Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 1 of 17
`
`Exhibit 4
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 2 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Documfiml mlllflm‘mmm'fim llllllllllllllllllllllllll
`
`
`
`USOO7821502B2
`
`(12) Unlted States Patent
`(10) Patent No.:
`US 7,821,502 B2
`
`Hristov
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Oct. 26, 2010
`
`(54) TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR
`
`2007/0008299 A1
`
`1/2007 Hristov
`
`(75)
`
`Inventor: Luben Hristov, Southampton (GB)
`
`EP
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`0609021 A
`8/1994
`
`(73) Assignee: Atmel Corporation, San Jose, CA (US)
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(
`
`) Nome“
`
`SUbJeCt.t° any (gimme; the :16“?th
`51:13 1155:3331: e9102rda JuSte un er 35
`-
`-
`-
`y
`ays.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 11/428,670
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Jul. 5, 2006
`
`IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, v01. 21, N0. 10, Mar. 1979, N. D.
`Lupat et a1. “One layer optically transparent keyboard for input
`display”, p. 3904 to 3906.
`“Chinese Application Serial No. 2006101431490 Office Action
`Mailed Oct. 9, 2009”, 6 pgs.
`Serial
`Application
`2006101431490,
`“Chinese
`2006101431490 , Office Action mailed Apr. 10, 2009”, 8 pgs.
`
`No.
`
`(65)
`
`Prior Publication Data
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`US 2007/0008299 A1
`
`Jan. 113 2007
`
`Related US. Application Data
`
`Primary Examinerisrilakshmi K Kumar
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firmischwegman, Lundberg &
`Woessner, PA.
`
`(60) Provisional application No. 60/697,613, filed on Jul. 8,
`2005.
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`(51)
`
`(2006 01)
`1302-5213/04]
`'
`(200601)
`G06F 3/044
`(52) US. Cl.
`.................................... 345/173; 178/ 18.06
`(58) Field of Classification Search ................. 345/156,
`345/173478; 178/1801, 1806
`See application file for complete search history.
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`(56)
`
`lgfiggg gills;
`2,3225%; :
`5,463,388 A * 10/1995 Boie et 31
`5,730,165 A
`3/1998 Philipp
`5,844,506 A
`12/1998 Binstead
`5:861:583 A
`“1999 Schediwy et 31.
`6,288,707 B1
`9/2001 Philipp
`6,466,036 B1
`10/2002 Philipp
`
`'
`
`................
`
`341/33
`
`A capacitive position sensor for determining the position of
`an object along first and second directions is described. The
`sensor comprises a substrate having an arrangement of elec-
`trodes mounted on a single surface thereof. The electrodes are
`arranged so as to define an array of sensing cells arranged in
`columns and rows to fonn a sensing area. Each ofthe sensing
`cell including a column sensing electrode and a row sensing
`electrode with the column sensing electrodes of sensing cells
`in the same column being electrically coupled together and
`the row sensmg electrodes of sensmg cells 1n the same row
`also being electrically coupled together. Row sensing elec-
`trodes of sensing cells at opposing ends of at least one of the
`rows are connected togetherby an electrical connection made
`outside of the sensing area so that there is no requirement for
`electrical connections to cross within the sensing area, thus
`providing a capacitive position sensor having a sensing area
`with electrodes on only one side of a substrate.
`
`24 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 3 of 17
`Case 6
`ZO-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 3 of 17
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 26, 2010
`
`Sheet 1 of 8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 4 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 4 of 17
`
`US. Patent
`
`Oct. 26, 2010
`
`Sheet 2 of8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 5 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 5 of 17
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`U S. Patent
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`Oct. 26, 2010
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`Sheet 3 of8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 6 of 17
`Case 6
`ZO-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page6of 17
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 26, 2010
`
`Sheet 4 of 8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 7 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 7 of 17
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 8 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 8 of 17
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`U.S. Patent
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`Oct. 26, 2010
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`Sheet 6 of 8
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 9 of 17
`Case 6
`ZO-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page90f 17
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`U.S. Patent
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`Sheet 7 of 8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 10 of 17
`Case 6
`ZO-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 10 of 17
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Oct. 26, 2010
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`Sheet 8 of 8
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`US 7,821,502 B2
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`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 11 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1—4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 11 of 17
`
`US 7,821,502 B2
`
`1
`TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The invention relates to a capacitive position sensor for
`determining the position of an object within a two-dimen-
`sional sensing area.
`The use of two-dimensional touch-sensitive position sen-
`sors is becoming more common. Examples include the use of
`position sensors in laptop computers in place ofmouse point-
`ing devices, as control panels for receiving user inputs to
`control an appliance, or particularly as a glass touchscreen
`apparatus having an X-Y coordinate output. Some applica-
`tions require a clear sensing layer so that a display can be
`viewed beneath the screen, while others only require an
`opaque touch surface, for example for a keypanel on a kitchen
`appliance or a PC peripheral.
`Touch-sensitive position sensors are frequently preferred
`to mechanical devices because they provide for a more robust
`interface and are often considered to be more aesthetically
`pleasing. Furthermore, because touch-sensitive position sen-
`sors require no moving parts to be accessible to a user, they
`are less prone to wear than their mechanical counterparts and
`can be provided within a sealed outer surface. This makes
`their use where there is a danger of dirt or fluids entering a
`device being controlled particularly attractive.
`There exists a large body of art involving 2D touchpanels
`and screens. They can be generally divided into two classifi-
`cations: those that report an X-Y coordinate of a more or less
`continuous nature (‘XY’ type), and those that have a discrete
`sensing surface (‘discrete’ type) having predefined key areas
`that are fixed by physical geometry. The XY type find domi-
`nant use over LCD or other display types while the latter find
`use in fixed function key panels. There are exceptions to this,
`for example touchpad surfaces on laptops report XY position
`but are opaque. XY types invariably involve a sensing surface
`on the user-side or ‘first surface’ of the touch area. For
`
`example, both continuous resistive and capacitive touch
`screens involve a sensing layer that must be either physically
`depressed by the user or touched almost directly, or at most
`through a thin layer of insulation (as in mouse touchpads).
`These types require that the product have a bezel opening to
`allow direct or near-direct contact by the user with the sensing
`layer. A significant disadvantage of these types is that there
`has to be an opening in the panel, which requires sealing
`against moisture and dirt and hence is expensive to mount.
`Furthermore the sensing layer is directly exposed to abuse
`and can be easily damaged by sharp objects or abrasion.
`While robust capacitive types are known which have buried
`wires inside a glass layer (e.g. US. Pat. No. 5,844,506), these
`still require a bezel opening in a panel which must be sealed,
`and require two sensing layers as a matrix due to the need to
`cross X andY conductors. Furthermore these screens are very
`expensive to produce and in fact cannot be produced on a
`mass scale; additionally the sensing circuitry is known to be
`complex and expensive.
`In the field of discrete touch buttons, it has been known for
`some time that capacitive keys can be placed behind a solid
`surface having no requirement for a bezel opening. However
`these types only provide for limited resolution, as predefined
`by the location of discrete electrode shapes. An example of
`this can be found in US. Pat. No. 4,954,823, FIGS. 4 and 6.
`While it is well known that these electrodes can be made of a
`
`single layer of clear conductor such as Indium Tin Oxide
`(‘ITO’) to allow placement over a bezel-less display, for
`example by the application of the layer as a film on the back
`of a subsection of a panel, nevertheless the technology is
`
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`limited to discrete touch areas based on the number, size, and
`placement of discrete electrodes.
`FIG. 1 schematically shows in plan view a touch pad 2 of
`the type described in US. Pat. No. 4,954,823, but laid out in
`an orthogonal array. The touch pad 2 comprises a grid of
`discrete electrodes 4 mounted on an insulating substrate 6.
`Each electrode is connected to a channel of capacitance mea-
`surement circuitry in a controller 8. US. Pat. No. 5,463,388
`describes this geometry in passing in conjunction with its
`FIG. 1, to show how such an array can be used to determine a
`position of an object proximate the sensing layer via a method
`of determining a centroid of the signals from each pad. How-
`ever U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,388 fails to show how to implement
`such a design and describes instead a matrix of conductors
`along with a centroidal calculation of continuous X-Y posi-
`tion. In fact it is not practical to have so many sensing chan-
`nels as one per sense pad, and a matrix arrangement is much
`more efficient as described below.
`
`FIG. 2 schematically shows a position sensor 12 based on
`a matrix of conductors as described in US. Pat. No. 5,463,
`388. The position sensor 12 comprises a number of vertically
`aligned strip electrodes (columns) 14 mounted on an upper
`surface of an insulating substrate 16 and a number of hori-
`zontally aligned strip electrodes (rows) 15 mounted on an
`opposing lower surface of the insulating substrate. Each ver-
`tical strip electrode is connected to a channel of capacitance
`measurement circuitry in a controller 18. Thus, this type of
`position sensor allows an X-Y coordinate output ofa continu-
`ous nature by means of calculation of a centroid of capaci-
`tance among the rows and columns rather than among dis-
`crete pads. However this type requires two sensing layers so
`that the matrix traces canbe routed, and does not allow the use
`of optically clear materials.
`The ideal touch surface would eliminate the need for a
`
`bezel opening (or at least, make it optional), have an inexpen-
`sive sensing surface that is applied to the rear of the panel
`surface that can project through a reasonable thickness of
`panel material (e.g. up to 4 mm of glass or plastic), optionally
`require only one sensing layer with no crossovers in the
`sensing region, be usable with clear sensing layers such as
`ITO, have an XY type of output, and have a compact, inex-
`pensive driver circuit. This set of ideal goals has not been
`achieved with any known prior art.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`According to a first aspect ofthe invention there is provided
`a capacitive position sensor for determining the position of an
`object in a sensing area, the sensor comprising a substrate
`having a surface with an arrangement of electrodes mounted
`thereon, wherein the electrodes define an array of sensing
`cells arranged in columns and rows to form the sensing area,
`each sensing cell including a column sensing electrode and a
`row sensing electrode, the column sensing electrodes of sens-
`ing cells in the same column being electrically coupled
`together and the row sensing electrodes of sensing cells in the
`same row being electrically coupled together, wherein row
`sensing electrodes of sensing cells at opposing ends ofat least
`one of the rows are electrically coupled to one another by
`respective row wrap -around connections made outside of the
`sensing area.
`Thus a position sensor having electrodes on only a single
`layer of a substrate can be provided. Furthermore, because the
`position sensor employs an intersecting array of columns and
`rows of sensing electrodes (i.e. a matrix), fewer measurement
`channels are required than with sensors based on an array of
`discrete electrodes.
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 12 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 12 of 17
`
`US 7,821,502 B2
`
`3
`Because the position sensor is based on sensing electrodes
`on only a single surface, it can be cheaper to manufacture than
`known double-sided position sensors. This also means the
`sensing electrodes can be deposited directly onto a surface for
`which the opposing surface is inaccessible (e. g. a display
`screen). The sensing electrodes can also be deposited on an
`inside surface ofa device housing, thus removing the need for
`any protective covering that might be required if electrodes
`were also required to be on the outer surface.
`The electrical row wrap-around connections may comprise
`a conductive trace mounted on the substrate. This allows the
`
`connection outside of the sensing area to be made in the same
`processing step as the sensing electrodes within it. Alterna-
`tively, the row wrap-around connections may be made by a
`free wire appropriately connected to the respective row sens-
`ing electrodes.
`The column sensing electrodes ofa column of sensing cells
`at an edge of the sensing area may be electrically coupled to
`one another by column wrap-around connections made out-
`side of the sensing area in a similar fashion.
`The position sensor may further comprise a plurality of
`capacitance measurement channels connected to respective
`ones ofthe rows ofrow sensing electrodes and the columns of
`column sensing electrodes, wherein each measurement chan-
`nel is operable to generate a signal indicative of a capacitance
`between its associated column or row of sensing electrodes
`and a system ground.
`In addition, the position sensor may further comprise a
`processor operable to determine the position of the object
`along the first direction by comparing signals from the col-
`umns of column sensing electrodes and along the second
`direction by comparing signals from the rows of row sensing
`electrodes.
`
`This allows the determination of the position of a touch to
`be made using otherwise conventional circuitry connected to
`the sensing elements.
`The capacitance measurement channels may comprise
`charge transfer circuitry since this provides a reliable and
`robust way to measure capacitances of the level that might be
`expected in a typical implementation. However, other forms
`ofcapacitance measurement circuitry may equally be used. In
`general it is preferential to use a capacitive driver circuit that
`drives all the rows and column connections in a substantially
`phase-synchronous manner so as to prevent the electric fields
`from cross-loading into adjacent rows and columns. This is
`described also in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,388, where all the rows
`and column conductors are driven by a single oscillator.
`The sensing cells may be arranged into three or four col-
`umns. This can provide a position sensor with sufficient reso-
`lution over a typically sized sensing area for most applica-
`tions.
`
`The column and row sensing electrodes in each sensing cell
`may be interleaved with one another (e.g. by spiraling around
`one another or being interlaced/intertwined), especially in
`designs where the row and column spacing is larger than that
`of a typical finger. This provides for a much more uniform
`blend of signals from the X andY drives in each intersecting
`location, allowing better position reporting with respect to a
`finger touching the overlying surface. This is described also in
`U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,388, for example FIG. 2. In layouts where
`the row and column spacings are similar to or smaller than a
`human finger it is sufficient to use other arrangements of
`electrode pattern, for example an array of diamond shapes as
`shown in FIG. 8 and described further below.
`
`The position sensor may include a transparent substrate
`and transparent electrodes (e.g. formed from Indium Tin
`Oxide (ITO) deposited on the substrate). This allows it to be
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`placed over a display screen without obscuring what is dis-
`played beneath. Thus the display screen might be configured
`to display “virtual” buttons to a user that may be selected by
`the user placing their finger over the appropriate part of the
`display adjacent the position sensor. The position ofthe user’ s
`touch can then be compared with the positions ofthe “virtual”
`buttons being displayed to determine which one has been
`selected.
`
`According to a second aspect of the invention there is
`provided a device comprising a position sensor according to
`the first aspect of the invention. The position sensor may be
`used in many types of device. For example the device may be
`a portable/hand-held device, e.g. a personal data assistant
`(PDA), a multimedia player, a mobile (cell) phone, a re-
`configurable remote controller, or a still camera or video
`camera, for example with the position sensor overlaying a
`display. Alternatively, the position sensor could equally be
`used in larger scale devices such as kitchen appliances,
`kiosks, and the like. Opaque versions can be fashioned for use
`in PC-style trackpads, keypads, and other human interface
`devices as are well known in the art.
`
`According to a third aspect of the invention there is pro-
`vided a method of constructing a capacitively sensitive sur-
`face disposed on a substrate which reports an X-Y coordinate
`position of an object within an active sensing region when the
`object is adjacent to said surface, comprising the steps of: (a)
`depositing a single layer of patterned conductive material in
`the active sensing region, the pattern comprising rows and
`columns ofelectrodes connected to individual ones ofcapaci-
`tive sensing channels, and wherein at least one row or column
`is broken into a plurality of segments within the active region;
`(b) connecting the broken segments together with an electri-
`cal conductor, wherein the conductor is made to lie outside of
`the active sensing region; (0) connecting the rows and col-
`umns to individual sensing channels of a multi-channel
`capacitive sensor circuit having multiple outputs representing
`amplitudes of capacitance on the rows and columns; and (d)
`providing a processor operable to process the multiple out-
`puts to determine a coordinate position of the adjacent object
`as an XY location.
`
`The processor may be operable to compensate for position
`distortion introduced by the physical geometry of the pat-
`terned conductive material.
`
`The processor may also be operable to calculate a centroid
`of the signals across rows and a centroid of the signals across
`columns.
`
`According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is pro-
`vided a capacitive position sensor for determining the posi-
`tion of an object in a sensing area, the sensor comprising a
`substrate having a surface with an arrangement of conductive
`electrodes mounted thereon, wherein the electrodes define an
`array of sensing cells arranged in columns and rows to form
`the sensing area, each sensing cell including a column sensing
`electrode and a row sensing electrode, the column sensing
`electrodes of sensing cells in the same column being electri-
`cally coupled together and the row sensing electrodes of
`sensing cells in the same row being electrically coupled
`together, wherein at least one column sensing electrode com-
`prises a continuous spine within the sensing area, and the at
`least one other column is made electrically continuous via
`connections external to the sensing area.
`
`

`

`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 13 of 17
`Case 6:20-cv-00212-ADA Document 1-4 Filed 03/23/20 Page 13 of 17
`
`US 7,821,502 B2
`
`5
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`For a better understanding of the invention and to show
`how the same may be carried into effect reference is now
`made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in
`which:
`
`FIG. 1 schematically shows in plan view a known two-
`dimensional capacitive position sensor;
`FIG. 2 schematically shows in plan view another known
`two-dimensional capacitive position sensor;
`FIG. 3 schematically shows in plan view a two-dimen-
`sional capacitive position sensor according to an embodiment
`of the invention;
`FIG. 4 schematically shows in perspective view a device
`including the position sensor of FIG. 3;
`FIGS. 5A and 5B are graphs schematically showing
`capacitance as function of column number (FIG. 5A) and row
`number (FIG