Oncell single-layer touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9310944-B2
Application number	US-201313951300-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2013
Priority date	Jul 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment, a touch sensor includes multiple first electrodes along a first direction. Each of the first electrodes includes multiple first conductive regions. The touch sensor also includes multiple second electrodes along a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Each of the second electrodes includes one second conductive region. The one second conductive region of each of the second electrodes are interdigitated with one of the first conductive regions of each of the first electrodes. The first and second conductive regions are disposed on a layer on or within a display stack including one or more layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch sensor comprising:
a plurality of first electrodes along a first direction, each of the first electrodes comprising a plurality of first conductive regions; and
a plurality of second electrodes along a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, each of the second electrodes comprising one second conductive region, the one second conductive region of each of the second electrodes being interdigitated with one of the first conductive regions of each of the first electrodes in a manner such that the second electrode does not intersect in a touch sensitive area the plurality of first electrodes, the first and second conductive regions being disposed on a layer on or within a display stack comprising one or more layers.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first electrodes is a sense electrode of the touch sensor;
each of the first conductive regions is a conductive region of the sense electrodes of the touch sensor;
each of the second electrodes is a drive electrode of the touch sensor; and
each of the second conductive is a conductive region of the drive electrodes of the touch sensor.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first electrodes is a drive electrode of the touch sensor;
each of the first conductive regions is a conductive region of the drive electrodes of the touch sensor;
each of the second electrode lines is a sense electrode of the touch sensor; and
each of the second electrodes is a conductive region of the sense electrodes of the touch sensor.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second conductive regions comprises an extent along the second direction and one or more projections from its extent along the first direction, the one or more projections of the first conductive regions capacitively couple to the one or more projections of the second conductive regions.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein one or more edges of a macro-feature of one or more conductive regions follows a non-linear path.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the conductive regions is made of optically clear conductive material that substantially fills the conductive region.

7. The touch sensor of claim 6 , wherein the optically clear conductive material is indium tin oxide (ITO).

8. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the conductive regions is made of a conductive mesh of conductive material comprising gold, aluminum, copper, silver, gold-based, aluminum-based, silver-based, or copper-based, or carbon nanotubes.

9. The touch sensor of claim 1 , wherein a substrate on which the plurality of first and second electrodes are disposed has an optical function modifying an optical property of light.

10. The touch sensor of claim 9 , wherein the optical function comprises color filtering.

11. A device comprising:
a display stack comprising a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers comprising a cover layer and one or more other layers;
a touch sensor comprising:
a plurality of first electrodes along a first direction, each of the first electrodes comprising a plurality of first conductive regions; and
a plurality of second electrodes along a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, each of the second electrodes comprising one second conductive region, the one second conductive region of each of the second electrodes being interdigitated with one of the first conductive regions of each of the first electrodes, the first and second conductive regions being disposed on a substrate, the substrate being a particular one of the plurality of layers, other than the cover layer, within the display stack; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying logic that is configured when executed to control the touch sensor.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein:
each of the first electrodes is a sense electrode of the touch sensor;
each of the first conductive regions is a conductive region of the sense electrodes of the touch sensor;
each of the second electrodes is a drive electrode of the touch sensor; and
each of the second conductive is a conductive region of the drive electrodes of the touch sensor.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein:
each of the first electrodes is a drive electrode of the touch sensor;
each of the first conductive regions is a conductive region of the drive electrodes of the touch sensor;
each of the second electrode lines is a sense electrode of the touch sensor; and
each of the second electrodes is a conductive region of the sense electrodes of the touch sensor.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second conductive regions comprises an extent along the second direction and one or more projections from its extent along the first direction, the one or more projections of the first conductive regions capacitively couple to the one or more projections of the second conductive regions.

15. The device of claim 11 , wherein one or more edges of a macro-feature of one or more conductive regions follows a non-linear path.

16. The device of claim 11 , wherein one or more of the conductive regions is made of optically clear conductive material that substantially fills the conductive region.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the optically clear conductive material is indium tin oxide (ITO).

18. The device of claim 11 , wherein one or more of the conductive regions is made of a conductive mesh of conductive material comprising gold, aluminum, copper, silver, gold-based, aluminum-based, silver-based, or copper-based, or carbon nanotubes.

19. The device of claim 11 , wherein the substrate on which the first and second conductive regions are disposed has an optical function modifying an optical property of light.

20. The device of claim 19 , wherein the optical function comprises color filtering.

Assignees

• Trend Matthew
• Jones Gareth
• Atmel Corp

Inventors

• Trend Matthew
• Jones Gareth

Classifications

• G06F2203/04103

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

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/0448

  Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality · CPC title

• G06F3/04166

  Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving (Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184) · CPC title