Capacitance change detection circuit, touch panel and determination method

• US 8,587,553 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Visteon Japan, Ltd. (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Visteon Japan, Ltd. (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamauchi, Kazuto, Murayama, Yasunori, Tanaka, Sadahiko, Takizawa, Keitaro, Yamanoue, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad, Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIS, RANDAL L
• Application Number:
  US12/680,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20100230180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 345/174, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96072 Phase comparison, i.e. where a phase comparator receives at one input the signal directly from the oscillator, at a second input the same signal but delayed, with a delay depending on a sensing capacitance

Abstract

A detection circuit 1 includes: an input unit 2; two contact electrodes A and B which are connected to the input unit; phase inversion unit 3 connected to the contact electrode A; one amplification unit 41 arranged in each contact unit; and detection units 5A and 5B which detect as an electric change amount, an amplitude change of an input signal caused by a capacitance change in each of the contact electrodes A and B. The detection circuit 1 causes the two electrodes to input signals having phases shifted by a half period from each other by using the phase inversion unit 3. In the presence of contact, the amplitude of the input pulses is amplified by the one amplification unit 41. The respective detection units 5A and 5B detect signals of respective electrodes from the one amplified signal and output them to output units 6A and 6B, respectively.

Claims

1. A capacitance change detection circuit, comprising:

at least one set of contact electrodes including a set of a first contact electrode supplied with a pulse signal from an input unit for the pulse signal via phase inversion means, and a second contact electrode supplied with the pulse signal from the input unit;

a combining connection point that combines a first single output pulse output from the first contact electrode and a second single output pulse, corresponding to the first single output pulse, output from second contact electrode, and outputs a combined output;

a single amplification means connected to the combining connection point for amplifying combined output from the combining connection point, the combining connection point being provided between the at least one set of contact electrodes and the single amplification means;

first detection means for receiving the amplified combined output from the single amplification means and detecting a signal showing a state of the first contact electrode, the first detection means receiving the pulse signal via the phase inversion means to cancel signal indicative of a state of the second contact electrode;

second detection means for receiving the combined output from the single amplification means and detecting a signal showing the state of the second contact electrode, the second detection means receiving the pulse signal from the input unit to cancel signal indicative of the state of the first contact electrode; and

output units connected to the first detection means and the second detection means, respectively.

2. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the single amplification means comprises an inverter, a capacitor provided on an input side of the inverter, and a resistor in parallel with the inverter,

an output side of the inverter is connected to input sides of the detection means, and

the inverter and the resistor constitute a negative feedback inverting amplification circuit.

3. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the phase inversion means comprises an inverter.

4. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first and second detection means comprises a diode, a resistor, and a capacitor,

the diode of the first detection means has a cathode side connected to a first connection point supplied with the pulse signal from the phase inversion means, and has an anode side connected to a second connection point provided between an output side of the amplification means and the resistor of the first detection means,

the diode of the second detection means has a cathode side connected to a third connection point supplied with the pulse signal from the input unit and has an anode side connected to a fourth connection point provided between the output side of the amplification means and the resistor of the second detection means, and

the resistor and the capacitor of each of the detection means constitute a smoothing circuit.

5. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a first resistor is provided between the phase inversion means and the first contact electrode,

a second resistor is provided between the input unit and the second contact electrode, and

the first resistor and the second resistor have an equal resistance value.

6. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a third resistor is provided between the first contact electrode and the amplification means,

a fourth resistor is provided between the second contact electrode and the amplification means, and

the third resistor and e fourth resistor have an equal resistance value.

7. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the first resistor, the second resistor, the third resistor, and the fourth resistor have an equal resistance value.

8. The capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a fifth resistor is provided between the amplification means and the first detection means,

a sixth resistor is provided between the amplification means and the second detection means, and

the fifth resistor and the sixth resistor have an equal resistance value.

9. A touch panel, comprising:

the capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1;

a panel portion; and

a control unit, and

wherein the contact electrodes of the capacitance change detection circuit are provided in the panel portion, and

the output units of the capacitance change detection circuit are connected to the control unit.

10. A method of determining whether or not there is contact with a contact electrode, comprising:

providing the capacitance change detection circuit according to claim 1;

detecting a signal showing a difference between a signal showing a state of a first contact electrode and a signal showing a state of a second contact electrode; and

determining, based on the signal showing the difference, whether or not there is contact with any of the contact electrodes.

11. A capacitance change detection circuit, comprising:

at least one set of contact electrodes including a set of a first contact electrode supplied with a pulse signal from an input unit for the pulse signal via phase inversion means, and a second contact electrode supplied with the pulse signal from the input unit;

one amplification means connected to the one set of contact electrodes;

first detection means for detecting a signal showing a state of the first contact electrode;

second detection means for detecting a signal showing a state of the second contact electrode; and

output units connected to the first detection means and the second detection means, respectively, wherein

each of the first and second detection means comprises a diode, a resistor, and a capacitor,

the diode of the first detection means has a cathode side connected to a first connection point supplied with the pulse signal from the phase inversion means, and has an anode side connected to a second connection point provided between an output side of the amplification means and the resistor of the first detection means,

the diode of the second detection means has a cathode side connected to a third connection point supplied with the pulse signal from the input unit, and has an anode side connected to a fourth connection point provided between the output side of the amplification means and the resistor of the second detection means, and

the resistor and the capacitor of each of the detection means constitute a smoothing circuit.