ELECTROSTATIC SENSING DEVICE

• US 20160188052A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: WANG, XIN-HE, LI, DONG-QI, WANG, JIANG-TAO, WU, WEN-YUN, HE, YU-JUN, LIU, PENG, ZHAO, QING-YU, JIANG, KAI-LI, FAN, SHOU-SHAN
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

An electrostatic sensing device comprises an electrostatic sensing module and a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module. The electrostatic sensing module comprises a first electrostatic sensing element comprising opposite ends, and two first electrodes. The two first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to the two opposite ends of the first electrostatic sensing element. The first electrostatic sensing element is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers. The control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element and measure a current/resistance of the first electrostatic sensing element.

Claims

1. An electrostatic sensing device, comprising:

an electrostatic sensing module comprising two first electrodes and a first electrostatic sensing element, wherein the two first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite ends of the first electrostatic sensing element, and the first electrostatic sensing element is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers; and

a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element and measure a current/resistance of the first electrostatic sensing element.

2. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate to support the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the first electrostatic sensing element and the two first electrodes are located on a surface of the substrate.

3. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit comprises a circuit control module, a resistance measuring module and a switch, and the circuit control module, the resistance measuring module and the switch are electrically connected to the two first electrodes.

4. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the circuit control module is configured to apply the direct voltage to the first electrostatic sensing element.

5. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the resistance measuring module is configured to measure the current/resistance of the first electrostatic sensing element.

6. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an insulating protecting layer located on the substrate to protect the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the first electrostatic sensing element and the two first electrodes are covered by the insulating protecting layer.

7. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure is single walled carbon nanotube, few-walled carbon nanotube, semiconducting graphene strip, or semiconducting silicon nanowire.

8. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two first electrodes are made of metal, conductive polymer, conductive adhesive, metallic carbon nanotubes, or indium tin oxide (ITO).

9. An electrostatic sensing device, comprising:

an electrostatic sensing module comprising a plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements spaced and substantially parallel to each other in same interval on a same plane, and a plurality of first electrodes;

wherein each two first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite sides of one of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements, and each of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers; and

a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and measure a current/resistance of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements.

10. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a substrate to support the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of first electrodes are located on a surface of the substrate.

11. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control unit comprises a circuit control module, a resistance measuring module and a plurality of switches, and the circuit control module, the resistance measuring module and the plurality of switches are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes.

12. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the circuit control module is configured to apply the direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements.

13. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the resistance measuring module is configured to measure the current/resistance of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements.

14. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an insulating protecting layer located on the substrate to protect the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of first electrodes are covered by the insulating protecting layer.

15. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure is single walled carbon nanotube, few-walled carbon nanotube, semiconducting graphene strip, or semiconducting silicon nanowire.

16. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of first electrodes is made of metal, conductive polymer, conductive adhesive, metallic carbon nanotubes, or indium tin oxide (ITO).

17. An electrostatic sensing device, comprising:

an electrostatic sensing module comprising a plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements spaced and substantially parallel to each other in same interval along a first direction, a plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements spaced and substantially parallel to each other in same interval along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, wherein each two first electrodes of the plurality of first electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite sides of one of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements, each two second electrodes of the plurality of second electrodes are separately located on and electrically connected to two opposite sides of one of the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements, the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements is intersected with the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements, and each of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and each of the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements is one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure with a diameter less than 100 nanometers; and

a control unit electrically connected to the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the control unit electrically is configured to apply a direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements and measure a current/resistance of the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements.

18. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a substrate to support the electrostatic sensing module, wherein the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements, the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements, the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are located on a surface of the substrate.

19. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the control unit comprises a circuit control module configured to apply the direct voltage to the plurality of first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements, and a resistance measuring module configured to measure the current/resistance of the first electrostatic sensing elements and the plurality of second electrostatic sensing elements.

20. The electrostatic sensing device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the one-dimensional semiconducting linear structure is single walled carbon nanotube, few-walled carbon nanotube, semiconducting graphene strip, or semiconducting silicon nanowire.