IP Library Granted Patent US 8,970,536
Granted Patent B2
US 8,970,536 · App. 14/058,717 · Granted Mar 3, 2015

Touchscreen electrode arrangement with varied proportionate density

Inventor: Esat Yilmaz (Santa Cruz, CA)
Assignee: Atmel Corporation
G06F3/0412G06F3/044
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,970,536
App. No.
14/058,717
Granted
Mar 3, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

An assembly includes first electrode pairs and second electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen. Each electrode pair of the first electrode pairs is formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction. Each electrode pair of the second electrode pairs is formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction. A position of a touch can be determined in the first direction based at least in part on proportionate density of the first electrode pairs and the second electrode pairs in an area of the touch. At least one receive electrode in the first electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second electrode pairs.

Claims (52)

1. An assembly, comprising:

a first plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode pair of the first plurality of electrode pairs being formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction; and

a second plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair of the second plurality of electrode pairs being formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction;

wherein a position of a touch can be determined in the first direction based at least in part on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs and the second plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch;

wherein a first electrode pair comprises:

a drive electrode; and

a receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode; and

wherein at least one receive electrode in the first plurality of electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second plurality of electrode pairs.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode pairs are evenly distributed along the first direction.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

an extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen extending the touchscreen in the first direction; and

a third plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the third plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen;

wherein the second plurality of electrode pairs are distributed across the extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each the second electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode pair comprises a fine line metal electrode having at least one conductive line with a line width of 10 micrometers or less.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

the first electrode pair further comprises a second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode;

density of the first receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode increases in a second direction not parallel the first direction; and

density of the second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode decreases in the second direction.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

the first electrode pair further comprises a second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode;

the first receive electrode in the first electrode pair is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the first receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in a first region along a second direction and smaller in a second region along the second direction, the second direction not parallel the first direction; and

the second receive electrode in the first electrode pair is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the second receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in the second region along the second direction and smaller in the first region along the second direction.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first region of the first electrode pair is staggered along the second direction from the first region of a neighboring electrode pair.

8. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein:

first receive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs and in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another; and

second receive electrodes in the first plurality of electrode pairs and in the second plurality of electrode pairs are directly coupled to one another.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a receive electrode of the first electrode pair is separated from a drive electrode of a neighboring electrode pair by a receive electrode of the neighboring electrode pair.

10. An assembly, comprising:

a first plurality of electrodes distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode formed in a snaking pattern and running generally along a first direction; and

a second plurality of electrodes distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode formed in a snaking pattern;

wherein a position of a touch can be determined based at least in part on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes in an area of the touch;

wherein a first receive electrode of the second plurality of electrodes is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the first receive electrode and a drive electrode of the first plurality of electrodes is greater in a first region along the first direction and smaller in a second region along the first direction; and

wherein a second receive electrode of the second plurality of electrodes is arranged so that capacitive coupling between the second receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in the second region along the first direction and smaller in the first region along the first direction.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein a first electrode of the first plurality of electrodes comprises fine line metal having a line width of 10 micrometers or less.

12. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein a first electrode of the first plurality of electrodes comprises a single line of fine line metal having a line width of 10 micrometers or less.

13. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first plurality of electrodes pairs are evenly distributed along a second direction not parallel the first direction.

14. A method, comprising:

forming a first plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an active area of a touchscreen, each electrode pair of the first plurality of electrode pairs being formed in a pattern, the patterns of the first plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in a first direction; and

forming a second plurality of electrode pairs distributed across the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair of the second plurality of electrode pairs being formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction;

wherein a position of a touch can be determined in the first direction based at least in part on proportionate density of the first plurality of electrode pairs and the second plurality of electrode pairs in an area of the touch;

wherein a first electrode pair comprises a drive electrode and a first and second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with a drive electrode;

wherein density of the first receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode increases in a second direction not parallel the first direction;

wherein density of the second receive electrode adjacent to and substantially parallel with the drive electrode decreases in the second direction; and

wherein at least one receive electrode in the first plurality of electrode pairs is directly coupled to at least one receive electrode in the second plurality of electrode pairs.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

forming a third plurality of electrode pairs distributed across an extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each electrode pair formed in a pattern, the patterns of the third plurality of electrode pairs increasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen;

wherein the second plurality of electrode pairs are distributed across the extended portion of the active area of the touchscreen, each of the second plurality of electrode pairs formed in a pattern, the patterns of the second plurality of electrode pairs decreasing in frequency of snaking from electrode pair to electrode pair in the first direction across the extended portion of the touchscreen.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first electrode pair comprises a fine line metal electrode having at least one conductive line with a line width of 10 micrometers or less.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

arranging the first receive electrode in the first electrode pair so that capacitive coupling between the first receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in a first region along a second direction and smaller in a second region along the second direction, the second direction not parallel the first direction; and

arranging the second receive electrode in the first electrode pair so that capacitive coupling between the second receive electrode and the drive electrode is greater in the second region along the second direction and smaller in the first region along the second direction.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first region of the first electrode pair is staggered along the second direction from the first region of a neighboring electrode pair.

Assignments (13)
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 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 12, 2019
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050987/0430 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 12, 2019
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED; ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050986/0798 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 7, 2019
From: ATMEL CORPORATION
To: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 050950/0594 →
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 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2013
From: QRG LIMITED
To: ATMEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 031444/0660 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2013
From: YILMAZ, ESAT
To: QRG LIMITED
Reel/Frame 031444/0565 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 12605847 · Oct 26, 2009
Related Publication 20140043294A1 · Feb 13, 2014