materials.

5. The capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first set of electrodes is spaced apart from the second set of electrodes vertically by dielectric materials.

6. The capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control unit driving voltages to the first set of electrodes and processing data detected by the second set of electrodes.

7. A recognition method used in a capacitive touch panel, the capacitive touch panel having a first set of electrodes disposed to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate and a second set of electrodes disposed to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate, wherein each one of the second set of electrodes contains branches which are spaced apart by a first distance while adjacent two branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the second set of electrodes are spaced apart by a second distance which is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and, the recognition method comprising:

obtaining first data and second data from adjacent first and second electrodes which belong to the second set of electrodes; and

determining that a touch has occurred between the first and second electrodes when the first data is greater than a lower limit and the second data is greater than the lower limit and is lower than an upper limit,

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

8. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, wherein data detected by one of the second set of electrodes when a touch has occurred just above the one of the second set of electrodes is regarded as the upper limit.

9. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a tolerance upper limit calculated from data detected by one of the second set of electrodes when a touch has occurred just above the one of the second set of electrodes is regarded as the upper limit.

10. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower limit is set to a minimum value that adjacent two of the second set of electrodes detects when a touch has occurred between the adjacent two of the second set of electrodes.

11. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

driving one electrode of the first set of electrodes; and

determining that the touch occurs on the driven one of the first set of electrodes.

12. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the touch occurs between the first and second electrodes and extends to the first electrode when the first data is greater than the upper limit.

13. The recognition method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

using a third electrode which belongs to the second set of electrodes and is adjacent to the second electrode to obtain a third data; and

determining that another touch occurs between the second electrode and the third electrode when the first data is greater than the lower limit, the second data is between the lower limit and the upper limit and the third data is greater than the lower limit, and recognizing the another touch from the touch occurring between the first and second electrodes.

14. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a plurality of transmitter electrodes, disposed to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate; and

a plurality of receiver electrodes, disposed to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate,

wherein each one of the plurality of receiver electrodes contains branches that are spaced apart by a first distance, and any adjacent two branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the plurality of receiver electrodes are space apart by a second distance which is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

15. A portable device having a processing system, a display device and a capacitive touch panel, wherein the capacitive touch panel comprises:

a first set of electrodes, disposed to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate; and

a second set of electrodes, disposed to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate and spaced apart from the first set of electrodes,

wherein each one of the second set of electrodes contains branches that are spaced apart by a first distance, and any two adjacent branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the second set of electrodes are spaced apart by a second distance longer than the first distance, and the second distance is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

16. A fabrication method for a capacitive touch panel, comprising:

disposing a first set of electrodes to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate; and

disposing a second set of electrodes to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate and spacing the second set of electrodes apart from the first set of electrodes, wherein each one of the second set of electrodes contains branches that are spaced apart by a first distance, and any two adjacent branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the second set of electrodes are spaced apart by a second distance longer than the first distance, and the second distance is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

17. The fabrication method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a detection structure is built by intersection of the first and second sets of electrodes to detect electric field changes caused by at least one touch.

18. The fabrication method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the number of branches contained in each of the second set of electrodes is 2.

19. The fabrication method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first and second sets of electrodes are transparent conductive materials.

20. The fabrication method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first set of electrodes is spaced apart from the second set of electrodes vertically by dielectric materials.

21. A recognition method used in a capacitive touch panel, the capacitive touch panel comprising a first set of electrodes disposed to extend along a first axis of a two-dimensional coordinate and a second set of electrodes disposed to extend along a second axis of the two-dimensional coordinate, wherein each one of the second set of electrodes contains branches which are spaced apart by a first distance while adjacent two branches from two different and adjacent electrodes of the second set of electrodes are spaced apart by a second distance which is 1.5 to 2 times the length of the first distance, and, the recognition method comprising:

driving one electrode of the first set of electrodes;

using a first electrode and a second electrode which belongs to the second set of electrodes and are adjacent to each other to detect a first data and a second data;

determining that a touch has occurred on the driven one of the first set of electrodes based on the detected first and second data;

determining a location and a scope of the touch according to the first and second data,

wherein the branches are not connected with each other at one end of the second set of electrodes and the branches are disposed to extend along the second axis.

22. The recognition method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

determining that the touch occurs between the first electrode and the second electrode when the first data and the second data both are lower than an upper limit and greater than a lower limit.

23. The recognition method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

determining that the touch occurs on the first electrode and extends to between the first and second electrodes when the first data is greater than an upper limit and the second data is between a lower limit and the upper limit.

24. The recognition method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:

using a third electrode that belongs to the second set of electrodes and is adjacent to the second electrode to detect a third data; and

determining that another touch occurs between the second electrode and the third electrode when the first data is greater than a lower limit, the second data is lower than an upper limit and the third data is greater than the lower limit, and recognizing the another touch from the touch previously recognized.