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Apple patents touch screen design that cuts down on background electrical noise

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple has filed a patent for a specific layout of touch sensors used in screens. The design places connecting bridges in a separate layer to link sensor parts while avoiding overlap with certain drive electrodes, which helps reduce unwanted baseline capacitance.

Why it mattersThis is a routine hardware improvement that could lead to slightly more accurate touch response or lower power usage in future Apple devices.

In the filing’s own words

In some examples, a touch sensor panel includes a plurality of touch electrodes in a first layer including a plurality of first drive electrodes along a first axis, a plurality of second drive electrodes along the first axis, and a plurality of sense electrodes formed of sense electrode segments along a second axis. The touch sensor panel includes a plurality of bridges in a second layer. Optionally the plurality of bridges includes one or more portions along the second axis configured to electrically connect the sense electrode segments to form the plurality of sense electrodes, and includes one or more portions along the first axis disposed under the plurality of second drive electrodes.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A touch sensor panel comprising: a plurality of touch electrodes in a first layer, including: a plurality of first drive electrodes, a plurality of second drive electrodes, and a plurality of sense electrodes formed of sense electrode segments; and a plurality of bridges in a second layer, different from the first layer, the plurality of bridges including: one or more portions configured to electrically connect the sense electrode segments to form the plurality of sense electrodes, and one or more portions disposed opposite at least a portion of the plurality of second drive electrodes.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING BASELINE CAPACITANCE IN A MUTUAL CAPACITANCE TOUCH SENSOR PANEL
Publication number
US20260310317A1
Application number
19711039
Filed
Jun 17, 2026
Published
Oct 8, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

G06F 3/04164 Physics & computingG06F 3/0443 Physics & computingG06F 2203/04111 Physics & computingH10H 29/34 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.