Back of cover touch sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444918-B2
Application number	US-201715691283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2017
Priority date	Sep 6, 2016
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Touch sensor configurations for reducing electrostatic discharge events in the border area of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Touch sensors (e.g., electrodes formed on the cover material and/or the opaque mask) can be susceptible to certain events such as arcing and discharge/joule heating, which may negatively affect touch sensor performance. Examples of the disclosure can include increasing the trace width, spacing, and/or thickness in the border area relative to the trace width, spacing, and/or thickness in the visible/active area along one or more sides of the touch sensor panel. In some examples, touch electrodes can be located exclusively in the visible/active areas along one or more sides of the touch sensor panel, while dummy sections can be included in both the border and visible/active areas. Additionally or alternatively, one or more gaps between adjacent touch electrodes in the border area or serpentine routing can be included.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:
an opaque mask located in a border area and contacting at least a portion of a conductive material;
a plurality of touch electrodes configured to detect a touch, at least a portion of the plurality of touch electrodes located in a visible area of the touch sensor panel;
a plurality of electrode channels defined by the plurality of touch electrodes, wherein each of the plurality of electrode channels includes a space between adjacent touch electrodes;
a plurality of bond pads located in a border area of the touch sensor panel;
a border channel located between at least one of the plurality of touch electrodes and at least one of the plurality of bond pads; and
a plurality of routing traces, each routing trace configured to route one of the plurality of touch electrodes to one of the plurality of bond pads,
a first portion of the routing trace is located in one of the plurality of electrode channels, a second portion of the routing trace is located in the border channel in the visible area, and a third portion of the routing trace is located in the border channel in the border area,
wherein one or more of the width, thickness, and spacing to an adjacent routing trace of the first portion is less than the second portion, and
one or more of the width, thickness, and spacing to the adjacent routing trace of the second portion is less than the third portion.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of routing traces located in the border area is formed of the conductive material.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of conductive sections located exclusively in the border area of one or more sides of the touch sensor panel, each conductive section electrically coupled to one of the routing traces,
wherein the routing trace is disposed only on a portion of the conductive section.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of conductive sections is located exclusively in the border area of all sides of the touch sensor panel.

5. A touch sensor panel comprising:
an opaque mask located in a border area and contacting at a least a portion of a conductive material;
a plurality of bond pads located in a border area of the touch sensor panel;
a plurality of touch electrodes configured to detect a touch, the plurality of touch electrodes located in a visible area of the touch sensor panel, the plurality of touch electrodes comprising:
a plurality of first touch electrodes, and
a plurality of second touch electrodes, the plurality of second touch electrodes located further from the plurality of bond pads than the plurality of first touch electrodes;

a plurality of electrode channels defined by the plurality of touch electrodes, wherein each of the plurality of electrode channels includes a space between adjacent touch electrodes; and
a plurality of routing traces, the plurality of routing traces comprising:
a plurality of first routing traces, each first routing trace configured to electrically couple one of the plurality of first touch electrodes to one of the plurality of bond pads, and
a plurality of second routing traces, each second routing trace configured to electrically couple one of the plurality of second touch electrodes to one of the plurality of bond pads,

wherein for each first routing trace has the same resistance as each adjacent second routing trace.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 5 , wherein each first touch electrode is smaller than each second touch electrode.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of second routing traces is routed inside at least one of the plurality of electrode channels, and
each of the plurality of first routing traces is routed along at least two edges an electrically coupled first touch electrode and at least partially routed outside of the plurality of electrode channels.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 5 , further comprising:
one or more dummy sections located between at least one first touch electrode and at least one electrically coupled first routing trace.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 5 , wherein each first touch electrode is electrically coupled to two first routing traces, wherein the two first routing traces are routed along three edges of the first touch electrode.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 5 , wherein a length of each first routing trace is equal to a length of an adjacent second routing trace.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zhu Wencong
• Lin Albert
• Penn Alexander A
• Gogte Ashray Vinayak
• Tung Chun-Hao
• Zhang Hao
• Zhou Hui
• Zhong John Z
• Hotelling Steven P
• Mondal Sudip
• Ranganathan Sumant
• Kang Sunggu
• Chundru Ramachandran
• Pilla Viswa B

Classifications

• H04M1/026

  Details of the structure or mounting of specific components · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• H04M2250/12

  including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion · CPC title

• H04M1/0266

  for a display module assembly · CPC title