TOUCH PAD WITH ANTENNA

• US 20150193080A1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2014
• 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, Masaki, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US14/579,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2266 disposed inside the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

A touch pad with an antenna includes a substrate on an upper side of which an operation surface having a predetermined operation region is set, an electrode group for detecting capacitance configured to be arranged in a region of the substrate corresponding to the operation region, and an antenna for wireless communication configured to be arranged in a region located on a lower side of the substrate, the region overlapping with an electrode forming region in which the electrode group for detecting capacitance is formed, as viewed from above. The electrode group for detecting capacitance includes a first electrode group extended in a predetermined first direction and a second electrode group extended in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the antenna is extended in a direction intersecting with the first direction and the second direction.

Claims

1. A touch pad with an antenna comprising:

a substrate on an upper side of having set thereon an operation surface having a predetermined operation region;

an electrode group that detects capacitance arranged in a region of the substrate corresponding to the operation region; and

an antenna for wireless communication arranged in a region located on a lower side of the substrate, the region overlapping with an electrode group forming region in which the electrode group for detecting capacitance is disposed, as viewed from above, wherein

the electrode group for detecting capacitance includes a first electrode group extended in a predetermined first direction and a second electrode group extended in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and

wherein the antenna is extended in a direction intersecting with the first direction and the second direction.

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

the antenna comprises a coiled antenna wound along an outer circumference of a circle.

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

the operation region is a rectangular-shaped region having a long side extending in the first direction and a short side extending in the second direction, and

the antenna comprises a coiled antenna wound along an outer circumference of an ellipse having a long axis extending in the first direction and a short axis extending in the second direction.

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

a ground electrode made of a conductive material is arranged at a position, located on a lower side of the electrode group for detecting capacitance and located on an upper side of the antenna, so as to overlap with a whole region of the electrode forming region as viewed from above, and

a plurality of slits are formed in the ground electrode so as to radially extend from the vicinity of a central portion of the ground electrode.

5. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 4, wherein

the slits are arranged at regular intervals with respect to a rotation direction centered at the central portion of the ground electrode.

6. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 4, wherein

the slits are formed so as to divide an outer periphery portion of the ground electrode.

7. The touch pad with an antenna according to claim 4, wherein

the ground electrode includes a linking portion configured to link a plurality of ground electrode patterns divided by the slits, in the central portion of the ground electrode.