Granted Patent B2

US 12,242,304 · App. 18/436,663 · Granted Mar 4, 2025

Inventors: Richard Stuart Seger, Jr. (Belton, TX); Michael Shawn Gray (Elgin, TX); Daniel Keith Van Ostrand (Leander, TX); Patrick Troy Gray (Cedar Park, TX)

Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.

G06F1/1652G06F1/1616G06F1/1643G06F1/1647G06F1/1692G06F3/04166G06F3/0444G06F3/0446

Abstract

Claims (54)

1. A device comprising:

a flexible display configured to display images in at least a first touch area and a second touch area, wherein at least a portion of the second touch area is located on a side surface of the device;

a first plurality of column electrodes integrated into the first touch area of the flexible display;

a second plurality of column electrodes integrated into the second touch area of the flexible display;

a plurality of row electrodes integrated into and extending across the first touch area and the second touch area;

a plurality of drive-sense circuits operable, when enabled, to drive sensor signals on the first plurality of column electrodes, the second plurality of column electrodes, and the plurality of row electrodes; and

a processing module coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, the processing module configured to:

sense, based on the sensor signals, an electrical characteristic of at least one row electrode and at least one column electrode of the first plurality of column electrodes or the second plurality of column electrodes; and

determine, based on the electrical characteristic, a proximal touch to at least one of the first touch area or the second touch area.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first touch area is configured to rotate with respect to the second touch area, along a folding axis, between a folded position and an unfolded position.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the side surface of the device is present when the first touch area and the second touch area are in the folded position.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein a sensor signal of the sensor signals includes a drive signal component and a receive signal component, wherein a drive-sense circuit of the plurality of drive-sense circuits generates the drive signal component and interprets the receive signal component to produce a representation of an impedance on an electrode coupled to the drive-sense circuit.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:

digital filtering circuitry coupled between the plurality of drive-sense circuits and the processing module; and

reference signal circuitry coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate control signals to enable the reference signal circuitry to provide reference signals to the plurality of drive-sense circuits for establishing drive signal components of the sensor signals.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein:

the first plurality of column electrodes are formed of a first set of conductive pads of the flexible display;

the second plurality of column electrodes are formed of a second set of conductive pads of the flexible display; and

the plurality of row electrodes are formed of a third set of conductive pads of the flexible display.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of column electrodes, the second plurality of column electrodes, and the plurality of row electrodes are line electrodes, and wherein the first plurality of column electrodes are separated from the plurality of row electrodes by a dielectric layer and arranged in a crossing pattern, and the second plurality of column electrodes are separated from the plurality of row electrodes by the dielectric layer and arranged in a crossing pattern.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display includes organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

9. A device comprising:

a flexible display configured to display images in at least a first touch area and a second touch area, wherein at least a portion of the second touch area is located on an edge or side surface of the device;

a first plurality of column electrodes and a first plurality of row electrodes integrated into the first touch area of the flexible display;

a second plurality of column electrodes and a second plurality of row electrodes integrated into the second touch area of the flexible display;

a plurality of drive-sense circuits operable, when enabled, to drive sensor signals on the first plurality of column electrodes, the second plurality of column electrodes, the first plurality of row electrodes, and the second plurality of row electrodes; and

a processing module coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, the processing module configured to:

sense, based on the sensor signals, an electrical characteristic of at least one row electrode and at least one column electrode of the first touch area or the second touch area.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the processing module is further configured to:

determine, based on the electrical characteristic, a proximal touch to the first touch area or the second touch area.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the first touch area is configured to rotate with respect to the second touch area along a folding axis.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the first plurality of row electrodes and the second plurality of row electrodes include a plurality of common electrodes which extend across the first touch area and the second touch area.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein a sensor signal of the sensor signals includes a drive signal component and a receive signal component, wherein a drive-sense circuit of the plurality of drive-sense circuits generates the drive signal component and interprets the receive signal component to produce a representation of an impedance on an electrode coupled to the drive-sense circuit.

14. The device of claim 13 , further comprising:

digital filtering circuitry coupled between the plurality of drive-sense circuits and the processing module; and

reference signal circuitry coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate control signals to enable the reference signal circuitry to provide reference signals to the plurality of drive-sense circuits for establishing drive signal components of the sensor signals.

15. The device of claim 9 , wherein:

the first plurality of column electrodes are formed of a first set of conductive pads of the flexible display;

the second plurality of column electrodes are formed of a second set of conductive pads of the flexible display;

the first plurality of row electrodes are formed of a third set of conductive pads of the flexible display; and

the second plurality of row electrodes are formed of a fourth set of conductive pads of the flexible display.

16. The device of claim 9 , wherein the first plurality of column electrodes, the second plurality of column electrodes, the first plurality of row electrodes and the second plurality of row electrodes are line electrodes, and wherein the first plurality of column electrodes are separated from the first plurality of row electrodes by a dielectric layer and arranged in a crossing pattern, and the second plurality of column electrodes are separated from the second plurality of row electrodes by the dielectric layer and arranged in a crossing pattern.

17. A device comprising:

a flexible display configured to display images in at least a first touch area, a second touch area, and a third touch area, wherein at least a portion of the second touch area is located on an edge or side surface of the device;

a first plurality of column electrodes and a first plurality of row electrodes integrated into the first touch area of the flexible display;

a second plurality of column electrodes and a second plurality of row electrodes integrated into the second touch area of the flexible display;

a third plurality of column electrodes and a third plurality of row electrodes integrated into the third touch area of the flexible display;

a plurality of drive-sense circuits operable, when enabled, to drive sensor signals on the first plurality of column electrodes, the second plurality of column electrodes, the third plurality of column electrodes, the first plurality of row electrodes, the second plurality of row electrodes, and the third plurality of row electrodes; and

a processing module coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, the processing module configured to:

sense, based on the sensor signals, an electrical characteristic of at least one row electrode and at least one column electrode of the first touch area, the second touch area or the third touch area.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processing module is further configured to:

determine, based on the electrical characteristic, a proximal touch to at least one of the first touch area, the second touch area, or the third touch area.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein the first touch area is configured to rotate with respect to the second touch area along a first folding axis, and the third touch area is configured to rotate with respect to the second touch area along a second folding axis.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein a sensor signal of the sensor signals includes a drive signal component and a receive signal component, wherein a drive-sense circuit of the plurality of drive-sense circuits generates the drive signal component and interprets the receive signal component to produce a representation of an impedance on an electrode coupled to the drive-sense circuit.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (71)