Multi-Surface Capacitive Touch Sensing Across Non-Parallel Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-sensitive devices struggle to effectively detect and differentiate between contacts on multiple non-parallel touch-sensitive surfaces, limiting their versatility and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a touch sensor panel with multiple touch-sensitive surfaces, including non-parallel configurations, utilizing a combination of first and second sense electrode segments and drive electrodes to detect and differentiate between contacts on each surface, employing self-capacitance and mutual capacitance sensing methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a touch sensor panel detects contacts on multiple non-parallel surfaces, then the device's operational capabilities and user interaction possibilities are enhanced, but the device complexity increases due to the need for multiple sense electrode segments and drive electrodes on different surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensor panel is divided into multiple independent sense electrode segments disposed on different non-parallel surfaces. Each segment can independently detect touches on its respective surface, allowing the system to handle multiple surfaces without requiring a single complex sensing structure. This segmentation enables the panel to adapt to various surface configurations while maintaining manageable complexity through modular electrode design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extends touch sensing from a single-plane configuration to multi-surface configurations by adding spatial dimensions. Sense electrode segments are disposed on surfaces that are non-parallel to each other, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space. This dimensional expansion allows the touch sensor panel to detect contacts across multiple surfaces (e.g., front surface, side surfaces, back surface) simultaneously, greatly enhancing operational capabilities without being constrained to a single planar interface.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sense electrode segments are used to detect contacts on non-parallel surfaces, then measurement precision of contact location is improved, but the quantity of substance (electrode materials) increases
Solution Approach 1:
Different sense electrode segments are optimized for their specific surface locations and orientations. Each segment's electrical characteristics, size, and configuration are tailored to its local requirements on the non-parallel surface. This localized optimization enables precise contact detection on each surface while avoiding the need to uniformly increase electrode material across all surfaces, thereby improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing total material quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive electrodes are designed to serve multiple functions by being coupled to multiple sense electrode segments across different surfaces. A single drive electrode can simultaneously drive sense electrodes on multiple non-parallel surfaces, reducing the total quantity of electrode materials needed while maintaining the capability to detect contacts with high precision across all surfaces. This multi-functionality approach allows the same electrode structure to serve multiple detection purposes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate detection and differentiation of contacts on multiple non-parallel surfaces, enhancing the device's operational capabilities and user interaction possibilities.
Implementation Method 1
Capacitive touch sensor panels can be formed by a matrix of transparent, semi-transparent or non-transparent conductive plates... In some implementations, due in part to their substantial transparency, some capacitive touch sensor panels can be overlaid on a display to form a touch screen
Implementation Method 2
employing self-capacitance and mutual capacitance sensing methods
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes multiple, non-parallel touch-sensitive surfaces for touch input. In some examples, the electronic device includes a housing comprising a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface. The second surface is arranged between and non-parallel to the first surface and the third surface. In some examples, a plurality of first sense electrode segments is disposed on the first surface and a plurality of second sense electrode segments is disposed on the second surface. In some examples, a plurality of drive electrodes separates one or more pairs of the first sense electrode segments and one or more pairs of the second sense electrode segments. In some examples, at least one drive electrode of the plurality of drive electrodes is disposed on the first surface, the second surface, and the third surface.