SENSOR APPARATUS AND DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20110227866A1
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KAWAGUCHI, Hiroto, WADA, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,229,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A sensor apparatus includes a first member, a second member, and a detection mechanism. The second member is relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the first member. The detection mechanism includes an elastic member arranged between the first member and the second member, a support that is provided between the first member and the elastic member and forms an air layer between the first member and the elastic member, the air layer having a thickness changed by an elastic deformation of the elastic member, and an electrode pair that forms a plurality of capacitances including a capacitance component changed in accordance with a change of the thickness of the air layer. The detection mechanism outputs a detection signal on a movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on a change of a combined capacitance of the electrode pair.

Claims

1. A sensor apparatus, comprising:

a first member;

a second member relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the first member; and

a detection mechanism including an elastic member arranged between the first member and the second member, a support that is provided between the first member and the elastic member and forms an air layer between the first member and the elastic member, the air layer having a thickness changed by an elastic deformation of the elastic member, and an electrode pair that forms a plurality of capacitances including a capacitance component changed in accordance with a change of the thickness of the air layer, the detection mechanism being configured to output a detection signal on a movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on a change of a combined capacitance of the electrode pair.

2. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first member includes a dielectric layer formed to face the air layer,

the electrode pair includes a first electrode portion and a second electrode portion that are arranged on the dielectric layer to face the air layer and are opposed to each other in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, and

the detection mechanism outputs the detection signal based on a change of a combined capacitance of a first capacitance between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion interposing the air layer, and a second capacitance between the first electrode portion and the second electrode portion interposing the dielectric layer.

3. The sensor apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a third electrode portion that is connected to a ground potential and arranged on the second member to be opposed to the electrode pair in the first direction.

4. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electrode pair includes

a first electrode portion arranged on the first member to face the air layer, and

a second electrode portion arranged on the second member to be opposed to the first electrode portion in the first direction, and

the detection mechanism outputs the detection signal based on a change of a combined capacitance of a first capacitance between an interface of the air layer and the elastic member and the first electrode portion, and a second capacitance between the interface and the second electrode portion.

5. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the support is a pressure-sensitive layer that bonds the elastic member to the first member.

6. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a computing section configured to be electrically connected to the detection mechanism and compute the movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on the detection signal.

7. The sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second member is a touch panel that detects a position of an operator on a plane orthogonal to the first direction, and

the first member is a casing to accommodate the touch panel.

8. A sensor apparatus, comprising:

a first member;

a second member relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the first member; and

a detection mechanism including an elastic member arranged between the first member and the second member, a dielectric member that is arranged adjacently to the elastic member and changes a thickness of an air layer by an elastic deformation of the elastic member, the air layer being formed by the dielectric member being opposed to the first member in the first direction, and an electrode pair that forms a plurality of capacitances including a capacitance component changed in accordance with a change of the thickness of the air layer, the detection mechanism being configured to output a detection signal on a movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on a change of a combined capacitance of the electrode pair.

9. A display apparatus, comprising:

a first member having light-transmissive property;

a second member relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the first member;

a detection mechanism including an elastic member arranged between the first member and the second member, a support that is provided between the first member and the elastic member and forms an air layer between the first member and the elastic member, the air layer having a thickness changed by an elastic deformation of the elastic member, and an electrode pair that forms a plurality of capacitances including a capacitance component changed in accordance with a change of the thickness of the air layer, the detection mechanism being configured to output a detection signal on a movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on a change of a combined capacitance of the electrode pair; and

a display device that is accommodated in the second member and has a display surface opposed to the first member.

10. A display apparatus, comprising:

a first member having light-transmissive property;

a second member relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the first member;

a detection mechanism including an elastic member arranged between the first member and the second member, a dielectric member that is arranged adjacently to the elastic member and changes a thickness of an air layer by an elastic deformation of the elastic member, the air layer being formed by the dielectric member being opposed to the first member in the first direction, and an electrode pair that forms a plurality of capacitances including a capacitance component changed in accordance with a change of the thickness of the air layer, the detection mechanism being configured to output a detection signal on a movement amount of the second member in the first direction based on a change of a combined capacitance of the electrode pair; and

a display device that is accommodated in the second member and has a display surface opposed to the first member.