Floating Pads in Touch Sensor Electrodes for Signal Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing touchscreens face challenges in accurately distinguishing between touch and non-touch events and maintaining visibility without interfering with display images, as traditional electrode designs can be visible and may not provide robust responsiveness.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates a plurality of transmit and receive electrodes arranged in a grid pattern with bridge sections, utilizing a 'New Finger Effect Model' to enhance capacitance sensing, and includes regions of floating conductive material to increase capacitive coupling and sensitivity, allowing for more accurate and robust touch event detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional electrode designs are used, then the touchscreen structure is simple, but the sensitivity and accuracy of touch event detection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouch event detection accuracyVSAvoidelectrode structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The electrode structure is divided into separate components: transmit electrodes with body sections and bridge sections, receive electrodes with body sections and bridge sections, and floating conductive material regions. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function, improving overall touch detection accuracy while maintaining manageable structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Floating conductive material regions are introduced as intermediary elements between the transmit and receive electrodes. These floating regions enhance capacitive coupling and extend into the gaps between electrode bridge sections, thereby improving sensitivity and accuracy of touch event detection without requiring direct physical connection between transmit and receive electrodes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If electrode bridge sections are arranged to cross with gaps, then touch sensitivity is improved, but the risk of false detection between touch and non-touch events increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouch event detection reliabilityVSAvoiddistinction between touch and non-touch events

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The electrode design implements local quality variations by creating specific gap regions between transmit and receive bridge sections where floating conductive material is positioned. These localized modifications enhance capacitive coupling precisely at the crossing points, improving the ability to distinguish genuine touch events from non-touch conditions while maintaining overall structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If floating conductive material is added to increase capacitive coupling, then touch detection sensitivity is improved, but the visibility and interference with display images worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouch detection sensitivityVSAvoiddisplay visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The floating conductive material regions are positioned in the third dimension (extending into the gaps between electrode bridge sections) rather than expanding in the planar dimensions. This vertical/dimensional placement allows the conductive material to enhance capacitive coupling and touch sensitivity without increasing the footprint or interfering with the display image visibility in the planar view.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

This approach improves the sensitivity and accuracy of touch event detection, enabling better responsiveness and transparency in touchscreens, ensuring effective user interaction without compromising display visibility.

Implementation Method 1

receive electrodes arranged to receive the signal via electrostatic coupling with the transmit electrodes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrostatic coupling: Electrostatics

Implementation Method 2

One or more regions of floating conductive material are positioned in proximity to the transmit and receive body sections, each region comprising one or more members of conductive material extending into the gaps

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCapacitive coupling: Capacitance

Data Source

PatentUS10627969B2Touch sensor pattern with floating pads

Publication Date: 2020.04.21 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

In various examples there is an apparatus for sensing a touch event. The apparatus has a plurality of transmit electrodes arranged to carry a signal, each of the transmit electrodes comprising a transmit body section and a transmit bridge section. The apparatus has a plurality of receive electrodes arranged to receive the signal via electrostatic coupling with the transmit electrodes, each of the receive electrodes comprising a receive body section and a receive bridge section. Individual ones of the transmit and receive bridge sections are arranged to cross such that a gap is formed between the transmit and receive bridge sections. One or more regions of floating conductive material are positioned in proximity to the transmit and receive body sections, each region comprising one or more members of conductive material extending into the gaps.