IP Library Granted Patent US 10,120,489
Granted Patent B2
US 10,120,489 · App. 15/209,388 · Granted Nov 6, 2018

Touch sensor mesh designs

Inventors: David Brent Guard (Southampton, GB); Steven P. Emm (Southampton, GB); James Lyle (Morgan Hill, CA)
Assignee: Atmel Corporation
G06F3/0416G06F3/044G06F3/0412G06F2203/04103G06F2203/04112
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,120,489
App. No.
15/209,388
Granted
Nov 6, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one embodiment, a touch sensor includes a substrate and a mesh of conductive material formed on the substrate and configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other. The first lines extend across at least a portion of the display at a first angle relative to a first axis. The first lines are separated from each other along the first axis by a sequence of separation distances having corresponding magnitudes, where magnitudes of more than one separation distance from among the sequence of separation distances are based on a phasor step θ and a phasor magnitude of at least one phasor.

Claims (65)

1. A touch sensor, comprising:

a substrate; and

a mesh of conductive material formed on the substrate and configured to extend across a display, wherein:

the mesh of conductive material comprises first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other;

the first lines are configured to extend across at least a portion of the display at a first angle relative to a first axis;

the first lines are separated from each other along the first axis by a sequence of separation distances having corresponding magnitudes;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are based on a phasor step θ and a phasor magnitude of at least one phasor;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are further based on a phasor having at least one carrier phasor step and at least one side band comprising at least one positive side band component and at least one negative side band component; and

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances comprise a pattern of translational shifts comprising a first horizontal component of the at least one positive side band component and a second horizontal component of the at least one negative side band component.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1 ,

wherein:

the first lines are adjacent to one another; and

the pattern of translational shifts is applied to adjacent first lines.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the pattern of translational shifts is applied to every other conductive line of the first lines.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the phasor includes an odd number of phasor steps and the pattern of translational shifts excludes the translational shift associated with at the at least one carrier phasor step.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the phasor further comprises a phasor magnitude having a value of less than one sub-pixel pitch, equal to one sub-pixel pitch, or greater than one sub-pixel pitch; and

the pattern of translational shifts is:

normalized to one;

multiplied by the phasor magnitude; and

applied to the first lines.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the pattern of translational shifts consists of about −1, about −0.62, about 0.62, and about 1.

7. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the display comprises a plurality of pixels;

each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP x ) along the first axis;

the first pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the first axis; and

the magnitudes of more than one separation distance from among the sequence of separation distances are based on the first pixel pitch, the phasor step θ, and the phasor magnitude of the at least one phasor.

8. A system comprising:

a display device comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a plurality of sub-pixels; and

a touch sensor that comprises a substrate and a mesh of conductive material formed on the substrate and configured to extend across the display device, wherein:

the mesh of conductive material comprises first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other;

the first lines are configured to extend across at least a portion of the display device at a first angle relative to a first axis;

the first lines are separated from each other along the first axis by a sequence of separation distances having different magnitudes;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are based on a phasor step θ and a phasor magnitude of at least one phasor;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are further based on a phasor having at least one carrier phasor step and at least one side band comprising at least one positive side band component and at least one negative side band component; and

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances comprise a pattern of translational shifts comprising a first horizontal component of the at least one positive side band component and a second horizontal component of the at least one negative side band component.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the first lines are adjacent to one another; and

the pattern of translational shifts is applied to adjacent first lines.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the pattern of translational shifts is applied to every other conductive line of the first lines.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the phasor includes an odd number of phasor steps and the pattern of translational shifts excludes the translational shift associated with the at the at least one carrier phasor step.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the phasor further comprises a phasor magnitude having a value of less than one sub-pixel pitch, equal to one sub-pixel pitch, or greater than one sub-pixel pitch; and

the pattern of translational shifts is:

normalized to one;

multiplied by the phasor magnitude; and

applied to the first lines.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the pattern of translational shifts consists of about −1, about −0.62, about 0.62, and about 1.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the display device comprises a plurality of pixels;

each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PP x ) along the first axis;

the first pixel pitch is a distance between corresponding features of two adjacent pixels along the first axis; and

the magnitudes of more than one separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are based on the first pixel pitch, the phasor step θ, and the phasor magnitude of the at least one phasor.

15. A method, comprising:

forming a touch sensor that comprises a substrate and a mesh of conductive material formed on the substrate and configured to extend across a display, wherein:

the mesh of conductive material comprises first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other;

the first lines are configured to extend across at least a portion of the display at a first angle relative to a first axis;

the first lines are separated from each other along the first axis by a sequence of separation distances having corresponding magnitudes;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are based on a phasor step θ and a phasor magnitude of at least one phasor;

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances are further based on a phasor having at least one carrier phasor step and at least one side band comprising at least one positive side band component and at least one negative side band component; and

the corresponding magnitudes of more than one of the separation distances from among the sequence of separation distances comprise a pattern of translational shifts comprising a first horizontal component of the at least one positive side band component and a second horizontal component of the at least one negative side band component.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the first lines are adjacent to one another; and

the pattern of translational shifts is applied to adjacent first lines.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the pattern of translational shifts is applied to every other conductive line of the first lines.

Assignments (12)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2022
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059358/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059262/0105 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059333/0222 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2019
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY GERMANY GMBH
To: NEODRÓN LIMITED
Reel/Frame 048259/0840 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN CERTAIN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Dec 21, 2018
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047976/0884 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN CERTAIN PATENT RIGHTS Recorded Dec 21, 2018
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047976/0937 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 047103/0206 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 25, 2018
From: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.; ATMEL CORPORATION; MICROSEMI CORPORATION; MICROSEMI STORAGE SOLUTIONS, INC.
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 046426/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 10, 2017
From: ATMEL CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 041715/0747 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: ATMEL TECHNOLOGIES U.K. LIMITED
To: ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039736/0403 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2016
From: GUARD, DAVID BRENT; EMM, STEVEN P.
To: ATMEL TECHNOLOGIES U.K. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 039149/0884 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2016
From: LYLE, JAMES
To: ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 039149/0722 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62328924 · Apr 28, 2016
Related Publication 20170315656A1 · Nov 2, 2017