Pressure-Sensitive Touch Panel

• US 20170371470A1
• Filed: 12/23/2015
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Touch Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Touch Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nathan, Arokia, Lai, Jackson Chi-Sun, Cha, Suk-Bae, Church, Corbin
• Granted Patent: US 10,318,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

An apparatus for combined capacitance and pressure sensing is described. The apparatus includes a multiplexer (75) having a plurality of inputs (76) and an output (F), a touch panel (29), and a front end module (3). The touch panel includes a layer structure (5; FIG. 15) comprising one or more layers, each extending perpendicularly to a thickness direction, the one or more layers including a layer of piezoelectric material (10; FIG. 15), the layer structure having first (6) and second (7; FIG. 15) opposite faces, and the layer(s) arranged between the first and second faces such that the thickness direction of each layer is perpendicular to the first and second faces. The touch panel also includes a plurality of first electrodes (8) disposed on the first face, each first electrode connected to a respective input of the multiplexer. The touch panel also includes at least one second electrode (9) disposed on the second face. The front end module is configured to receive an input signal (11) from the multiplexer output. The front end module includes a first stage (12) configured to provide an amplified signal based on the input signal, and a second stage comprising first (13) and second (14) frequency-dependent filters configured to receive the amplified signal and to provide respective first (16) and second (17) filtered signals. The first filtered signal has a first frequency bandwidth, and the second filtered signal has a second frequency bandwidth which has a relatively higher start-frequency than the first frequency bandwidth.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a multiplexer having a plurality of inputs and an output;

a touch panel comprising;

a layer structure comprising one or more layers, each layer extending perpendicularly to a thickness direction, the one or more layers including a layer of piezoelectric material, the layer structure having first and second opposite faces, and the layer(s) arranged between the first and second faces such that the thickness direction of each layer is perpendicular to the first and second faces;

a plurality of first electrodes disposed on the first face, each first electrode connected to a respective input of the multiplexer;

at least one second electrode disposed on the second face;

a front end module configured to receive an input signal from the multiplexer output, the front end module comprising;

a first stage configured to provide an amplified signal based on the input signal; and

a second stage comprising first and second frequency-dependent filters configured to receive the amplified signal and to provide respective first and second filtered signals;

wherein the first filtered signal has a first frequency bandwidth, and the second filtered signal has a second frequency bandwidth which has a relatively higher start-frequency than the first frequency bandwidth.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal source configured to provide a periodic signal;

wherein the front end module is configured to receive the periodic signal and the first stage is configured to provide the amplified signal based on the input signal and the periodic signal; and

wherein the second filtered signal is based on the periodic signal and the first filtered signal is not based on the periodic signal.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second stages are configured such that the amplitude of the first filtered signal is dependent upon a pressure applied to the layer of piezoelectric material proximate to a given first electrode connected to the front end module by the multiplexer.

3. (canceled)

5-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A device for processing signals from a projected capacitance touch panel, the panel comprising a layer of piezoelectric material disposed between a plurality of first electrodes and at least one second electrode, the device configured, in response to receiving signals from a given first electrode, to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pressure applied to the touch panel proximate to the given first electrode and a capacitance signal indicative of a capacitance of the given first electrode.

28. A device according to claim 27, wherein the device comprises at least one signal splitter stage configured to split signals received from the touch panel into first and second signals, to pass the first signals to a first frequency dependent filter configured to reject the pressure signal and pass the capacitance signal, and to pass the second signals to a second frequency dependent filter configured to reject the capacitance signal and pass the pressure signal.

29. A device according to claim 27, wherein the device comprises at least one amplification stage configured to amplify the pressure signal.

30. Apparatus comprising:

a projected capacitance touch panel, the panel comprising a layer of piezoelectric material disposed between a plurality of first electrodes and at least one second electrode; and

a device according to claim 27, the device further comprising a plurality of terminals, each terminal connected to a corresponding first electrode.

31. Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the device is configured to receive signals from each first electrode concurrently.

32. Apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the device is configured to receive signals from each first electrode sequentially.

33. Apparatus comprising:

a projected capacitance touch panel, the panel comprising a layer of piezoelectric material disposed between a plurality of first electrodes and at least one second electrode;

a multiplexer having a plurality of inputs and an output, each multiplexer input connected to a corresponding first electrode; and

a device according to claim 27, the device further comprising a terminal connected to the multiplexer output.

34. A portable electronic device comprising a device according to claim 27.

60. Apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising:

a signal processor arranged to receive the pressure and capacitance signals and to calculate pressure values and capacitance values in dependence upon the pressure and capacitance signals.

61. Apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the signal processor is configured to employ correlated double sampling methods so as to improve signal to noise ratio of the pressure values and/or capacitance values.

62. Apparatus according to claims 60, wherein the signal processor is configured to treat the pressure values and/or the capacitance values as image data.

63. A portable electronic device comprising apparatus according to any claims 60.

35-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A method of processing signals from a projected capacitance touch panel, the panel comprising a layer of piezoelectric material disposed between a plurality of first electrodes and at least one second electrode, the method comprising:

receiving signal(s) from a given first electrode;

generating, based on the received signal(s), a pressure signal indicative of a pressure applied to the touch panel proximate to the given first electrode; and

generating, based on the received signal(s), a capacitance signal indicative of a capacitance of the given first electrode.

38. A method according to claim 37, comprising splitting the received signal(s) into first and second signal(s);

wherein generating the capacitance signal, comprises filtering the first signal(s) using a first frequency dependent filter to reject the pressure signal and pass the capacitance signal; and

wherein generating the pressure signal comprises filtering the second signal(s) using a second frequency dependent filter to reject the capacitance signal and pass the pressure signal.

39. A method according to claim 37, comprising amplifying the pressure signal.

40. A method according to claim 37, comprising receiving signals from the plurality of first electrodes concurrently;

41. A method according to claim 37, comprising receiving signals from the plurality of first electrodes sequentially.

42-59. -59. (canceled)