Abstract: Synchronization of display functions and various touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions for devices including a variable refresh rate (VRR) display is disclosed. In some examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display frames. In other examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display sub-frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display sub-frames. Pre-warning synchronization signals can be generated to prepare one or more scan controllers to implement the appropriate scan events during and after extended blanking periods. Latency between the scan results and the corresponding image on the display can be corrected in software and/or firmware by time-stamping scan results or by dropping scan results from uncompleted scans.

Abstract: The border routing of conductive traces in devices, such as displays, touch sensor panels, and touch screens, to improve border area space usage, thereby reducing device size, and to reduce trace resistance, thereby improving device operation, is disclosed. The conductive traces can form a staggered stair-step configuration in the device border area, in which the average widths of the traces can be different from each other and each trace can have segments with different widths. The conductive traces can be coupled to an active area of the device to transmit signals to and from the active area in accordance with a device operation. The varying widths can help improve the border area space usage, reduce trace resistance, and reduce the differences in resistance between traces.

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: The border routing of conductive traces in devices, such as displays, touch sensor panels, and touch screens, to improve border area space usage, thereby reducing device size, and to reduce trace resistance, thereby improving device operation, is disclosed. The conductive traces can form a staggered stair-step configuration in the device border area, in which the average widths of the traces can be different from each other and each trace can have segments with different widths. The conductive traces can be coupled to an active area of the device to transmit signals to and from the active area in accordance with a device operation. The varying widths can help improve the border area space usage, reduce trace resistance, and reduce the differences in resistance between traces.

Abstract: The formation of metal traces in the border areas of a touch sensor panel to provide improved reliability, better noise rejection, and lower manufacturing costs is disclosed. The metal traces can be coupled to rows on the touch sensor panel in an interleaved manner, so that any two successive rows can be coupled to metal traces in border areas on opposite sides of the touch sensor panel. In addition, by utilizing the full width available in the border areas in some embodiments, the metal traces can be formed from higher resistivity metal, which can reduce manufacturing costs and improve trace reliability. The wider traces can also provide better noise immunity from noise sources such as an LCD by providing a larger fixed-potential surface area and by more effectively coupling the drive lines to the fixed potential.

Abstract: The formation of metal traces in the border areas of a touch sensor panel to provide improved reliability, better noise rejection, and lower manufacturing costs is disclosed. The metal traces can be coupled to rows on the touch sensor panel in an interleaved manner, so that any two successive rows can be coupled to metal traces in border areas on opposite sides of the touch sensor panel. In addition, by utilizing the full width available in the border areas in some embodiments, the metal traces can be formed from higher resistivity metal, which can reduce manufacturing costs and improve trace reliability. The wider traces can also provide better noise immunity from noise sources such as an LCD by providing a larger fixed-potential surface area and by more effectively coupling the drive lines to the fixed potential.

Abstract: The border routing of conductive traces in devices, such as displays, touch sensor panels, and touch screens, to improve border area space usage, thereby reducing device size, and to reduce trace resistance, thereby improving device operation, is disclosed. The conductive traces can form a staggered stair-step configuration in the device border area, in which the average widths of the traces can be different from each other and each trace can have segments with different widths. The conductive traces can be coupled to an active area of the device to transmit signals to and from the active area in accordance with a device operation. The varying widths can help improve the border area space usage, reduce trace resistance, and reduce the differences in resistance between traces.

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 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: Synchronization of display functions and various touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions for devices including a variable refresh rate (VRR) display is disclosed. In some examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display frames. In other examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display sub-frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display sub-frames. Pre-warning synchronization signals can be generated to prepare one or more scan controllers to implement the appropriate scan events during and after extended blanking periods. Latency between the scan results and the corresponding image on the display can be corrected in software and/or firmware by time-stamping scan results or by dropping scan results from uncompleted scans.

Abstract: A touch sensor panel is disclosed. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a first touch pixel electrode formed in a first layer, the first touch pixel electrode comprising a plurality of electrically coupled touch pixel segments separated by one or more touch pixel gaps. In some examples, the touch sensor panel comprises a sense connection formed in the first layer and coupled to the first touch pixel electrode, the sense connection configured to couple the first touch pixel electrode to sense circuitry. In some examples, the touch pixel segments and the touch pixel gaps are configured to provide optical uniformity on the touch sensor panel.

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: Styluses capable of generating stylus stimulation signals and touch sensitive devices capable of receiving stylus stimulation signals are disclosed. In one example, a stylus can receive a stimulation signal from a touch sensor of a touch sensitive device and generate a stylus stimulation signal by changing an amplitude or frequency of the received stimulation signal. The stylus can transmit the stylus stimulation signal back into the touch sensor of the touch sensitive device. The touch sensor can generate a touch signal based on the device's own stimulation signals and the stylus stimulation signal. The touch sensitive device can process the touch signal to determine a location of the stylus on the touch sensor. The stylus can include a force sensor to detect an amount of force applied to a tip of the stylus. The stylus stimulation signal can be modulated based on the force detected by the force sensor.

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: A touch input device configured to detect a touch input event and determine if the touch input event is caused by a floating object is provided. The touch input device includes one or more electrodes that scanned with a set of stimulation signals to first detect the presence of a touch event and then scanned with subsequent sets of stimulation signals in order to determine if the touch event is from a grounded object, a poorly grounded object, or a floating object.

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 substantially transparent touch sensor panel having co-planar single-layer touch sensors and traces fabricated on a single side of a substrate for detecting single or multi-touch events. The touch sensor elements can be fabricated in columns and rows, with each sensor element in a row adjacent to a sensor element in a column. By using a board as the dielectric to connect traces from multiple sensor elements in each row, rather than using a dielectric layer on the substrate upon which the sensor elements and traces are formed, the sensor elements and traces on the substrate can be formed by simply patterning a single layer of conductive material on the substrate, which can simplify the manufacturing process of the substrate from a complexity and cost perspective.

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: The formation of metal traces in the border areas of a touch sensor panel to provide improved reliability, better noise rejection, and lower manufacturing costs is disclosed. The metal traces can be coupled to rows on the touch sensor panel in an interleaved manner, so that any two successive rows can be coupled to metal traces in border areas on opposite sides of the touch sensor panel. In addition, by utilizing the full width available in the border areas in some embodiments, the metal traces can be formed from higher resistivity metal, which can reduce manufacturing costs and improve trace reliability. The wider traces can also provide better noise immunity from noise sources such as an LCD by providing a larger fixed-potential surface area and by more effectively coupling the drive lines to the fixed potential.

Abstract: A force sensor interface in a touch controller of a touch sensitive device is disclosed. The force sensor interface can couple to touch circuitry to integrate one or more force sensors with touch sensors of the device. The force sensor interface can include one portion to transmit stimulation signals generated by the touch circuitry to the force sensors to drive the sensors. The interface can also include another portion to receive force signals, indicative of a force applied to the device, from the force sensors for processing by the touch circuitry. The device can use the touch circuitry to concurrently and seamlessly operate both the force sensors and the touch sensors.