Single layer capacitive imaging sensors

• US 9,081,453 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Bulea, Mihai, Solven, Derek, Reynolds, Joseph Kurth, Hoch, David, Dattalo, Tracy Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US13/740,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20130181943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a plurality of sensing elements that are interconnected in desired way to acquire positional information of an input object, so that the acquired positional information can be used by other system components to control a display or other useful system components. One or more of the embodiments described herein, utilizes one or more of the techniques and sensor electrode array configuration disclosed herein to reduce or minimize the number of traces and/or electrodes required to sense the position of an input object within a sensing region of the input device.

Claims

1. A capacitive image sensor, comprising:

a first set of sensor electrodes within a first single column, the first set of sensor electrodes comprising a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode and a third sensor electrode, wherein the first sensor electrode is electrically coupled to the third sensor electrode via a trace, wherein the trace is disposed between two or more sensor electrodes, and wherein; and

a second set of sensor electrodes within a second single column, the second set of sensor electrodes comprising a fourth sensor electrode, a fifth sensor electrode, and a sixth sensor electrode, wherein the fourth sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the first sensor electrode, and the fifth sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the third sensor electrode, wherein the fourth sensor electrode, the fifth sensor electrode, and the sixth sensor electrode are independently routed.

2. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode.

3. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein the third sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode.

4. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the sixth sensor electrode is disposed between the fourth and fifth sensor electrodes, and

the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode, and the second sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the fourth sensor electrode and the sixth sensor electrode.

5. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein the third sixth sensor electrode has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region has an area density that is greater than the second region, and the fourth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the first region and the fifth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the second region.

6. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode are disposed adjacent to an edge of the fourth sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to an edge of the fifth sensor electrode, and

wherein the edge of the fourth sensor electrode and the edge of the fifth sensor electrode are aligned at an angle less than or greater than 180 degrees.

7. The capacitive image sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode, and the second sensor electrode has a first protrusion that is disposed between the first sensor electrodes and the trace that electrically couples the first sensor electrode to the third sensor electrode.

8. A capacitive image sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of traces disposed on a first surface of the substrate,

a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed on a first surface of the substrate, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprises;

a first set of sensor electrodes within a first single column, the first set of sensor electrodes comprising a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode and a third sensor electrode, wherein the first sensor electrode is electrically coupled to the third sensor electrode via a first trace of the plurality of traces; and

a second set of sensor electrodes within a second single column, the second set of sensor electrodes comprising a fourth sensor electrode, a fifth sensor electrode, and a sixth sensor electrode, wherein the fourth sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the first sensor electrode and the fifth sensor electrode is configure to capacitively couple with the third sensor electrode, wherein the first trace is disposed between the fourth sensor electrode and the sixth sensor electrode, wherein the second sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the fourth sensor electrode and the sixth sensor electrode, and wherein the fourth sensor electrode, the fifth sensor electrode, and the sixth sensor electrode are independently routed; and

a processing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes and configured to;

transmit transmitter signals with one of the first sensor electrode and the fourth sensor electrode;

receive resulting signals with the other of the first sensor electrode and the fourth sensor electrode, the resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to the transmitter signal; and

determine positional information for an input object based on measurement of a change in the capacitive coupling between the first sensor electrode and the fourth sensor electrode, the measurement based on the resulting signals.

9. The capacitive image sensor of claim 8, wherein the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode.

10. The capacitive image sensor of claim 8, wherein the third sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode.

11. The capacitive image sensor of claim 8, wherein:

the sixth sensor electrode is disposed between the fourth and fifth sensor electrodes, and

the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode.

12. The capacitive image sensor of claim 8, wherein the sixth sensor electrode has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region has an area density that is greater than the second region, and the fourth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the first region and the fifth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the second region.

13. A capacitive image sensor, comprising:

a first set of sensor electrodes comprising a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode, and a third sensor electrode disposed within a first single column; and

a second set of sensor electrodes comprising a fourth independently routed sensor electrode, a fifth independently routed sensor electrode, and a sixth independently routed sensor electrode disposed within a second single column,

wherein the first sensor electrode is electrically coupled to the third sensor electrode via a trace disposed between two or more sensor electrodes, and

wherein the fifth sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the third sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode is configured to capacitively couple with the fourth sensor electrode and the sixth sensor electrode.

14. The capacitive image sensor of claim 13, wherein the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode.

15. The capacitive image sensor of claim 13, wherein the third sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode.

16. The capacitive image sensor of claim 13, wherein:

the sixth sensor electrode is disposed between the fourth and fifth sensor electrodes, and

the second sensor electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the third sensor electrode.

17. The capacitive image sensor of claim 13, wherein the sixth sensor electrode has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region has an area density that is greater than the second region, and the fourth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the first region and the fifth sensor electrode is disposed adjacent to the second region.