Apple patents touch screen design for very small devices
Apple has filed a patent for a touch sensor layout designed to fit inside compact gadgets. The system uses a grid of separate column sensors and continuous row sensors to detect where a finger touches the screen. It works by sending electrical signals to specific parts of the grid and measuring the changes in charge to locate the touch.
In the filing’s own words
A touch sensor panel operable within small form factor devices utilizes a plurality of discrete column electrodes arranged in a plurality of columns, and a plurality of continuous row electrodes arranged in a plurality of rows. Each column is divided into a plurality of regions, with each region formed from a plurality of electrically connected discrete column electrodes within that column. A scan plan includes a series of mutual capacitance scans wherein discrete column electrode(s) in all regions in all columns are sequentially stimulated, and AC signals indicative of mutual capacitance at certain the continuous row electrode(s) is measured. The scan plan includes a series of projection self-capacitance scans, wherein AC signals indicative of self-capacitance at a plurality of continuous row electrodes is measured for all rows, and AC signals indicative of self-capacitance at the discrete column electrodes in each region of all columns is measured.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A touch sensing system for detecting one or more touches on a device surface occurring at least partially at a same time, comprising: a touch sensor panel including one or more discrete electrodes in a particular region of one or more regions separated by at least one discrete electrode associated with a different region of the one or more regions; and a touch controller communicatively coupled with the touch sensor panel and configured to perform touch sensing by driving the one or more discrete electrodes in the particular region with a stimulation signal.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- TOUCH SENSING ARCHITECTURE FOR SMALL FORM FACTORS
- Publication number
- US20260329399A1
- Application number
- 19727973
- Filed
- Jul 1, 2026
- Published
- Oct 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 3/041662 Physics & computingG06F 3/0418 Physics & computingG06F 3/0443 Physics & computingG06F 3/0446 Physics & computingG06F 2203/04104 Physics & computingG06F 2203/04108 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
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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.