MULTICONTACT TACTILE SENSOR WITH SINGLE-CONTACT IDLE MODE

• US 20110001487A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissha Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stantum SAS
• Inventors: Olivier, Julien, Largillier, Guillaume, Joguet, Pascal
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A multicontact tactile sensor including a matrix formed of two transparent conducting layers, at least one exhibiting an array of fine conducting tracks, a control circuit including a power supply for one of the layers, and a mechanism detecting the other layer, the sensor having an operating mode of multicontact type corresponding to a sweep of supply to the lines of the corresponding layer, and an operating mode of monocontact type corresponding to a continuous and uniform supply over a whole of the sensor, each operating mode being activated as a function of the detection or nondetection of at least one contact.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A multicontact tactile sensor comprising:

a matrix including two transparent conductive layers, at least one including an array of fine conductive tracks; and

a control circuit including energization means for one of the layers and detection means for the other layer;

the sensor including a multicontact type mode of operation corresponding to scanned energization of rows of the corresponding layer, and a monocontact type mode of operation corresponding to continuous and uniform energization of a whole of the sensor, each mode of operation being activated as a function of detection or non-detection of at least one contact.

10. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, wherein the multicontact mode is activated by the detection of at least one contact.

11. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, wherein the monocontact mode is activated by absence of detection of at least one contact.

12. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 11, wherein the monocontact mode is activated after a latency time during which no contact is detected.

13. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, wherein the multicontact type mode of operation corresponds to scanned energization of the rows of the corresponding layer and to measurement at terminals of a point of intersection between the energized rows and each of columns of the other layer.

14. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, wherein the monocontact type mode of operation is an idle mode corresponding to an idle state of the sensor and the control circuit.

15. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, wherein the monocontact type mode of operation corresponds to continuous and uniform energization of all columns and to detection effected by scanning the rows.

16. A multicontact tactile sensor according to claim 9, which is transparent.