苹果多点触控专利-阅读报告MA0L0214林圣淳背景本文描述了多点

苹果多点触控专利-阅读MA0L0214林圣淳背景本文描述了多点 蘋果多點觸控專利-閱讀報告 MA0L0214 林聖淳 1. 背景 本文描述了多點觸摸傳感裝置和方法。觸摸感應裝置可以包括多個感應點,位於過路的驅動器線和檢測線。在一些實施例中,多個驅動線路可同時或幾乎同時驅動器,具有獨特的特性,如相位或頻率,信號刺激。一個檢測信號可以發生在每個檢測線可以與觸摸目前數額的驅動信號刺激驅動線和檢測線對應的感點。通過使用基於獨特的驅動信號處理技術,相當於每個檢測點觸摸可提取從某種意義上信號。觸摸感應的方法和設備接口,可以被納入為各種電子設備,如台式機,平板電腦,筆記本電腦,掌上電腦,個人數字助理,媒體播放器,移動電話。 2.技術內容 , 此專利的內容簡述:“採用透明的電容式感測技術觸控面板,能夠偵測在觸控面板的平面上,不同位置但同時發生的多點觸控或接近觸控:near touches:,並產生代在此觸控面板平面上代表觸控位置的確切信號,因而能知道多個觸控點的位置。 , 在此專利中詳述了利用投射電容式觸控技術達成真實多點觸控的兩種方法。一種是單層ITO的自感式:self capacitance:技術:業界稱之為獨立矩陣感測單元“Independent-matrix sense elements”技術:;另一種則是採雙層ITO的互感式:mutual capacitance:技術:業界稱之為交錯矩陣感測單元“Intersection-matrix of row and column sense elements”技術 圖一 607號專利多點觸控感測示意圖 自感式真實多點觸控技術 , 自感式真實多點觸控技術在玻璃基板上佈上一層ITO透明電極矩陣,其 特點在於這些電極代表個別的觸控點,每個電極皆有一條感測線接到面 板兩側的感測電路,只要手指接近或接觸,就會與接觸點附近的電極產 生電容偶合,並透過感測電路偵測到確切的位置。 , 在此架構下,由於不需處理上文中鬼點:ghost point:的問題,原則上可 感測出的觸控點並無上限,但在實際建置上的難度卻相當地高。由於此 架構下的每個感測單元都需與控制器相連,因此解析度的要求愈高,佈 線就愈複雜;它需要採用多腳位、高運算能力的控制器,處理器來處理 複雜的矩陣感測資料,也需要更大容量的RAM記憶體做為暫存區,此 外,掃描的時間也會拉長。 , 不僅如此,此架構在面板的製程上仍有難解的議題:由於ITO導電層並 不能穿孔,再將線路從外部連結到控制器,因此訊號線必然得與感測單 位佈置在同一層的空間中,這就會擠壓到感測單元的可感觸面積,而縮 小面積意味著靈敏度會下降;此外,鄰近的走線也容易造成電容洩露的 問題。 圖二 607號專利中單層自感式架構圖 互感式真實多點觸控技術 , 互感式真實多點觸控技術由兩層相互隔離的水平:列:及垂直:欄:ITO 導電層組成交錯的矩陣,其中一層為驅動線:driving lines:,另一層為 感測線:sensing lines:,兩層的線路彼此垂直。在運作上會輪流驅動 一條一條的驅動線,並量測與這條驅動線交錯的感測線是否有某一點發 生電容偶合的現象。經過逐一的掃描,即可獲知確切的觸控點位置。 , 在製程上,交錯矩陣式能解決自電容式所面臨的複雜繞線問題,不過,要 逐一掃描欄列的步驟,仍然是相當耗時的工作。由於每次的全面板掃描 中,大部分的時間是花在非觸控區上,因此其實可透過更聰明的方法來 加速掃描的工作,例如透過迴歸式:recursive:的作法,也就是一次只 掃半區,若沒找到,再將另外半區對切一半來掃描,以逐漸逼近的方式 來加速找到觸控點的位置。 圖三 607號專利中雙層互感式架構剖面圖 :註:174 - 觸控面板; 178及182 – 玻璃基板; 177 – 感測線; 180 – 驅動線: 2. 相關專利文獻 U.S. Patent Documents 3333160 July 1967 Gorski 3541541 November 1970 Englebart 3662105 May 1972 Hurst et al. 3798370 March 1974 Hurst 4246452 January 1981 Chandler 4550221 October 1985 Mabusth 4672364 June 1987 Lucas 4672558 June 1987 Beckes et al. 4692809 September 1987 Beining et al. 4695827 September 1987 Beining et al. 4733222 March 1988 Evans 4734685 March 1988 Watanabe 4746770 May 1988 McAvinney 4771276 September 1988 Parks 4788384 November 1988 Bruere-Dawson et al. 4806846 February 1989 Kerber 4898555 February 1990 Sampson 4914624 April 1990 Dunthorn et al. 4968877 November 1990 McAvinney et al. 5003519 March 1991 Noirjean 5017030 May 1991 Crews 5178477 January 1993 Gambaro 5189403 February 1993 Franz et al. 3. 專利範圍 1. A touch panel comprising a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at a same time and at distinct locations in a plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of a location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches, wherein the transparent capacitive sensing medium comprises: a first layer having a plurality of transparent first conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another; and a second layer spatially separated from the first layer and having a plurality of transparent second conductive lines that are electrically isolated from one another, the second conductive lines being positioned transverse to the first conductive lines, the intersection of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in the plane of the touch panel, each of the second conductive lines being operatively coupled to capacitive monitoring circuitry; wherein the capacitive monitoring circuitry is configured to detect changes in charge coupling between the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines. 2. The touch panel as recited in claim 1 wherein the conductive lines on each of the layers are substantially parallel to one another. 3. The touch panel as recited in claim 2 wherein the conductive lines on different layers are substantially perpendicular to one another. 4. The touch panel as recited in claim 1 wherein the transparent first conductive lines of the first layer are disposed on a first glass member, and wherein the transparent second conductive lines of the second layer are disposed on a second glass member, the first glass member being disposed over the second glass member. 5. The touch panel as recited in claim 4 further including a third glass member disposed over the first glass member, the first and second glass members being attached to one another via an adhesive layer, the third glass member being attached to the first glass member via another adhesive layer. 6. The touch panel as recited in claim 1 wherein the conductive lines are formed from indium tin oxide (ITO). 7. The touch panel as recited in claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensing medium is a mutual capacitance sensing medium. 8. The touch panel as recited in claim 7, further comprising a virtual ground charge amplifier coupled to the touch panel for detecting the touches on the touch panel. 9. The touch panel as recited in claim 1, the transparent capacitive sensing medium formed on both sides of a single substrate. 10. A display arrangement comprising: a display having a screen for displaying a graphical user interface; and a transparent touch panel allowing the screen to be viewed therethrough and capable of recognizing multiple touch events that occur at different locations on the touch panel at a same time and to output this information to a host device to form a pixilated image; wherein the touch panel includes a multipoint sensing arrangement configured to simultaneously detect and monitor the touch events and a change in capacitive coupling associated with those touch events at distinct points across the touch panel; and wherein the touch panel comprises: a first glass member disposed over the screen of the display; a first transparent conductive layer disposed over the first glass member, the first transparent conductive layer comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel lines having the same pitch and linewidths; a second glass member disposed over the first transparent conductive layer; a second transparent conductive layer disposed over the second glass member, the second transparent conductive layer comprising a plurality of spaced apart parallel lines having the same pitch and linewidths, the parallel lines of the second transparent conductive layer being substantially perpendicular to the parallel lines of the first transparent conductive layer; a third glass member disposed over the second transparent conductive layer; and one or more sensor integrated circuits operatively coupled to the lines. 11. The display arrangement as recited in claim 10 further including dummy features disposed in the space between the parallel lines, the dummy features optically improving the visual appearance of the touch screen by more closely matching the optical index of the lines. 5.可能破解方法或迴避方法 , 蘋果擁有的7,479,949與7,663,607號專利,分別涵蓋了應用面及硬體面的 技術,讓自己處於進可攻、退可守的絕佳戰略位置。蘋果的兩大專利涵蓋 了觸控控制IC、觸控面板模組、使用者介面、作業系統及整機系統等所有 層面。 , 因此,想運用投射電容式技術,又想迴避蘋果專利的手機、Tablet PC、 Netbook/NB等廠商,恐怕得選擇手勢型的解決:此策略也可能遭遇 義隆方面的控訴風險:。再不然只好另想辦法,尋求電阻式、光學式、內 嵌式等其他的觸控方案出路了。