Techniques for routing signals using touch sensor passive sensor regions, and related systems and devices

Abstract

A sensor region of a touch sensor can include active sensor regions and passive sensor regions. These passive sensor regions can include one or more routing connectors that are electrically connected to the active sensor regions, to connection-forming elements, and / or to tracking lines. Systems and touch displays can include touch sensors having such sensor regions.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application entitled "Technique for routing signals using a passive sensor area of ​​a touch sensor and related systems and devices" filed on September 21, 2020, with application number 202080067452.5 (international application number PCT / US2020 / 070560). Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to capacitive sensors and capacitive sensing systems including capacitive sensors. More specifically, this disclosure relates to capacitive touch sensors and capacitive touch sensing systems that may have better charging and / or response times and enable the use of smaller external boundaries (e.g., bezels). Background Technology

[0003] A touch sensor can be characterized as a transparent conductive layer on top of a touch-detectable / responsive display (e.g., smartphone, tablet, device interface, etc.). Touch sensors are typically arranged as a grid of rows / columns of conductors, which can be represented as an n×m matrix (e.g., electrically isolated lines of conductive material). Generally, these conductors may be called sensor lines and can also be characterized as sensing lines or drive lines. Each touch sensor may include multiple connectors on each axis, where rows and columns of lines terminate. Such connectors can be externally accessed (e.g., via pins) and can be operatively coupled, for example, to a touch controller including acquisition and processing circuitry configured to determine information about a touch detected at the touch sensor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Additional non-limiting examples of this disclosure include:

[0005] Implementation Scheme 1: A touch sensor, comprising: a support structure; a first connection forming element positioned on a surface of the support structure; and a sensor region comprising: a first active sensor region; a first passive sensor region; and a first routing connector for the first passive sensor region, the first routing connector being electrically connected to the first active sensor region and electrically connected to the first connection forming element.

[0006] Implementation Scheme 2: The touch according to Implementation Scheme 1, wherein the first active sensor region includes an active sensor node, and wherein the first passive sensor region includes a passive sensor node.

[0007] Implementation Scheme 3: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 and 2, wherein the first active sensor region includes sensor lines.

[0008] Implementation Scheme 4: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 3, wherein a first end of the sensor line is electrically connected to the first routing connector.

[0009] Implementation Scheme 5: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 4, wherein the second end of the sensor line is electrically connected to the tracking line.

[0010] Implementation Scheme 6: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 5, wherein the second end of the sensor line is directly electrically connected to the second routing connector of the second passive sensor area.

[0011] Implementation Scheme 7: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 6, wherein the sensor region includes: first electrical conductors arranged along a first direction; and second electrical conductors arranged along a second direction transverse to the first direction; each of the active sensor nodes includes: two electrically connected first electrical conductors and two electrically connected second electrical conductors; and each of the passive sensor nodes includes only one of the following: (i) two electrically connected first electrical conductors or (ii) two electrically connected second electrical conductors.

[0012] Implementation Scheme 8: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 7, wherein the first routing connector includes at least one of these passive sensor nodes.

[0013] Implementation Scheme 9: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 8, wherein the first routing connector comprises a plurality of continuously electrically connected passive sensor nodes.

[0014] Implementation Scheme 10: The touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 9 further includes: an electrical connector electrically connected to an end of the first routing connector, the end of the first routing connector being located at the periphery of the first passive sensor region and electrically connected to the first connection forming element.

[0015] Implementation Scheme 11: The touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 10 further includes: one or more tracking lines arranged along at least a portion of the periphery of the first active sensor region; and wherein the one or more tracking lines are electrically connected to the first active sensor region and electrically connected to the first connection forming element.

[0016] Implementation Scheme 12: A touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 11, wherein the sensor region includes a second active sensor region spaced apart from the first active sensor region, and wherein the first passive sensor region is interposed between the first active sensor region and the second active sensor region.

[0017] Implementation Scheme 13: The touch sensor according to any one of Implementation Schemes 1 to 12 further includes: a second routing connector for the first passive sensor region; and a second connection forming element, wherein the second routing connector is electrically connected to the second active sensor region and electrically connected to the second connection forming element.

[0018] Implementation Scheme 14: A touch sensing system comprising: a touch sensor including: a support structure; a connection forming element positioned on a surface of the support structure; and a sensor region including: an active sensor region; a passive sensor region; and a routing connector for the passive sensor region electrically connected to the active sensor region and electrically connected to the connection forming element; and a touch controller wherein an input or output terminal of the touch controller is electrically connected to the connection forming element.

[0019] Implementation Scheme 15: The touch sensing system according to Implementation Scheme 14, wherein the input or output terminal of the touch controller is electrically connected to the connection forming element via a connector of a flexible circuit or printed circuit board.

[0020] Implementation Scheme 16: A touch sensing system according to any one of Implementation Schemes 14 and 15, wherein the input or output terminal of the touch controller is electrically connected to the connection forming element via a flexible circuit and a printed circuit board.

[0021] Implementation Scheme 17: A sensor region of a capacitive touch sensor, the sensor region comprising: first electrical conductors arranged along a first direction; second electrical conductors arranged along a second direction transverse to the first direction; an active sensor node comprising: two electrically connected first electrical conductors and two electrically connected second electrical conductors; and a first passive sensor node comprising a set of electrically connected electrical conductors, the set of electrically connected electrical conductors comprising only one of the following: (i) two or more electrically connected first electrical conductors or (ii) two or more electrically connected second electrical conductors.

[0022] Implementation Scheme 18: The sensor region according to Implementation Scheme 17, wherein a first of the first electrical conductors is electrically connected to: a second of the first electrical conductors; and a first of the second electrical conductors, wherein the second of the first electrical conductors and the first of the second electrical conductors are within a passive sensor region including the first passive sensor node.

[0023] Implementation Scheme 19: The sensor region according to any one of Implementation Schemes 17 and 18 further includes: a second passive sensor node, the second passive sensor node including a set of electrically isolated electrical conductors, the set of electrically isolated electrical conductors including a plurality of first electrical conductors and a plurality of second electrical conductors.

[0024] Implementation Scheme 20: A sensor region according to any one of Implementation Schemes 17 to 19, wherein the sensor region is one of a plurality of sensor regions of the capacitive touch sensor.

[0025] Implementation Scheme 21: A touch display, comprising: a display; and a touch sensor covering a display surface of the display, wherein a periphery of the touch sensor corresponding to a periphery of the display surface is free of tracking lines on a portion of the periphery of the touch sensor corresponding to three sides of the display surface. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Although this disclosure concludes with claims that specifically point out and clearly claim protection for particular embodiments, the various features and advantages of the embodiments within the scope of this disclosure can be more readily identified by the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the active sensor region of a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments is shown;

[0028] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This shows the magnification levels at varying magnification levels. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of two magnified views of the nodes of the active sensor area of ​​the touch sensor;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the passive sensor region of a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments is shown;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a passive sensor region including an electrically connected passive sensor node is shown for a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments;

[0031] Figure 5A schematic diagram of a touch sensor region including a passive sensor region and at least one active sensor region according to one or more embodiments is shown;

[0032] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the area of ​​a touch sensor, including a passive sensor area and an active sensor area, according to one or more embodiments;

[0033] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a touch display including a passive sensor area and an active sensor area according to one or more embodiments;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a touch display including a passive sensor area and an active sensor area according to one or more embodiments;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a touch display that includes passive sensor areas on both sides of an active sensor area, according to one or more embodiments.

[0036] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a touch display including a touch sensing system according to one or more embodiments is shown;

[0037] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a touchscreen with tracking lines is shown, based on the current level of technological development.

[0038] Figures 12A to 12D A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the resistance-reducing connection is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0039] In one or more embodiments, charging time and / or response time can be reduced because the current sent to the active sensor area and the signal generated by the active sensor area can have a shorter travel distance compared to routing techniques that rely on sending such current and / or signals to the lateral periphery of the touch sensor and then to the touch controller via tracking lines around the periphery of the touch sensor. Furthermore, the size of any external boundaries (e.g., bezels) covering the periphery of the capacitive touch sensor and / or capacitive touch sensing system can be reduced because the boundaries may not need to cover as much of the routing components as are used for the signals generated by the active sensor area.

[0040] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this disclosure, and specific examples of embodiments in which this disclosure may be practiced are shown by way of example in the drawings. These embodiments have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice this disclosure. However, other embodiments enabled herein may be utilized, and structural, material, and process changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0041] The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual views of any particular method, system, apparatus, or structure, but are merely idealized representations for describing exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. In some cases, for the reader's convenience, similar structures or components in the various figures may retain the same or similar designations; however, similar designations do not necessarily mean that the structure or component is identical in size, composition, configuration, or any other property.

[0042] It is readily understood that the components of the embodiments described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following description of various embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure, but rather to represent various embodiments only. While various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0043] The following description may include examples to assist those skilled in the art in practicing the embodiments disclosed herein. The use of the terms “exemplary,” “for example,” and “e.g.” means that the description is illustrative, and while the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover examples and legal equivalents, the use of such terms is not intended to limit the embodiments or the scope of this disclosure to the specified parts, steps, features, functions, etc.

[0044] Therefore, unless otherwise stated herein, the specific embodiments shown and described are merely non-limiting examples and should not be construed as the only way to implement this disclosure. Components, circuits, and functions can be shown in block diagram form so as not to obscure this disclosure with unnecessary detail. Rather, the specific embodiments shown and described are merely exemplary and should not be construed as the only way to implement this disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein. Furthermore, block definitions and logical partitioning between blocks are examples of specific embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure can be practiced with many other partitioning solutions. In most cases, details such as timing considerations have been omitted, where such details are not necessary to obtain a full understanding of this disclosure and are within the capabilities of those skilled in the art.

[0045] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referenced throughout this specification can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof. For clarity of presentation and description, some figures may illustrate signals as single signals. Those skilled in the art will understand that signals may represent bus signals, wherein the bus may have various bit widths, and this disclosure can be implemented on any number of data signals comprising single data signals.

[0046] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, special-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), integrated circuit (IC), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor (also referred to herein as a “host processor” or simply a “host”) can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. A general-purpose computer including a processor is considered a special-purpose computer when configured to execute computational instructions (e.g., software code) associated with embodiments of this disclosure.

[0047] The implementation scheme may be described herein according to a process depicted as a flowchart, schematic diagram, structural diagram, or block diagram. While a flowchart may describe actions as a continuous process, many of these actions may be performed in another sequence, in parallel, or substantially simultaneously. Furthermore, the order of actions may be rearranged. The process in this document may correspond to a method, thread, function, procedure, subroutine, subroutine, other structure, or a combination thereof. Moreover, the methods disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or both. If implemented in software, the function may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another.

[0048] Any reference to elements in this document using names such as “first”, “second”, etc., does not limit the number or order of those elements unless such limitation is explicitly stated. Rather, these names may be used herein as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements or instances of elements. Thus, mentioning a first element and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be used there, or that the first element must somehow precede the second element. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, a group of elements may include one or more elements.

[0049] The elements described herein may include multiple instances of the same element. These elements may be generally indicated by numeric indicators (e.g., 110) and specifically indicated by numeric indicators followed by letter indicators (e.g., 110A) or by numeric indicators preceded by a hyphen (e.g., 110-1). For ease of following this description, in most cases, the element numbering indicator begins with the number of the drawing that introduces or most fully discusses the element. Thus, for example, Figure 1 The component identifiers on the device will primarily be in numeric format 1xx, and Figure 4 The components on it will primarily be in the 4xx digital format.

[0050] As used herein, the term "substantially" with respect to a given parameter, property, or condition means, to the extent that a person skilled in the art would understand, that a given parameter, property, or condition experiences minor variations, such as within acceptable manufacturing tolerances. For example, a particular parameter, property, or condition may be satisfied at least 90%, at least 95%, or even at least 99%, depending on whether it is substantially satisfied.

[0051] As used herein, when an element is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” or “coupled to” another element, the element may be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element, or an intermediary element may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly “on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element, no intermediary element or layer exists. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” a first element and a second element, then the element is connected to the first element and the element is connected to the second element.

[0052] As used herein, when an element is referred to as being “electrically connected” to another element, charge and / or signal can be transferred between the element and the other element directly or via an intermediary element (if present). In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly electrically connected” to another element, no intermediary element or layer exists. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “electrically connected” to both a first element and a second element, charge and / or signal can move between the first and second elements via the element (including via an intermediary element (if present)). It should be understood that the terms “electrically connected” and “electrically connected” do not require the transfer of actual charge or signal.

[0053] As used herein, the term "line" means a path used to carry charge and signal, and may include one or more instances of wires, circuits, and portions thereof.

[0054] As used in this article, the term “periphery” refers to the boundary (or part thereof) of the area, and may also include areas just inside the boundary as well as areas just outside the boundary, as the context of the terminology guides the use of the term.

[0055] As understood for the purposes of the embodiments described in this disclosure, a capacitive sensor (which may also be referred to herein as a "touch sensor") is responsive to contact or proximity of an object (such as, but not limited to, a finger, stylus, or other detectable object) with a touch-sensitive area of ​​the capacitive sensor. In this disclosure, "contact" and "touch" are intended to encompass both physical contact between an object and a touch-sensitive area, and the presence of an object in the vicinity of a touch-sensitive area without physical contact. Actual physical contact with the capacitive sensor is not necessarily required.

[0056] When an object touches a capacitive sensor, a change in capacitance can occur at or near the point of contact within the sensor. If the contact meets a certain threshold, the analog acquisition front end can "detect" the contact. "Post-charge transfer" is a non-limiting example of a technique implemented in some touch acquisition front ends for detecting capacitance changes, in which a sensing capacitor is charged (e.g., charged faster or slower) in response to the capacitance change, and charge is transferred to an integrating capacitor over multiple charge transfer cycles. The amount of charge associated with such charge transfer can be converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and a digital controller can process those digital signals (often referred to as a "Δ count" or simply "Δ") to determine a measurement and / or whether an object has touched the sensor.

[0057] A self-capacitance sensor (also referred to herein as a "self-capsensor") is a capacitive field sensor that responds to changes in capacitance to ground. Self-capacitance sensors are typically arranged in an array of rows and columns that independently respond to touch. As a non-limiting example, a self-capacitance sensor may include circuitry employing a repetitive charge transfer cycle, which uses a commonly integrated CMOS push-pull drive circuit with floating terminals.

[0058] A mutual capacitance sensor is a capacitive field sensor that responds to a change in capacitance between two electrodes: a driving electrode and a sensing electrode. At each intersection of the driving line (more generally characterized herein as a “transmitter line”) and the sensing line (more generally characterized herein as a “receiver line”), the driving electrode and sensing electrode pair form a capacitor. Such a pair of driving electrodes and sensing electrodes may be referred to herein as an “active sensor node”.

[0059] Self-capacitance and mutual capacitance technologies can be used in the same touch interface system and complement each other. For example, self-capacitance can be used to confirm touches detected using mutual capacitance.

[0060] As an example, a 2D arrangement (i.e., a 2D touch sensor) that can be used for a 2D touch-sensitive surface may cover a touch sensor (e.g., but not limited to, a touchpad or touch display), and the touch sensor may facilitate user interaction with an associated device or apparatus. An insulating protective layer (e.g., but not limited to, resin, glass, and / or plastic) may be used to cover the touch sensor and may be referred to herein as a “covering layer.” Such a 2D arrangement, with or without a covering, may be referred to as a “touchscreen.” A “touch display” is a display (such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD, or a light-emitting diode (LED) display) incorporating a 2D touch sensor (as a non-limiting example, which is implemented in a transparent medium above the display, sometimes with another transparent medium (such as glass) in front of the touch sensor).

[0061] In a non-limiting example using a touch sensor (a matrix sensor method using mutual capacitance sensors employing charge transfer technology), driving electrodes can extend in rows on one side of a substrate, and sensing electrodes can extend in columns on the other side of the substrate (e.g., but not limited to the opposite side) to define a “matrix” array of N×M active sensor nodes. Each active sensor node corresponds to the intersection between the conductive lines of the driving electrodes and the conductive lines of the sensing electrodes. The driving electrodes simultaneously drive all active sensor nodes in a given row, and the sensing electrodes sense all active sensor nodes in a given column. The capacitive coupling (mutual capacitance) of the driving and sensing electrodes at the location of an active sensor node, or the coupling (self-capacitance) of the sensing electrode to ground, can be measured individually or both in response to a capacitance change indicating a touch event. For example, if a driving signal is applied to the driving electrode in row 2 and the sensing electrode in column 3 is active, the node locations are: row 2, column 3. Active sensor nodes can be scanned sequentially through different combinations of driving and sensing electrodes. In one mode, the driving electrodes can be driven sequentially, while all sensing electrodes are continuously monitored. In another mode, the sensing electrodes can be sampled sequentially.

[0062] Taking a touchscreen using a matrix sensor method with self-capacitance sensors as a non-limiting example, electrodes can extend in rows and columns to define a “matrix” array of N×M active sensor nodes. The sensor matrix can be constructed such that each active sensor node has an electrode, each electrode being individually addressable, or each row and column can be addressable electrodes, with each active sensor node corresponding to a unique row / column pair. A drive signal (i.e., a time-varying stimulus having any waveform including, but not limited to, square waves, rectangular waves, triangular waves, and sine waves) is repeatedly provided to the electrodes of the sensors. When an object touches the sensor, the coupling between the object and the electrodes increases the current consumed on the electrodes, which increases the apparent sensor capacitance, and this increase in sensor capacitance can be detected. For example, if an increase in capacitance is detected when a drive signal is applied to electrode row 2 and electrode column 3, the touch location could be row 2, column 3. Interpolation techniques can be used to identify the positions between the active sensor nodes. Active sensor nodes can be sequentially scanned by sequentially traversing combinations of rows and columns of electrodes.

[0063] As a non-limiting example, microcontrollers, digital logic circuits, and configurable state machines can be configured to perform the functions of the acquisition circuitry and touch controller described herein, and more generally such as, but not limited to, controlling drive electrodes, monitoring sensing electrodes, analyzing capacitive effects on touch sensors (e.g., but not limited to, capacitive effects detected from measured channel capacitance and / or absolute channel capacitance variations), and processing and reporting touches.

[0064] The integrated circuit (IC) package, including the microcontroller, provides input and output pins for communication with the host; and provides firmware to perform technology and operation, including those described herein in combination with various embodiments.

[0065] In capacitive touch systems, there is an expectation of minimizing the time required to charge the sensor after a driving pulse changes the voltage (referred to herein as "charging time") (i.e., the advantage understood by the inventors of this disclosure). As a non-limiting example, the reporting rate of a capacitive touch system will decrease with increasing charging time (i.e., fewer reports per time interval). For some applications / uses, a reporting rate higher than a certain threshold is expected (e.g., but not limited to, 100 reports per second). As another non-limiting example, noise is incorporated into the touch measurement during the charging time, and the longer the charging time, the greater the probability of noise being incorporated into the touch measurement.

[0066] Various aspects of capacitive sensor design can contribute to charging time, including but not limited to the resistance (denoted as Rx) between the output of the touch controller and the active sensor node (referred to herein as “line resistance”) and the capacitive load of the touch sensor (e.g., but not limited to, the capacitive load between the line and the display).

[0067] Ignoring connector components (e.g., but not limited to, trace lines), for a single-connection drive line, the maximum resistance Rx will be equal to the total resistance of the drive line. For a dual-connection drive line arrangement with reduced resistance, the resistance Rx is theoretically reduced to one-quarter of that of a single-connection Rx arrangement (i.e., Therefore, theoretically, the worst-case resistance Rx of a dual-connection sensor can be one-quarter of the worst-case resistance of a single-connection sensor.

[0068] One method for managing charging time is to use resistance-reducing connections, such as, but not limited to, dual-connection sensor matrices, that is, connecting sensor lines (drive lines or sensing lines) to the touch controller input at both ends (e.g., the left and right ends of a row, or the top and bottom ends of a column).

[0069] In touch displays, touch sensors are typically placed on the top of the display to allow users to “touch” the displayed interface elements (such as, but not limited to, buttons and sliders) and / or directly manipulate the displayed content (such as, but not limited to, maps).

[0070] As used herein, the terms "drive line" and "sensing line" are used interchangeably with the terms "drive electrode" and "sensing electrode." In summary, drive electrodes and sensing electrodes may be referred to herein as "touch electrodes." In summary, drive lines and sensing lines may be referred to herein as "sensor lines." Unless otherwise guided by the context of "sensor line," "sensor line" should be understood to encompass both drive lines and sensing lines.

[0071] In a typical touch display, the touch sensor covers the entire display surface. To avoid obstructing or degrading the user's view of the display surface, the electrodes of the touch sensor are typically formed using a virtually transparent material (i.e., almost or completely undetectable to the human eye). As a non-limiting example, the transparent electrodes can be formed from conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or transparent conductive polymers. As a non-limiting example, it may be possible to achieve approximately 98% to 99% optical transmittance, depending on the thickness of the ITO layer. However, a thicker ITO layer reduces line resistance at the cost of lower optical transmittance. It is worth noting that ITO typically has a higher resistance compared to metals such as copper or silver.

[0072] If the active sensor area of ​​the touch sensor (e.g., comprising multiple active areas) does not completely cover the display, the remaining area (or residual area) of the touch sensor (if any) may be formed by “dumb” sensor nodes that are not electrically connected and do not respond to touch. Such residual areas may be referred to herein as “passive sensor areas.” The pattern of the dumb nodes may be the same as the pattern used in the active touch sensor area, but this is not required.

[0073] Some implementations typically involve one or more sensor regions of a capacitive touch sensor. A sensor region may also include one or more active sensor regions and one or more passive sensor regions. Each active sensor region may include one or more active sensor nodes. Each passive sensor region may include one or more passive sensor nodes. The active and passive sensor nodes of a given sensor region are collectively referred to herein as "sensor nodes".

[0074] In some embodiments, one or more sensor regions of a capacitive touch sensor may include: a first electrical conductor arranged along a first direction; and a second electrical conductor arranged along a second direction transverse to the first direction. An active sensor node in the sensor region may include two electrically connected first electrical conductors and two electrically connected second electrical conductors. A passive sensor node in the sensor region may include a set of electrically connected electrical conductors, the set of electrically connected electrical conductors including only one of the following: (i) at least two electrically connected first electrical conductors, or (ii) at least two electrically connected second electrical conductors.

[0075] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the active sensor region 100 of the sensor region (also referred to herein as the "touch sensor region") of a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments. Figure 1 In the specific example depicted, drive lines (e.g., X-rays 102) comprising multiple conductive conductors (also referred to herein as “electrical conductors” or simply “conductors”) are arranged in rows, and sensing lines of electrical conductors (e.g., Y-rays 104) are arranged in columns. X-rays 102 and Y-rays 104 are supported on the surface of a support structure 108 (such as, but not limited to, a substrate, a display, or a material coated on the display) of the active sensor region 100. In some embodiments, Figure 1 The active sensor region 100 can be configured as a single-layer active sensor region 100, which includes X-rays 102 and Y-rays 104 arranged in identical layers supported by the support structure 108. In other embodiments, the active sensor region 100 can be configured as a multi-layer active sensor region 100 (e.g., but not limited to, dual-layer), which includes X-rays 102 and Y-rays 104 arranged in different layers (e.g., but not limited to, layers in different parallel planes) supported by the support structure 108.

[0076] Each of the X-rays 102 or the Y-rays 104 may be formed of a line of continuous electrical conductors (in other words, continuously electrically connected conductors). These conductors may be formed of a conductive material defining one or more regions. Each such region may be formed into a shape such as, but not limited to, a disk, a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a rhombus, a rhombus, a thin line, other suitable shapes, or suitable combinations of these shapes. One or more cuts in the conductive material forming one or more layers may (at least partially) form the shape of the region, and the region may (at least partially) be spatially defined. Non-conductive material may be used as filler in the spaces formed by the cuts in the conductive material or may generally define the shaped region.

[0077] Non-limiting examples of conductive materials include indium, gold, aluminum, copper, tin, alloys, ceramics, and combinations thereof. A non-limiting example of an alloy is indium tin oxide (ITO). In some embodiments, the conductive material may occupy approximately 100% of the area having its shape (sometimes referred to as 100% fill).

[0078] In other embodiments, the conductive material may occupy significantly less than 100% of the area having its shape. As a non-limiting example, the area may be formed of ITO, and fine wires (commonly referred to as “FLM” or “mesh structure”) of a metal or other conductive material (such as, for example, copper, silver, or copper- or silver-based materials) are used to “cover” the area. As a non-limiting example, the fine wires of conductive material may occupy approximately 5% of the area having its shape as a shaded line, mesh structure, or other suitable pattern. Although this disclosure describes or illustrates specific wires of electrical conductors having a particular pattern and comprising a particular shape formed using a particular filler of a particular conductive material, this disclosure (including its legal equivalents) covers suitable wires of electrical conductors having any suitable pattern and comprising any suitable shape formed using any suitable filler percentage of any suitable conductive material.

[0079] As a non-restrictive example, in Figure 1 In a specific example of the active sensor region 100 depicted, the continuous electrical conductors are formed by a repeating pattern of generally rhomboid-shaped conductive material. Figure 1 Such electrical conductors may be referred to in this article as "diamond-shaped conductors".

[0080] like Figure 1 As depicted, each of these rhomboid-shaped conductors forming X-ray 102 or Y-ray 104 is electrically connected to each other at the corners of the rhomboid-shaped conductors. The electrical conductors of a given X-ray 102 are connected at adjacent lateral corners of the rhomboid shape, and the electrical conductors of a given Y-ray 104 are connected at adjacent longitudinal corners of the rhomboid shape—when the active sensor region 100 is as follows: Figure 1 When the orientation is described.

[0081] As discussed above, in the touch sensor configuration of the active sensor region 100, the intersection of X-ray 102 and Y-ray 104 is an active sensor node of the active sensor region 100, and in the envisioned operation, the node position can be determined by the electric field projected from the X-ray to the Y-ray. The active sensor node of the active sensor region 100 may cover at least a portion of a plurality of rhomboid conductors covered by the electric field projected from the drive line to the sensing line.

[0082] An active sensor region is a region of sensor regions that includes one or more active sensor nodes, and, by a more specific example, includes the intersection of electrical conductors of a first set of electrical connections arranged along a first direction (e.g., but not limited to, Y, longitudinal, or vertical) and electrical conductors of a second set of electrical connections arranged along a second direction, which is a lateral direction (e.g., but not limited to, X, lateral, or horizontal) relative to the first direction. The electrical conductors of the first set of electrical connections arranged along the first direction are connected in series, and the electrical conductors of the second set of electrical connections arranged along the second direction are connected in series and electrically isolated from the electrical conductors of the first set of electrical connections.

[0083] A passive sensor region is the area of ​​a sensor region that does not include active sensor nodes. As discussed in conjunction with one or more embodiments, a passive sensor region may include one or more passive sensor nodes. A passive sensor node does not include the intersection of a first line of an electrically connected conductor and a second line of an electrically connected conductor, although, as used herein, the term may include lines comprising multiple consecutive electrically connected conductors—but does not include two intersecting lines.

[0084] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Depicting the varying magnification levels Figure 1 An enlarged view of sensor node 106 in the active sensor region 100. Figure 2A The depicted correspond to Figure 1 The view of the surrounding portion has sensor node 106, and more specifically, first wires 102-12 of electrically connected conductors (corresponding to...) Figure 1 A portion of the drive line X12 and the electrical conductor connected transversely to the second line 104-1 (corresponding to the first line 102-12) are part of the drive line X12 and the electrical conductor connected transversely to the first line 102-12. Figure 1 It is part of the sensing line Y1 in the middle. Figure 2A The diamond-shaped region of the longitudinally adjacent electrical connections of the electrical conductors is further depicted, namely, the first Y conductor 202 and the second Y conductor 204 forming part of the second line 104-1. Figure 2A The diagram further depicts the rhomboid-shaped regions of laterally adjacent electrical connections of the conductors, namely the first X conductor 206 and the second X conductor 208 forming part of the first lines 102-12. The rhomboid-shaped conductors 202, 204, 206 and 208 can be understood as a group to roughly correspond to the active sensor region or a portion thereof.

[0085] In some implementations, electrical isolation material may be located between adjacent electrical conductors. Figure 2A In the specific example depicted, filler 210 is located in a portion of the boundary region between adjacent conductors 202 / 206, 202 / 208, 206 / 204, and 208 / 204. As a non-limiting example, filler 210 may comprise a dielectric material forming a repeating pattern with a cross shape (e.g., X-shaped regions) that electrically isolates at least a portion of the diamond-shaped regions of the conductive material of the conductors of X-ray 102 and Y-ray 104 from each other.

[0086] Figure 2B Depicting Figure 2A A view of the surrounding portion of the depicted sensor node 106. Figure 2BThe area at the intersection 212 between the first line 102-12 and the second line 104-1 is depicted. As a non-limiting example, the first X conductor 206 is electrically connected to the second X conductor 208 via a continuous extension of conductive material extending laterally between the two conductors. The first Y conductor 202 is electrically connected to the second Y conductor 204 via a conductive bridging portion 214 (e.g., but not limited to, ITO or a metal cross) extending over and electrically isolated from the continuous extension of conductive material connecting the first X conductor 206 and the second X conductor 208.

[0087] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of a passive sensor region 300 of a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments. The passive sensor region 300 may include a plurality of passive sensor nodes that are fully or partially electrically isolated from other passive sensor nodes of the passive sensor region 300, and one or more of the plurality of passive sensor nodes may collectively form a plurality of passive sensor regions, including but not limited to the passive sensor region 300.

[0088] To completely electrically isolate the passive sensor node from all other conductors in the passive sensor region (including, but not limited to, passive sensor region 300), gaps or spaces (not limited to those formed by cuts made in a conductive material) can be formed at the boundary region 302 between each electrically isolated conductor. In some embodiments, such boundary regions 302 between the conductors of the passive sensor node may be filled with a passivating material, such as, but not limited to, a dielectric material.

[0089] exist Figure 3 In the specific example depicted, conductors 316, 318, 320, and 322 essentially form a passive sensor node at intersection 324 (i.e., the intersection of a first imaginary geometric line drawn through the center points of the first conductor 316 and the second conductor 320 and a second imaginary geometric line drawn through the center points of the third conductor 318 and the fourth conductor 322). No capacitive electrical connection is formed at intersection 324 during operation of the touch sensor, which includes the passive sensor region 300.

[0090] exist Figure 3In the specific example depicted, conductors 318, 320, and 322 are completely electrically isolated from adjacent conductors. Conductors 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316, located along the periphery of the passive sensor region 300, may be completely or partially electrically isolated from other adjacent conductors. By way of the example of partial electrical isolation, one or more of conductors 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 may be adjacent to and electrically isolated from other conductors of the passive sensor region 300, and adjacent to and electrically connected to conductors (not shown) outside the conductors of the passive sensor region 300. As a non-limiting example, such conductors may be part of another passive sensor region (not shown) or an active sensor region (not shown).

[0091] To partially electrically isolate the passive sensor node from the passive sensor region, the conductor of the passive sensor node may be electrically isolated from a laterally adjacent conductor or a longitudinally adjacent conductor, but not both (as discussed above). Correspondingly, the conductor of the passive sensor node may (e.g., but not limited to, via a bridging connector or extension of conductive material) be electrically connected to a laterally adjacent conductor or a longitudinally adjacent conductor, but not both.

[0092] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of a passive sensor region 400 of a touch sensor according to one or more embodiments. Figure 4 In the specific example depicted, the passive sensor region 400 includes a plurality of passive sensor nodes (which together form a plurality of passive sensor regions), some of which are partially electrically isolated from adjacent sensor nodes by electrically isolated gaps 402.

[0093] Passive sensor node 428 includes laterally adjacent conductors 404 and 406 electrically connected via a first connector 420, and includes electrically isolated longitudinally adjacent conductors 408 and 410. Passive sensor node 430 includes laterally adjacent conductors 410 and 422 electrically isolated, and includes longitudinally adjacent conductors 406 and 412 electrically connected via a second connector 424. Passive sensor node 432 includes laterally adjacent conductors 416 and 418 electrically isolated, and includes longitudinally adjacent conductors 412 and 414 electrically connected via a third connector 426.

[0094] As a non-limiting example, a line comprising conductors 404, 406, 412, and 414, including a set of continuously electrically connected conductors, may form part of an X-ray (e.g., but not limited to, one of the X-rays 102) or a Y-ray (e.g., but not limited to, one of the Y-rays 104). As discussed herein, the X-ray and Y-ray may correspond to the X-ray (e.g., but not limited to, a horizontally extending drive or sensing line) and Y-ray (e.g., but not limited to, a vertically extending drive or sensing line) of a touch sensor, respectively.

[0095] exist Figure 4 In the specific example depicted, the routing connector of the passive sensor region 400 includes passive sensor nodes 428, 430, and 432, and more specifically includes electrically connected conductors 404 and 406, electrically connected conductors 406 and 412, and electrically connected conductors 412 and 414. In the routing connector, conductors 404, 406, 412, and 414 form a set of continuously electrically connected conductors.

[0096] In one or more embodiments, the routing connector may be used for either a drive line or a sensing line, as appropriate. Each of the first connector 420, the second connector 424, and the third connector 426 may be a portion of, but not limited to, a bridging portion, a conductive material (e.g., but not limited to, uncut or otherwise spaced ITO material), and / or a combination thereof. In a group of continuously electrically connected passive sensor nodes (such as a group including passive sensor nodes 428, 430, and 432) within a passive sensor region, each conductor carrying a signal in a given direction (e.g., but not limited to, the X direction, Y direction, horizontal direction, vertical direction, lateral direction, longitudinal direction) may be electrically connected only to an adjacent conductor carrying a signal in the same direction, except for corner or edge conductors (such as conductor 406) electrically connected to adjacent conductors carrying signals in the lateral (e.g., vertical) direction (conductors 404 and 412 in this case).

[0097] In one or more implementations of a touch sensor configuration, data is sent to an active sensor area (e.g., but not limited to, ...). Figure 1 The drive signal of the active sensor region 100 and / or the sensing signal received from the active sensor region can be transmitted through the passive sensor region (such as...) Figure 4 One or more passive sensor nodes in the passive sensor area 400 are routed from the driving circuit and / or to the sensing circuit. One or more sub-areas of the touch sensor area (such as in...) that are originally sleepable. Figure 3 In the case of a passive sensor area 300, it can be used to route signals to one or more active sensor areas (e.g., but not limited to, Figure 1 The active sensor area 100) and / or the signal routed from one or more active sensor areas.

[0098] As a non-limiting example, when compared to conventional signal routing techniques that rely on routing signals to the periphery of the touch sensor and / or associated display, routing signals laterally between the lateral peripheries of the touch sensor and / or associated display and / or longitudinally between the longitudinal peripheries of the touch sensor and / or associated display can reduce charging time and response time by shortening the distance the signal travels. As another non-limiting example, when compared to conventional signal routing techniques, the routing signal according to this disclosure can additionally or alternatively reduce the size of the boundary (e.g., bezel) surrounding the touch sensor and / or associated display, because at least some signal carriers that would normally be located at the periphery of the touch sensor (i.e., within the bezel area) can instead be located within the touch sensor and / or associated display itself.

[0099] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a touch sensor 500 according to one or more embodiments, the touch sensor including a sensor region 524 formed on a support structure 526 (e.g., but not limited to, a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, a transparent layer of a display), the sensor region being configured to route signals via a passive sensor region 504 to a drive line of an active sensor region 502 or from a sensing line of the active sensor region.

[0100] The touch sensor 500 includes the driving lines of the active sensor region 502 of the sensor region 524. Figure 5 The routing connector 514 (represented as drive lines X0, X2, X4, X6…X18). Figure 5 In the specific example depicted, routing connector 514-0 is associated with drive line X0, routing connector 514-2 is associated with drive line X2, and so on, such that routing connector 514-18 is associated with drive line X18. As discussed herein, routing connector 514 may be formed from a passive sensor node of passive sensor region 504 of sensor region 524 (here, a passive sensor node of passive sensor region 504).

[0101] More specifically, and as Figure 5 The passive sensor region 504, as depicted, includes a routing connector 514 configured to route signals (e.g., drive signals) to the active sensor region 502. It is noteworthy that less than all conductors in the active sensor region 504 are routing conductors; that is, some conductors do not have electrical connections with adjacent conductors (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 3 (As depicted). In some implementations, Figure 5Some of the unused conductors depicted can be used for other signal routing, as a non-limiting example, from signal routing of the sensing line. Figure 5 (Not depicted).

[0102] exist Figure 5 In the depicted example, the routing connector 514 is configured to route signals via a substantially continuous extension in the same direction as the drive lines X0-X18 (e.g., via the routing connector portion 510 of the routing connector 514-2), and via a substantially continuous extension in the lateral direction (e.g., via the routing connector portion 512 of the routing connector 514-2) toward the outer periphery of the touch sensor 500.

[0103] In some implementations, the trace line may electrically connect the routing connector (and, via an extension, the drive line) to the connection forming element for forming an electrical connection outside the touch sensor 500 (e.g., but not limited to, with the touch controller).

[0104] The touch sensor 500 may include a plurality of connection forming elements 520 electrically connected to the active sensor region 502 via tracking lines (including tracking lines 506 and 508). A routing connector 514 is electrically connected to the connection forming element 520 via tracking line 506, and the other end of the X sensor line corresponding to (e.g., including but not limited to) the routing connector 514 is electrically connected to the connection forming element 520 via tracking line 508. Figure 5 The connection forming element 520 is depicted but not separately labeled as being connected to the Y sensor line via the tracking line.

[0105] Figure 5 A one-to-one correspondence between multiple tracking lines 506 / 408 and connection forming element 520 is depicted, but this is not necessary, and this disclosure covers other arrangements including more or fewer tracking lines 506 / 508 than connection forming element 520.

[0106] exist Figure 5The individual tracking lines 506 and 508, as well as the connection forming element 520, are not specifically labeled. For illustrative purposes, it can be understood that tracking line 506-0 electrically connects routing connector 514-0 to connection forming element 520-0A, tracking line 506-2 electrically connects routing connector 514-2 to connection forming element 520-2A, and so on, such that tracking line 506-18 electrically connects routing connector 514-18 to connection forming element 520-8A. Furthermore, it can be understood that tracking line 508-0 electrically connects sensor line 0 (i.e., X0) to connection forming element 520-0B, tracking line 508-2 electrically connects sensor line 2 (i.e., X2) to connection forming element 520-2B, and so on, such that tracking line 508-18 electrically connects sensor line 18 (i.e., X18) to connection forming element 520-18B. "520-XA" and "520-XB" (where X is a number (e.g., 0, 2…18)) are used in this discussion to indicate that such connection-forming elements are associated with the same sensor line. In various embodiments, the connection-forming elements denoted as "A" and "B" may have different or the same structures, as discussed herein.

[0107] exist Figure 5 In the particular example depicted, the electrical connection portion of the routing connector 514 is electrically connected to the tracking line 506 at a location at least a portion of the first periphery 516 of the passive sensor region 504 (which at least partially overlaps with the periphery of the touch sensor 500).

[0108] In some implementations, the resistance-reducing connection can be used to electrically connect one or more of the sensing line and the drive line to an input or output terminal of the touch controller. When using a drive line, a first end and a second end of the drive line can be electrically connected to the same connection forming element 520 via a corresponding routing connector, a trace line, or a combination thereof.

[0109] The corresponding first ends of the corresponding drive lines X0 to X18, which are substantially located at the first periphery 516 of the passive sensor region 504, are electrically connected to the corresponding connection forming elements 520-0A to 520-18A via tracking lines 506-0 to 506-18.

[0110] The corresponding drive lines X0 to X18 may include, or a portion thereof may be, routing connectors 514-0 to 514-18, which extend from a corresponding first end of a portion of the drive lines X0 to X18 substantially located at a first periphery 522 of the active sensor region 502 to a first periphery 516 of the passive sensor region 504, wherein they are electrically connected to the tracking lines 506-0 to 506-18.

[0111] The respective other (second) ends of the corresponding drive lines X0 to X18, which are substantially located at the second periphery 518 of the active sensor region 502 (the second periphery 518 at least partially overlaps with the second periphery of the touch sensor 500), are electrically connected via corresponding trace lines 508-0 to 508-18 to the corresponding connection forming elements 520-0B to 520-18B. As a non-limiting example, trace lines 506 and 508 may be or include conductive materials, such as silver or copper traces.

[0112] Schemes of touch sensors using a single connection to a connection forming element, a routing connection to a resistance-reducing connector to the connection forming element, and equivalents thereof are all within the scope of this disclosure.

[0113] Due to design factors such as, but not limited to, size and resolution, in some cases, it is specifically envisioned that there may not be enough available conductors (or enough continuous available conductors) in the passive sensor area to form a single perimeter from all drive lines to the touch sensor 500 (e.g., to the first perimeter 516 of the passive sensor area 504, such as...). Figure 5 The routing connector 514 is depicted. In addition, in some cases, it is particularly envisioned that there may be design reasons for forming routing connectors at the periphery of more than one periphery of the touch sensor 500 (e.g., but not limited to, two, three or more peripheries of the touch sensor), such as to accommodate space on the board, to accommodate the shape of the board, or other factors related to the device that may incorporate the touch sensor 500.

[0114] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a touch sensor system 600 according to one or more embodiments. The touch sensor system 600 includes a sensor region 602, which includes a first active sensor region 604 laterally spaced from a second active sensor region 608 and a passive sensor region 606 interposed between the first active sensor region 604 and the second active sensor region 608.

[0115] The touch sensor system 600 includes a first resistance-reducing connection 620 that electrically connects a drive line 614 to a line 628, and a second resistance-reducing connection 638 that electrically connects a drive line 632 to a line 646.

[0116] In the case of the first resistance-reducing connection portion 620, the first end 616 of the drive line 614 is electrically connected to the first connection forming element 610 via line 626, and the second end 650 of the drive line 614 (and more specifically, the second end 650 of the portion 622 of the drive line 614, which is formed in the passive sensor region 606) is electrically connected to the first connection forming element 610 via line 624. Therefore, the first resistance-reducing connection portion 620 can be understood to include lines 624 and 626.

[0117] In the case of the second connection forming element 612, the first end 636 of the drive line 632 is electrically connected to the second connection forming element 612 via line 644, and the second end 652 of the drive line 632 (and more specifically, the second end 652 of the portion 640 of the drive line 632, which is formed in the passive sensor region 606) is electrically connected to the second connection forming element 612 via line 642. Therefore, the second resistance-reducing connection portion 638 can be understood to include lines 642 and 644.

[0118] As a non-limiting example, parts 622 and 640 may be or include one or more routing connectors, such as Figure 5 The routing connector 514. As a non-limiting example, lines 624, 626, 642, and 644 may be or include one or more trace lines, such as... Figure 5 506 and 508.

[0119] The first connection forming element 610 and the second connection forming element 612 can be electrically connected to the output of a touch controller (not shown) via lines 628 and 646, respectively. As a non-limiting example, lines 628 and 646 can be electrical connections formed on a printed circuit board, flexible circuit, wire, or a combination thereof.

[0120] As a non-limiting example, during the envisioned operation of the touch sensor system 600, the line resistance Rx that can be observed at the output of a touch controller (not shown) electrically connected to a single end of the drive line 614 (e.g., via the first end 616 or the second end 650, but not both) when the first drive signal 630 (or the second drive signal 648) is emitted is... Figure 6 The layout depicted is relatively low.

[0121] It is worth noting that the first active sensor area 604 is depicted as having a larger size than the second active sensor area 608, and in reality, the corresponding areas of the touch sensor (active or passive) may have the same or different sizes.

[0122] The touch sensor system 600 may include an additional sensor line and a connection forming element, as well as an additional resistance-reducing connector for electrically connecting the additional sensor line to the additional connection forming element, and then by... Figure 6 To depict.

[0123] Specifically, it is envisioned that in some cases, the number of X-rays in an active sensor area or group of active sensor areas may exceed the number of available Y-rays in a passive sensor area, and vice versa. In this case, a resistance-reducing connector can be formed for fewer than all X-rays in the active sensor areas (or more generally, the touchscreen). Alternatively, a resistance-reducing connector can be formed for all X-rays in fewer than the active sensor areas. Alternatively, additional tracking lines (or tracking layers) can be added as needed to form a resistance-reducing connector as discussed herein.

[0124] Any suitable arrangement of the connecting elements for the electrical connection can be used to form resistance-reducing connections 620 and 638, thereby electrically connecting the connection forming elements 610 and 612 to the corresponding drive lines 614 / 632. Figure 12A , Figure 12B , Figure 12C and Figure 12D Several non-limiting embodiments of the resistance-reducing connection are described.

[0125] Figure 12A This is a schematic diagram depicting a resistance-reducing connection 620A according to one or more embodiments. For example... Figure 12A As depicted, in some embodiments of the touch display configuration, lines 626 and 624 may be formed in the transparent material 1202 of the display (e.g., but not limited to, a glass display cover) or on the inner or outer surface (relative to the display). Lines 626 and 624 may be formed substantially on a second plane above a first plane, wherein the first connection forming element 610 intersects with the transparent material (generally coplanar with the bottom surface of the transparent material). In some embodiments, a first electrical contact 1206 (e.g., but not limited to, a region of continuous extension of conductive material forming the respective lines 624 and 626, a pad, or other structure) may electrically connect lines 624 and 626, and a second electrical contact 1208 (e.g., but not limited to, a pad, or other structure) may electrically connect the first electrical contact 1206 to the first connection forming element 610 located on the flexible circuit 1204.

[0126] Figure 12BThis is a schematic diagram depicting a resistance-reducing connection 620B according to one or more embodiments. For example... Figure 12B As depicted, in some embodiments of the touch display configuration, lines 626 and 624 are formed in the transparent material 1202 of the display, and the first electrical contact 1210 and the second electrical contact 1212 respectively electrically connect lines 626 and 624 individually to the first connection forming element 610 on the flexible circuit 1204.

[0127] Figure 12C This is a schematic diagram depicting a resistance-reducing connection 620C according to one or more embodiments. For example... Figure 12C As depicted, in some embodiments of the touch display configuration, the first connection forming element 610 may include separate connection forming elements 610A and 610B, and lines 626 and 624 formed in the transparent material 1202 may be electrically connected to connection forming elements 610A and 610B respectively via a first electrical contact 1210 and a second electrical contact 1212. Connection forming elements 610A and 610B may be connected to a flexible circuit 1204, and an electrical contact 1214 formed in the flexible circuit 1204 may be electrically connected to connection forming elements 610A and 610B.

[0128] Figure 12D This is a schematic diagram depicting a resistance-reducing connection 620D according to one or more embodiments. For example... Figure 12D As depicted, in some embodiments of the touch display configuration, lines 626 and 624 may be electrically connected to a pair of connection forming elements 610A-1 and 610B-1 via a first electrical contact 1210 and a second electrical contact 1212, respectively. The pair of connection forming elements 610A-1 and 610B-1 of the flexible circuit 1204 may be individually connected by corresponding wires to corresponding connection forming elements 610A-2 and 610B-2 located at opposite ends of the flexible circuit 1204, electrically connected to PCB 1216. PCB 1216 may include an electrical contact 1218 that electrically connects the pair of connection forming elements 610A-2 and 610B-2.

[0129] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of a touch display 700 according to one or more embodiments. The touch display 700 includes a touch sensor 710 covering a display 708, the touch sensor including a passivation region 702 (e.g., including a passive sensor region), a first touchscreen 704 (e.g., including a first active sensor region), and a second touchscreen 706 (e.g., including a second active sensor region). The display 708 may be located below and may extend continuously below: one or more first active sensor regions forming the first touchscreen 704, one or more second active sensor regions forming the second touchscreen 706, and one or more passive sensor regions forming the passivation region 702, laterally interposed between the first active sensor regions forming the first touchscreen 704 and the second active sensor regions forming the second touchscreen 706.

[0130] The first resistance-reducing connector 718 can be understood to include a first electrical connector 716 and a second electrical connector 714. The second resistance-reducing connector 728 can be understood to include a first electrical connector 726 and a second electrical connector 724.

[0131] The touch display 700 includes a first resistance reduction connector 718 and a second resistance reduction connector 728 for electrically connecting the sensor lines (here, X-lines) of the first touch screen 704 and the second touch screen 706 to the touch controller I / O (not shown), respectively. It also includes a single connection portion 730 and a single connection portion 732 for electrically connecting the sensor lines (here, Y-lines) of the first touch screen 704 and the second touch screen 706 to the touch controller I / O (not shown), respectively.

[0132] The first routing connector 712 of the first resistance-reducing connector 718 and the second routing connector 722 of the second resistance-reducing connector 728 are respectively formed in the passivation region 702 (e.g., but not limited to, according to...). Figure 5 The routing connector 514 may extend on a portion of the display 708, including but not limited to extending on a portion of the display surface of the display 708.

[0133] The first electrical connector 716 of the first resistance reduction connector 718 and the first electrical connector 726 of the second resistance reduction connector 728 are typically located outside the touch sensor 710 and are electrically connected to the first touchscreen 704 and the second touchscreen 706, respectively, at or near the periphery of the display 708 and the periphery of the corresponding first touchscreen 704 and second touchscreen 706. The second electrical connector 714 of the first resistance reduction connector 718 and the second electrical connector 724 of the second resistance reduction connector 728 are located outside the touch sensor 710 and are electrically connected to the first routing connector 712 and the second routing connector 722, respectively, at or near the periphery of the display 708 and the periphery of the passivation region 702.

[0134] The first electrical connectors 716 and 726 and / or the second electrical connectors 714 and 724 may extend over portions of the display 708, but will generally extend only minimally (i.e., without obstruction) over the display surface of the display 708. In some cases, boundaries (e.g., but not limited to, a portion of the housing for touching the display 700) may be positioned over the first electrical connectors 716 and 726 and / or the second electrical connectors 714 and 724 (i.e., for obstruction), including but not limited to portions of the corresponding first and / or second electrical connectors extending over portions of the display 708.

[0135] exist Figure 7 In the specific example depicted, the touch display 700 includes a first resistance-reducing connector 718 and a second resistance-reducing connector 728 for electrically connecting the X-rays of touchscreens 704 and 706 to the touch controller I / O, respectively. The touch display 700 also includes individual connections 730 and 732 for connecting the Y-rays of touchscreens 704 and 706 to the touch controller I / O, respectively. In one or more embodiments, each of the X-rays and Y-rays may be a drive line, a sensing line, or a combination thereof.

[0136] It is worth noting that, from the perspective of the touch controller, the resistance-reducing connector and individual connection portion according to the disclosed embodiment may form part of the driving electrode and sensing electrode, depending on the situation.

[0137] Some implementations typically involve borderless or near-borderless touch displays. As used herein, "borderless touch display" means that the touch electrodes terminate at the edge of the display. As used herein, "near-borderless touch display" means that the touch electrodes terminate at the edge of at least one side of the display. Typically, to facilitate such arrangements, the use of (such as by...) Figure 11When describing and discussing routing schemes, at least some external electrical connections (e.g., but not limited to, trace lines) that cover the boundary area around the display may otherwise be replaced by routing connectors formed in one or more passive sensor areas of the touch sensor, as further discussed herein.

[0138] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a touch display 800 according to one or more embodiments. The touch display 800 includes a touch sensor 812 covering a display 814. The touch sensor 812 includes a first touchscreen 808 (e.g., including a first active sensor region), which is laterally spaced from the second touchscreen 810 by a passivation region 824 (e.g., including a passive sensor region) interposed between the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 (e.g., including a second active sensor region). A first routing connector 802 forms at least a portion of the touch electrodes of the first touchscreen 808, and a second routing connector 806 forms at least a portion of the touch electrodes of the second touchscreen 810. The first routing connector 802 and the second routing connector 806 are provided as non-limiting examples and are not limited to the embodiments described. Figure 5 A routing connector 514 is formed. A first routing connector 802 and a second routing connector 806 may extend over a portion of the display 814, which may also include a portion of the display surface of the display 814.

[0139] The touch display 800 also includes a first electrical connector 804 and a second electrical connector 816, which are electrically connected to the touch sensor 812 via a connection at or near the shared boundary of the display 814 and the touch sensor 812, and more specifically, via a first routing connector 802 and a second routing connector 806, respectively, through the passive sensor region corresponding to the passivation region 824. The first electrical connector 804 and the second electrical connector 816 can electrically connect the touch electrodes (here, the X electrodes) of the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 to components external to the touch display 800 (e.g., but not limited to, electrical connections to a touch controller).

[0140] The touch display 800 also includes a third electrical connector 830 and a fourth electrical connector 832, which are electrically connected to the touch sensor 812 at or near the shared boundary between the display 814 and the touch sensor 812 (and more specifically, electrically connected to the active sensor areas corresponding to the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810, respectively). The third electrical connector 830 and the fourth electrical connector 832 can electrically connect the touch electrodes (here, Y electrodes) of the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 to components outside the touch display 800 (e.g., but not limited to, electrically connected to a touch controller).

[0141] As a non-limiting example, the first electrical connector 804, the second electrical connector 816, the third electrical connector 830, and the fourth electrical connector 832 may include one or more electrical connector elements, such as wires, trace lines, connection forming elements (e.g., bonding pads), flexible circuitry, conductive lines of a PCB, portions of these elements, and combinations thereof. As a non-limiting example, the first electrical connector 804 and the second electrical connector 816 may be formed from the same or different connecting elements or from the same or different selections of connecting elements.

[0142] For illustrative purposes, using a first touchscreen 808, the first electrical connector 804 can be configured to route drive signals or sensing signals to or from the first touchscreen 808. Figure 8 In the specific example depicted, the first electrical connector 804 is configured to route drive signals to the drive electrodes of the touch display 800. More specifically, the first electrical connector 804 is configured as a first routing connector 802 to route drive signals to the drive electrodes of the first touchscreen 808, which in turn is configured to route drive signals to the first touchscreen 808.

[0143] The first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 (and more specifically, the touch electrodes of the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810) are electrically connected to the first electrical connector 804, the second electrical connector 816, the third electrical connector 830, and the fourth electrical connector 832 at connection locations substantially along the periphery 828 of the touch sensor 812. More specifically, the third electrical connector 830 and the fourth electrical connector 832 are electrically connected to the touch electrodes of the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 at connection locations substantially along a portion of the periphery 828 shared with the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810. The first electrical connector 804 and the second electrical connector 816 are electrically connected to the contact electrodes of the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 at connection locations substantially along a portion of the periphery 828 shared with the passivation region 824.

[0144] It is worth noting that the first touchscreen 808 and the second touchscreen 810 do not contain routing connectors and external electrical connectors on their other peripheral sides (e.g., but not limited to, in the case of the first touchscreen 808, peripheral 820 is on the left and peripheral 818 is on the top; and in the case of the second touchscreen 810, peripheral 822 is on the right and peripheral 828 is on the top). Furthermore, in the case of… Figure 8 In the specific example depicted, the periphery of the touch sensor 812 along the periphery of its three sides (top, left, and right) does not contain an external electrical connector.

[0145] The display surface of the display 814 may not be limited to extending to the left periphery 820 of the first touchscreen 808 and to the top periphery 818 of the first touchscreen 808, without being obstructed by the electrical connection portion. Similarly, the same or different display surfaces of the display 814 may extend to the right periphery 822 of the second touchscreen 810 and to the top periphery 818 of the second touchscreen 810, without being obstructed by the electrical connection portion.

[0146] In various embodiments, the periphery of display 814 (and its display surface) is proportionate to the periphery defined by peripheries 818, 820, and 822 on the three sides of touch sensor 812, and is not obscured by tracking lines or other electrical connections that would otherwise be covered / obscured by other materials such as bezels or borders. Touch display 800 can be understood as a borderless touch display (i.e., borderless, reduced-border, or minimal-border), and can be used as a non-limiting example for so-called standard screens and widescreen (e.g., but not limited to, standard aspect ratios and width-to-height-width ratios) applications.

[0147] While displays according to the disclosed embodiments (such as, but not limited to, displays 708 and 814) may be described herein as a single display, this disclosure is not limited thereto. Displays 708 and 814 may be a single display having an area interactive via touchscreen 704 / 706 or 808 / 810 and a viewing-only area corresponding to passivation area 702 or 824. Alternatively, the area of ​​display 708 or 814 corresponding to passivation area 702 or 824 may be (e.g., but not limited to, via a housing) covered and completely unused.

[0148] As another non-limiting example, displays 708 and 814 may include multiple separate displays sharing a common touch sensor (e.g., touch sensor 710 or 812). As a non-limiting example, display 708 may include a display covered by a first touchscreen 704 and a display covered by a second touchscreen 706. As another non-limiting example, display 708 may include a display covered by the first touchscreen 704, a display covered by the second touchscreen 706, and a display covered by a passivation region 702. Those skilled in the art will understand that any of a variety of arrangements may be chosen to suit a variety of applications and environments.

[0149] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram of a touch display 900, which includes a first routing connector 902 and a second routing connector 904 for a touchscreen 906, wherein the first routing connector 902 and the second routing connector 904 are formed at least partially using the passive sensor region of a touch sensor 908. In one embodiment, the first routing connector 902 and the second routing connector 904 are directly electrically connected at opposite ends of a sensor line (not shown) of the touchscreen 906 on a first side and a second side of the touchscreen 906. In another embodiment, at least one of the first routing connector 902 and the second routing connector 904 is indirectly electrically connected at opposite ends of a sensor line (not shown) of the touchscreen 906 on a first side and a second side of the touchscreen 906.

[0150] exist Figure 9 In the specific example depicted, the area of ​​touch sensor 908 is larger than the area of ​​touchscreen 906, and more generally, the area of ​​display 910 is larger than the areas of touchscreen 906 and touch sensor 908. Touchscreen 906 substantially corresponds to the area of ​​the active sensor region of touch sensor 908, and the remainder of the area of ​​touch sensor 908 is a passive sensor region. As discussed herein, touch sensor 908 is transparent because the first routing connector 902 and the second routing connector 904 are formed in the passive sensor region. Therefore, a portion of touch display 900 may be touch-sensitive and include a display surface (i.e., touchscreen 906), and a portion of touch display 900 may be passivated (i.e., non-touch-sensitive) and may include a display surface.

[0151] Return to reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 ,exist Figure 7 In this context, a portion of the touch display 700 may be touch-sensitive and include a display surface (i.e., portions corresponding to the first active sensor area and the second active sensor area of ​​the first touchscreen 704 and the second touchscreen 706), and a portion of the touch display 700 may be passivated and include a display surface (i.e., a portion corresponding to the passivation area 702). Figure 8 In the present invention, a portion of the touch display 800 may be touch-sensitive and include a display surface (i.e., portions corresponding to the first active sensor area and the second active sensor area of ​​the first touch screen 808 and the second touch screen 810, respectively), and a portion of the touch display 800 may be passivated and include a display surface (i.e., a portion corresponding to the passivation area 824).

[0152] As discussed herein, a touch display according to one or more embodiments can be arranged such that substantially all external connections having touch electrodes are grouped on fewer than all sides of the touch display. As a non-limiting example, the disclosed embodiments provide design flexibility for the touch display by enabling connection to the touch electrode groups at various locations along the periphery of the touch display.

[0153] Although Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 Specific, non-limiting examples of touch displays are depicted, wherein a touchscreen covers at least a portion of the display surface of the display, but other arrangements are within the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the touchscreen may be formed in a touchpad or a set of capacitive buttons, which, as a non-limiting example, can be used to interact with a graphical user interface, system, subsystem, apparatus, device, or any combination or sub-combination thereof.

[0154] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram depicting a stack of a touch display system 1000 including a touch sensor system according to one or more embodiments. For example, the touch display system 1000 may include a touchscreen 1002, which includes a display 1004, a touch sensor 1006 supported on the display 1004, and a front panel 1008 supported on the touch sensor 1006. The display 1004 and the touch sensor 1006 may be according to previously... Figures 1 to 9 The described technological formation. For example... Figure 10 The front panel 1008 is depicted to have a finite boundary 1020, and in other embodiments, the boundary (e.g., a border) may be absent, or the front panel 1008 may have a boundary between 25% and 75% (e.g., 50%) on at least three sides, which is smaller than some conventional boundaries known to the inventors of this disclosure.

[0155] A connector 1010 (e.g., a printed circuit board, flexible cable, flexible circuit) configured to operatively connect the touchscreen 1002 to other devices and / or power may be located on the remaining side of the touchscreen 1002. In some embodiments, the touch IC 1012 may, as a non-limiting example, be positioned and / or supported on the connector 1010 (e.g., but not limited to, on a flexible or host printed circuit board). The touch IC 1012 may be configured to send drive signals to and receive sensed signals from the touch sensor 1006, and may optionally perform some or all of the processing of the sensed signals locally. The connector 1010 connects the touchscreen 1002, the touch sensor 1006, and the touch IC 1012 to a main host controller 1016 for a touch display system 1000. Connector 1010 can be configured to carry communication signals, including but not limited to touch information (e.g., but not limited to, x and y coordinates) transmitted via touch IC 1012 to main host controller 1016 through communication interface 1018 (e.g., internal integrated circuit (I2C), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or universal serial bus (USB)). Main host controller 1016 is configured to control display 1004 via display circuitry 1014.

[0156] In some conventional touch sensors known to the inventors of this disclosure, a trace line may form at least a portion of an electrical connection between a sensor line (e.g., a drive line or a sensing line) and, for example, a bonding pad. The trace line is typically implemented via a metal connection that routes along a portion of the periphery of the touch sensor to a connection forming element (e.g., a bonding pad).

[0157] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a sensor 1100 including tracking lines, based on the prior art known to the inventors of this disclosure. Here, tracking lines 1102 and 1104 (compared to routing connectors according to one or more embodiments) are formed, starting on the left and right sides of the sensor 1100 respectively, running along a portion of the periphery of the sensor 1100 (i.e., the peripheral portion), and reaching a connection forming element 1106 located at the bottom of the sensor 1100. The tracking lines 1102 and 1104 formed along the periphery of the sensor 1100 are sometimes referred to as “edge tracking lines” or “edge tracking only” of the sensor.

[0158] It is worth noting that, from the perspective of a touchscreen, trace lines can be considered as electrodes used to form connections with bonding pads, and vice versa.

[0159] Tracking lines can sometimes be visible to the human eye, and therefore, in the case of touch displays, the extent of the display surface can be limited by a transparent portion of the touch sensor, excluding any tracking lines. In some cases, opaque material or portions of the housing supporting the touch display can be used to cover or otherwise conceal the portion of the touch sensor, including the tracking lines, from view. This can result in the apparent width around the boundary of the touch display being substantially equal to the width of the tracking lines routed along the periphery of the touch sensor.

[0160] Compared to conventional touch sensors known to the inventors of this disclosure, touch sensors according to some embodiments of this disclosure can use routing connectors in the passive sensor region of the touch sensor, thereby eliminating or reducing the amount of trace lines routed along the boundaries of the touch display. By replacing trace lines with routing connectors in the passive sensor region of the touch sensor, the added edges covering the trace lines can be reduced or eliminated.

[0161] By repositioning at least some trace lines from the periphery of the touch sensor to one or more passive sensor regions within the boundary of the touch sensor, the charging time and response time of the touch sensor can be reduced because the total distance from the active sensor region to the output of the touch controller (e.g., the length of the lines forming the signal path) can be shortened compared to techniques that route those lines from the periphery of the touch sensor and around / along the periphery of the touch sensor.

[0162] By repositioning at least some of the tracking lines from the periphery of the touch sensor to a passive sensor area within the touch sensor itself, it becomes possible to use a reduced-boundary or borderless design, as this may reduce (or eliminate) the need to hide the tracking lines at the periphery.

[0163] The signal routing techniques of this disclosure enable the deployment of touch sensors without some or all of the charging time drawbacks of conventional touch sensors described herein, and, as a non-limiting example, allow deployment in wider touch sensors and touchscreens than is feasible when using some conventional signal routing techniques known to the inventors of this disclosure (e.g., but not limited to, not feasible when using single-connection techniques due to slow charging times). As a non-limiting example, the signal routing techniques of this disclosure enable the deployment of touch sensors in touchscreens approximately 5 feet wide or larger (e.g., between approximately 5 feet (approximately 1.5 meters) and approximately 30 feet (approximately 9 meters), between approximately 6 feet (approximately 1.8 meters) and approximately 26 feet (approximately 8 meters), between approximately 10 feet (approximately 3 meters) and approximately 20 feet (approximately 6 meters)) by utilizing resistance-reducing connectors (and more specifically, via resistance-reducing connectors in passive sensor regions).

[0164] In this description, any characterization of something as "typical," "common," "known," etc., does not necessarily mean that the object is disclosed in the prior art or that the aspects discussed are known in the prior art. Nor does such characterization necessarily mean that it is well-known, fully understood, or routinely used in the relevant field.

[0165] The terms used in this disclosure, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the main part of the appended claims), are generally defined as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to”, the term “having” should be interpreted as “at least having”, the term “includes” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to”, etc.).

[0166] Furthermore, if a specific number of introduced claim statements are anticipated, such an intent will be explicitly stated in the claims, and without such statements, such an intent does not exist. For example, as an aid to understanding, the appended claims may use the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim statements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that a claim statement introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an” will limit any particular claim containing such an introduced claim statement to an embodiment containing only one such statement, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and / or “an” can be interpreted as referring to “at least one” or “one or more”); the same applies to the use of definite articles to introduce claim statements.

[0167] Furthermore, even if a specific number of the introduced claims are explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that such statements should be interpreted as meaning at least the number stated (e.g., the unmodified statement "two statements" means at least two statements, or two or more statements, in the absence of other modifying elements). Moreover, in cases where conventions such as "at least one of A, B, and C" or "one or more of A, B, and C" are used, such constructions are generally intended to include only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, or all three A, B, and C, etc.

[0168] Furthermore, any separate word or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include the possibility of including one term, any one term, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0169] While certain exemplary embodiments have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to those embodiments expressly shown and described herein. Rather, numerous additions, deletions, and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein to produce embodiments within the scope of this disclosure, such as those specifically claimed, including legal equivalents. Furthermore, features of one or more disclosed embodiments may be combined with features of one or more other disclosed embodiments, while still remaining within the scope of this disclosure as contemplated by the inventors.

Claims

1. A touch sensor, comprising: An active sensor region, which includes active sensor nodes; as well as A passive sensor region, the passive sensor region including passive sensor nodes forming a routing connector; The active sensor region includes sensor lines; The touch sensor has no tracking lines on at least two sides of its periphery; and A first set of tracking lines connected to the end of the sensor line is located away from a first side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the first side, and a second set of tracking lines connected to the routing connector of the passive sensor area and connected via the routing connector to the opposite end of the sensor line is located away from a different second side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the second side, each of the first set of tracking lines and the second set of tracking lines electrically connecting the sensor line to a connection forming element.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of connection forming elements electrically connected to the active sensor region is equal to the number of tracking lines electrically connected to the active sensor region, the passive sensor region, and the connection forming elements.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor has no border along at least two sides of the periphery of the touch sensor.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the border along at least two sides of the periphery of the touch sensor is smaller than a second portion of the border along the other side of the periphery of the touch sensor having a tracking line extending therefrom.

5. The touch sensor of claim 4, wherein the first portion of the bezel is 25% to 75% smaller than the second portion of the bezel.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the number of connection forming elements electrically connected to the active sensor region is less than the number of tracking lines electrically connected to the active sensor region, the passive sensor region, and the connection forming elements.

7. The touch sensor according to claim 1, further comprising another active sensor region, wherein the passive sensor region is interposed between the active sensor region and the other active sensor region.

8. A touch sensing system, comprising: A touch sensor, comprising an active sensor region and a passive sensor region, the active sensor region comprising an active sensor node, the passive sensor region comprising a passive sensor node forming a routing connector, wherein the active sensor region comprises a sensor line; A touch controller, wherein the input terminal, or output terminal, or both input and output terminal of the touch controller are electrically connected to the touch sensor; The touch sensor has no tracking lines on at least two sides of its periphery; and The first set of tracking lines connected to the end of the sensor line is located away from a first side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the first side, and the second set of tracking lines connected to the routing connector of the passive sensor area and connected via the routing connector to the opposite end of the sensor line is located away from a different second side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the second side. Each of the first set of tracking lines and the second set of tracking lines electrically connects the sensor line to a connection forming element for forming an electrical connection outside the touch sensor.

9. The touch sensing system of claim 8, wherein the number of connection forming elements electrically connected to the active sensor region is less than the number of tracking lines electrically connected to the active sensor region, the passive sensor region, and the connection forming elements.

10. A touch display, comprising: monitor; as well as A touch sensor, covering the display surface of the display, the touch sensor comprising: An active sensor region, which includes active sensor nodes; as well as A passive sensor region, the passive sensor region including passive sensor nodes forming a routing connector; The active sensor region includes sensor lines; The touch sensor has no tracking lines on at least two sides of its periphery; and A first set of tracking lines connected to the end of the sensor line is located away from a first side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the first side, and a second set of tracking lines connected to the routing connector of the passive sensor area and connected via the routing connector to the opposite end of the sensor line is located away from a different second side of the at least two sides and extends parallel to the second side, each of the first set of tracking lines and the second set of tracking lines electrically connecting the sensor line to a connection forming element.

11. The touch display of claim 10, wherein the active sensor region is at least partially surrounded by the passive sensor region.

12. The touch display of claim 11, wherein the first area of ​​the passive sensor region is larger than the second area of ​​the active sensor region.

13. The touch display of claim 10, wherein the number of connection forming elements electrically connected to the active sensor region is less than the number of tracking lines electrically connected to the active sensor region, the passive sensor region, and the connection forming elements.

14. The touch display of claim 10, wherein the touch sensor has no border along at least two sides of the periphery of the touch sensor.

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