Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. The touch sensor panel includes a first layer including a plurality of electrodes of a first type that are coupled to respective traces and are configured to operate as touch sensing electrodes during a first time period. The touch sensor panel also includes a second layer including a plurality of electrodes of a second type overlapping with the respective traces of the electrodes of the first type. The electrodes of the second type are configured to operate as guard electrodes for the respective traces of the electrodes of the first type during the first time period and operate as touch sensing electrodes during a second time period.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of touch node electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a touch controller configured to drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a fully bootstrapped configuration to obtain a fully bootstrapped touch image, drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a second configuration, different from the fully bootstrapped configuration, to obtain a second touch image, the second touch image including an effect of water on the touch sensor panel, and determine a final touch image based on the fully bootstrapped touch image and the second touch image, the final touch image not including the effect of the water on the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a mutual capacitance configuration. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a partially bootstrapped configuration.

Abstract: A touch sensitive device that includes a touch sensor having an opaque passivation layer is disclosed. The opaque passivation layer can be made from an organic or inorganic material, such as acrylic. The opaque passivation layer can be positioned in the touch sensitive device between the cover material of the device and conductive traces located on the touch sensor to hide the conductive traces from the user's view and protect the conductive traces from corrosion. Processes for making the touch sensitive devices that include a touch sensor having an opaque passivation layer are also disclosed.

Abstract: A touch panel configured to compensate for negative pixel effect is disclosed. The panel can be configured to increase a capacitive sense signal, indicative of a touching or hovering object, in order to compensate for an increase in negative capacitance when the object is poorly grounded. To perform the compensation, the panel can be configured to have split sense lines so as to increase the number of electric fringe fields forming the sense signal, thereby providing a sense signal that is substantially stronger than the negative capacitance signal. Each sense line can be split into two or more strips.

Abstract: An electronic device can include an integrated touch and display chip that can operate in multiple power domains. For example, the integrated touch and display chip can operate in a guarded power domain during the touch operation and can operate in a system power domain during non-guarded display operations. In some examples, two power domains can include a guarded power domain and a system power domain, whose grounds can be differentiated by a guard buffer signal. In some examples, the guard buffer can be disposed between the integrated touch and display chip and a battery of the device. In some examples, the guard buffer can be disposed between the battery of the device and the chassis of the device.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of touch node electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a touch controller configured to drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a fully bootstrapped configuration to obtain a fully bootstrapped touch image, drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a second configuration, different from the fully bootstrapped configuration, to obtain a second touch image, the second touch image including an effect of water on the touch sensor panel, and determine a final touch image based on the fully bootstrapped touch image and the second touch image, the final touch image not including the effect of the water on the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a mutual capacitance configuration. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a partially bootstrapped configuration.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of touch node electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a touch controller configured to drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a fully bootstrapped configuration to obtain a fully bootstrapped touch image, drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a second configuration, different from the fully bootstrapped configuration, to obtain a second touch image, the second touch image including an effect of water on the touch sensor panel, and determine a final touch image based on the fully bootstrapped touch image and the second touch image, the final touch image not including the effect of the water on the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a mutual capacitance configuration. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a partially bootstrapped configuration.

Abstract: A touch sensitive device that includes a touch sensor having an opaque passivation layer is disclosed. The opaque passivation layer can be made from an organic or inorganic material, such as acrylic. The opaque passivation layer can be positioned in the touch sensitive device between the cover material of the device and conductive traces located on the touch sensor to hide the conductive traces from the user's view and protect the conductive traces from corrosion. Processes for making the touch sensitive devices that include a touch sensor having an opaque passivation layer are also disclosed.

Abstract: An electronic device can include an integrated touch and display chip that can operate in multiple power domains. For example, the integrated touch and display chip can operate in a guarded power domain during the touch operation and can operate in a system power domain during non-guarded display operations. In some examples, two power domains can include a guarded power domain and a system power domain, whose grounds can be differentiated by a guard buffer signal. In some examples, the guard buffer can be disposed between the integrated touch and display chip and a battery of the device. In some examples, the guard buffer can be disposed between the battery of the device and the chassis of the device.

Abstract: Electrode configurations for reducing wobble error for a stylus translating on a surface of a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Electrodes associated with a more linear signal profile can correlate to lower wobble error. In some examples, electrodes can be configured such that the signal profile associated with each electrode is spread to be wider, and thus, more linear. In some configurations, electrodes can include two or more bars extending along the length of the electrode with each bar electrically connected to one another at one or both ends. Bars can be of non-uniform width or spacing. Some configurations can include a “split bar,” which can divide a bar lengthwise in order to improve optical uniformity. In some examples, electrodes can include projections which can interleave with corresponding projections in adjacent electrodes.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. The touch sensor panel includes a plurality of rows, at least one of the rows being a split row including a plurality of row subsections; and a plurality of columns, at least one of the columns being a split column including a plurality of column subsections. The touch sensor panel is configured with at least one split row and at least one split column located to increase a likelihood that a touch anywhere on the touch sensor panel overlaps with at least one split row and at least one split column. The rows and columns are individually charged electrodes capable of detecting a change in capacitance in a corresponding area of the touch sensor panel.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. The touch sensor panel includes a first layer including a plurality of electrodes of a first type that are coupled to respective traces and are configured to operate as touch sensing electrodes during a first time period. The touch sensor panel also includes a second layer including a plurality of electrodes of a second type overlapping with the respective traces of the electrodes of the first type. The electrodes of the second type are configured to operate as guard electrodes for the respective traces of the electrodes of the first type during the first time period and operate as touch sensing electrodes during a second time period.

Abstract: Power consumption of touch sensing operations for touch sensitive devices can be reduced by implementing a coarse scan (e.g., banked common mode scan) to coarsely detect the presence or absence of an object touching or proximate to a touch sensor panel and the results of the coarse scan can be used to dynamically adjust the operation of the touch sensitive device to perform or not perform a fine scan (e.g., targeted active mode scan). In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to program a touch controller for the next touch sensing frame to idle when no touch event is detected or to perform a fine scan when one or more touch events are detected. In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to abort a scheduled fine scan during the current touch sensing frame when no touch event is detected.

Abstract: Combined force and proximity sensing is disclosed. One or more sensors can concurrently sense a force applied by an object on a device surface and a proximity of the object to the surface. In an example, a single sensor can sense both force and proximity via a resistance change and a capacitance change, respectively, at the sensor. In another example, multiple sensors can be used, where one sensor can sense force via either a resistance change or a capacitance change and another sensor can sense proximity via a capacitance change.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of touch node electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a touch controller configured to drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a fully bootstrapped configuration to obtain a fully bootstrapped touch image, drive and sense the plurality of touch node electrodes in a second configuration, different from the fully bootstrapped configuration, to obtain a second touch image, the second touch image including an effect of water on the touch sensor panel, and determine a final touch image based on the fully bootstrapped touch image and the second touch image, the final touch image not including the effect of the water on the touch sensor panel. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a mutual capacitance configuration. In some examples, the second configuration comprises a partially bootstrapped configuration.

Abstract: A touch sensitive device can be capable of detecting signals generated by a stylus and correcting the detected stylus signals for effects due to noise present on the device. In one example, signals are taken from one or more electrodes that are a pre-determined distance away from an electrode in which a stylus signal is detected. The pre-determined distance can be empirically determined such that a noise estimate can be generated such that the electrodes have a higher probability of containing only noise that is highly correlated to the noise present on a detected stylus signal. The generated noise estimate is then subtracted from a detected stylus signal to reduce the effect of noise on the stylus signal.

Abstract: Power consumption of touch sensing operations for touch sensitive devices can be reduced by implementing a coarse scan (e.g., banked common mode scan) to coarsely detect the presence or absence of an object touching or proximate to a touch sensor panel and the results of the coarse scan can be used to dynamically adjust the operation of the touch sensitive device to perform or not perform a fine scan (e.g., targeted active mode scan). In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to program a touch controller for the next touch sensing frame to idle when no touch event is detected or to perform a fine scan when one or more touch events are detected. In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to abort a scheduled fine scan during the current touch sensing frame when no touch event is detected.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel having column traces that can terminate at a short edge of a substrate is disclosed. A flex circuit can have a wide flex circuit portion extending the full width of the short edge that can bond to the bond pads on the top side of the substrate. It can be undesirable to have column traces (e.g., sense lines) and row traces (e.g., drives lines) cross over each other at the bonding area, and it can also be undesirable to have bond pads formed on directly opposing sides of the substrate because such areas can generate unwanted stray mutual capacitance and coupling of signals. Row traces can be routed to the same short edge of the substrate as column traces using wide conductive traces running along the borders of the substrate.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel including a plurality of drive lines crossing a plurality of sense lines, forming an array. The plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines are formed by interconnecting sections of at least one conductive material having a truncated diamond shape or formed of interconnected conductive lines. At least one conductive dummy region may be disposed in an area of the touch sensor panel around the truncated diamond shape sections or interconnected conductive lines of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines. One or more lines may be formed overlapping the interconnected sections of each of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines.

Abstract: A touch input device configured to synchronize a stylus acquisition process with both a touch data acquisition process and a display refresh process is provided. The touch input device can include one or more processors that can synchronize the stylus data acquisition process to the touch data acquisition process by coordinating stylus scans to take place in between touch scans. The one or more processors can also virtual data banks to synchronize both the touch data acquisition and the stylus scan acquisition with the display refresh process.