TOUCH SENSING DEVICE, TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE COMPRISING THE TOUCH SENSING DEVICE, MOBILE DEVICE, METHOD FOR SENSING A TOUCH AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A TOUCH SENSING DEVICE

• US 20110175844A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: BERGGREN, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 8,519,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch sensing device, touch screen device comprising a touch sensing device, mobile device, method for sensing a touch and method for manufacturing a touch sensing device allowing various kinds of input operations. The touch sensing device comprises a deformable cover layer; a plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements arranged in an electrode element layer; and a plurality of pressure sensitive elements each being spatially separated from each other and being coupled to an associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element of said electrode element layer. One of said plurality of pressure sensitive elements and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element are arranged so that when a current to or from said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element passes through said pressure sensitive element, the voltage across said pressure sensitive element changes in response to a pressure exerted upon said cover layer above said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

Claims

1. A touch sensing device, comprising

a deformable cover layer;

a plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements arranged in an electrode element layer below said cover layer; and

a plurality of pressure sensitive elements each being spatially separated from each other and being coupled to an associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element of said electrode element layer, wherein

one of said plurality of pressure sensitive elements and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element are arranged so that when a current to or from said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element passes through said pressure sensitive element, the voltage across said pressure sensitive element changes in response to a pressure exerted upon said cover layer above said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

2. The touch sensing device of claim 1, wherein each pressure sensitive element is comprised in a pressure concentration structure spatially separated from another pressure concentration structure.

3. The touch sensing device of claim 2, wherein a pressure concentration structure is formed in a columnar shape below said cover layer.

4. The touch sensing device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensitive element comprises QTC or doped polymer.

5. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a determination section to determine a change in resistivity of said pressure sensitive element in response to the pressure exerted upon said cover layer.

6. The touch sensing device of claim 5, wherein said determination section is adapted to determine the voltage across the pressure sensitive element.

7. The touch sensing device of claim 5, wherein said determination section comprises a first and a second sample and hold circuit.

8. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a power supply coupled to at least one of the pressure sensitive elements to supply a current to the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

9. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising

a controller to control supply of said current to said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

10. Touch screen device comprising said touch sensing device of claim 1 and a display assembly below said touch sensing device.

11. Mobile device comprising said touch sensing device of claim 1.

12. Mobile device comprising said touch screen device of claim 10.

13. Method for sensing a touch on a touch sensing device having a plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements and associated pressure sensitive elements, the method comprising the steps

passing through a pressure sensitive element of the associated pressure sensitive elements a current supplied to or from one of said plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements;

and

determining a voltage change across said pressure sensitive element in response to a pressure exerted upon said touch sensing device.

14. Method for manufacturing a touch sensing device, the method comprising the steps

providing a deformable cover layer;

providing an electrode element layer of a plurality of individual capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements below said cover layer; and

arranging below said electrode element layer a plurality of pressure sensitive elements so as to be spatially separated from each other;

coupling to a pressure sensitive element an associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element of said electrode element layer, wherein

said pressure sensitive element and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element are to be arranged and coupled so that when a current to or from said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element passes through said pressure sensitive element, the voltage across the pressure sensitive element changes in response to a pressure exerted upon said cover layer above said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.