Oblique Conductive Element Arrangement for Touch Sensor Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The electrical resistance of sensing elements in touchscreens limits the size and resolution of multi-touch, projected capacitance, resistive, and inductive touch-screens.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor arrangement with conductive elements extending obliquely through a sensing region, forming connected pairs that are coupled to touch sensor circuitry via edge regions, reducing electrical resistance and enabling larger and higher-resolution touch screens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional horizontal and vertical sensing tracks are used to extend from one side of the screen to the opposite side, then the sensing elements can cover the entire screen area, but the electrical resistance increases significantly limiting the size of touch screens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the conventional two-dimensional grid arrangement (horizontal and vertical tracks) into a one-dimensional linear arrangement by folding the sensing tracks back and forth across the screen. This dimensional change allows the sensing elements to cover the entire screen area while maintaining a compact connection path that significantly reduces electrical resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing tracks are divided into multiple segments that are connected in series, allowing each segment to be optimized for low resistance while collectively covering the entire screen area. The segmentation enables the sensing elements to be arranged in a folded pattern rather than requiring long continuous tracks.
2Measurement precision
If sensing elements are divided into many thin conductive traces less than 1 cm wide to attain high resolution, then the resolution between multiple independent fingers improves, but the electrical resistance of each trace increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin conductive traces are arranged in a folded linear pattern rather than extending across the entire screen width. This dimensional rearrangement maintains the thin trace width necessary for high resolution while significantly reducing the effective length of each trace, thereby reducing electrical resistance.
3Area of stationary object
If the sensing region is extended to create larger touch screens, then the screen size increases, but the conductor length increases leading to higher resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing elements are arranged in a folded linear configuration that allows them to span across a large sensing region area while maintaining a compact effective length. The folding pattern enables the conductors to cover extensive screen areas without requiring proportionally long conductor lengths, thus reducing electrical resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended sensing region is divided into multiple segments that are connected in a folded sequence. Each segment uses a relatively short conductor, and the series connection of multiple segments allows the total sensing area to be large while keeping individual conductor lengths short and resistance low.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a conductor arrangement comprising: an active region bounded by at least one edge region that extends in an edge region direction; and a plurality of conductive elements that each extend through the active region in a direction that is oblique to the edge region direction, in which the plurality of conductive elements comprises a first set of conductive elements and a second set of conductive elements, in which each conductive element of the first set of conductive elements is electrically connected to a corresponding conductive element of the second set of conductive elements at the at least one edge region to provide respective connected pairs of conductive elements, in which each pair of conductive elements is configured to be coupled to circuitry via the at least one edge region.