CAPACITIVE SENSOR DEVICE

• US 20130082763A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited.
• Original Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries Limited
• Inventors: SHIRAOKA, Takahisa, ISOBE, Hiroshi, INADA, Seishou, GUO, Shijie
• Granted Patent: US 9,525,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 327/517
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/146 for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays G01L1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches

Abstract

Provided is a capacitive sensor device capable of detecting the position and magnitude of external force with high accuracy.

Employed is a capacitive sensor which comprises pairs of electrodes arranged in a matrix, each of the pairs of electrodes being disposed to face each other with a distance therebetween, and an elastically deformable dielectric layer arranged between each of the pairs of electrodes. A capacitance measuring part measures capacitance of respective electrode pair groups in a plurality of combinations each comprising more than one of the pairs of electrodes including a selected one of the pairs of electrodes. An external force calculating part calculates the magnitude of external force applied to the position of the selected pair of electrodes based on a plurality of measured values of the capacitance.

Claims

1. A capacitive sensor device, comprising:

a capacitive sensor comprising pairs of electrodes arranged in a matrix, each of the pairs of electrodes being disposed to face each other with a distance therebetween, and an elastically deformable dielectric layer arranged between each of the pairs of electrodes;

a capacitance measuring part for measuring capacitance of respective electrode pair groups in a plurality of combinations each comprising more than one of the pairs of electrodes including a selected one of the pairs of electrodes; and

an external force calculating part for calculating magnitude of external force applied to position of the selected pair of electrodes based on a plurality of measured values of the capacitance.

2. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1, wherein:

the capacitive sensor comprises;

a first electrode group comprising a plurality of first electrodes extending in one direction and arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

a second electrode group comprising a plurality of second electrodes extending in the second direction and arranged in the first direction, and arranged to face the first electrode group with a distance therebetween; and

the dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode group and the second electrode group.

3. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the electrode pair groups whose capacitance is to be measured by the capacitance measuring part comprises a plurality of adjoining ones of the pairs of electrodes.

4. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the electrode pair groups whose capacitance is to be measured by the capacitance measuring part is one of the electrode pair groups not including pairs of electrodes constituting a just measured one of the electrode pair groups.