Capacitive touch input device

• US 9,342,201 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, SMK Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho, SMK Corporation
• Inventors: Murase, Seiya, Yoshikawa, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESHOME, KEBEDE T
• Application Number:
  US14/332,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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

Abstract

A capacitive touch input device capable of detecting two or more different input positions and detecting each input position within a short period of time is provided. One of two or more drive electrodes respectively belonging to drive electrode group DV(n) and a drive electrode group DV(n′) adjacent to each other is a common drive electrode arranged therebetween. A pitch between the drive electrodes arranged at equal intervals is set so that a change in a detection voltage level R(m,n) appears at a detection electrode S(m) arranged in the vicinity of an input operator when a drive control unit performs drive control of the drive electrode group DV(n) and the input operator is at a position distant from the drive electrode group DV(n) up to an intermediate position of the adjacent drive electrode group DV(n′).

Claims

1. A capacitive touch input device comprising:

a plurality of drive electrodes arranged on an insulation panel in a first direction at equal intervals therebetween;

a plurality of detection electrodes S(m) arranged on the insulation panel in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the plurality of detection electrodes S(m) intersecting with all of the plurality of drive electrodes with an insulative interval therebetween;

a detection voltage generation circuit for generating an AC detection voltage;

a drive control circuit for setting a plurality of drive electrode groups DV(n), each consisting of two or more drive electrodes adjacent to each other in the second direction, along the second direction so that each of the drive electrodes belongs to at least one of the drive electrode groups DV(n) and executing drive control of applying the detection voltage in a synchronized manner to the drive electrodes belonging to the drive electrode group DV(n) for all of the drive electrode groups DV(n); and

a capacitance detection circuit for detecting a detection voltage level R(m,n) appearing at the detection electrode S(m) intersecting with the drive electrode group DV(n) in accordance with a capacitance change between the drive electrode group DV(n) and an input operator upon the drive control of the drive electrode group DV(n) by the drive control unit, the capacitive touch input device detecting, for every drive control for all of the drive electrode groups DV(n), an input position of the input operator in the first direction and the second direction on the insulation panel on the basis of the detection voltage levels R(m,n) detected from all of the detection electrodes S(m) by the capacitance detection circuit, wherein

one of the two or more drive electrodes belonging to each of the drive electrode group DV(n) and the drive electrode group DV(n′

) adjacent to each other in the second direction is a common drive electrode arranged therebetween;

a pitch between the drive electrodes arranged in the second direction at equal intervals is set so that upon the drive control of the drive electrode group DV(n) by the drive control circuit, a change in the detection voltage level R(m,n) appears at the detection electrode S(m) arranged in the vicinity of the input operator at least at a position where the input operator is distant from the drive electrode group DV(n) up to a center position of the drive electrode group DV(n′

) adjacent to the drive electrode group DV(n) in the second direction, and

the center position of the drive electrode group DV(n′

) adjacent to the drive electrode group DV(n) in the second direction does not belong to the drive electrode group DV(n).

2. The capacitive touch input device according to claim 1, wherein drive control of the plurality of drive electrode groups DV(n) set along the second direction is performed in an order different from the second direction.

3. The capacitive touch input device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control circuit includes a microcomputer having a plurality of input and output ports corresponding to the plurality of drive electrodes,

the input and output ports of the microcomputer corresponding to the drive electrodes are connected to voltage output lines connecting the detection voltage generation circuit with the drive electrodes, respectively, and

the microcomputer switches the input and output ports between an OFF mode for setting the input and output port as an output port and an ON mode for setting the input and output port as an input port or in a high impedance state and performs switching control between applying the detection voltage to the drive electrode connected to the input and output port and stopping the application thereof.

4. The capacitive touch input device according to claim 1, wherein only one of the two or more drive electrodes belonging to each of the drive electrode group DV(n) and the drive electrode group DV(n′

) adjacent to each other in the second direction is the common drive electrode arranged therebetween.