Apple inc. (20240094853). APPARATUS TO REDUCE NEGATIVE PIXEL FROM CAPACITIVE TOUCH simplified abstract

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APPARATUS TO REDUCE NEGATIVE PIXEL FROM CAPACITIVE TOUCH

Organization Name

apple inc.

Inventor(s)

Karan S. Jain of San Jose CA (US)

Santosh Pokhrel of San Francisco CA (US)

APPARATUS TO REDUCE NEGATIVE PIXEL FROM CAPACITIVE TOUCH - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240094853 titled 'APPARATUS TO REDUCE NEGATIVE PIXEL FROM CAPACITIVE TOUCH

Simplified Explanation

The abstract of the patent application describes touch electrode architectures designed to reduce the occurrence of negative pixels in mutual capacitance touch sensor panels caused by poorly grounded objects. By incorporating ground bars into the mutual capacitance unit cells, the architecture provides an increased capacitive path to ground for poorly grounded fingers, resulting in improved touch detection and reduced touch detection errors.

  • Drive electrode, sense electrode, and ground bars in mutual capacitance unit cells
  • Ground bars provide increased capacitive path to ground for poorly grounded objects
  • Reduces mutual capacitance between drive and sense electrodes, improving touch detection
  • Reduces charge coupling back onto nearby sense electrodes, reducing negative pixels and touch detection errors
  • Ground bars formed in the same layer as the drive electrode

Potential Applications

The technology can be applied in various touch sensor panels, such as those used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices requiring touch input.

Problems Solved

1. Reduction of negative pixels in mutual capacitance touch sensor panels caused by poorly grounded objects 2. Minimization of touch detection errors due to charge coupling back onto nearby sense electrodes

Benefits

1. Improved touch detection accuracy 2. Enhanced user experience with touch-sensitive devices 3. Reduction in touch detection errors and negative pixels

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology can be utilized in the development of touch-sensitive devices for consumer electronics, automotive displays, industrial control panels, and other applications requiring reliable touch input.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of shielding techniques in touch sensor panels to reduce interference and improve touch detection accuracy. Another could be the implementation of guard traces to minimize noise and improve signal integrity in touch-sensitive devices.

Unanswered Questions

How does the architecture handle multi-touch inputs?

The patent application does not specifically address how the touch electrode architecture accommodates multi-touch inputs and distinguishes between different touch points on the sensor panel.

What is the impact of environmental factors on the performance of the touch electrode architecture?

The abstract does not mention how environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, or electromagnetic interference may affect the effectiveness of the touch electrode architecture in reducing negative pixels and touch detection errors.


Original Abstract Submitted

touch electrode architectures for reducing the occurrence of negative pixels in mutual capacitance touch sensor panels that are caused by poorly grounded objects are disclosed. a touch electrode architecture can utilize mutual capacitance unit cells, each of which include a drive electrode, a sense electrode, and one or more ground bars. the one or more ground bars can provide an increased capacitive path to ground for a poorly grounded finger, which can result in a larger reduction in mutual capacitance between the drive and sense electrodes, improving touch detection. in addition, the increased capacitive coupling between the object and ground reduces the amount of charge that couples back onto nearby sense electrodes, which can reduce the negative pixel that can occur at those electrodes and reduce the number of touch detection errors. the one or more ground bars can be formed in the same layer as the drive electrode.