Abstract:
A multi-layer micro-wire structure includes first and second substrates having first and second layers extending to first and second layer edges, respectively. The first layer includes first micro-wire electrodes and first connection pads. Each first micro-wire electrode includes one or more electrically connected first micro-wires and each first connection pad electrically connects to a corresponding first micro-wire electrode. The second layer includes second micro-wire electrodes and second connection pads. Each second micro-wire electrode includes one or more electrically connected second micro-wires, and each second connection pad electrically connects to a corresponding second micro-wire electrode. The second layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate and the second layer edge extends at least partly beyond the first layer edge so that one or more of the second connection pads is located between at least a portion of the first layer edge and the second layer edge.
Abstract:
An imprinted micro-structure includes a substrate having an edge area and a central area separate from the edge area. A cured bottom-layer, connecting layer, and top layer are formed over the substrate, each with a corresponding imprinted micro-channel having a cured micro-wire. The bottom micro-wire is in the central area and the edge area. The connecting-layer micro-wire contacts at least a portion of the bottom-layer micro-wire in the edge area. A cured edge micro-wire in the top layer contacts at least a portion of the connecting-layer micro-wire in the edge area. A top-layer micro-wire is located in a top-layer micro-channel and is separate from the edge micro-wire and bottom micro-wire. The bottom-layer micro-wire in the central area is electrically connected to the edge micro-wire in the edge area and is electrically isolated from the top-layer micro-wire.
Abstract:
A touch-screen device includes a transparent dielectric layer. A plurality of first electrodes is located over the transparent dielectric layer. A plurality of second electrodes is located under the transparent dielectric layer so that the first electrodes overlap the second electrodes to form an array of capacitors. A controller provides electrical signals to the first and second electrodes to energize and measure the baseline capacitance and repeatedly energize and measure the present capacitance of each capacitor. The controller calculates a ratio function between the present capacitance and the corresponding stored baseline capacitance for each capacitor and provides a touch signal when the ratio function exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
Abstract:
A method of using a machine-readable code to extract information includes using an image-capture device to capture a digital image of a machine-readable code encoding information wherein the image-capture device is positioned at any of a plurality of angles relative to the machine-readable code; using a processor to extract the information encoded in the machine-readable code; using the processor to analyze the captured digital image of the machine-readable code and calculate the relative positioned angle at which the image-capture device was positioned when the image-capture device captured the digital image of the machine-readable code; and using the processor and the calculated relative positioned angle to determine information.
Abstract:
A method of ranking the importance of digital images from a collection of images, including using a processor to operate upon a photo-collage identifying digital images in the image collection to rank the importance of one or more of the digital images based on the photo-collage, and associating the importance ranking of the one or more digital images with the corresponding one or more digital images.
Abstract:
A method of operating a micro-wire electrode structure includes using a controller to receive an electrical signal from one or more first electrodes. The first electrodes have visually uniform micro-wires arranged on a surface in a surface area. Each first electrode includes two or more electrically connected micro-wires in the surface area. The controller receives an electrical signal from one or more second electrodes. The second electrodes have visually uniform micro-wires arranged on the surface in the surface area. Each second electrode includes one or more electrically connected micro-wires in the surface area. The second electrodes have a smaller electrode area and a smaller micro-wire area than the first electrodes in the surface area and the first and second electrode areas are visually uniform. A processor detects a low-spatial-resolution signal from the first electrode(s) and detecting a high-spatial-resolution signal from the second electrode(s).
Abstract:
A micro-wire electrode structure includes a surface having a surface area and an arrangement of micro-wires formed relative to the surface in the surface area. The micro-wires provide a first spatial electrode resolution and second micro-wire electrodes providing a second spatial electrode resolution greater than the first spatial electrode resolution. One or more first electrodes each include two or more electrically connected micro-wires in the surface area providing the first spatial electrode resolution. One or more second electrodes each include one or more electrically connected micro-wires in the surface area providing the second spatial electrode resolution greater than the first spatial electrode resolution. The second electrodes have a smaller electrode area and a smaller micro-wire area than the first electrodes in the surface area and the first and second electrode areas are visually uniform.
Abstract:
A micro-wire touch-screen device includes a transparent layer having a surface, a plurality of drive electrodes formed in relation to the transparent layer, and a plurality of sense electrodes formed in relation to the transparent layer. Each drive electrode includes a plurality of electrically connected drive micro-wire and each sense electrode includes a plurality of electrically connected sense micro-wires. The sense micro-wires are electrically isolated from the drive micro-wires. The transparent layer is disposed such that the location of the transparent layer surface is selected to be greater than zero and less than 500 microns from the sense electrodes in a direction perpendicular to the transparent layer surface. The drive electrodes and the sense electrodes form a capacitive touch sensor that does not experience false release.
Abstract:
A method of making a multi-level micro-wire structure includes imprinting first micro-channels in a curable first layer over a substrate, curing the first layer, and locating and curing a curable conductive ink in the first micro-channels to form first micro-wires. Multi-level second micro-channels are imprinted in a curable second layer in contact with the first layer with a multi-level stamp, the second layer is cured, and a curable conductive ink is located and cured in the multi-level second micro-channels to form multi-level second micro-wires. At least one of the multi-level second micro-channels contacts at least one first micro-wire. A multi-level second micro-wire in at least one of the multi-level second micro-channels is in electrical contact with at least one first micro-wire.
Abstract:
A method of making an imprinted micro-wire structure includes providing a substrate, a first stamp, and a different multi-level second stamp. A curable bottom layer is provided over the substrate. One or more bottom-layer micro-channels) are imprinted in the curable bottom layer with the first stamp and a bottom-layer micro-wire formed in each bottom-layer micro-channel. A curable multi-layer is formed adjacent to and in contact with the cured bottom layer. First and second multi-layer micro-channels and a top-layer micro-channel are imprinted in the curable multi-layer with the multi-level second stamp. Either two bottom-layer micro-wires are electrically connected through the first and second multi-layer micro-wires and a top-layer micro-wire or two top-layer micro-wires are electrically connected through the first and second multi-layer micro-wires and a bottom-layer micro-wire.