Touch sensing device, touch screen device comprising the touch sensing device, mobile device, method for sensing a touch and method for manufacturing a touch sensing device

• US 8,519,974 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Berggren, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US12/689,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch sensing device, touch screen device comprising a touch sensing device, mobile device, method for sensing a touch and method for manufacturing a touch sensing device allowing various kinds of input operations. The touch sensing device comprises a deformable cover layer; a plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements arranged in an electrode element layer; and a plurality of pressure sensitive elements each being spatially separated from each other and being coupled to an associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element of said electrode element layer. One of said plurality of pressure sensitive elements and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element are arranged so that when a current to or from said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element passes through said pressure sensitive element, the voltage across said pressure sensitive element changes in response to a pressure exerted upon said cover layer above said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

Claims

1. A touch sensing device, comprising

a deformable cover layer;

a plurality of capacitive touch sensitive electrode elements arranged in an electrode element layer below said cover layer; and

a plurality of pressure sensitive elements each being spatially separated from each other and being coupled to an associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element of said electrode element layer,

wherein one of said plurality of pressure sensitive elements and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element are respectively arranged so that when a current to or from said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element is passed through said pressure sensitive element, the voltage across said pressure sensitive element changes in response to a pressure exerted upon said cover layer above said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element; and

wherein the touch sensing device is configured to individually read out pairs made of respective pressure elements and the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element to perform three-dimensional multi-touch sensing to respectively determine a pressure exerted onto the deformable cover layer at each one of multiple locations on the deformable cover layer that are touched simultaneously.

2. The touch sensing device of claim 1, wherein each pressure sensitive element is comprised in a pressure concentration structure spatially separated from another pressure concentration structure.

3. The touch sensing device of claim 2, wherein a pressure concentration structure is formed in a columnar shape below said cover layer.

4. The touch sensing device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensitive element comprises QTC or doped polymer.

5. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a determination section to determine a change in resistivity of said pressure sensitive element in response to the pressure exerted upon said cover layer.

6. The touch sensing device of claim 5, wherein said determination section is adapted to determine the voltage across the pressure sensitive element.

7. The touch sensing device of claim 5, wherein said determination section comprises a first and a second sample and hold circuit.

8. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a power supply coupled to at least one of the pressure sensitive elements to supply a current to the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

9. The touch sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a controller to control supply of said current to said capacitive touch sensitive electrode element.

10. Touch screen device comprising said touch sensing device of claim 1 and a display assembly below said touch sensing device.

11. Mobile device comprising said touch screen device of claim 10.

12. Mobile device comprising said touch sensing device of claim 1.

13. The touch sensing device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensitive element is placed in a sensing path which connects the associated capacitive touch sensitive electrode element to a determination section or to a power supply.