Electrostatic sensing device

• US 10,261,637 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Wang, Xin-He, Li, Dong-Qi, Wang, Jiang-Tao, Wu, Wen-Yun, He, Yu-Jun, Liu, Peng, Zhao, Qing-Yu, Jiang, Kai-Li, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): Merkoulova, Olga V
• Application Number:
  US14/981,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20160188052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

An electrostatic sensing device comprises an electrostatic sensing module and a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module. The electrostatic sensing module comprises a first electrostatic sensing element comprising opposite ends, and two first electrodes. The two first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to the two opposite ends of the first electrostatic sensing element. The first electrostatic sensing element is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers. The control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element and measure a current/resistance of the first electrostatic sensing element.

Claims

1. An electrostatic sensing device, comprising:

an electrostatic sensing module comprising two first electrodes and a first electrostatic sensing element, wherein the two first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite ends of the first electrostatic sensing element, and the first electrostatic sensing element is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers; and

a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element and measure a resistance change between the two opposite ends of the first electrostatic sensing element which is generated by static electricity of an object near and without touching the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure.

2. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate to support the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the first electrostatic sensing element and the two first electrodes are located on a surface of the substrate.

3. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit comprises a circuit control module, a resistance measuring module and a switch, and the circuit control module, the resistance measuring module and the switch are electrically connected to the two first electrodes.

4. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the circuit control module is configured to apply the direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element.

5. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the resistance measuring module is configured to measure the resistance of the first electrostatic sensing element.

6. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an insulating protecting layer located on the substrate to protect the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the first electrostatic sensing element and the two first electrodes are coved by the insulating protecting layer.

7. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure is single walled carbon nanotube, few-walled carbon nanotube, semiconducting graphene strip, or semiconducting silicon nanowire.

8. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two first electrodes are made of metal, conductive polymer, conductive adhesive, metallic carbon nanotubes, or indium tin oxide (ITO).

17. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrostatic sensing element is a single semiconducting carbon nanotube;

an energy distance between the Fermi surface and the singularity of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube ranges from 30 meV to 300 meV;

the single semiconducting carbon nanotube has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end;

the first end is in direct contact with one of the two first electrodes, and the second end is in direct contact with the other one of the two first electrodes;

the control unit is configured to apply the direct voltage between the first end and the second end via the two first electrodes and measure a resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube when a sensed object, with electrostatic charge, being near but not in direct contact with the single semiconducting carbon nanotube; and

the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube is caused by an electric field generated by the electrostatic charge of the sensed object.

18. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control unit is further configured to obtain a distance between the sensed object and the single semiconducting carbon nanotube according to the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube, and the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube is proportional to the distance between the sensed object and the single semiconducting carbon nanotube when the sensed object nears but does not touch the single semiconducting carbon nanotube.

9. An electrostatic sensing device, comprising:

an electrostatic sensing module comprising a plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements spaced and substantially parallel to each other in same interval on a same plane, and a plurality of first electrodes;

wherein each two first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite sides of one of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements, and each of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers; and

a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and measure a resistance change between the two opposite sides of each of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements which is generated by static electricity of an object near and without touching the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure.

10. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a substrate to support the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of first electrodes are located on a surface of the substrate.

11. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control unit comprises a circuit control module, a resistance measuring module and a plurality of switches, and the circuit control module, the resistance measuring module and the plurality of switches are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes.

12. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the circuit control module is configured to apply the direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements.

13. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the resistance measuring module is configured to measure the resistance of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements.

14. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an insulating protecting layer located on the substrate to protect the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of first electrodes are coved by the insulating protecting layer.

15. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure is single walled carbon nanotube, few-walled carbon nanotube, semiconducting graphene strip, or semiconducting silicon nanowire.

16. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of first electrodes is made of metal, conductive polymer, conductive adhesive, metallic carbon nanotubes, or indium tin oxide (ITO).

19. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements is a single semiconducting carbon nanotube;

an energy distance between the Fermi surface and the singularity of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube ranges from 30 meV to 300 meV;

the single semiconducting carbon nanotube has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end;

the first end is in direct contact with one of the two first electrodes, and the second end is in direct contact with the other one of the two first electrodes;

the control unit is configured to apply the direct voltage between the first end and the second end via the two first electrodes and measure a resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube when a sensed object, with electrostatic charge, being near but not in direct contact with the single semiconducting carbon nanotube; and

the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube is caused by an electric field generated by the electrostatic charge of the sensed object.

20. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the control unit is further configured to obtain a distance between the sensed object and the single semiconducting carbon nanotube according to the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube, and the resistance changed value of the single semiconducting carbon nanotube is proportional to the distance between the sensed object and the single semiconducting carbon nanotube when the sensed object nears but does not touch the single semiconducting carbon nanotube.