Arrangement of sensor pads and display driver pads for input device

• US 9,720,541 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Berget, Damien, Reynolds, Joseph Kurth, Morein, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US14/788,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20170003792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• 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 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

The disclosure generally describes input devices with associated processing system configured to perform display updating and capacitive sensing. The processing system includes first and second pluralities of display driver pads coupled with a plurality of source lines, and a plurality of sensor pads disposed between the first and second pluralities of display driver pads and coupled with a plurality of sensor electrodes through a plurality of conductive routing traces. The plurality of sensor electrodes includes at least one common electrode of a display device, the common electrode configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing. The processing system is configured to drive the plurality of source lines for display updating, and to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein each sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode of a plurality of common electrodes of a display device, the common electrodes configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing;

a plurality of conductive routing traces, each conductive routing trace coupled to a respective one of the plurality of sensor electrodes;

a plurality of source lines, wherein a first conductive routing trace of the plurality of routing traces and a first source line of the plurality of source lines overlap each other; and

a processing system comprising;

a first plurality of display driver pads;

a second plurality of display driver pads, wherein each of the first and second plurality of display driver pads are coupled to at least one source line of the plurality of source lines; and

a plurality of sensor pads, where each sensor pad of the plurality of sensor pads is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of conductive routing traces, wherein the plurality of sensor pads is disposed between the first plurality of pads and the second plurality of pads, and wherein the processing system is configured to drive the plurality of source lines for display updating, and to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing via the conductive routing traces.

2. An input device comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein each sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode of a plurality of common electrodes of a display device, the common electrodes configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing;

a plurality of source lines; and

a processing system comprising;

a display driver module comprising a first plurality of display driver pads and a second plurality of display driver pads, wherein each of the first and second plurality of display driver pads are coupled to at least one source line of the plurality of source lines, the display driver module configured to drive the plurality of source lines for display updating; and

a sensor module comprising a plurality of sensor pads coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes, the sensor module configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing, wherein the plurality of sensor pads is disposed between the first plurality of pads and the second plurality of pads.

3. The input device of claim 2 further comprising an integrated circuit and wherein the display driver module and the sensor module are disposed on the integrated circuit.

4. The input device of claim 2 further comprising a first integrated circuit and a second integrated circuit, wherein the first plurality of display pads are disposed on the first integrated circuit and the sensor module is disposed on the second integrated circuit.

5. The input device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensor pads is coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes through a plurality of conductive routing traces and wherein a first conductive routing trace of the plurality of routing traces and a first source line of the plurality of source lines overlap each other.

6. The input device of claim 2, wherein the sensor module further comprises a switching device configured to selectively couple each sensor pad of the plurality sensor pads with a respective one of a plurality of analog front-ends and with a common electrode.

7. The input device of claim 6, wherein during a first period the switching device is configured to couple a first sensor pad of the plurality of sensor pads with a first analog front-end of the plurality of analog front-ends, and to couple a second sensor pad of the plurality of sensor pads with the common electrode.

8. The input device of claim 7, wherein during a second period the switching device is configured to couple the first sensor pad with the common electrode, and to couple the second sensor pad with the first analog front-end.

9. A processing system comprising:

a display driver module comprising a first plurality of display driver pads and a second plurality of display driver pads, wherein each of the first and second plurality of display driver pads are coupled to at least one source line of a plurality source lines, the display driver module configured to drive the plurality of source lines for display updating; and

a sensor module comprising a plurality of sensor pads coupled to a plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein each sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode of a plurality of common electrodes of a display device, the common electrodes configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing, the sensor module configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing, wherein the plurality of sensor pads is disposed between the first plurality of pads and the second plurality of pads.

10. The processing system of claim 9 further comprising a determination module configured to determine positional information based on resulting signals received by the sensor module when the sensor module drives the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing.

11. The processing system of claim 10, wherein the determination module is disposed on a first integrated circuit and the sensor module is disposed on a second integrated circuit.

12. The processing system of claim 9, wherein the display driver module and the sensor module are disposed on a first integrated circuit.

13. The processing system of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of sensor pads is coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes through a plurality of conductive routing traces and wherein a first conductive routing trace of the plurality of routing traces and a first source line of the plurality of source lines overlap each other.

14. The processing system of claim 9, wherein the sensor module further comprises a switching device configured to selectively couple each sensor pad of the plurality sensor pads with a respective one of a plurality of analog front-ends and with a common electrode.

15. The processing system of claim 14, wherein during a first period the switching device is configured to couple a first sensor pad of the plurality of sensor pads with a first analog front-end of the plurality of analog front-ends, and to couple a second sensor pad of the plurality of sensor pads with the common electrode.

16. The processing system of claim 15, wherein during a second period the switching device is configured to couple the first sensor pad with the common electrode, and to couple the second sensor pad with the first analog front-end.

17. The processing system of claim 16, wherein during the first period and the second period, the common electrode is configured to be driven with a shielding signal.

18. The processing system of claim 17, wherein the shielding signal is one of a varying voltage signal and a constant voltage signal.

19. The processing system of claim 15, wherein the first period corresponds to a non-display update period that occurs between two display line update periods of a display frame.

20. The processing system of claim 19, wherein the non-display update period is at least as long as a display line update period of the display frame.