Touch sensor with integrated signal bus extensions

Abstract

A touch sensor may be formed from a flexible substrate such as a sheet of polymer. The flexible substrate may have a main rectangular portion and a protruding portion. Capacitive touch sensor electrodes may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible substrate. Signal lines may be coupled to the touch sensor electrodes. The ends of the signal lines may extend onto the protruding portion. Signal lines may be formed on upper and lower surfaces of the flexible substrate. The signal lines may be coupled to circuitry on a printed circuit using a connector that receives the end of the protruding portion. Ground structures on the protruding portion may be configured to overlap the signal lines or may be laterally interposed between upper surface signal lines and lower surface signal lines.

1 . A touch sensor panel, comprising:
 a flexible substrate including a main portion having a main width and a plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes coupled to a plurality of signal lines disposed thereon; and   one or more extending portions extending from a common edge of the main portion, each of the extending portions having an extending portion width narrower than the main width;   wherein the one or more extending portions include first and second sections, each of the first and second sections having one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed on only one side of the extending portion and not on the other side of the extending portion.   
     
     
         2 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises a flexible sheet of polymer, and wherein the main portion comprises a rectangular main portion having four edges, one of the four edges being the common edge. 
     
     
         3 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , wherein some of the plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes are formed on a first surface of the flexible substrate, and wherein some of the plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes are formed on a second surface of the flexible substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 3 , wherein the first section includes a first ground structure on the second surface that at least partially overlaps at least one of the plurality of signal lines on the first surface, and wherein the second section includes a second ground structure on the first surface that at least partially overlaps at least one of the plurality of signal lines on the second surface. 
     
     
         5 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes comprise indium tin oxide and wherein the plurality of signal lines comprise a conductive material selected from the group consisting of metal and indium tin oxide. 
     
     
         6 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 3 , wherein the one or more extending portions further includes a third section that includes one or more of the plurality of signal lines on the first surface and a ground structure on the second surface that overlaps at least some of the plurality of signal lines on the first surface. 
     
     
         7 . An electronic device, comprising:
 a housing;   a display mounted in the housing; and   a touch sensor panel that at least partially overlaps the display, wherein the touch sensor panel includes a flexible substrate having a main portion including a common edge with a main width and a plurality of separated extending portions extending from the common edge and having one or more extending portion widths less than the main width, and a plurality of signal lines formed on opposing first and second surfaces of the main portion and the plurality of separated extending portions;   wherein a first extending portion of the plurality of separated extending portions includes one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the first surface and not on the second surface, and wherein a second extending portion of the plurality of separated extending portions includes one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the second surface and not on the first surface.   
     
     
         8 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of the separated extending portions is bent. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the touch sensor panel comprises a plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes on the flexible substrate and wherein the plurality of signal lines are coupled to the plurality of capacitive touch sensor electrodes. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the touch sensor panel further comprises a ground structure on the second surface that at least partially overlaps the one or more signal lines on the first surface. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the first surface are laterally offset from the one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the second surface, and wherein the touch sensor panel further comprises:
 first ground structures on the second surface of the first extending portion that at least partially overlap the one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the first surface; and   second ground structures on the first surface of the second extending portion that at least partially overlap the one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the second surface.   
     
     
         12 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein the first and second extending portions overlap each other in an overlapping region and wherein the touch sensor panel further comprises:
 first ground structures on the second surface of the first extending portion in the overlapping region, wherein the first ground structures are laterally interposed between the one or more of the plurality of signal lines;   second ground structures on the first surface of the second extending portion in the overlapping region, wherein the second ground structures are laterally interposed between the one or more of the plurality of signal lines.   
     
     
         13 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a printed circuit;   at least one integrated circuit mounted on the printed circuit; and   a connector on the printed circuit that receives at least one of the plurality of separated extending portions and has metal structures coupled to one or more of the plurality of signal lines.   
     
     
         14 . A touch sensor panel comprising:
 a flexible polymer sheet having opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the flexible polymer sheet includes a main portion having a common edge with a main width and one or more protruding portions having one or more protruding portion widths less than the main width, the one or more protruding portions protruding from the common edge;   capacitive touch sensor electrodes formed on the flexible polymer sheet; and   a plurality of signal lines connected to the capacitive touch sensor electrodes and extending onto the one or more protruding portions;   wherein the one or more protruding portions include first and second sections, the first section including one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the first surface and not on the second surface, and the second section including one or more of the plurality of signal lines formed only on the second surface and not on the first surface; and   wherein the first and second signal lines are non-overlapping.   
     
     
         15 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 14  wherein the main portion is rectangular and has four edges including the common edge. 
     
     
         16 . The touch sensor panel of  claim 14 , wherein some of the capacitive touch sensor electrodes are formed on the first surface and some of the capacitive touch sensor electrodes are formed on the second surface, wherein some of the plurality of signal lines are coupled to the capacitive touch sensor electrodes on the first surface and some of the plurality of signal lines are coupled to the capacitive touch sensor electrodes on the second surface.