Single layer multi-touch capacitive imaging sensor

• US 9,483,151 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Solven, Derek, Moore, Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/750,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device having a reduced system complexity and low production cost. As the size of input devices, such as touch pads and other similar devices increase, the need for an input device that is able to maintain or even improve the touch sensing accuracy without greatly increasing the manufacturing cost becomes increasingly important. Embodiments of the invention may provide an input device that includes an array of capacitive sensing pixels that each include a unique pair of sensor electrodes, wherein at least one of the electrodes in a first pixel is also in communication with another sensor electrode in at least one other pixel, which is not in the same row or column with the first pixel.

Claims

1. A capacitive image sensor, comprising:

a first array of sensor electrodes including electrodes of a first and second type, the first array of sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of a substrate, the first type of sensor electrodes in the first array aligned in substantially a first direction on the surface and the second type of sensor electrodes in the first array aligned in substantially the first direction, wherein each electrode of the first type in the first array is positioned to capacitively couple to one of the sensor electrodes of the second type in the first array;

a second array of sensor electrodes including electrodes of the first and second type, the second array of sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, the first type of sensor electrodes in the second array aligned in substantially the first direction and the second type of sensor electrodes in the second array aligned in substantially the first direction, wherein each of the electrodes of the first type in the second array is positioned to capacitively couple to one or more of the sensor electrodes of the second type in the second array; and

wherein the second array of sensor electrodes is positioned a distance in a second direction from the first array of first sensor electrodes, and the second direction is not parallel to the first direction, and

wherein at least one of the sensor electrodes of the second type in the first array is electrically coupled to at least one of the sensor electrodes of the second type in the second array.

2. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first type of sensor electrodes in the second array is a mirror image of the first type of sensor electrodes in the first array about a first axis of symmetry that is parallel to the first direction.

3. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a third array of sensor electrodes including electrodes of the first type disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein the first type of sensor electrodes in the third array are aligned in substantially the first direction, and each of the electrodes of the first type in the third array are positioned to capacitively couple to at least a portion of a sensor electrode of the second type in the first array of sensor electrodes; and

a fourth array of sensor electrodes including electrodes of the first type disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein each of the electrodes of the first type in the fourth array are aligned in substantially the first direction, and each of the electrodes of the first type in the fourth array is positioned to capacitively couple to at least a portion of an electrode of the second type in the second array of sensor electrodes.

4. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the second type of sensor electrodes are configured as receiver electrodes and the first type of sensor electrodes are configured as transmitter electrodes, and none of the first type of sensor electrodes in the first array are ohmically coupled to an electrode of the first type in the second array of electrodes.

5. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor electrodes of the first type of the first and second arrays are disposed on the surface of the substrate between the sensor electrodes of the second type of the first array and the sensor electrodes of the second type of the second array.

6. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first array of the second type of sensor electrodes further comprises:

a first group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions; and

a second group of second electrode regions comprising two or more second electrode regions,

wherein each of the two or more second electrode regions in the first group are in electrical communication with each other and each of the two or more second electrode regions in the second group are in electrical communication with each other.

7. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first type of sensor electrodes and the second type of sensor electrodes are either transmitter electrodes or receiver electrodes, and the ratio of transmitter electrodes to receiver electrodes is greater than 1.

8. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein each of the first type of sensor electrodes further comprise a trace and each of the second type of sensor electrodes further comprise a trace, and wherein the traces are coupled to a sensor processor.

9. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the first type of sensor electrodes and the second type of sensor electrodes are substantially transparent.

10. The capacitive imaging sensor of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises part of a display.