Switched-electrode capacitive-measurement device for touch-sensitive and contactless interfaces

• US 9,250,757 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quickstep Technologies, LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nanotec Corporation
• Inventors: Roziere, Didier
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHAN, IBRAHIM A
• Application Number:
  US14/354,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.06, 178/18.05, 324/686
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 by varying capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 3/04166 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 3/0443 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

The present invention relates to a capacitive-measurement device for touch-sensitive and/or contactless interfaces, including at least one capacitive-measurement electrode and electrode-switching unit capable of electrically connecting the at least one electrode, either to a capacitive-measurement unit or to a guard potential, the at least one capacitive-measurement electrode and the electrode-switching unit being provided on a single detection surface according to a technique for manufacturing planar electronic components. The invention also relates to an apparatus implementing the device.

Claims

1. A capacitive measurement device for touch-sensitive and/or contactless interfaces, comprising:

at least one capacitive measurement electrode; and

at least one electrode switch configured to selectively electrically connect said at least one capacitive measurement electrode to means for measuring a capacitive coupling between the at least one capacitive measurement electrode and at least one object of interest, and to a guard potential so that said at least one capacitive measurement electrode is always connected either to said means for measuring the capacitive coupling or to said guard potential,

wherein the at least one capacitive measurement electrode and said electrode switch are formed on a single detection surface of a planar electronic component.

2. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one capacitive measurement electrode includes a plurality of capacitive measurement electrodes distributed over the detection surface according to a matrix structure in rows and columns corresponding to two intersecting directions, and

the at least one electrode switch includes a plurality of electrode switches, each of said electrode switches being placed on the detection surface nearby one of the at least one capacitive measurement electrode to which the electrode switch is connected,

wherein the capacitive measurement device further comprises

first electrical connection tracks respectively arranged on the detection surface to be configured to connect to the capacitive measurement means via their respective electrode switch, a plurality of the measurement electrodes being distributed approximately in a first direction of the two intersecting directions;

and

second electrical connection tracks respectively arranged on the detection surface to be configured to connect at a switching signal the respective electrode switches of a plurality of the measurement electrodes distributed approximately in a second direction of the two intersecting directions.

3. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 2, further comprising a guard plane in an appreciably electrically conductive material, at the electrical guard potential, arranged below the measurement electrodes and separated from said electrodes by at least one layer of an appreciably electrically insulating material.

4. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 2, wherein the electrode switches comprise two transistors, a first one of the transistors being configured to connect one of the at least one measurement electrode to the capacitive measurement means, and a second one of the transistors being configured to connect said measurement electrode to the guard potential, the first and second transistors being controlled by a switching signal such that when one of the transistors is on-state, the other of the transistors is off-state.

5. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising a guard plane in an appreciably electrically conductive material, at the electrical guard potential, arranged below the at least one measurement electrode and separated from said electrode by at least one layer of an appreciably electrically insulating material.

6. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one electrode switch is connected electrically to the guard plane by electrical connections passing through the at least one layer of appreciably insulating material.

7. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one electrode switch comprises two transistors, a first one of the transistors being configured to connect one of the at least one measurement electrode to the capacitive measurement means, and a second one of the transistors being configured to connect said measurement electrode to the guard potential, the first and second transistors being controlled by a switching signal such that when one of the transistors is on-state, the other of the transistors is off-state.

8. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 5, wherein the at least one electrode switch comprises two transistors, a first one of the transistors being configured to connect one of the at least one measurement electrode to the capacitive measurement means, and a second one of the transistors being configured to connect said measurement electrode to the guard potential, the first and second transistors being controlled by a switching signal such that when one of the transistors is on-state, the other of the transistors is off-state.

9. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode switch comprises two transistors, a first one of the transistors being configured to connect one of the at least one measurement electrode to the capacitive measurement means, and a second one of the transistors (4) being configured to connect said measurement electrode to the guard potential, the first and second transistors being controlled by a switching signal such that when one of the transistors is on-state, the other of the transistors is off-state.

10. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 9, further comprising transistors produced according to a thin layer deposition technology.

11. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 9, further comprising transistors which are substantially transparent.

12. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 9, further comprising transistors of one of the following types:

a thin-field transistor (TFT)-type field-effect transistor, and

organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-type transistors based on organic semiconductors.

13. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive measurement device which is substantially transparent.

14. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, wherein at least one element among the at least one measurement electrode, a guard plane, and tracks comprises tin-doped indium oxide (ITO).

15. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising a switch configured to connect the at least one electrode switch either to the capacitive measurement means or to the guard potential.

16. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising the capacitive measurement means including a floating part referenced to a reference electrical potential which is floating with respect to earth potential.

17. The capacitive measurement device according to claim 16, wherein the reference electrical potential is approximately equal to the guard potential.

18. A human-machine interface device, comprising:

a command interface; and

the capacitive measurement device according to claim 1.

19. The human-machine interface device according to claim 18, wherein the command interface is equipped with a display screen, and

the capacitive measurement device is substantially transparent.

20. A device of one of the following types:

a smartphone, a tablet, a display screen, a computer, and a control pad for a machine or vehicle, the device comprising;

the human-machine interface device according to claim 18.