IP Library Granted Patent US 9,916,045
Granted Patent B2
US 9,916,045 · App. 12/605,779 · Granted Mar 13, 2018

Sense electrode design

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,916,045
App. No.
12/605,779
Filed
Oct 26, 2009
Granted
Mar 13, 2018
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2695
USPC
345/174
Abstract

A touch sensitive device includes a plurality of sense electrodes arranged in a pattern to receive charge from drive electrodes. The pattern of sense electrodes has extreme portions having worst case charge transfer times, wherein the worst case charge transfer time at multiple extreme portions is substantially equal.

Claims (10)

1. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a layer of longitudinal adjacent drive electrodes separated from each other by a gap, the layer of longitudinal adjacent drive electrodes to be positioned above a display;

a layer of sense electrodes, the sense electrodes formed in the shape of spines running transverse to the drive electrodes and having different width crossbars running in the same direction as the drive electrodes such that portions of the crossbars that run in the same direction as the drive electrode have different widths than portions of other crossbars that run in the same direction as the drive electrode, wherein each spine has two ends, both of which are adapted to couple to sense circuitry and wherein the crossbars are arranged with increasing width from both ends of the spine such that the widest crossbar is approximately halfway between the ends of the spine.

2. The touch sensitive device of claim 1 wherein the sense electrodes are formed of a transparent conductive material.

3. The touch sensitive device of claim 2 wherein each crossbar on a spine has at least one tip that is furthest from the spine, and wherein a worst case charge transfer time from the tips to one of the two ends of the spine to couple to sense circuitry does not exceed a predetermined threshold.

4. The touch sensitive device of claim 3 wherein the predetermined threshold is determined to ensure a desired charge transfer time is not exceeded.

5. The touch sensitive device of claim 3 wherein the worst case charge transfer time to each tip is substantially equal.

6. A method comprising:

forming a layer of longitudinal adjacent drive electrodes separated from each other by a gap, the layer of longitudinal adjacent drive electrodes providing a shield from electric fields from a display; and

forming a layer of sense electrodes separated from the drive electrodes, the sense electrodes formed in the shape of spines running transverse to the drive electrodes and having different width crossbars running in the same direction as the drive electrodes such that portions of the crossbars that run in the same direction as the drive electrode have different widths than portions of other crossbars that run in the same direction as the drive electrode, wherein each spine has two ends, both of which are adapted to couple to sense circuitry and wherein the crossbars are arranged with increasing width from both ends of the spine such that the widest crossbar is approximately halfway between the ends of the spine.

Assignments (11)
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: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047976/0937 →
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 →
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 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT COLLATERAL Recorded Apr 7, 2016
From: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC.
To: ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 038376/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 3, 2014
From: ATMEL CORPORATION
To: MORGAN STANLEY SENIOR FUNDING, INC. AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 031912/0173 →