Electrically integrated touch input and output display system
First Claim
1. An integrated entry/display system comprising:
- a dielectric panel;
a display having at least one electrode adjacent one side of said dielectric panel;
a capacitive attenuator touch switch rear pad adjacent the one side of said dielectric panel and electrically insulated from said one display electrode;
a capacitive attenuator touch switch front pad adjacent the other side of said dielectric panel and arranged for capacitive coupling through said panel with both said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad; and
circuitry for operating said display by applying a suitable signal to said one display electrode; and
for operating said one display electrode, said touch switch rear pad and said touch switch front pad together as a capacitive attenuator touch switch by applying an effectively AC exciting voltage to one of said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad and sensing the resultant signal capacitively coupled to the other of said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad to detect a decrease in the coupled signal when said touch switch front pad is touched.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A user touch input and output display system which combines elements of a capacitive attenuator type touch switch and a display into a single system. In one embodiment type, one of the electrodes of the display performs double duty as a rear pad, for example a transmitter pad, of a capacitive attenuator type touch switch. The other rear pad necessary for operation of a capacitive attenuator touch switch may either be within the same chamber or envelope as the display electrodes, or may be outside the chamber. The display may for example be a gas discharge display, and the shared electrode does double duty as the display anode and a touch switch transmitter pad. Alternatively, the display may be a liquid crystal display. In embodiments where the other rear pad is within the chamber, to avoid noise interference to the touch switch caused by the gaseous discharge, it is preferable to operate the system in a display mode and in a touch switch mode at different times. During the touch switch mode, the display anode which also serves as the touch switch transmitter pad is supplied with an effectively AC signal. During the display mode, the display anode may be supplied with either a pulsating or a steady DC voltage. In another embodiment type, a liquid crystal display is driven by an AC voltage source having a high series impedance, and a display electrode is capacitively coupled to a touch pad. When a user touches the pad, sufficient signal is shunted to ground to drop the voltage across the display electrode below that necessary to maintain visible energization.
127 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An integrated entry/display system comprising:
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a dielectric panel; a display having at least one electrode adjacent one side of said dielectric panel; a capacitive attenuator touch switch rear pad adjacent the one side of said dielectric panel and electrically insulated from said one display electrode; a capacitive attenuator touch switch front pad adjacent the other side of said dielectric panel and arranged for capacitive coupling through said panel with both said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad; and circuitry for operating said display by applying a suitable signal to said one display electrode; and
for operating said one display electrode, said touch switch rear pad and said touch switch front pad together as a capacitive attenuator touch switch by applying an effectively AC exciting voltage to one of said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad and sensing the resultant signal capacitively coupled to the other of said one display electrode and said touch switch rear pad to detect a decrease in the coupled signal when said touch switch front pad is touched. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An integrated entry/display system comprising:
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a dielectric panel; a gas discharge display having at least two spaced electrodes within a sealed, gas-filled chamber, one of said display electrodes being a display anode and positioned adjacent one side of said dielectric panel; a capacitive attenuator touch switch receiver pad adjacent the one side of said dielectric panel and electrically insulated from said display anode electrode; a capacitive attenuator touch switch front pad adjacent the other side of said dielectric panel and arranged for capacitive coupling through said panel with both said display anode electrode and said capacitive attenuator touch switch receiver pad; and circuitry for operating said display by applying a suitable signal to said display anode electrode; and
for operating said display anode electrode, said touch switch receiver pad, and said touch switch front pad together as a capacitive attenuator touch switch by applying an effectively AC exciting voltage to said display anode electrode such that said display anode electrode also serves as a capacitive attenuator touch switch transmitter pad and sensing the resulting signal capacitively coupled to said receiver pad to detect a decrease in the coupled signal when said touch switch front pad is touched. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification