Variably dimensioned capacitance sensor elements
First Claim
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1. A capacitance sensing apparatus comprising:
- a layer of material; and
a first capacitance sensor element covered by said layer of material, said first capacitance sensor element configured to sense a capacitance induced when an object is proximate to a sensing surface;
wherein said layer of material has an uneven effect on a measure of capacitance, wherein said first capacitance sensor element is dimensioned to compensate for said effect such that said measure of capacitance is substantially the same without regard to a position of said object relative to said first capacitance sensing element.
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Abstract
A capacitance sensing apparatus includes capacitance sensor elements covered by a layer of material. The layer of material has an uneven effect on a measure of capacitance induced in the capacitance sensor elements when an object is in proximity to a sensing surface. For example, the layer of material may have a non-uniform thickness, or a property of the material may be non-uniform across the layer. The capacitance sensor elements are dimensioned to compensate for the effect.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A capacitance sensing apparatus comprising:
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a layer of material; and a first capacitance sensor element covered by said layer of material, said first capacitance sensor element configured to sense a capacitance induced when an object is proximate to a sensing surface; wherein said layer of material has an uneven effect on a measure of capacitance, wherein said first capacitance sensor element is dimensioned to compensate for said effect such that said measure of capacitance is substantially the same without regard to a position of said object relative to said first capacitance sensing element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A capacitance sensing apparatus for sensing an object proximate to a capacitance sensing surface, said apparatus comprising:
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a first capacitance sensor element; and a second capacitance sensor element, wherein said first capacitance sensor element has a size that is different from that of said second capacitance sensor element; wherein dimensions of said first and second capacitance sensor elements are selected such that a first background capacitance, if measured by said first capacitance sensor element in the absence of said object, and a second background capacitance, if measured by said second capacitance sensor element in the absence of said object, are substantially equal, and such that a first capacitance measured by said first capacitance sensor element detecting said object proximate said first capacitance sensor element and a second capacitance measured by said second capacitance sensor element detecting said object proximate said second capacitance sensor element are substantially equal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A capacitance sensing apparatus comprising:
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a reference sensing surface; a first capacitance sensor element traversed by said sensing surface, said first capacitance sensor element configured to sense a capacitance induced when an object is proximate to said sensing surface; and a layer of material disposed between said sensing surface and said first capacitance sensor element, wherein an attribute of said layer of material is non-uniform across said layer of material such that said layer of material has an uneven effect on capacitance; wherein if said object is at a first position on said sensing surface, a first capacitance is induced, and if said object is at a second position on said sensing surface, a second capacitance is induced; and
wherein said first capacitance sensor element is dimensioned to compensate for said effect such that said first and second capacitances are substantially equal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification