Capacitive sensor behind black mask

• US 9,335,868 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steve Porter, Bernstein, Jeffrey Traer, Amm, David T., Leung, Omar S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US12/184,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,840 Days
• Field of Search: 345/42, 345/156, 345/158, 345173-179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes

Abstract

Devices having one or more sensors located outside a viewing area of a touch screen display are disclosed. The one or more sensors can be located behind an opaque mask area of the device; the opaque mask area extending between the sides of a housing of the device and viewing area of the touch screen display. In addition, the sensors located behind the mask can be separate from a touch sensor panel used to detect objects on or near the touch screen display, and can be used to enhance or provide additional functionality to the device. For example, a device having a sensor located outside the viewing area can be used to detect objects in proximity to a functional component incorporated in the device, such as an ear piece (i.e., speaker for outputting sound). The sensor can also output a signal indicating a level of detection which may be interpreted by a controller of the device as a level of proximity of an object to the functional component. In addition, the controller can initiate a variety of actions related to the functional component based on the output signal, such as adjusting the volume of the earpiece.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a graphical user interface, the touch screen display having a sensor array operable to recognize touch events and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events on the display; and

a capacitive sensor located separate from and outside a viewing area of the display, the capacitive sensor comprising a sense electrode and a driver electrode located on opposite sides of the viewing area, the capacitive sensor operable to recognize a touch or hover event that occurs over the viewing area and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is associated with a functional component.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising control circuitry coupled to the capacitive sensor, the control circuitry adapted to receive the signal representative of the touch or hover event and operable to initiate one of a plurality of actions associated with the functional component based on the signal representative of the touch or hover event.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is a mutual capacitance sensor.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sensor array is incorporated into a touch sensor panel.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a plurality of drive nodes and a plurality of sense nodes.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a computing system that incorporates the electronic device, the computing system comprising:

a sensor subsystem couplable to the sensor array and capacitive sensor;

a sensor processor coupled to the sensor subsystem; and

a host processor coupled to the sensor processor.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a mobile telephone that incorporates the computing system.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a digital audio player that incorporates the computing system.

10. A method for sensing touch and hover events on or about an electronic device having a touch screen, comprising:

generating one or more first signals by a touch sensor panel, the one or more signals by the touch sensor panel indicative of touch events occurring at distinct locations on a display area of the electronic device; and

generating one or more second signals by a capacitive sensor located outside the display area, the capacitive sensor comprising a sense electrode and a driver electrode located on opposite sides of the display area, the capacitive sensor, the one or more second signals generated by the capacitive sensor indicative of a touch or hover event occurring in proximity to a functional component of the electronic device; and

processing the one or more signals to enhance the functionality of the touch screen.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a sensor array.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising performing an action based on the one or more signals generated by the capacitive sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the action comprises waking up touch screen circuitry operable to drive the touch panel sensor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein performing the action comprises powering up a display operable to display a graphical user interface on the touch screen.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising driving a drive line of the capacitive sensor with a stimulus frequency and detecting the stimulus frequency with a sense line of the capacitive sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the drive line is located adjacent to one side of the display area and the sense line is located adjacent to an opposite side of the display area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the hover event comprises an object hovering over the display area.

18. A mobile telephone comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a graphical user interface, the touch screen display having a sensor array operable to recognize touch events and produce signals representative of locations of the touch events on the display; and

a capacitive sensor located separate from and outside a viewing area of the display, the capacitive sensor comprising a sense electrode and a driver electrode located on opposite sides of the viewing area, the capacitive sensor operable to recognize a touch or hover event that occurs over the viewing area and produce a signal representative of the touch or hover event.