ELECTRODE SYSTEM FOR PROXIMITY DETECTION AND HAND-HELD DEVICE WITH ELECTRODE SYSTEM

• US 20110025345A1
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neodrón Limited (Atlantic IP Services Limited)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Unterreitmayer, Reinhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,493,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/600
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An electrical hand-held device is provided with improved proximity detection, which can be placed on a surface and has at least one transmission electrode, at least one reception electrode and at least one compensation electrode arranged between transmission electrode and reception electrode. The transmission electrode and the compensation electrode can be supplied with an electric switching signal of predetermined signal frequency and predetermined signal amplitude. Switching electric signal at the compensation electrode is phase-delayed with respect to the switching electric signal at the transmission electrode. Alternating electric fields radiated at the transmission electrode and the compensation electrode generate a current in the reception electrode, which is representative of an approach of a hand to the hand-held device. The transmission electrode and the reception electrode are arranged in such a way, that the impedance between the transmission electrode and the reception electrode exceeds a predetermined value, which is suitable to keep the current generated in the reception electrode under a predetermined value.

Claims

1. Electrical hand-held device, which can be placed on a surface (A), comprising at least a transmission electrode (TE), a reception electrode (RE) and a compensation electrode (CE) arranged between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), with which an approach of a hand (D1, D2) to the hand-held device is detectable,

wherein from the transmission electrode (TE) a first alternating electric field (AS) and from the compensation electrode (CE) a second alternating electric field (AK) can be radiated, wherein the first alternating electric field (AS) with respect to the second alternating electric field (AK) is phase-delayed and wherein the alternating electric fields (AS, AK) can be coupled into the surface (A) and into the reception electrode (RE),

wherein the alternating electric fields (AS, AK) coupled to reception electrode (RE) generate a current (I) in the reception electrode (RE), which is representative of an approach (D1, D2) of a hand to the hand-held device,

wherein the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE) on the hand-held device are arranged in such a way, that the sum of the impedances between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), which consist of

the impedance between the transmission electrode (TE) and the surface (A),

the impedance of the surface (A) and

the impedance between the surface (A) and the reception electrode (RE) when a hand-held device is placed on a surface (A) exceeds a predetermined value (Z₀), which is suitable to keep the current (I) generated in the reception electrode (RE) under a predetermined value (I₀).

5. Hand-held device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein transmission electrode (TE), compensation electrode (CE) and reception electrode (RE) of each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are arranged in such a way at the hand-held device, that they do not touch the surface when a hand-held device is deposited on the surface (A).

6. Hand-held device according to claim 5, wherein the transmission electrode (TE), the compensation electrode (CE) and the reception electrode (RE) of each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are arranged on the surface of the hand-held device.

7. Hand-held device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the transmission electrode (TE), the compensation electrode (CE) and the reception electrode (RE) of each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are arranged on the surface-oriented side of a hand-held device.

8. Hand-held device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in each of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) the second alternating electric field (AK) radiated at the compensation electrode (CE) at least partially interferes with the first alternating electric field (AS) radiated at the transmission electrode (TE) and causes a level reduction of the alternating electric field resulting through the superposition, which leads to a reduction of the current (I) generated in the reception electrode (RE).

9. Hand-held device according to claim 8, wherein in each of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) a first approach (D₁) of a hand to the hand-held device causes a change of the sum of the impedances between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), comprised between the predetermined value (Z₀) and a further predetermined value (Z₁), with Z₀>

Z₁, and which is suitable to lead the current (I) generated in reception electrode (RE) over the predetermined value (I0).

10. Hand-held device according to claim 9, wherein in each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) a second approach (D₂) of a hand to the hand-held device causes a change in the sum of the impedances between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), which lies under a further predetermined value (Z₁) and which is suitable to lead the current (I) generated at reception electrode (RE) over a second predetermined value (I₁), with I₁>

I0.

11. Hand-held device according to claim 10, wherein at least the reception electrode (RE) of at least one of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) is coupled to a control device, which is so construed, as to cause

a sleeping mode below the current (I₀),

a switch mode above the current (I₀) and below the current (I₁), and

an active mode above the current I₁ of the hand-held device.

12. Hand-held device according to one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the transmission electrode (TE), the reception electrode (RE) and the compensation electrode (CE) of each of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are so construed, that the approach (D₁, D₂) of a hand to the hand-held device causes a level rise of the alternating electric field resulting from the superposition and a reduction of the impedance between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE).

13. Hand-held device according to claim 12, wherein the ratio of the level (P₁) of the resulting alternating field in the first approach (D₁) with respect to the level (P₂) of the resulting alternating field in the second approach (D₂) is smaller than the ratio of the impedance (Z₂) between the transmission electrode and the reception electrode in the second approach (D₂) with respect to the impedance (Z₁) between transmission electrode and reception electrode in the first approach (D₁).

14. Hand-held device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission electrode (TE), the reception electrode (RE) and the compensation electrode (CE) of at least one of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are asymmetrically arranged in order to effect a left/right-distinction of an approach of a hand.

15. Hand-held device according to claim 14, wherein depending on the distinction a predetermined device function can be performed.

16. Hand-held device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second alternating electric field (AK) radiated from at least one compensation electrode (CE) of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) is provided for an adaptation of predetermined values (I0) depending on the electric field surrounding a hand-held device.

17. Hand-held device according to one of claims 3 to 16, wherein the evaluation electronics is so formed as to provide a representative signal of an approach to an electrode structure.

18. Hand-held device according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the hand-held device is a remote control device.

19. Hand-held device according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the hand-held device is a mobile phone.

20. Hand-held device according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the hand-held device is an input device for a game console.

2. Electrical hand-held device, which can be placed on a surface (A), comprising several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂), each electrode structure comprising at least one transmission electrode (TE), at least one reception electrode (RE) and at least one compensation electrode (CE) arranged between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), wherein with each of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) an approach of a hand to the hand-held device is detectable, wherein each of the several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) is formed in such a way that

from the transmission electrode (TE) a first alternating electric field (AS) and from the compensation electrode (CE) a second alternating electric field (AK) can be radiated, wherein the first alternating electric field (AS) with respect to the second alternating electric field (AK) is phase-delayed and wherein the alternating electric fields (AS, AK) can be coupled into the surface (A) and into the reception electrode (RE),

the alternating electric fields (AS, AK) coupled into the reception electrode (RE) generate a current (I) in the reception electrode (RE), which is representative of an approach of a hand to the electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) on the hand-held device, and

transmission electrode (TE) and reception electrode (RE) at the hand-held device are in such a way arranged, that the sum of the impedances between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), which consist of

the impedance between the transmission electrode (TE) and the surface (A),

the impedance of the surface (A) and

the impedance between the surface (A) and the reception electrode (RE)

when the hand-held device is placed on the surface (A) exceeds a predetermined value (Z₀), which is suitable, to keep the current (I) generated in the reception electrode (RE) under a predetermined value (I₀).

3. Hand-held device according to claim 2, wherein several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) are coupled with an electronic evaluation device and wherein the electronic evaluation device is developed to successively evaluate an approach of a hand to each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂).

4. Hand-held device according to claim 2, wherein each of several electrode structures (ES₁, ES₂) is respectively coupled with an electronic evaluation device and wherein each electronic evaluation device is formed in such a way as to evaluate an approach of a hand to the respective coupled electrode structure (ES₁, ES₂).

21. Hand-held device with:

a casing device,

a shifting detection arrangement to generate control data that correlate as such with the shifting of the casing device to a X- and a Y-axial direction, and

a hand detection arrangement to generate signals that describe as such the approaching status of a hand facing the casing device,

wherein

the hand detection arrangement comprises an electrode group with three field electrodes (TE, CE, RE) and

a circuit arrangement coupled with these field electrodes,

a circuit arrangement is so formed, that at least one of field electrodes (TE, CE, RE) can be supplied with a generator voltage alternating on an operating frequency, and

a tapping circuit is provided for generation of an electrode signal that is conducted to a signal control unit implemented as a microcontroller unit (MCU).

22. Hand-held device according to claim 21, wherein the impedance at the signal input of the tapping circuit reaches a minimum in the working frequency range.

23. Hand-held device according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the signal amplification is so processed, that it experiences an operational stable maximum in case of the smallest possible steepness.

24. Hand-held device according to claim 23, wherein subsequently a further signal amplification occurs and preferably wherein the output impedance of tapping circuit is laid out in such a way, that a DC-output signal derived directly from the AC-input signal at the exit of the tapping circuit is performed.

25. Hand-held device according to claim 24, wherein the DC-output signal of a signal control unit implemented as a microcontroller unit (MCU) is conducted.

26. Hand-held device according to claim 25, wherein the generator device is included directly into the signal control unit.

27. Hand-held device according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the tapping circuit is attached in such a way to the signal control unit, that the first reinforcing step of the tapping circuit is actuated by a tension-supplied signal control device.

28. Hand-held device according to claim 21, wherein the signal control device is so construed, as to cause of a sleeping mode and an active.

29. Hand-held device according to claim 28, wherein in the sleeping mode coverage the detection of approaching status occurs at intervals, that are separated from each other through pauses.

30. Hand-held device according to one of claims 21 to 29, wherein the hand-held device is a computer mouse, a remote control device, a mobile phone or an input device for a game console.

31. Electrode system for an arrangement at a hand-held device with at least a transmission electrode (TE), a reception electrode (RE) and a compensation electrode (CE), wherein the compensation electrode (CE) can be arranged between transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), wherein the electrode system is formed in such a way, that

from the transmission electrode (TE) a first alternating electric field (AS) and from the compensation electrode (CE) a second alternating electric field (AK) can be radiated, wherein a first alternating electric field (AS) with respect to a second alternating electric field (AK) is phase-delayed and wherein alternating electric fields (AS, AK) can be coupled into the reception electrode (RE), and

alternating electric fields (AS, AK) coupled with the reception electrode (RE) generate a current (I) in the reception electrode (RE), which is representative of an approach of a hand to an electrode system.

32. Electrode system according to claim 31, wherein the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE) can be arranged on the hand-held device in such a way, that the impedance between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), when a hand-held device is placed on a surface (A) exceeds a predetermined value (Z₀), which is suitable to keep the current (I) generated in reception electrode (RE) under a predetermined value (I₀).

33. Electrode system according to claim 32, wherein the impedance between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE) is the sum of the impedances between the transmission electrode (TE) and the reception electrode (RE), which consist of

the impedance between transmission electrode (TE) and surface (A),

the impedance of surface (A) and

the impedance between surface (A) and reception electrode (RE).

34. Electrode system according to one of claims 31 to 33, wherein an electrode system can be coupled with an evaluation electronics and wherein the evaluation electronics is adapted, in order to evaluate an approach of a hand to the electrode system and to provide a representative signal for an approach.

35. Hand-held device, especially a computer mouse, a remote control device, a mobile phone or an input device for a game console, with at least one electrode system according to one of claims 31 to 34.