Capacitive sensor, method for reading out a capacitive sensor field and method for producing a capacitive sensor field

• US 10,018,661 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Backes, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Roy Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aiello, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/388,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 324658, 324679, 324686, 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/3023 Segmented electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49147 Assembling terminal to base

Abstract

A capacitive sensor (20) includes a capacitive sensor field (2), the capacitive sensor field (2) having a plurality of discrete electrodes (4) which are coupled to discrete leads (8). The leads (8) of a first electrode (41) are guided such that they are capacitively coupled with at least one second electrode (42). A first signal (Cm1) is detected at a first lead (8) which is coupled with the first electrode (41), and a second signal (Cm2) is detected at a second lead (8) which is coupled with a second electrode (42). The capacity (Cf1, Cf2) of the first electrode (41) or of the second electrode (42) is determined using a predetermined calculation formula which takes the first signal (Cm1), the second signal (Cm2) and the capacitive coupling between the second electrode (4) and the first lead (8) coupled with the first electrode (41) into account.

Claims

1. A method of reading out a capacitive sensor field (2) having a plurality of discrete electrodes (4), wherein each electrode (4) of the capacitive sensor field (2) is connected with a respective discrete lead (8) which extends from the respective electrode (4) up into a connection area (10) of the sensor field (2) and through which the one capacity (Cf1, Cf2, Cf3) of the respective electrode (4) can be read out, wherein the plurality of electrodes (4) of the sensor field (2) comprises at least one first electrode (4) the lead (8) of which is guided such that the lead (8) is capacitively coupled with at least one second electrode (42), wherein the method of reading out the capacitive sensor field (2) comprises the following steps:

a) detecting a first signal (Cm1) at a first lead (8) connected with the first electrode (41), and detecting a second signal (Cm2) at a second lead (8) connected with the second electrode (42),

b) determining the capacity (Cf1, Cf2) of the first electrode (41) or of the second electrode (42) using a predetermined calculation formula which takes the first signal (Cm1), the second signal (Cm2) and the capacitive coupling between the second electrode (42) and the first lead (8) which is coupled with the first electrode (41) into account.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculation formula incorporates a capacity (Ck12) between the second electrode (42) and the first lead (8) connected with the first electrode (41).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes (4) of the sensor field (2) comprises at least one third electrode the third lead of which is guided such that this lead is capacitively coupled with the first electrode (41) and the second electrode (42),

wherein the step of detecting further comprises:

detecting a third signal (Cm3) at a third lead which is connected with the third electrode, and

wherein the step of determining a capacity further comprises;

determining a capacity (Cf1, Cf2, Cf3) of the first, second or third electrode (41, 42) using a calculation formula which takes the first, second and third signal (Cm1, Cm2, Cm3) and the calculation formula further incorporates the capacity (Ck12) between the second electrode (42) and the lead (8) of the first electrode (41), the capacity (Ck13) between the third lead and the first electrode (41), and the capacity (Ck23) between the third lead and the second electrode (42) capacitively coupled with this lead.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein during the step of determining the first and second capacity (Cf1, Cf2), a corresponding predetermined first and second calculation formula is used, and wherein for determining this calculation formula, a linear system of equations is solved analytically or numerically, this linear system of equations comprising a first and second equation for the first and second signal (Cm1, Cm2), and the respective equation being formulated for a capacity network composed of the first and second capacity (Cf1, Cf2) and the capacities (Ck12) between the first and second lead (8) and the electrode(s) (4) capacitively coupled with the corresponding lead, which occur along a path from the first or second electrode (41, 42) up to an output of the corresponding first or second lead (8) in the connection area (10) of the sensor field (2).

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the third lead is capacitively coupled with further electrodes,

wherein the step of detecting further comprises:

detecting further signals at further leads which are connected with the further electrodes, wherein these further electrodes are capacitively coupled with the lead of the third electrode, and

wherein the step of determining a capacity further comprises;

determining a capacity (Cf1, Cf2, Cf2) of the first, second or third electrode (41, 42) using a calculation formula which takes further signals at the further leads into account, wherein the further leads are capacitively coupled with the further electrodes and the calculation formula further incorporates the capacity between the third lead and the further electrodes capacitively coupled with this lead.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein during the step of determining the third capacity (Cf3), a corresponding predetermined third calculation formula is used, and wherein for determining this calculation formula, a linear system of equations is solved analytically or numerically, this linear system of equations comprising the first, the second, and a third equation for the first, the second, and the third signal (Cm1, Cm2, Cm3) and the respective equation being formulated for the capacity network composed of the first, the second, and the third capacity (Cf1, Cf2, Cf3) and the capacities (Ck12, Ck13, Ck23) between the first, the second, and the third electrode (41, 42) capacitively coupled with the corresponding lead, which occur along the path from the first, second, or third lead up to an output of the corresponding first, or second, or third lead (8) in the connection area (10) of the sensor field (2).

7. A capacitive sensor (20), comprising an evaluation unit (22) and a capacitive sensor field (2) having a plurality of discrete electrodes (4), wherein each electrode (4) is connected with a respective discrete lead (8) which extends from the respective electrode (4) up into a connection area (10) and through which a capacity (Cf1, Cf2) of the respective electrode (4) can be read out, wherein the sensor field (2) comprises at least one first electrode (41) the lead (8) of which is guided such that the lead (8) is capacitively coupled with at least one second electrode (42), and wherein the evaluation unit (22) is designed

a) to detect a first signal (Cm1) at a first lead (8) which is connected with the first electrode (41), and a second signal (Cm2) at a second lead (8) which is connected with the second electrode (42), and

b) to determine the capacity (Cf1, Cf2) of the first electrode (41) or of the second electrode (42) using a calculation formula, the first signal (Cm1) and the second signal (Cm2) and the capacitive coupling between the second electrode (42) and the lead (8) of the first electrode (41) being taken into account in this predetermined and stored calculation formula.

8. The capacitive sensor (20) according to claim 7, wherein a capacity (Ck12) between the second electrode (42) and the lead (8) of the first electrode (41) is taken into account in the calculation formula.

9. The capacitive sensor (20) according to claim 7, wherein the capacitive sensor field (2) comprises a plurality of outer electrodes (41) adjoining the at least one connection area (10) of the sensor field (2), and a plurality of inner electrodes (42) which are separated from the connection area (10) by the outer electrodes (41) and which are arranged in an interior of the sensor field (2), wherein the leads (8) of the inner electrodes (42) are guided such that they are capacitively coupled with at least one of the outer electrodes (41) and are guided to the connection area (10) arranged at the outer edge of the sensor field (2), and wherein the first electrode is one of the inner electrodes (41) and the second electrode is one of the outer electrodes (42).

10. The capacitive sensor (20) according to claim 9, wherein the leads (8) of the inner electrodes (42) are guided at least across a partial area of a surface of the outer electrodes (41) and the leads (8) are separated from the inner electrodes (42) by an electric insulating layer (12).

11. The capacitive sensor (20) according to claim 10, wherein the electrodes (4), the leads (8) and/or the insulating layer (12) are layers manufactured in a printing method.

12. A method of manufacturing a capacitive sensor according to claim 7, wherein the discrete electrodes (4), the electrical insulating layer (12) and the leads are applied one after another onto a flexible substrate using a printing method.