TOUCH PAD WITH ANTENNA

• US 20140362038A1
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Hiroaki, MURAKAMI, Takahiro, SHIGA, Sadakazu, MASAKI, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US14/250,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362038A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

Abstract

A touch pad with an antenna includes an electrode, control means for detecting proximity and a proximate position of an object on the basis of a change in capacitance which is associated with the proximity of the object to the electrode, an antenna, and antenna driving means for supplying power to the antenna. When the proximity of the object is not detected, the control means controls driving of the antenna driving means to set an output of the antenna to an output during ordinary driving. When the proximity of the object is detected, the control means controls driving of the antenna driving means to attenuate the output of the antenna with respect to the output during ordinary driving or to set the output of the antenna to zero.

Claims

1. A touch pad with an antenna, comprising:

an electrode;

a control unit configured to detect proximity of an object to the electrode and a position of the object based on a change in capacitance which is associated with the proximity of the object to the electrode;

an antenna; and

an antenna driving unit configured to supply power to the antenna,

wherein the control unit is further configured to control the antenna driving unit to;

drive the antenna at a first power level such that the antenna has a normal output when the proximity of the object is not detected; and

drive the antenna at a second power level lower than the first power level such that the antenna has to an attenuated output or zero output when the proximity of the object is detected.

2. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the antenna driving unit such that the antenna has a non-zero attenuated output when the proximity of the object is detected.

3. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 1,

wherein the antenna driving unit includes:

an AC power supply having one end connected to one end of the antenna and having the other end connected to the other end of the antenna; and

an adjustment circuit connected in parallel to the antenna, the adjustment circuit having a switch element and a resistor connected to the switch element in series, and

wherein the control means closes the switch element to attenuate the output of the antenna.

5. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a proximity detection mode in which only the proximity of the object is detected while the antenna has the normal output, and a position detection mode in which both of the proximity and the position of the object are detected while the antenna has the attenuated output.

4. (canceled)