According to an example scenario, a touch sensor detects the presence and position of an object (e.g., a user's finger or a stylus) within a touch-sensitive area of touch sensor array overlaid on a display screen, for example. In a touch-sensitive-display application, a touch sensor array allows a user to interact directly with what is displayed on the screen, rather than indirectly with a mouse or touch pad. A touch sensor may be attached to or provided as part of a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, satellite navigation device, portable media player, portable game console, kiosk computer, point-of-sale device, or other device. A control panel on a household or other appliance may include a touch sensor.
There are a number of different types of touch sensors, such as for example resistive touch sensors, surface acoustic wave touch sensors, and capacitive touch sensors. In one example, when an object physically touches a touch screen within a touch sensitive area of a touch sensor of the touch screen (e.g., by physically touching a cover layer overlaying a touch sensor array of the touch sensor) or comes within a detection distance of the touch sensor (e.g., by hovering above the cover layer overlaying the touch sensor array of the touch sensor), a change in capacitance may occur within the touch screen at a position of the touch sensor of the touch screen that corresponds to the position of the object within the touch sensitive area of the touch sensor. A touch sensor controller processes the change in capacitance to determine the position of the change of capacitance within the touch sensor (e.g., within a touch sensor array of the touch sensor).
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds