IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,260,045
Granted Patent B2
US 12,260,045 · App. 17/933,808 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Architecture for differential drive and sense for touch sensor panel

Inventors: Sagar R. Vaze (San Jose, CA); Marduke Yousefpor (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G06F3/04182G06F3/0445
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,260,045
App. No.
17/933,808
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Differential driving and/or differential sensing can reduce noise in the touch and/or display systems of a touch screen. In some examples, the touch sensor panel can include column and row electrodes routed vertically to a first edge of the touch sensor panel. In some examples, a touch sensor panel can be divided into banks. In some examples, the routing traces for rows can be implemented using four routing tracks per column for three banks. In some examples, the arrangement of routing traces within routing tracks can improve optical characteristics and/or reduce routing trace resistances and loading. In some examples, interconnections between routing traces and row electrodes can have a chevron pattern, an S-shape pattern, or a hybrid pattern. In some examples, differential sense routing can reduce cross-coupling within the touch sensor panel. In some examples, staggering differential drive signals can reduce parasitic signal loss.

Claims (68)

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of touch electrodes including a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes in a first layer, the plurality of touch electrodes forming a two-axis array of touch nodes;

a plurality of first routing traces in a second layer, different from the first layer, the plurality of first routing traces coupled to the first electrodes using a plurality of first electrical interconnections between the first layer and the second layer; and

a plurality of second routing traces in the second layer, the plurality of the second routing traces coupled to the second electrodes using a plurality of second electrical interconnections between the first layer and the second layer;

wherein the plurality of first routing traces is routed along a first axis of the two-axis array and at least partially overlaps the two-axis array of touch nodes; and

wherein the plurality of second traces is routed along the first axis of the two-axis array and at least partially overlaps the two-axis array of touch nodes,

wherein the first electrodes include column electrodes, the second electrodes include row electrodes, and the two-axis array of touch nodes includes a row-column arrangement of touch nodes, and

wherein row electrodes, of the of the row-column arrangement, are connected by routing between the row electrodes.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the second layer comprises, for a first column of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes, a plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments, the plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments including a first set of one or more routing trace segments, a second set of one or more routing trace segments, a third set of one or more routing trace segments, and a fourth set of one or more routing trace segments.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein:

the first column includes a first column electrode and a second column electrode;

the first set of one or more routing trace segments comprises a first routing trace of the plurality of first routing traces and the second set of one or more routing trace segments comprises a second routing trace of the plurality of first routing traces are disposed in the first column; and

the first routing trace of the plurality of first routing traces is coupled to the first column electrode and the second routing trace of the plurality of first routing traces is coupled to the second column electrode.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein:

a first routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces, a second routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces, and a third routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces are disposed in the first column;

the first routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces comprises a first portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments, a first portion of the second set of one or more routing trace segments, a first portion of the third set of one or more routing trace segments, and a first portion of the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments;

the second routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces comprises a second portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments and a second portion of the second set of one or more routing trace segments;

the third routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces comprises a third portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments; and

the first routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces is coupled to a first row electrode, the second routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces is coupled to a second row electrode, and the third routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces is coupled to a third row electrode in the first column.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 4 , wherein:

the row-column arrangement of touch nodes is divided into a plurality of banks of rows;

the first row electrode is disposed in a first bank of the plurality of banks of rows;

the second row electrode is disposed in a second bank of the plurality of banks of rows; and

the third row electrode is disposed in a third bank of the plurality of banks of rows.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 4 , wherein:

the first set of one or more routing trace segments includes a first electrical discontinuity along the first axis and a second electrical discontinuity along the first axis;

the second set of one or more routing trace segments includes a third electrical discontinuity along the first axis;

the first electrical discontinuity is within a threshold distance along the first axis from an electrical interconnection between the third routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces and the third row electrode;

the second electrical discontinuity is within the threshold distance along the first axis from an electrical interconnection between the second routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces and the second row electrode; and

the third electrical discontinuity is within the threshold distance along the first axis from the electrical interconnection between the second routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces and the second row electrode.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 6 , wherein:

the first set of one or more routing trace segments includes a fourth electrical discontinuity along the first axis, the second set of one or more routing trace segments includes a fifth electrical discontinuity along the first axis, the third set of one or more routing trace segments includes a sixth electrical discontinuity along the first axis, and the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments includes a seventh electrical discontinuity along the first axis; and

the fourth electrical discontinuity, the fifth electrical discontinuity, the sixth electrical discontinuity, and the seventh electrical discontinuity are within the threshold distance along the first axis from an electrical interconnection between the first routing trace of the plurality of second routing traces and the first row electrode.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 7 , wherein:

a fourth portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments comprises a first floating segment, the fourth portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments separated from the third portion of the first set of one or more routing trace segments by the fourth electrical discontinuity;

a third portion of the second set of one or more routing trace segments comprises a second floating segment, the third portion of the second set of one or more routing trace segments separated from the second portion of the second set of one or more routing trace segments by the fifth electrical discontinuity;

a second portion of the third set of one or more routing trace segments comprise a third floating segment, the second portion of the third set of one or more routing trace segments separated from the first portion of the third set of one or more routing trace segments by the sixth electrical discontinuity; and

a second portion of the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments comprises a fourth floating segment, the second portion of the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments separated from the first portion of the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments by the seventh electrical discontinuity.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein:

the first set of one or more routing trace segments and the second set of one or more routing trace segments overlap one or more column electrodes within the first column; and

the third set of one or more routing trace segments and the fourth set of one or more routing trace segments do not overlap the one or more column electrodes within the first column.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments extends from a first touch node at one end of the first column to a second touch node at a second end, opposite a first end, of the first column.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein a length of each of the plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments along the first axis is within 5% of a length of the first column along the first axis.

12. The touch sensor panel of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments is spaced equally along a second axis of the two-axis array, different from the first axis of the two-axis array.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the second layer comprises, for a first column of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes, a plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments, the plurality of sets of one or more routing trace segments including a first set of one or more routing trace segments, a second set of one or more routing trace segments, a third set of one or more routing trace segments, a fourth set of one or more routing trace segments, a fifth set of one or more routing trace segments, and a sixth set of one or more routing trace segments.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of touch electrodes is formed from metal mesh and the plurality of first routing traces and the plurality of second routing traces are formed from metal mesh.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the first electrodes are configured as transmitter electrodes and the second electrodes are configured as receiver electrodes in a differential drive and differential sense mutual capacitance sensing operation.

16. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein the row electrodes of alternating columns, of the row-column arrangement, are connected by routing between the row electrodes.

17. An electronic device comprising:

an energy storage device;

communication circuitry; and

a touch screen comprising:

a display having an active area; and

a touch sensor panel comprising:

a plurality of touch electrodes including a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes in a first layer, the plurality of touch electrodes forming a two-axis array of touch nodes,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes includes column electrodes, the plurality of second electrodes includes row electrodes, and the two-axis array of touch nodes includes a row-column arrangement of touch nodes, and

row electrodes, of the of the row-column arrangement, are connected by routing between the row electrodes;

a plurality of first routing traces in a second layer, different from the first layer, the plurality of first routing traces coupled to the first electrodes using a plurality of first electrical interconnections between the first layer and the second layer; and

a plurality of second routing traces in the second layer, the plurality of the second routing traces coupled to the second electrodes using a plurality of second electrical interconnections between the first layer and the second layer;

wherein the plurality of first routing traces is routed along a first axis of the two-axis array and at least partially overlaps the two-axis array of touch nodes; and

wherein the plurality of second traces is routed along the first axis of the two-axis array and at least partially overlaps the two-axis array of touch nodes.

18. The touch sensor panel of claim 17 , wherein the two-axis array of touch nodes includes a row-column arrangement of touch nodes divided into a plurality of banks of rows and the plurality of second routing traces is coupled to the second electrodes using the plurality of second electrical interconnections in a chevron pattern.

19. The touch sensor panel of claim 17 , wherein the two-axis array of touch nodes includes a row-column arrangement of touch nodes divided into a plurality of banks of rows and the plurality of second routing traces is coupled to the second electrodes using the plurality of second electrical interconnections in an S-shaped pattern.

20. The touch sensor panel of claim 17 , wherein:

the two-axis array of touch nodes includes a row-column arrangement of touch nodes divided into a plurality of banks of rows including a first bank, a second bank, and a third bank, the third bank between the first bank and the second bank;

adjacent rows of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes of the first bank are interconnected within adjacent pairs of columns of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes;

adjacent rows of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes of the second bank are interconnected within adjacent pairs of columns of the row-column arrangement of touch nodes; and

a plurality of third routing traces in a border area outside the two-axis array is coupled to row electrodes in the rows of the third bank.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 21, 2022
From: VAZE, SAGAR R.; YOUSEFPOR, MARDUKE
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 061173/0641 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63261624 · Sep 24, 2021
Related Publication 20230099369A1 · Mar 30, 2023
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