PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10671222-B2
Application Number: US-201514870905-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Touch sensor pattern for edge input detection

Abstract:
An apparatus is disclosed. In some examples, the apparatus comprises a cover substrate having a front surface, a first edge and a first cavity adjacent to the first edge. In some examples, the apparatus comprises a plurality of touch sensor electrodes disposed opposite the front surface of the cover substrate. In some examples, the apparatus comprises at least one touch sensor edge electrode disposed within the first cavity on a surface that is angled relative to the front surface of the cover substrate. In some examples, at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed on an outward facing curved surface of the first cavity. In some examples, the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are formed from a first conductive material and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed from a second conductive material. In some examples, the first conductive material is transparent, and the second conductive material is non-transparent. In some examples, the second conductive material is formed on a black mask layer disposed around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the cover substrate.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus comprising:
 a housing; 
 a cover substrate coupled to the housing, the cover substrate having a front surface and a first edge; 
 a plurality of touch sensor electrodes disposed opposite the front surface of the cover substrate; 
 an input mechanism operatively coupled to the housing and configured to detect a rotational user input; 
 at least one touch sensor edge electrode proximate to the input mechanism, wherein the at least one edge electrode is disposed within a first cavity and on a surface that is angled relative to a plane through the plurality of touch sensor electrodes; and 
 a processor configured to determine:
 whether a first detected touch input has occurred on the input mechanism based on a first measurement from the at least one touch sensor edge electrode; and 
 whether a second detected touch input has occurred on the first edge of the front surface based on a second measurement from the at least one touch sensor edge electrode. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed on an outward facing curved surface of the first cavity. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are formed from a first conductive material and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed from a second conductive material. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first conductive material is transparent, and the second conductive material is non-transparent. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the second conductive material is formed on a black mask layer disposed around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the cover substrate. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second conductive material are transparent. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the second conductive material is a non-transparent metal, the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is coupled to an insulator, and the insulator is coupled to the first cavity. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein an antenna element is at least partially disposed within the first cavity. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the antenna element includes a communication electrode disposed on a surface of the antenna element, and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on the antenna element. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the antenna element includes a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of the antenna element, wherein a first group of the plurality of sensor electrodes is configured for transmitting communications signals, and a second group of the plurality of sensor electrodes includes the at least one touch sensor edge electrode disposed within the first cavity. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the antenna element includes a plurality of antenna electrodes, wherein the plurality of antenna electrodes are configured to alternate between transmitting communications signals and detecting touch signals in a time multiplexed manner. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the first cavity is formed adjacent to the first edge, the apparatus further comprising:
 a second antenna element at least partially disposed within a second cavity, wherein the second cavity is formed adjacent to a second edge of the cover substrate opposite the first edge. 
 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on a printed flexible circuit board and the printed flexible circuit board is at least partially disposed within the first cavity. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on a black mask layer. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a first touch sensor electrode of the plurality of touch sensor electrodes and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode are routed to a common readout circuit. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are configured to detect a proximity of an object near the front surface of the cover substrate, and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is configured to detect a proximity of an object near the first edge of the cover substrate. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a display,
 wherein detecting the proximity of an object near the front surface of the cover substrate produces a first output, and wherein detecting the proximity of an object near the first edge of the cover substrate produces a second output, and 
 wherein the electronic device is configured to detect the first output and the second output and produce a first response on a user interface displayed on the display when the first output is detected, and produce a different response on the user interface when the second output is detected. 
 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a wearable device and the input mechanism comprises a crown. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a display; 
 wherein the plurality of touch sensor electrodes is disposed in a display region corresponding to the display and wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed in a perimeter area around the display region. 
 
     
     
       20. An apparatus comprising:
 a housing; 
 a cover substrate coupled to the housing having a front surface and a first edge; 
 a plurality of touch sensor electrodes disposed opposite the front surface of the cover substrate, wherein the plurality of touch sensor electrodes is disposed in a display region corresponding to a display; 
 an input mechanism operatively coupled to the housing and configured to detect a rotational user input; 
 at least one touch sensor edge electrode proximate to the input mechanism, wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed within a first cavity and on a surface that is angled relative to a plane through the plurality of touch sensor electrodes, and wherein the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed in a perimeter area around the display region; and 
 a processor configured to determine:
 whether a first detected touch input has occurred on the rotatable input mechanism based on a first measurement from the at least one touch sensor edge electrode; and 
 whether a second detected touch input has occurred on the first edge of the front surface based on a second measurement from the at least one touch sensor edge electrode. 
 
 
     
     
       21. A wearable device comprising:
 a housing; 
 a cover substrate coupled to the housing, wherein the cover substrate includes a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; 
 a touchscreen comprising a display and a plurality of touch sensor electrodes, wherein the plurality of touch sensor electrodes is disposed on the second surface of the cover substrate in a display region corresponding to the display and configured to detect an object touching or in proximity to the first surface of the cover substrate in the display region; 
 a input mechanism operatively coupled to the housing and configured to detect a rotational user input; 
 an edge electrode disposed in a perimeter area around the display region and configured to detect an object touching or in proximity to a first edge of the cover substrate in the perimeter area or to detect an object touching or in proximity to the input mechanism; and 
 a processor coupled to the edge electrode, the processor configured to:
 determine whether a first detected touch input has occurred on the input mechanism based on a first measurement from the edge electrodes; and 
 determine whether a second detected touch input has occurred on the first edge of the cover substrate based on a second measurement from the edge electrode. 
 
 
     
     
       22. The wearable device of  claim 21 , wherein the edge electrode is disposed in a cavity formed along the second surface of the cover substrate. 
     
     
       23. The wearable device of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 an antenna element disposed at least partially within the cavity; and 
 a communication electrode disposed on a surface of the antenna element; 
 wherein the edge electrode is disposed on the antenna element. 
 
     
     
       24. The wearable device of  claim 22 , wherein the cavity formed along the second surface of the cover substrate is formed in the perimeter area around the display region. 
     
     
       25. The wearable device of  claim 22 , further comprising:
 an antenna element disposed at least partially within the cavity; 
 a communication electrode disposed on a surface of the antenna element; and 
 a contact pad disposed on a surface of the antenna element, wherein the edge electrode is coupled to the contact pad by a jumper wire or direct conductor-to-conductor contact. 
 
     
     
       26. The wearable device of claim of  claim 21 , wherein the edge electrode is smaller than each of the plurality of touch sensor electrodes. 
     
     
       27. The wearable device of  claim 21 , wherein the edge electrode is oriented at an angle relative to a plane through the plurality of touch sensor electrodes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This relates generally to touch sensors, and more particularly, to touch sensors for detecting inputs at one or more edges of a touch sensitive device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Many types of input devices are presently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens and the like. Touch screens in particular are popular because of their ease and versatility of operation as well as their declining price. A touch screen can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch sensitive surface, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can be positioned partially or fully behind the panel so that the touch sensitive surface can cover at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. The touch screen can allow a user to perform various functions by touching the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus or other object at a location often dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. In general, the touch screen can recognize a touch and the position of the touch on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch in accordance with the display appearing at the time of the touch, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This relates to the addition of edge sensors to a touch panel. The addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can improve touch and/or hover detection at edges of a touch panel. In some examples, the touch panel can be bonded to a substrate (e.g., glass, sapphire, or plastic). In order to provide touch detection at the edge of the touch panel, the touch sensor edge electrodes can be mounted in a cavity of the substrate that has walls or surfaces that are angled relative the front surface of the substrate. With touch and/or hover detection available at edges of the touch panel, new gestures such as pinch (e.g., two fingers placed on two opposing edges of the touch panel simultaneously), edge slides, edge swipes (either toward or away from an edge), etc. can be detected. The touch panel with touch sensor edge electrodes can be included in a wearable or non-wearable portable electronic device. In some examples, the portable electronic device can include one or more mechanical inputs (e.g., knobs, crowns, buttons, etc.). In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes can be used to detect whether a user is contacting one or more of the mechanical inputs. For example, touch sensor edge electrodes can allow the portable electronic device to determine whether a user&#39;s finger is in contact with a rotatable crown (i.e., finger-on-crown detection). The additional touch detection capabilities provided by the edge sensors of the disclosure can be used to provide new interactions with user interface elements displayed on the personal electronic device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary personal device according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates exemplary touch and gesture functionality of an electronic device that can be enhanced by the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate cross-sectional and backside views of exemplary arrangements of touch sensor electrodes according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate cross-sectional views of exemplary touch sensor border electrode and touch sensor edge electrode configurations according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a backside view of a cover substrate including an exemplary touch sensor edge electrode configuration according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 6A-6B  illustrate cross-sectional views of exemplary touch sensor edge arrangements within a cavity of a cover substrate including an antenna element according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 7A-7B  illustrate perspective views of exemplary arrangements of touch sensor edge electrodes integrated with antenna elements according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 8A-8B  illustrate perspective views of exemplary arrangements of touch sensor edge electrodes according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an example computer system for implementing edge input detection according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary process for performing edge input detection of an edge slide gesture according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates another exemplary process for performing edge input detection of a swipe toward edge gesture according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates another exemplary process for performing edge input detection of a swipe away from edge gesture according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates another exemplary process for performing edge input detection of a pinch gesture according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates an exemplary process for performing finger-on-crown detection according to examples of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of various examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examples that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the various examples. 
     This relates to the addition of edge sensors to a touch panel. The addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can improve touch and/or hover detection at edges of a touch panel. In some examples, the touch panel can be bonded to a substrate (e.g., glass, sapphire, or plastic). In order to provide touch detection at the edge of the touch panel, the touch sensor edge electrodes can be mounted in a cavity of the substrate that has walls or surfaces that are angled relative the front surface of the substrate. With touch and/or hover detection available at edges of the touch panel, new gestures such as pinch (e.g., two fingers placed on two opposing edges of the touch panel simultaneously), edge slides, edge swipes (either toward or away from an edge), etc. can be detected. The touch panel with touch sensor edge electrodes can be included in a wearable or non-wearable portable electronic device. In some examples, the portable electronic device can include one or more mechanical inputs (e.g., knobs, crowns, buttons, etc.). In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes can be used to detect whether a user is contacting one or more of the mechanical inputs. For example, touch sensor edge electrodes can allow the portable electronic device to determine whether a user&#39;s finger is in contact with a rotatable crown (i.e., finger-on-crown detection). The additional touch detection capabilities provided by the edge sensors of the disclosure can be used to provide new interactions with user interface elements displayed on the personal electronic device. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates exemplary personal electronic device  100  according to examples of the disclosure. In the illustrated example, device  100  can be a watch that generally includes body  102  and strap  104  for affixing device  100  to the body of a user. That is, device  100  can be wearable. Body  102  can be designed to couple with straps  104 . Device  100  can have touch-sensitive display screen (hereafter touchscreen)  106  and crown  108 . Device  100  can also have buttons  110 ,  112 , and  114 . Though device  100  is illustrated as being a watch, it is understood that the examples of the disclosure can be implemented in devices other than watches, such as tablet computers, mobile phones, or any other wearable or non-wearable electronic device. 
     Conventionally, the term ‘crown,’ in the context of a watch, refers to the cap atop a stem for winding the watch. In the context of a personal electronic device, the crown can be a physical component of the electronic device, rather than a virtual crown on a touch sensitive display. Crown  108  can be mechanical, meaning that it can be connected to a sensor for converting physical movement of the crown into electrical signals. Crown  108  can rotate in two directions of rotation (e.g., forward and backward). Crown  108  can also be pushed in towards the body of device  100  and/or be pulled away from device  100 . Crown  108  can be touch-sensitive, for example, using capacitive touch technologies that can detect whether a user is touching the crown. Moreover, crown  108  can further be configured to tilt in one or more directions or slide along a track at least partially around a perimeter of body  102 . In some examples, more than one crown  108  can be included in device  100 . The visual appearance of crown  108  can, but need not, resemble crowns of conventional watches. Buttons  110 ,  112 , and  114 , if included, can each be a physical or a touch-sensitive button. That is, the buttons may be, for example, physical buttons or capacitive buttons. Further, body  102 , which can include a bezel, may have predetermined regions on the bezel that act as buttons. 
     Display  106  can include a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, or the like, positioned partially or fully behind or in front of a touch sensor panel implemented using any desired touch sensing technology, such as mutual-capacitance touch sensing, self-capacitance touch sensing, resistive touch sensing, projection scan touch sensing, or the like. Touch sensing can be achieved by sensing a capacitance formed between a touch sensor electrode and an object, e.g., a user&#39;s finger or hand, proximate thereto. The electrodes can be coupled to conductive traces, where one set of conductive traces can form drive lines to drive the electrodes with drive signals from drive circuitry and another set of conductive traces can form sense lines to transmit touch or sense signals, indicative of a touch proximate to the display  106 , from the electrodes to sense circuitry. In some examples, additional electrodes can be added near the edges of display  106 , and can be used to indicate the touch or proximity of an object at the edges of housing  116 . One type of touch panel for display  106  can have a row-column electrode pattern. Another type of touch panel for display  106  can have a pixelated electrode pattern. Display  106  can allow a user to perform various functions by touching or hovering near the touch sensor panel using one or more fingers or other objects. 
     In some examples, device  100  can further include one or more pressure sensors (not shown) for detecting an amount of force or pressure applied to the display  106 . The amount of force or pressure applied to display  106  can be used as an input to device  100  to perform any desired operation, such as making a selection, entering or exiting a menu, causing the display of additional options/actions, or the like. In some examples, different operations can be performed based on the amount of force or pressure being applied to display  106 . The one or more pressure sensors can further be used to determine a position of the force that is being applied to display  106 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates exemplary touch and gesture functionality of an exemplary electronic device  200  (which can correspond to electronic device  100  above) that can be enhanced by the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes according to examples of the disclosure. Exemplary implementations for adding touch sensor edge electrodes are described in further detail below. In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes positioned at the edges of housing  216  (which can correspond to housing  116  above) can allow sensing of the presence of a finger  220  on crown  208  (which can correspond to crown  108  above). This “finger-on-crown” detection can be possible because crown  208  can be close to the edges of housing  216 , and thus when a finger is on the crown, it can also be close to the edge of the housing such that touch sensor edge electrodes positioned at the edges of the housing can sense the presence of the finger. In some examples, detecting the presence of a finger on the crown  208  (i.e., a finger-on-crown condition) can enrich a user&#39;s experience with device  200 . 
     For example, device  200  can display a user interface on display  206 . In some examples, when crown  208  is rotated downward while the user interface is displayed on display  206  (which can correspond to display  106  above) of device  200 , a portion of a window (not shown) or any other user interface element can emerge from, for example, the top of the display. In some examples, an increasing portion of the window can emerge from the top of the display as crown  208  continues to be rotated downward by finger  220 . In some examples, as long as rotation of the crown  208  is continuous (e.g., no interruption of rotation detected lasting longer than, e.g., 500 ms), the device  200  can detect the rotation and make an inference about the state of the crown  208  (e.g., a finger is contacting the crown because the crown is being rotated). However, once the rotation of crown  208  ends, in some examples, device  200  can no longer infer the presence of a finger  220  based on rotation to determine the state of the crown  208 . In some examples, once rotation of the crown  208  stops, device  200  can be unable to distinguish whether the finger  220  remains on the crown or the finger has been completely removed from the crown. In such an example, the user interface can provide a default behavior that occurs once rotation of crown  208  stops. For example, the user interface can provide a default behavior such that the window disappears from display  206  once rotation of crown  208  stops (e.g. after a 500 ms interruption of rotation described above). In some examples, a user might expect the described default behavior to occur when the user stops rotating crown  208  and subsequently removes finger  220  from the crown. In other examples, a default behavior could be for the window to continue to display on display  206  after rotation of crown  208 , regardless of whether finger  220  remains on crown  208 . In some examples, this may require a user to provide an addition input to terminate display of the window that would be unnecessary if device  200  was capable of finger-on-crown detection. In some examples, either of the default behaviors described above could potentially cause a user to feel that the user interface on display  206  is responding incorrectly to the user&#39;s input. 
     In some examples, addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can enable the device  200  to distinguish between the finger  220  remaining on the crown  208  without moving the crown, and the finger being completely removed from the crown (i.e. finger-on-crown detection). As explained above, finger-on-crown detection can be made possible because the crown  208  can be close to the edges of housing  216 , and thus when a finger is on the crown, it can also be close to the edge of the housing such that touch sensor edge electrodes positioned at the edges of the housing can sense the presence of the finger. The inclusion of such finger-on-crown detection can be used to enhance the user&#39;s interaction with the user interface on display  206 . For example, regarding behavior of the window discussed above, the finger-on-crown detection can provide an enhanced behavior of the user interface once rotation of the crown  208  stops. In some examples, if the rotation of the crown  208  stops and the finger  220  remains on the crown, the window can remain in the last displayed position on display  206 . Once the user removes finger  220  from the crown, the device  200  can detect the change, and the window can disappear from display  206  or perform any appropriate action in response. The above is just one example of the way that the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can enhance a user experience for operating device  200 . In some examples, the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can also enable functionality such as detecting a sliding motion of a finger  218  along an edge of the device  200  along the direction  222 . In some examples, the sliding motion can be used to control a volume setting of the device  200 . In some examples, the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can also allow for detection of input gestures such as a pinch (e.g. when finger  218  and finger  220  contact opposing edges housing  216  at the same time). In some examples, the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes can allow for detection of a finger swiping from the edge of housing  216  on to the display  206  area as depicted by arrow  224 . Conversely, in some examples the touch sensor edge electrodes can allow for detection of a finger swiping from the display  206  area to the edge of the housing  216  as depicted by arrow  226 . In some examples, both gestures depicted by the arrows  224  and  226  can be considered “edge swipe” gestures. All of the above examples illustrate how the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes according to examples of the disclosure can enhance a user&#39;s interaction with a device  200 . Examples of various techniques for incorporating touch sensor edge electrodes into a device, e.g. device  200 , will be described in detail below. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary arrangement of touch sensor electrodes  302  disposed on a transparent cover substrate  300 , (e.g., glass, sapphire, or plastic) according to examples of the disclosure. The cover substrate  300  can form the top surface of a touch screen assembly, and can generally be made from a durable material to protect sensitive electronics behind the cover substrate (e.g., touch sensor electrodes  302  or display circuitry). In some examples, touch sensor electrodes  302  can be formed from a transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or antimony tin oxide (ATO) on the back surface  316  of the cover substrate  300 , although other transparent or non-transparent conductive materials can also be used. In some examples, the top surface  304  of cover substrate  300  can be divided into a display region  306  and a border region  308 . The border region  308  can be formed by a black mask  310  disposed around the edges of the cover substrate  300 , forming a border around a central portion (which can correspond to the display region  306 ) of the cover substrate. In some examples, the black mask  310  can be formed from a layer of black ink. In some examples, the black mask  310  can be disposed on the back surface  316  of the cover substrate around the perimeter of the display region  306 . The display region  306  can be disposed above a liquid crystal display (LCD) (not shown). In some examples, control electronics for the LCD as well as other electronic components that can be part of a device can be hidden from a user&#39;s view behind the black mask  310  in the border region  308 . In some examples, the touch sensor electrodes  302  can be disposed in a pattern within the display region  306  to effectively cover the display region with touch sensor electrodes. In some examples, each touch sensor electrode  302  can correspond to a touch sensitive region  312  extending from the touch sensor electrode through the top surface  304  of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, this arrangement can allow for the entire display region  306  to be touch sensitive. 
     The dotted lines in  FIG. 3A  can correspond to touch sensitive regions  312  for touch sensor electrodes  302 . For simplicity of illustration, touch sensitive regions  312  are depicted for two touch sensor electrodes  302  near the edges of the display region  306 , but it is understood that each touch sensor electrode can similarly correspond to a touch sensitive region. In some examples, the touch sensitive region  312  for each touch sensor electrode  302  can correspond to a region approximately perpendicular to a top surface of the touch sensor electrodes. In some examples, the touch sensitive region  312  can be relatively narrow, such that a touch sensed at a particular touch sensor electrode  302  can be strongly indicative of a location of an object touching or hovering near the top surface  304  of the cover substrate  300 . In examples where the touch sensitive regions  312  are relatively narrow, sensitivity in regions where there are no touch sensor electrodes  302  (e.g., near the edges of the cover substrate  300 ) can be very limited or completely non-existent. In other examples, each touch sensitive region  312  can be relatively wide, which can provide improved touch sensitivity at the edges of the cover substrate  300 , and can also result in a correspondingly increased overlap of touch sensitive regions  312  between multiple touch sensor electrodes  302 . In some examples, an overlap of touch sensitive regions  312  can allow for smoother transition of touch detection between touch sensor electrodes  302 . In some examples, edges of the cover substrate  300  can have a curve at the top surface  304  to create a curved bezel  322  at the edge of the cover substrate. 
     In some examples, one or more cavities  314  can be included at one or more edges of the back surface  316  of transparent cover substrate  300 . In some examples, the one or more cavities  314  can be shaped with a semi-circular or semi-oval cross section to form an enclosure for one or more antenna elements  318 . In some examples, the antenna elements  318  can be a structural element that can be used, among other purposes, to provide physical structure for one or more antenna electrodes  320  that can be used for transmitting and/or receiving communication signals (e.g., Bluetooth), and for positioning the antenna electrodes in a desired location. In some examples, in addition to providing a physical structure for the antenna electrodes  320 , the antenna element  318  can house or support additional antenna electronic components and signal routing. Antenna electrodes  320  can be positioned at the top of the antenna element  318 , such that the antenna electrode is close to the front surface  304  of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, antenna elements  318  can be obscured from a user&#39;s view by the black mask  310 , disposed in the cavity  314  on the back surface  316  of the cover substrate  300 . Although semi-circular or semi-oval cavities have been described, other cavity shapes which can receive at least a portion of an antenna element  318  can be used. 
     In some examples, manufacturing process limitations may require that clearance is provided between the touch sensor electrodes  302  and the black mask  310  to avoid inadvertent overlap of the touch sensor electrodes with the black mask. In some examples, the touch sensor electrodes  302 , which can be formed from ITO, may form a stronger bond with the material of the cover substrate  300  than the black mask  310 . In some examples, if the ITO pattern is misaligned, the ITO pattern can partially or completely overlap the black mask. In these examples, the overlapping ITO material could delaminate (i.e., become detached) from the cover substrate  300 , thus compromising one or more touch sensor electrodes  302  at the edge of the display region  306 , and potentially rendering one or more of the touch sensor electrodes inoperable near the edge of the display area. Thus, in some examples, it may be preferable for touch sensor electrodes  302  in the black mask region to be formed from a conductor that adheres well to the black mask. In some examples, a non-transparent conductor that has good adhesion properties with the black mask  310  can be used to avoid the potential problems for electrodes near the edge of the display area  306 . Exemplary electrode arrangements near the edge of the cover substrate  300  according to examples of the disclosure are discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates a cross-sectional view of transparent cover substrate  300 , which can be formed without the cavities  314  disclosed in  FIG. 3A . In some examples, the black mask  310  can be formed around the edges of the back surface  316  of cover substrate  300 . In some examples, edges of the cover substrate  300  can have a curve  322  at the top surface  304  to create a curved bezel at the edge of the cover substrate. In some examples, the back surface  316  can have a corresponding curved portion  317  at the edge of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, the cover substrate  300  depicted in  FIG. 3B  may be less well-suited to maintaining a position of an object such as an antenna element relative to the cover substrate including cavities depicted in  FIG. 3A . In some examples, the cover substrate  300  without cavities  314  can leave more room behind the back surface  316  of the cover substrate for display components, structural members, power supplies, etc. In some examples, a cover substrate  300  without cavities  314  can be produced with a simplified manufacturing process for forming the shape of the cover substrate. In some examples, formation of a cavity  314  in cover substrate  300  can require use of specialized tools for carving out the cavity that can increase production costs. In some examples, formation of the cavity  314  can require additional processing steps (e.g., carving) that can add time to the manufacturing process of cover substrate  300 . 
       FIG. 3C  illustrates a bottom view of an example arrangement of touch sensor electrodes  302  disposed on a transparent cover substrate  300  according to examples of the disclosure. From this view, it can be seen that touch sensor electrodes  302  can be arranged in a pattern of rows and columns to provide touch sensor electrode coverage for the display region of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, cavity  314  can include antenna element  318  which can at least partially fit within the cavity near an edge of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, the antenna element  318  can have a length approximately equal to the full length of the cavity  314  such that the antenna element can span almost the full length of an edge of the cover substrate  300 . In some examples, the antenna element  318  can span only a portion of the length of the cavity  314 . From this bottom view, it can be seen that in some examples, the border region  308 , which can be covered by the black mask  310 , can be a zone without any touch sensor electrodes  302 . In other words, the touch sensitivity in the areas around the edge of the cover substrate  300  can either be very low or touches around the edges can possibly not be detected at all. Even if the touch sensor electrodes  302  are able to detect a signal from an object in proximity to the edge of the cover substrate  300 , the detected signal is likely to be weak because of the distance between the touch sensor electrodes at the edge of display area  306  and the edges of the cover substrate  300 . 
     The positions and shapes of the touch sensor electrodes according to examples of the disclosure are not limited to those illustrated in the figures. In some examples, touch sensor electrodes  302  can be arranged in a pixelated self capacitance touch sensor electrode arrangement. In some examples, touch sensor electrodes  302  can be formed as row and column traces representing drive and sense lines that can be formed perpendicular to each other, although in other examples, other non-orthogonal orientations are possible. For example, in a polar coordinate system, the sensing lines can be concentric circles and the driving lines can be radially extending lines (or vice versa). 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional view of a touch sensor edge electrode configuration according to examples of the disclosure. In some examples, a cover substrate  400  (which can correspond to cover substrate  300  above) can include touch sensor border electrodes  424  behind the black mask  410  on a flat portion of the back surface  416  (which can correspond to back surface  416  above), which can extend a touch sensitive area of the cover substrate and improve touch sensitivity at the edges of the cover substrate. The cover substrate  400  can include a flat portion and cavities  414  (which can correspond to cavities  314 ) at edges of the back surface  416  of the cover substrate, as described with reference to  FIG. 3A . In some examples, cover substrate  400  can include curved bezel sections  422  that can extend below the flat portion of back surface  416 . These curved bezel sections can be used for mounting the cover substrate  400  within a device housing (not shown) and can be used for providing mechanical stability. In some examples, additional touch sensor border electrodes  424  can be disposed behind the black mask  410  (which can correspond to black mask  310  above) on the flat portion of the back surface  416  of cover substrate  400 . In some examples, the touch sensor border electrodes  424  can have similar dimensions to the touch sensor electrodes  402  (which can correspond to touch sensor electrodes  302  above) in the display region  406  (which can correspond to display region  306 ). In other examples, the flat portion under the black mask  410  around the edges of the display region  406  can be kept small to maximize the size of the display region, and the space available to include edge sensors can be significantly smaller than the width of the touch sensor electrodes  402  in the display region. Thus, the touch sensor border electrodes  424  can be smaller (e.g. have less total area) than the touch sensor electrodes  402  in the display region  406  (e.g., 30% or less of the size of the touch sensor electrodes  402 ). In some examples, a touch sensitive region  426  can be associated with the touch sensor border electrodes  424 . In some examples, smaller touch sensor border electrodes  424  can result in a narrower touch sensitive region  426  when compared with the larger touch sensor electrodes  402  in the display region  406 . In addition, the smaller electrodes can result in a touch sensitive region  426  that extends a shorter distance beyond the front surface  404  of the cover substrate  400  relative to the touch sensor electrodes  402  (e.g., touch sensitive region  312  above). Because the touch sensitive region  426  that can be associated with touch sensor border electrodes  424  can be directed toward the front surface  404  of the cover substrate, detection of objects approaching at the side of the cover substrate can still be limited, even when touch sensor border electrodes  424  are added to the cover substrate  400 . 
       FIG. 4B  illustrates another exemplary cross-sectional view of a touch sensor edge electrode configuration according to examples of the disclosure. In some examples, cover substrate  400  can include touch sensor edge electrodes  428  on a curved surface of a cavity  414  in the cover substrate  400 . The touch sensor edge electrodes  428  on the curved surface of cavity  414  can face in a direction that is perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the flat portion of the cover substrate. In some examples, relatively flat touch sensor edge electrodes  428  can be positioned on a portion of the curved surface of cavity  414  having a relatively large radius of curvature (e.g., the touch sensor edge electrode can be formed on a relatively flat portion of cavity  414 ). In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes can be formed along a an outward facing edge of a cavity  414  that results in the formation of a more significantly curved touch sensor edge electrode  428 . In some examples, an antenna element with an antenna electrode (e.g. antenna element  318  with antenna electrode  320 ) can at least partially fit within the same cavity as touch sensor edge electrodes  428 . The position of the touch sensor edge electrodes  428  can determine the location of a touch sensitive region  426  that is associated with the additional touch sensor edge electrodes. In some examples, a touch sensitive region  426  can be associated with the added touch sensor edge electrodes  428  on the curved bezel portion of cavity  414 . Thus, the touch sensor edge electrodes  428  can provide a touch sensitive region  426  that is facing outward from the edges of the cover substrate  400 , in contrast to the touch sensor electrodes  402  in the display region  406  that can be primarily directed toward the top surface  404  of the cover substrate. Thus, touch sensor edge electrodes  428  can significantly improve touch sensitivity at the edges of a cover substrate  400 , and can be used for enhanced edge input detection as described above. It should be understood that although touch sensor edge electrodes  428  may be described herein as being primarily located in an antenna cavity (on the side of the cavity or on an antenna element), in other examples of the disclosure the touch sensor edge electrodes can be located in any perimeter area of the device that is capable of supporting the electrodes in a direction conducive to edge input detection. 
     Although  FIG. 4A  illustrates a cover substrate  400  with only touch sensor border electrodes  424  and  FIG. 4B  illustrates a cover substrate with only touch sensor edge electrodes, in some examples, both touch sensor border electrodes and touch sensor edge electrodes can be included on the back surface  416  of the same cover substrate  400 . This configuration can extend the touch sensitive area both at the edges of front surface  404  of the cover substrate  400  and at the edges of the cover substrate bezel to make the majority of the exterior of the cover substrate touch sensitive. It should be noted that in some examples, the touch sensor edge border electrodes  424  and touch sensor edge electrodes  428  can be included on a cover substrate  400  without cavities (e.g. cover substrate  300  depicted in  FIG. 3B ) in a manner analogous to those described with reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a backside view of a cover substrate  500  (which can correspond to cover substrate  400  above) which can include touch sensor edge electrodes  528  according to examples of the disclosure. In some examples, touch sensor electrodes  502  can be connected through routing traces  531  in a display region  506  (which can correspond to display region  306  above) to a flexible circuit board  530  coupled to the cover substrate  500 . In some examples, the routing trace pattern for the touch sensor electrodes  502  (which can correspond to touch sensor electrodes  402  above) can be extended to the black mask  510  (which can correspond to black mask  410  above) and/or into the cavity  514  (which can correspond to cavity  414  above) to provide routing for touch sensor edge electrodes  528  (which can correspond to touch sensor border electrodes  424  and/or touch sensor edge electrodes  428 ). In other words, touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can utilize the same type of routing on the cover substrate  500  as do the touch sensor electrodes  502  to couple to appropriate circuitry. For example, routing trace  533  can connect to a touch sensor edge electrode  528  within cavity  514  behind black mask  510 , routing trace  533  can route through the display area  506  near the routing traces  531  for touch sensor electrodes  502 , and routing trace  533  can continue over the black mask to connect to flexible circuit board  530 . In some examples, the routing traces  531  and  533  can both be made from a single type of transparent conductor (e.g., ITO). In some examples, the flexible circuit board  530  can include readout electronics (e.g. one or more analog-to-digital converters) for converting signals detected on the touch sensor electrodes  502  into digital signals. In some examples, the flexible circuit board  530  can provide traces for connecting the touch sensor electrode  502  output signals to readout electronics on a separate board (not shown). In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can be disposed on a black mask  510 . In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can require separate connections to readout electronics than the touch sensor electrodes  502 . In some examples, the touch sensor electrodes  502 , and the routing traces in both the display region  506  and the routing traces behind the black mask  510  can be formed from ITO, while the touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can be formed from any transparent or non-transparent conductor that can adhere to the curved surface of the cavity  514  (e.g. ITO, silver paste, metal foil). The addition of touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can improve touch and/or hover detection at edges of a cover substrate  500  as described above. It should be understood that the addition of touch sensor edge electrodes  528  without connections to readout circuitry for capturing the touch sensor edge electrode outputs may not provide the above described edge input detection functionality. Accordingly, further examples for routing touch sensor edge electrodes  528  to readout electronics according to examples of the disclosure are provided below. 
     In some examples, wire leads  534  can be patterned along the black mask  510  on the back surface of cover substrate  500 . In some examples wire leads  534  and the touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can be formed from the same type of conductor material. Because the routing can occur behind the black mask  510 , it is not necessary for the wire leads  534  or the touch sensor edge electrodes  528  to be formed from a transparent conductor such as ITO. In some examples, the conductor material forming wire leads  534  and touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can be ITO or another transparent conductor, and in other examples the conductor material forming wire leads  534  can be a non-transparent conductor material, such as silver paste or thin metal foil. In some examples, the wire leads  534  can be routed to readout electronics on the flexible circuit board  530 . In other examples, the flexible circuit board  530  can provide traces for connecting touch sensor edge electrodes  528  to readout electronics on a separate board (not shown). 
     In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes  528  can be patterned directly on a secondary flexible circuit board  532  (e.g. by laminating a copper layer patterned with the touch sensor edge electrode layout). In some examples, the secondary flexible circuit board  532  can be mounted along the curved surface of a cavity of the cover substrate  500  (which can correspond to cavities  414  in  FIG. 4A ). In some examples, prior to mounting the secondary flexible circuit board  532  in the cavity, the secondary flexible circuit board  532  can be wrapped around a semi-circular or semi-oval shaped insulating material having a cross section conformed to the shape of cavity  514 . In some examples, the assembled flexible circuit board  530  and insulating material can be inserted and adhered to cavity  514  (e.g. using a pressure sensitive adhesive, two part epoxy, etc.). In some examples, pre-flexing the secondary flexible circuit board  532  around the insulating material can simplify the assembly process by eliminating a potentially difficult flexure of the secondary flexible circuit board  532  within the cavity  514 . In some examples, the secondary flexible circuit board  532  can include traces for connecting the touch sensor edge electrode  528  output signals to flexible circuit board  530 . In some examples, the connections between flexible circuit board  530  and secondary flexible circuit board  532  can be provided with board-to-board connections, zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors, anisotropic conductive film (ACF), hot-bar connections, or the like. Connections to readout circuitry can be provided at the flexible circuit board  530  as described above. The descriptions above provide several examples for routing touch sensor edge electrodes  528  to readout electronics according to examples of the disclosure. However, it is understood that other techniques for providing routing between touch sensor edge electrodes  528  and readout electronics are within the scope of the disclosure. The examples above can be applied to touch sensor edge electrodes  528  within cavity  514  and similar routing techniques can be used for touch sensor border electrodes disposed on black mask  510 . 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates a cross-sectional view of an exemplary touch sensor edge electrode  628  (which can correspond to touch sensor edge electrodes  428 ) arrangement disposed on an antenna element  618  (which can correspond to antenna element  318  above) within a cavity  614  (which can correspond to cavity  314  above) of cover substrate  600  according to examples of the disclosure.  FIG. 6A  includes a magnified view of one edge region of cover substrate  600  (which can correspond to substrate  300  above) including cavity  614 . In some examples, antenna element  618  can be disposed within the cavity  614  of cover substrate  600 . In some examples antenna element  618  can include one or more antenna electrodes  620  (which can correspond to antenna electrode  320  above) for transmitting and/or receiving communication signals. Touch sensor edge electrode  628  can be formed on a surface of antenna element  618  which can face toward an edge of cover substrate  600 . In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes  628  can be selectively deposited on the antenna element  618  by sintering, physical vapor deposition (PVD), ink nozzle, or similar processes that can deposit conductive material on a three-dimensional surface of the antenna element. Touch signals from touch sensor edge electrode  628  can be routed via the antenna element  618  structure to readout circuitry. In some examples, the routing signals for touch sensor edge electrodes  628  can be formed from traces along an exterior surface of the antenna element  618 . In other examples, signals from touch sensor edge electrodes  628  can be provided within the antenna element on a flexible circuit board (not shown) or discrete routing traces. In some examples, signals from the antenna electrode  620  can also be routed on a flexible circuit board or discrete routing traces within the antenna element  618 . In some examples, the connections between touch sensor electrodes  602  and readout circuitry connections can utilize examples described above regarding  FIG. 5 . In some examples, touch sensitive regions  626  (which can correspond to touch sensitive regions  426  above) associated with touch sensor edge electrodes  628  disposed on the antenna element  618  can provide enhanced touch sensitivity at edges of cover substrate  600  according to examples of the disclosure. The exemplary touch sensor edge electrode  628  arrangement can be used to detect edge inputs and can provide enhanced touch sensing functionality as described in detail above (e.g., finger-on-crown, swipe, and pinch). 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates another exemplary touch sensor edge electrode  628  (which can correspond to touch sensor edge electrodes  428 ) arrangement disposed on a surface of a cavity  614  (which can correspond to cavity  314 ) according to examples of the disclosure.  FIG. 6B  includes a magnified view of one edge region of cover substrate  600  (which can correspond to substrate  300  above) including cavity  614 . In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes  628  can be disposed in cavity  614  directly on and behind the black mask  610  (which can correspond to black mask  310  above) of the cover substrate  600 . In some examples, an antenna element  618  (which can correspond to antenna element  318  above) can be included within the same cavity as the touch sensor edge electrodes  628 . In some examples, antenna element  618  can include one or more antenna electrodes  620  (which can correspond to antenna electrode  320  above) for transmitting and/or receiving communication signals. In some examples, antenna element  618  can include a conductive contact pad  630  for routing connections from the touch sensor edge electrode  628  via the antenna element. As described above, the antenna element  618  can provide routing connections for signals from the touch sensor edge electrodes  628  on the inside or outside of the antenna element. In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrode  628  and contact pad  630  can be coupled by a jumper wire. In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes  628  can be coupled to the contact pad on antenna element  618  by direct conductor-to-conductor contact. In some examples, touch sensitive regions  626  (which can correspond to touch sensitive regions  426  above) associated with touch sensor edge electrodes  628  disposed in the cavity  614  and coupled to antenna element  618  can provide enhanced touch sensitivity at the edge of cover substrate  600 . The exemplary touch sensor edge electrode  628  arrangement can be used for edge input detection and can provide enhanced touch sensing functionality as described in detail above (e.g., finger-on-crown, swipe, and pinch). 
     Additional touch sensor edge electrode configurations (including configurations integrated with antenna elements) that can be used in accordance with the examples of the disclosure will now be described.  FIG. 7A  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary antenna element  718  (which can correspond to antenna element  618  in  FIG. 6A ) according to examples of the disclosure. While antenna element  718  is shown with a circular cross-section, it is understood that an antenna element can be configured with different cross-sectional shapes. In some examples, the antenna element  718  can be shaped to at least partially fit within a cavity (e.g. cavity  314  above) of a cover substrate, as previously described. In some examples, antenna element  718  can include antenna electrode  720  (which can correspond to antenna electrode  620  above) for transmitting and/or receiving communication signals (such an antenna electrode can be referred to as a communication electrode). In some examples, touch sensor edge electrodes  728  (which can correspond to touch sensor edge electrodes  628  above) can be deposited on the antenna element  718 . In some examples, the touch sensor edge electrodes  728  can be replaced by contact pads (which can correspond to contact pads  630  in  FIG. 6B ) for connecting to touch sensor edge electrodes that are formed within a cavity (e.g. cavity  314  above) at least partially containing the antenna element. As described above, the contact pads can be coupled with touch sensor edge electrodes  728  by a jumper wire or by direct conductor-to-conductor contact. In some examples, a plurality of discrete touch sensor edge electrodes  728  can be formed on the antenna element and each touch sensor edge electrode can be configured to sense touch at a corresponding touch sensitive region at the edge of a cover substrate. The exemplary touch sensor edge electrode  728  arrangements described above can be used for edge input detection and can provide enhanced touch sensing functionality as described in detail above (e.g., finger-on-crown, swipe, and pinch). 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates a perspective view of another exemplary antenna element  718  (which can correspond to antenna element  318  above) according to examples of the disclosure. In some examples, the antenna electrode can be made up of multiple electrode segments  720 . In some examples, one or more of the electrode segments can be used for edge input detection (e.g. used as touch sensor edge electrode  728 ) according to examples of the description. In some examples, the electrode segment  720  used for edge input detection can be the segment that is physically nearest to a crown (not shown) for enabling finger-on-crown detection according to examples of the disclosure described above. In some examples, electrode segments  720  can be configured to change function between transmitting and/or receiving communication signals and edge input detection dynamically. In some examples, the change in function can be performed in a time-multiplexed manner. In some examples, time multiplexing can be performed on individual electrode segments  720  such that each individual electrode segment can perform an independent function at any moment in time. In some examples, three electrode segments  720  can be used for implementing a time multiplexing sequence. In some examples, during a first time window, two electrode segments  720 A and  720 B can be used for transmitting and/or receiving communications signals, while electrode segment  720 C can be used for edge input detection at an edge of a cover substrate at a first touch sensitive region corresponding to electrode segment  720 C. In some examples, during a second time window, electrode segments  720 B and  720 C can be used for transmitting and/or receiving communication signals while electrode segment  720 A can be used for edge input detection at the same edge of the cover substrate at a second touch sensitive region corresponding to electrode segment  720 A. During a third window, electrode segment  720 B can be used for edge input detection while electrodes  720 A and  720 C can be used for transmitting and/or receiving communications signals in an analogous fashion. Using the time multiplexing sequence above, the three electrode segments  720  can be used to detect touch at three different touch sensitive regions of an edge of a cover substrate (each region corresponding to one of the segments), while always maintaining two electrode segments for transmitting and/or receiving communications signals. In other examples, all electrode segments can be configured to perform a single function during different time windows of the time-multiplexing sequence. In such examples, potential interference between transmitting and/or receiving communications signals and edge input detection can be avoided. It should be noted that the single-function per time window time-multiplexing sequence could also be used with a single electrode antenna electrode (e.g., antenna electrode  720  above). 
       FIGS. 8A and 8B  illustrate perspective views of exemplary arrangements of touch sensor edge electrodes  838  according to examples of the disclosure.  FIG. 8A  illustrates an exemplary touch sensor edge electrode that can be formed by wrapping a conductor  838  within an insulating or non-conductive layer  836  (e.g., foam) to create a cylindrical sensor  840  with a single electrode  838 .  FIG. 8A  illustrates a cutaway showing the conductor  838  that can pass through the center of the insulator  836  that can form cylindrical sensor  840 . In some examples, the length of the cylindrical sensor  840  can be configured to cover the entire length of an edge of a cover substrate (e.g., cover substrate  300  above). In some examples, the conductor  838  can be connected to readout circuitry by a portion of the conductor extending outside of the insulator  836 . In some examples, the shape of the cylindrical sensor  840  can be configured to at least partially fit within a cavity (e.g. cavity  314  above). Such a single conductor configuration can be used, for example, to enable edge touch detection for the purposes of finger-on-crown detection by detecting a change in capacitance between the conductor and a finger or object near the edge of the cover substrate  800  adjacent to a crown. 
       FIG. 8B  illustrates an exemplary cylindrical sensor  840  that can incorporate two touch sensor edge electrodes  838  according to examples of the disclosure. As with the example above in  FIG. 8A , cylindrical sensor  840  can be formed by wrapping conductors  838  within an insulating layer  836 .  FIG. 8B  illustrates a cutaway showing that two sensors can be formed by wrapping two separated conductors  838  within the insulator  836 . In some examples, each conductor  838  can be connected to readout circuitry by a portion of each conductor extending outside of the insulator  836 . This can allow for detecting touch in two different regions of an edge of cover surface  800  independently (e.g., differentiating a touch near crown  108  in  FIG. 1  above from a touch near the bottom of housing  116  on the same edge). Thus, a two-electrode sensor can be formed for enabling edge touch detection according to examples of the disclosure. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an example computing system  900  for implementing edge input detection according to examples of the disclosure. Computing system  900  can be included in, for example, device  100  above or any mobile or non-mobile computing device and/or wearable or non-wearable device that includes edge electrodes  934  (e.g., touch sensor edge electrodes  424  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  428  described above). Computing system  900  can include a touch sensing system including one or more touch processors  902 , touch controller  906  and touch screen  904 . Touch screen  904  can be a touch screen adapted to sense touch inputs, as described in the disclosure. Touch controller  906  can include circuitry and/or logic configured to sense touch inputs on touch screen  904 . In some examples, touch controller  906  and touch processor  902  can be integrated into a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 
     Computing system  900  can also include host processor  928  for receiving outputs from touch processor  902  and performing actions based on the outputs. Host processor  928  can be connected to program storage  932 . For example, host processor  928  can contribute to generating an image on touch screen  904  (e.g., by controlling a display controller to display an image of a user interface (UI) on the touch screen), and can use touch processor  902  and touch controller  906  to detect one or more touches on or near touch screen  904 . Host processor  928  can also contribute to sensing and/or processing edge electrode  934  signals, which can be used to provide enhanced touch sensing functionality, as described in the disclosure. The inputs from touch screen  904  and/or edge electrodes  934  can be used by computer programs stored in program storage  932  to perform actions in response to the touch and/or edge inputs. For example, touch inputs can be used by computer programs stored in program storage  932  to perform actions that can include moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or panning, adjusting control settings, opening a file or document, viewing a menu, making a selection, executing instructions, operating a peripheral device connected to the host device, answering a telephone call, placing a telephone call, and other actions that can be performed in response to touch inputs. Edge electrode  934  inputs can be used by computer programs stored in program storage  932  to perform actions that can include finger-on-crown detection, as well as swipe and pinch gesture detection as described above. Host processor  928  can also perform additional functions that may not be related to touch and/or edge electrode input processing. 
     Note that one or more of the functions described above can be performed by firmware stored in memory in computing system  900  and executed by touch processor  902 , or stored in program storage  932  and executed by host processor  928 . The firmware can also be stored and/or transported within any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” can be any medium (excluding signals) that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disc such a CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secured digital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks, and the like. 
     The firmware can also be propagated within any transport medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “transport medium” can be any medium that can communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The transport medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic or infrared wired or wireless propagation medium. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates exemplary process  1000  for performing edge input detection of an edge slide gesture according to examples of the disclosure. At step  1002 , process  1000  can perform a touch scan to determine if any touch sensor locations of a touch sensor panel (which can include any or all of touch sensor electrodes  302 , touch sensor border electrodes  424 , and touch sensor edge electrodes  426  described above) has detected a touch input. At step  1004 , process  1000  can determine whether a detected touch input at the touch sensor corresponds to an edge input (i.e., an input on touch sensor edge electrodes  426  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  424 ), a display region input (which can correspond to a touch input in the display region  306  above), multiple inputs, or no input. In some examples, at  1004 , process  1000  can determine information about the touch scan—for instance, whether no touch input occurred in the scan, or if a touch input or inputs did occur, the locations of the touch input or inputs, which can include information about whether the touch input occurred at the display region or at an edge, (e.g., of device  100  above) and a location of the touch input or inputs, including which edge the input occurred on, if appropriate. In some examples, process  1000  can store the result of the determination in a memory or register for multiple consecutive touch scans. If it is determined that the detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to an edge input, process  1000  can proceed to step  1006 . At step  1006 , process  1000  can determine whether a touch input from the previous scan (e.g., previously-stored result in memory or a register) occurred at a different location along a same edge of the touch sensor panel as the detected touch input from the current scan. In some examples, if it is determined that the detected touch input from the current scan occurred at an edge of the touch sensor panel at a first location, and that the touch input from the previous scan occurred at the same edge of the touch sensor panel at a different location, the process  1000  can proceed to step  1008 . At step  1008 , the process  1000  can indicate that an edge slide gesture has occurred, and further can determine information about the slide such as distance and/or speed of the gesture (e.g., by comparing the positions of the first location and the different location). In some examples, if no touch input is detected at step  1002 , process  1000  can perform step  1002  repeatedly (e.g., by polling, edge detection, etc.) until a touch input is detected. In some examples, if step  1004  determines that no edge input was detected during the current scan (e.g., no input was detected or an input was detected only in the display region, which can correspond to display region  306  above), process  1000  can return to step  1002 . In some examples, if step  1006  determines that no touch input from the previous scan occurred at a same edge of the touch sensor panel but a different location from the detected edge input and location of the current scan, process  1000  can return to step  1002 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates another exemplary process  1100  for performing edge input detection of a swipe toward edge gesture according to examples of the disclosure. At step  1102 , process  1100  can perform a touch scan to determine if any touch sensor locations of a touch sensor panel (which can include any or all of touch sensor electrodes  302 , touch sensor border electrodes  424 , and touch sensor edge electrodes  426  described above) has detected a touch input. At step  1104 , process  1100  can determine whether a detected touch input at the touch sensor corresponds to an edge input (i.e. an input on touch sensor edge electrodes  426  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  424 ), a display region input (which can correspond to a touch input in the display region  306  above), multiple inputs, or no input. In some examples, at  1104 , process  1100  can determine information about the touch scan—for instance, whether no touch input occurred in the scan, or if a touch input or inputs did occur, the locations of the touch input or inputs, which can include information about whether the touch input occurred at the display region or at an edge, (e.g., of device  100  above) and a location of the touch input or inputs, including which edge the input occurred on, if appropriate. In some examples, process  1100  can store the result of the determination in a memory or register for multiple consecutive touch scans. In some examples, if it is determined that a detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to an edge input, process  1100  can proceed to step  1106 . At step  1106 , process  1100  can determine whether a touch input detected at the previous scan (e.g., previously-stored result in memory or a register) was a display region input. If it is determined that a touch input detected at the previous scan was a display region input, process  1100  can proceed to step  1108 . At step  1108 , process  1100  can indicate that a swipe toward edge has occurred (e.g., an object or finger contacting the display region swiped toward and onto an edge of the touch sensor panel). In some examples, if at step  1104  an edge input is not detected, process  1100  can return to step  1102 . In some examples, if at step  1106  the previous input was not an input from the display region, process  1100  can return to step  1102 . 
       FIG. 12  illustrates another exemplary process  1200  for performing edge input detection of a swipe away from edge gesture according to examples of the disclosure. At step  1202 , process  1200  can perform a touch scan to determine if any touch sensor locations of a touch sensor panel (which can include any or all of touch sensor electrodes  302 , touch sensor border electrodes  424 , and touch sensor edge electrodes  426  described above) has detected a touch input. At step  1204 , process  1200  can determine whether a detected touch input at the touch sensor corresponds to an edge input (i.e. an input on touch sensor edge electrodes  426  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  424 ), a display region input (which can correspond to a touch input in the display region  306  above), multiple inputs, or no input. In some examples, at  1204 , process  1200  can determine information about the touch scan—for instance, whether no touch input occurred in the scan, or if a touch input or inputs did occur, the locations of the touch input or inputs, which can include information about whether the touch input occurred at the display region or at an edge, (e.g., of device  100  above) and a location of the touch input or inputs, including which edge the input occurred on, if appropriate. In some examples, process  1200  can store the result of the determination in a memory or register for multiple consecutive touch scans. In some examples, if it is determined that a detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to a display region input, process  1200  can proceed to step  1206 . At step  1206 , process  1200  can determine whether a touch input detected at the previous scan (e.g., previously-stored result in memory or a register) was an edge input. If it is determined that a touch input detected at the previous scan was an edge input, process  1200  can proceed to step  1208 . At step  1208 , process  1200  can indicate that a swipe away from edge has occurred (e.g., an object or finger contacting an edge swiped toward and onto the display region of the touch sensor panel). In some examples, if at step  1204  a display region input is not detected, process  1200  can return to step  1202 . In some examples, if at step  1206  the previous input was not an edge input, process  1200  can return to step  1202 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates another exemplary process  1300  for performing edge input detection of a pinch gesture according to examples of the disclosure. At step  1302 , process  1300  can perform a touch scan to determine if any touch sensor locations of a touch sensor panel (which can include any or all of touch sensor electrodes  302 , touch sensor border electrodes  424 , and touch sensor edge electrodes  426  described above) has detected a touch input. At step  1304 , process  1300  can determine whether a detected touch input at the touch sensor corresponds to an edge input (i.e. an input on touch sensor edge electrodes  426  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  424 ), a display region input (which can correspond to a touch input in the display region  306  above), multiple inputs, or no input. In some examples, at  1304 , process  1300  can determine information about the touch scan—for instance, whether no touch input occurred in the scan, or if a touch input or inputs did occur, the locations of the touch input or inputs, which can include information about whether the touch input occurred at the display region or at an edge, (e.g., of device  100  above) and a location of the touch input or inputs, including which edge the input occurred on, if appropriate. In some examples, process  1300  can store the result of the determination in a memory or register for multiple consecutive touch scans. In some examples, process  1300  can proceed to step  1306  if it is determined that a first detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to an edge input at a first edge. At step  1306 , process  1300  can determine whether a second detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to an edge input at a different edge. If it is determined that during the current scan a first edge input occurred at a first edge, and a second edge input occurred at a different edge, process  1300  can proceed to step  1308 . At step  1308 , process  1300  can indicate that a pinch has occurred (i.e., two fingers contacting different edges of the touch panel at the same time). In some examples, if at step  1304  an edge input is not detected, process  1300  can return to step  1302 . In some examples, if at step  1306  a second edge input at a different edge has not occurred during the current scan, process  1300  can return to step  1302 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an exemplary process  1400  for performing finger-on-crown detection according to examples of the disclosure. At step  1402 , process  1400  can perform a touch scan to determine if any touch sensor locations of a touch sensor panel (which can include any or all of touch sensor electrodes  302 , touch sensor border electrodes  424 , and touch sensor edge electrodes  426  described above) has detected a touch input. At step  1404 , process  1400  can determine whether a detected touch input at the touch sensor corresponds to an edge input (i.e. an input on touch sensor edge electrodes  426  and/or touch sensor border electrodes  424 ), a display region input (which can correspond to a touch input in the display region  306  above), multiple inputs, or no input. In some examples, at  1404 , process  1400  can determine information about the touch scan, for instance whether no touch input occurred in the scan, or if a touch input or inputs did occur, the locations of the touch input or inputs, which can include information about whether the touch input occurred at the display region or at an edge, and a location of the touch input or inputs, including which edge the input occurred on, if appropriate. In some examples, process  1400  can store the result of the determination in a memory or register for multiple consecutive touch scans. In some examples, if it is determined that a detected touch input from the current scan corresponds to an edge input and that the edge input has occurred in the proximity of a crown (which can correspond to crown  308 ), process  1400  can proceed to step  1406 . For example, at step  1404 , process  1400  can determine whether a touch input is detected at a touch sensor edge electrode and/or touch sensor border electrode at a location corresponding to the location of the crown (e.g., a location on the touch screen near the crown of the device). At step  1406 , process  1400  can indicate that a finger-on-crown condition has occurred (i.e., a finger is touching or nearly touch the crown). In some examples, if at step  1404  an edge input is not detected, or a detected edge input is not in the proximity of the crown, process  1400  can return to step  1402 . 
     Therefore, according to the above, some examples of the disclosure are directed to an apparatus comprising: a cover substrate having a front surface, a first edge and a first cavity adjacent to the first edge; a plurality of touch sensor electrodes disposed opposite the front surface of the cover substrate; and at least one touch sensor edge electrode disposed within the first cavity on a surface that is angled relative to the front surface of the cover substrate. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is disposed on an outward facing curved surface of the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are formed from a first conductive material and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed from a second conductive material. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first conductive material is transparent, and the second conductive material is non-transparent. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second conductive material is formed on a black mask layer disposed around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the cover substrate. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first and second conductive material are transparent. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, an antenna element is at least partially disposed within the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the antenna element includes a communication electrode, and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on the antenna element. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the antenna element includes a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed on a surface of the antenna element, wherein a first group of the plurality of sensor electrodes is configured for transmitting communications signals, and a second group of the plurality of sensor electrodes includes the at least one touch sensor edge electrode disposed within the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the antenna element includes a plurality of antenna electrodes, wherein the plurality of antenna electrodes are configured to alternate between transmitting communications signals and detecting touch signals in a time multiplexed manner. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the apparatus further comprises: a second cavity formed in the cover substrate adjacent to a second edge of the cover substrate opposite the first edge; and an antenna element at least partially disposed within the second cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on a printed flexible circuit board and the printed flexible circuit board is at least partially disposed within the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is formed on a black mask layer. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the second conductive material is a non-transparent metal, the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is coupled to an insulator, and the insulator is coupled to the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, a first touch sensor electrode of the plurality of touch sensor electrodes and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode are routed to a common readout circuit. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the plurality of touch sensor electrodes are configured to detect a proximity of an object near the front surface of the cover substrate, and the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is configured to detect a proximity of an object near the first edge of the cover substrate. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to an electronic device incorporating the apparatus disclosed in the examples above, the electronic device further comprising a display and a user interface displayed on the display, wherein detecting the proximity of an object near the front surface of the cover substrate produces a first output, and wherein detecting the proximity of an object near the first edge of the cover substrate produces a second output, and the electronic device is configured to detect the first output and the second output and produce a first response on the user interface when the first output is detected, and produce a different response on the user interface when the second output is detected. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to a method for fabricating a touch panel comprising the steps of: disposing a plurality of touch sensor electrodes on a transparent surface opposite a front surface of a cover substrate, disposing a black mask around border regions of the cover substrate, and disposing at least one touch sensor edge electrode on a surface within a first cavity of the cover substrate such that the at least one touch sensor edge electrode is at an angle relative to the front surface of the cover substrate, wherein the first cavity is adjacent to a first edge of the cover substrate. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the surface within the first cavity of the cover substrate is a surface of an antenna element at least partially disposed within the first cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the surface within the first cavity of the cover substrate is an outward facing surface of the cavity. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the method further comprises the step of: forming first routing traces for routing the plurality of touch sensor electrodes to a readout circuit and forming second routing traces for routing the at least one touch sensor edge electrode to the readout circuit. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the first routing traces are formed from a transparent conductor and the second routing traces are formed from a non-transparent conductor. 
     Although examples of this disclosure have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of examples of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20150930
Publication Date: 20200602
Grant Date: 20200602
Priority Date: 20150930
Inventors: KUBOYAMA, YUTA
HOLZ, KEVIN F.
ZUBER, Wesley W.
BADAYE, MASSOUD
MONDAL, SUDIP
TUNG, CHUN-HAO
HUANG, MENGSHU
LIN, DER-SONG
CHEN, JINGHONG
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1643", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0443", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1643", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1643", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0443", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/169", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1698", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/163", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 58407148