Granted Patent B2

US 9,727,175 · App. 12/780,077 · Granted Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A projected capacitive touch sensor, comprising:

a substrate; and

at least a first set, a second set, and a third set of electrodes coupled to a first area of the substrate, wherein:

the first set of electrodes comprises a horizontal sensing electrode that extends along a height of a first column within the first area of the substrate;

the second set of electrodes comprises at least two vertical sensing electrodes that extend partially along a height of a second column within the first area of the substrate; and

the third set of electrodes comprises at least one vertical sensing electrode more than the second set of electrodes that extend partially along a height of a third column within the first area of the substrate, the third column comprising at least two vertical sensing electrodes that are physically separate with respect to each other and electrically connected to each other;

wherein the horizontal sensing electrode in the first area of the substrate is electrically disconnected from a corresponding horizontal sensing electrode in a second area of the substrate,

wherein two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the second set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at a first distance from a top edge of the first area of the substrate, and

wherein the vertical sensing electrodes in the third set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at a set of distances from the top edge of the first area of the substrate, wherein distances in the set of distances are different from each other and from the first distance, and wherein at least two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the third set of electrodes have different lengths along the height of the third column.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the vertical sensing electrodes in the second set of electrodes is electrically connected to at least one corresponding vertical sensing electrode within the second area of the substrate, wherein the first and second areas of the substrate are non-overlapping.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the horizontal sensing electrode is electrically disconnected with respect to the vertical sensing electrodes in the second and third sets of electrodes.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the second area of the substrate is non-overlapping of and adjacent to the first area of the substrate; and

the corresponding horizontal sensing electrode in the second area of the substrate extends along a height of a fourth column within the second area of the substrate.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the at least two vertical sensing electrodes that extend along the second column are physically separate with respect to each other, electrically separate with respect to each other, and electrically separate with respect to the horizontal sensing electrode and vertical sensing electrodes in the first and third columns within the first area of the substrate; and

two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the third column are electrically connected to each other, and are electrically separate with respect to the horizontal sensing electrode and vertical sensing electrodes in the first and second columns within the first area of the substrate.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding horizontal sensing electrode or a separate vertical sensing electrode in the second area of the substrate extends through the first distance from a top edge of the second area of the substrate.

7. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

a first vertical sensing electrode and a second vertical sensing electrode in the second column are physically and electrically separate with respect to each other; and

the first vertical sensing electrode is electrically connected to a corresponding vertical sensing electrode in a third area of the substrate that is adjacent to the first area of the substrate and electrically separate with respect to a corresponding vertical sensing electrode in the second area of the substrate that is adjacent to the first area of the substrate, wherein the second vertical sensing electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding vertical sensing electrodes in the second area of the substrate and the third area of the substrate.

8. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:

the second set of electrodes in the first area of the substrate comprises at least first and second vertical sensing electrodes that are physically separate with respect to each other; and

a set of electrodes in the second area of the substrate, that is adjacent to the first area of the substrate, comprises at least third and fourth vertical sensing electrodes in a column that are physically separate with respect to each other, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth vertical sensing electrodes are electrically disconnected with respect to each other, wherein the first and second vertical sensing electrodes are electrically connected to corresponding vertical sensing electrodes in a third area of the substrate that is adjacent to the first area of the substrate, and wherein the third and fourth vertical sensing electrodes are electrically connected to corresponding vertical sensing electrodes in a fourth area of the substrate that is adjacent to the second area of the substrate.

9. A projected capacitive touch sensor system, comprising:

a substrate;

at least a first set, a second set, and a third set of electrodes coupled to a first area of the substrate, wherein:

the first set of electrodes comprises a horizontal sensing electrode that extends along a height of a first column within the first area of the substrate;

the second set of electrodes comprises at least two vertical sensing electrodes that extend partially along a height of a second column within the first area of the substrate; and

the third set of electrodes comprises at least one electrode more than the second set of electrodes that extend partially along a height of a third column within the first area of the substrate, the third column comprising at least two vertical sensing electrodes that are physically separate with respect to each other and electrically connected to each other; and

a controller configured to detect signal levels associated with at least one touch on the substrate from the first, second, and third sets of electrodes, the signal levels associated with the horizontal sensing electrode used to identify the first area of the substrate and the signal levels associated with the vertical sensing electrodes used to determine a vertical location within the first area of the substrate,

wherein the horizontal sensing electrode in the first area of the substrate is electrically disconnected from a corresponding horizontal sensing electrode in a second area of the substrate,

wherein two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the second set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at a first distance from a top edge of the first area of the substrate, and

wherein the vertical sensing electrodes in the third set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at a set of distances from the top edge of the first area of the substrate, wherein distances in the set of distances are different from each other and from the first distance, and wherein at least two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the third set of electrodes have different lengths along the height of the third column.

10. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the controller comprises:

electronic channels, wherein the horizontal sensing electrode is connected to a different electronic channel than the corresponding horizontal sensing electrode.

11. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the vertical location is determined based on one or more ratios of the signal levels associated with the vertical sensing electrodes.

12. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one touch is determined to be within the first area of the substrate based on the signal levels associated with the horizontal sensing electrode.

13. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the vertical location is determined based on a size of the at least one touch.

14. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , wherein the vertical location is determined based on interpolation.

15. The touch sensor system of claim 9 , further comprising a fourth set of electrodes coupled to the first area of the substrate,

wherein the fourth set of electrodes comprises at least one vertical sensing electrode more than the third set of electrodes that extend partially along a height of a fourth column within the first area of the substrate, the fourth column comprising at least two vertical sensing electrodes that are physically separate with respect to each other and electrically connected to each other, and

wherein the vertical sensing electrodes in the fourth set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at another set of distances from the top edge of the first area of the substrate, wherein each of the distances in the another set of distances is different from each other and from each of the distances in the set of distances and from the first distance.

16. A method of controller operation of a projected capacitive touch sensor system, the projected capacitive touch sensor system comprising a controller, a substrate, and sets of electrodes coupled to one or more areas of the substrate, the sets of electrodes comprising a first set of at least two vertical sensing electrodes, a second set of at least three vertical sensing electrodes, and a horizontal sensing electrode, the method comprising:

detecting signal levels associated with at least one touch on the substrate from the sets of electrodes;

determining at least one area of the substrate of the at least one touch in accordance with the signal levels associated with the horizontal sensing electrode; and

determining one or more vertical locations within the at least one area of the substrate of the at least one touch in accordance with the signal levels associated with the vertical sensing electrodes,

wherein the horizontal sensing electrode extends along a height of a first column within a first area of the substrate;

wherein the first set of at least two vertical sensing electrodes are physically separate with respect to each other and extend partially along a height of a second column within the first area of the substrate,

wherein the second set of at least three vertical sensing electrodes extend partially along a height of a third column within the first area of the substrate, the second set of electrodes comprising at least two vertical sensing electrodes that are physically separate with respect to each other and electrically connected to each other,

wherein two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the first set of at least two vertical sensing electrodes are physically separated from each other at a first distance from a top edge of the first area of the substrate,

wherein vertical sensing electrodes in the second set of electrodes are physically separated from each other at a set of distances from the top edge of the first area of the substrate,

wherein distances in the set of distances are different from each other and from the first distance, and

wherein the horizontal sensing electrode in the first area of the substrate is electrically disconnected from a corresponding horizontal sensing electrode in a second area of the substrate, the first area and the second area of the substrate being non-overlapping with respect to each other, and wherein at least two of the vertical sensing electrodes in the second set of electrodes have different lengths along the height of the third column.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining the one or more vertical locations based on one or more ratios of the signal levels associated with the vertical sensing electrodes.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

identifying the first area of the substrate as corresponding to the at least one touch based on the signal levels associated with the horizontal sensing electrode.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining the one or more vertical locations based on a size of the at least one touch.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

determining the one or more vertical locations based on interpolation.

Assignments (14)