US 11,893,183 B2Granted

Merged floating pixels in a touch screen

AssigneeApple Inc.

InventorsIsaac Chan, Prathit Bugnait, Albert Lin, Chun-Hao Tung, Sunggu Kang, John Z. Zhong

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Abstract

Touch sensor panel configurations for reducing wobble error for a stylus translating on a surface over and between electrodes of the touch sensor panel are disclosed. In some examples, electrodes with more linear signal profiles are correlated with lower wobble error. In some examples, diffusing elements formed of floating segments of conductive materials can diffuse signal from a stylus to a plurality of electrodes, thus, making the signal profiles associated with the electrodes more linear. In addition, diffusing elements can be configured to improve the optical uniformity of the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the diffusing elements can be formed on the same layer as floating dummy pixels and resemble a plurality of merged floating dummy pixels.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A touch sensor panel comprising:

a first layer of a first conductive material including a plurality of electrically isolated electrodes including a first electrode having a first width and a first length longer than the first width, a second electrode having a second width and a second length longer than the second width, and a gap free of the first conductive material separating the first electrode and the second electrode, each of the first electrode and the second electrode configured to be driven with a stimulation signal;
and
a second layer of a second conductive material including a third electrode, a fourth electrode, and a first floating conductor, the third and fourth electrodes configured to be capacitively coupled with the first and second electrodes, respectively, to generate touch signals for mutual capacitance touch sensing, wherein the first floating conductor includes
a first portion of the first floating conductor formed over less than a full first width of the first electrode, and
a second portion of the first floating conductor formed over less than a full second width of the second electrode.

2 more elements

A method for detecting an object proximate to a touch sensor panel, comprising:

driving a first stimulation signal on a first electrode having a first width and a first length longer than the first width on a first layer of the touch sensor panel, and driving a second stimulation signal on a second electrode having a second width and a second length longer than the second width on the first layer of the touch sensor panel and separated from the first electrode by a gap;
capacitively coupling the object to the first electrode and the second electrode on the first layer of the touch sensor panel at least partially through a first segment of floating conductive material on a second layer of the touch sensor panel;
capacitively coupling the first electrode with a third electrode on the second layer to enable mutual capacitance touch sensing at the third electrode, and capacitively coupling the second electrode with a fourth electrode on the second layer to enable mutual capacitance touch sensing at the fourth electrode, and generating touch signals on the third electrode and the fourth electrode;
and
overlapping a first portion of the first segment of floating conductive material with less than a full first width of the first electrode and overlapping a second portion of the first segment of floating conductive material with less than a full second width of the second electrode.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/510,410Filed 12 Jul 2019 · continuation
Priority: 24 Apr 2015
Published: US 2019/0339813 A17 Nov 2019
Granted: 6 Feb 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G06F 3/0418
Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers: for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or…
G06F 3/03545
With detection of two-dimensional [2D] relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D…
G06F 3/044
Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means: by capacitive means
G06F 3/0445
By capacitive means: using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer

Family

Application62/152,787Us provisional application · filed 24 Apr 2015
Application14/871,281Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Sep 2015
US 2019/0339813 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Nov 2019
US 10,353,516 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0313858 A1Published application
US 11,893,183 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.