Push amount detecting sensor and touch input device

• US 10,120,477 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Kitada, Hiroaki, Ishii, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fox, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/671,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A touch input device includes a touch panel, a push amount calculating unit and a touch detection signal generating unit. The touch panel includes piezoelectric and electrostatic sensors. The piezoelectric sensor outputs to the push amount calculating unit a push signal corresponding to a displacement amount obtained by pushing an operation surface. The electrostatic sensor outputs touch signals, corresponding to a touch and a non-touch, to a touch detection signal generating unit. The touch detection signal generating unit outputs to the push amount calculating unit the touch detection signals binarized according to the touch and non-touch state. The push amount calculating unit integrates differences between push signals and a reference potential during a touch state, generates a push amount detection signal and outputs the push amount detection signal. This unit resets a reference potential during a period in which a touch detection signal indicating a non-touch state is inputted.

Claims

1. A push detecting sensor comprising:

a touch panel that includes a piezoelectric sensor that outputs a push signal corresponding to a displacement amount when a surface of the touch panel is pushed;

a touch detecting sensor that outputs a touch detection signal when the surface of the touch panel is touched;

a push amount calculating circuit that integrates a difference between the push signal and a reference potential to generate a push amount detection signal; and

a switching element that controls the push amount calculating unit, based on a state of the touch detection signal, to switch the push amount calculating circuit between integrating the difference between the push signal and the reference potential and resetting the reference potential,

wherein the switching element controls the push amount calculating circuit to integrate the difference between the push signal and the reference potential when the state of the touch detection signal indicates an operation state in which the touch panel is being touched, and

wherein the switching element controls the push amount calculating circuit to reset the reference potential when the state of the touch detection signal switches to an untouched state of the touch panel to stabilize the reference potential.

2. The push detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein the touch detecting sensor is configured to output the touch detection signal as a binary value based on a state of whether the surface of the touch panel is touched or not touched.

3. The push detecting sensor according to claim 2, wherein the push amount calculating circuit integrates the difference between the push signal and the reference potential according to a first binary value and resets the reference potential according to a second binary value.

4. The push detecting sensor according to claim 3, wherein the push amount calculating circuit comprises an integration circuit with a bypass circuit that is enabled in response to the first binary value and disenabled in response to the second binary value.

5. The push detecting sensor according to claim 4, wherein the push amount calculating circuit comprises:

a first operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal that receives the push signal and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to the reference potential;

a capacitor connected in parallel between an output terminal of the first operational amplifier and the inversion input terminal of the first operational amplifier; and

a series circuit that is connected in parallel to the capacitor and that includes a discharge resistor and the switching element that turns on and off according to the first and second binary values, respectively.

6. The push detecting sensor according to claim 5, wherein the push amount calculating circuit further comprises a second operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal coupled to an output of the first operational amplifier and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to another reference potential.

7. The push detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein the push amount calculating circuit comprises:

a first operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal that receives the push signal and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to the reference potential;

a capacitor connected in parallel between an output terminal of the first operational amplifier and the inversion input terminal of the first operational amplifier; and

a series circuit that is connected in parallel to the capacitor and that includes a discharge resistor and the switching element that turns on and off according to the touch detection signal.

8. The push detecting sensor according to claim 7, wherein the push amount calculating circuit further comprises a second operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal coupled to an output of the first operational amplifier and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to another reference potential.

9. The push detecting sensor according to claim 1, wherein the touch detecting sensor comprises:

an electrostatic sensor that outputs a touch signal when an electrostatic capacitance changes when the surface of the touch panel is touched; and

a touch detection signal generating unit that generates the touch detection signal based on the touch signal output from the electrostatic sensor.

10. The push detecting sensor according to claim 9, wherein the push amount calculating circuit and the touch detection signal generating unit are collectively integrated in a digital IC integrated as one chip.

11. The push detecting sensor according to claim 9, wherein the electrostatic sensor is disposed in the touch panel.

12. A touch input device comprising:

a push detecting sensor that includes;

a touch panel that includes a piezoelectric sensor that outputs a push signal corresponding to a displacement amount when a surface of the touch panel is pushed;

a touch detecting sensor that outputs a touch detection signal when the surface of the touch panel is touched;

a push amount calculating circuit that is coupled to the touch detecting sensor and receives the touch detection signal; and

a switching element that controls the push amount calculating unit, based on a state of the touch detection signal, to switch between integrating a difference between the push signal and a reference potential to generate a push amount detection signal and resetting the reference potential,

wherein the switching element controls the push amount calculating circuit to integrate the difference between the push signal and the reference potential when the state of the touch detection signal indicates an operation state in which the touch panel is being touched, and

wherein the switching element controls the push amount calculating circuit to reset the reference potential when the state of the touch detection signal switches to an untouched state of the touch panel to stabilize the reference potential,

wherein the touch input device is configured to output the touch detection signal together with the push amount detection signal.

13. The touch input device according to claim 12, wherein the push amount calculating circuit includes a signal output selecting unit that is configured to stop an output of the touch detection signal when the push amount detection signal is below a threshold, and to enable an output of the touch detection signal when the push amount detection signal is equal to or above the threshold.

14. The touch input device according to claim 12, wherein the touch detecting sensor includes:

an electrostatic sensor that outputs the touch signal when an electrostatic capacitance changes when the surface of the touch panel is touched; and

a touch detection signal generating unit that generates the touch detection signal based on the touch detection signal output from the electrostatic sensor.

15. The touch input device according to claim 14, wherein the push amount calculating unit and the touch detection signal generating unit are collectively integrated in a digital IC integrated as one chip.

16. The touch input device according to claim 14, wherein the piezoelectric sensor and the electrostatic sensor collectively include:

a piezoelectric film of a flat film shape that includes a primary surface and a secondary surface opposing the primary surface;

an electrostatic capacitance detection electrode that is disposed in at least one of the primary surface and the secondary surface of the piezoelectric film; and

a piezoelectric voltage detection electrode that is disposed in the primary surface and the secondary surface of the piezoelectric film.

17. The touch input device according to claim 16, wherein the piezoelectric film comprises polylactic acid that is stretched in at least a uniaxial direction.

18. The touch input device according to claim 12, wherein the push amount calculating circuit comprises:

a first operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal that receives the push signal and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to the reference potential;

a capacitor connected in parallel between an output terminal of the first operational amplifier and the inversion input terminal of the first operational amplifier; and

a series circuit that is connected in parallel to the capacitor and that includes a discharge resistor and the switching element that turns on and off according to the touch detection signal.

19. The touch input device according to claim 18, wherein the push amount calculating circuit further comprises a second operational amplifier having an inversion input terminal coupled to an output of the first operational amplifier and a non-inversion input terminal coupled to another reference potential.