Single layer capacitive touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9524066-B2
Application number	US-201414311492-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2014
Priority date	Jul 17, 2013
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

There is provided a single-layer capacitive touch sensor including a plurality of sensing units arranged in a matrix on a substrate. Each of the sensing units has a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode. The second electrode is arranged in a ring shape and electrically isolated from the first electrode, and the first electrode is located in an interior space of the ring shape. The third electrode is arranged outside of the interior space and electrically connected to the first electrode, wherein the second electrode of at least a part of the sensing units is configured to respectively form a mutual capacitance with the third electrode of two adjacent sensing units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A capacitive touch sensor, comprising:
a plurality of first sensing units and a plurality of second sensing units arranged in a matrix on a substrate, and each of the first sensing units and each of the second sensing units comprising:
a pair of directly adjacent first electrodes;
a second electrode arranged around each of said first electrodes and electrically isolated from each of the first electrodes, and each of the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes being located in an interior space bounded by two transverse parts and two longitudinal parts of said second electrode, wherein a portion of the second electrode between the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes and bounding both the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes is a same transverse part of the second electrode, and one of the two longitudinal parts of the second electrode bounding each of the first electrodes has an opening; and
a third electrode arranged outside of the interior space and directly connected to each of the first electrodes via the openings, wherein the third electrode of the first sensing unit is isolated from the third electrode of the second sensing unit;
wherein in each of the second sensing units a trace of the first sensing unit and the first electrodes of the second sensing units are respectively located at opposite sides of the third electrode of the second sensing units, and
in the plurality of first sensing units and a section of second sensing units among the plurality of second sensing units, the trace of the first sensing unit in the section of the second sensing units is directly connected with the third electrode in the plurality of first sensing units, wherein the section of the second sensing units is directly adjacent to the plurality of first sensing units, and the trace of the first sensing unit directly contacts with one of a plurality of third electrodes of the first sensing units and is not electrically in contact with any other third electrode.

2. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a glass substrate, a plastic substrate or a flexible substrate; and
the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are transparent conductive films.

3. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the third electrode are configured as driving electrodes and the second electrode is configured as a sensing electrode; or the first electrode and the third electrode are configured as sensing electrodes and the second electrode is configured as a driving electrode.

4. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third electrodes of the first sensing units and the third electrodes of the second sensing units have different areas each with respect to the other.

5. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first sensing units are located at a marginal row or a center row of the matrix on the substrate.

6. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode of each of the first sensing units and each of the second sensing units are repeatedly or reversely laid along a first direction.

7. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a trace number in the second sensing units monotonically increases along a second direction, or the second sensing units closer to two sides along the second direction have a higher trace number.

8. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an electrode shape of the first electrode is a square, a diamond, a circle, a comb or a ridge, and an inner margin of the second electrode is complementary to the electrode shape of the first electrode.

9. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the third electrode is within a predetermined distance from the second electrode.

10. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the openings of the second electrode of the first sensing units and the second sensing units all face in a same direction.

11. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the trace is configured to transmit a driving voltage and the third electrode is configured to form mutual capacitance with the second electrode, and there is no trace between two adjacent first sensing units at two opposite sides of the third electrode.

12. A capacitive touch sensor, comprising:
a plurality of sensing regions formed on a substrate and repeatedly arranged along a first direction, wherein each of the sensing regions comprises a first region and a second region extending in parallel along a second direction, wherein
the first region comprises a plurality of pairs of directly adjacent first electrodes and a second electrode repeatedly arranged along the second direction, wherein the second electrode is arranged around each of the first electrodes and electrically isolated from the first electrodes, and each of the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes being located in an interior space bounded by two first parts of the second electrode along the first direction and two second parts of the second electrode along the second direction, wherein a portion of the second electrode between the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes and bounding both the pair of directly adjacent first electrodes is a same first part of the second electrode;
the second region comprises a plurality of third electrodes and a plurality of traces, the plurality of third electrodes extending along the second direction in a first section and a second section of the second region, and the plurality of traces extending along the second direction in the first section of the second region but not arranged in the second section of the second region, and one of the plurality of traces in the first section is directly connected with the third electrode in the second section of the second region but not electrically in contact with any other third electrode,
the third electrodes are directly connected to the first electrodes respectively,
the traces in the first section of the second region and the first electrodes are located at opposite sides of the third electrodes in the first section of the second region, and
the third electrode in the second section of the second region is configured to form mutual capacitance with both second electrodes in two first regions adjacent to the second section of the second region where the third electrode is located.

13. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the substrate is a glass substrate, a plastic substrate or a flexible substrate; and the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are transparent conductive films.

14. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first electrode and the third electrode are configured as driving electrodes and the second electrode is configured as a sensing electrode; or the first electrode and the third electrode are configured as sensing electrodes and the second electrode is configured as a driving electrode.

15. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the third electrodes in the second section of the second region and the third electrodes in the first section of the second region have different areas each with respect to the other along the second direction.

16. The capacitive touch sensor as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the first regions of two adjacent sensing regions are adjacent to each other or separated by one of the second regions.

Assignees

• Pixart Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Yang Kuan-Yi

Classifications

• G06F2203/04111

  Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0443 Primary

  using a single layer of sensing electrodes · 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