Electrode design for electric field measurement system

• US 9,459,296 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany II GmbH & Co. KG (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany II GmbH & Co. KG (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Aubauer, Roland, Kaltner, Claus
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLARKE, ADAM S
• Application Number:
  US14/055,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• Field of Search: 324/658, 454/174, 310/334
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode may have a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. A first electrode is arranged within the first conductive layer, wherein the first electrode is a receiving electrode of the electric field sensor device, and a second electrode is arranged within the second conductive layer, wherein the second electrode is a transmitting electrode of the electric field sensor device wherein the second electrode covers a larger area than the first electrode and wherein the second electrode is textured to reduce the capacitance between the first and second electrode.

Claims

1. An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode configured to generate a quasi-static electric field and a plurality of receiving electrodes associated with the transmitting electrode, wherein the electrode arrangement is configured to determine a non-touching gesture of an object above the electrode arrangement from signals received from the plurality of receiving electrodes, the electrode arrangement further comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate an alternating signal fed to the transmitting electrode and operable to generate the quasi static electric field;

a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, wherein the second conductive layer only comprises the transmitting electrode,

wherein the plurality of receiving electrodes are each formed by a section of the first conductive layer, and

the transmitting electrode is formed by a section of the second conductive layer, wherein the transmitting electrode covers a larger area than a combined area of the plurality of receiving electrodes and wherein the section forming the transmitting electrode is textured thereby reducing a capacitance between the transmitting electrode and each of the plurality of receiving electrodes.

2. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the section forming the transmitting electrode is textured such that it comprises at least one cut-out area having the form of a receiving electrode and being located under the receiving electrode such that the receiving electrode covers the cut-out area.

3. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the entire section forming the transmitting electrode is textured.

4. The electrode arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting electrode is textured by a hash or hatch texture.

5. The electrode arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the texture is homogenous.

6. The electrode arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the hash or hatch texture is formed by a plurality of conductive lines forming a mesh.

7. The electrode arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the mesh is formed by a first set of parallel arranged conductive lines and a second set of parallel arranged conductive lines.

8. The electrode arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the first set of parallel arranged conductive lines crosses said second set of parallel arranged conductive lines at an angle of 90 degrees.

9. The electrode arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the mesh comprises a peripheral conductive line enclosing the mesh.

10. The electrode arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting electrode is textured to provide a plurality of grooves.

11. The electrode arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the grooves are arranged in parallel at predefined distances.

12. The electrode arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the transmitting electrode comprises a cut-out area having the form of a receiving electrode and being located under the receiving electrode such that the receiving electrode covers the cut-out area.

13. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of feeding lines for electrical connection to said receiving electrodes.

14. The electrode arrangement according to claim 13, wherein at least one set of four receiving electrodes are arranged to define a rectangular area.

15. The electrode arrangement according to claim 14, further comprising a center electrode within the rectangular area defined by the four receiving electrodes.

16. The electrode arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the transmitting electrode is textured as a mesh electrode and only covers the rectangular area defined by the at least one set of four receiving electrodes.

17. The electrode arrangement according to claim 13, further comprising a front end analog device coupled with said receiving electrodes through said feeding lines.

18. The electrode arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the front end analog device comprises a voltage divider for attenuating a signal received through said feeding lines.

19. The electrode arrangement according to claim 18, wherein the voltage divider comprises a frequency compensation.

20. The electrode arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer is a top layer of a printed circuit board.

21. The electrode arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the second conductive layer is a bottom layer of a printed circuit board.

22. An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode receiving a square wave signal having a frequency of about 30-200 kHz to generate a quasi-static electric field above the transmission electrode and a plurality of receiving electrodes associated with the transmitting electrode, wherein the electrode arrangement is configured to determine a multi-dimensional gesture of an object above the electrode arrangement from signals received from the plurality of receiving electrodes, the electrode arrangement further comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate an alternating signal fed to the transmitting electrode and operable to generate the quasi static electric field;

a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, wherein the second conductive layer only comprises the transmitting electrode,

wherein the plurality of receiving electrodes are each formed by a section of the first conductive layer, and

the transmitting electrode is formed by a section of the second conductive layer, wherein the transmitting electrode covers a larger area than a combined area of the plurality of the receiving electrodes and wherein the section forming the transmitting electrode is textured thereby reducing a capacitance between the transmitting electrode and each of the plurality of receiving electrodes.

23. An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode receiving a square wave signal having a frequency of about 30-200 kHz to generate a quasi-static electric field above the transmission electrode and a plurality of receiving electrodes associated with the transmitting electrode, wherein the electrode arrangement is configured to determine a gesture of an object above the electrode arrangement without touching from signals received from the plurality of receiving electrodes, the electrode arrangement further comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate an alternating signal fed to the transmitting electrode and operable to generate the quasi static electric field;

a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer,

wherein the plurality of receiving electrodes are each formed by a section of the first conductive layer, and

the transmitting electrode is formed by a section of the second conductive layer, wherein the transmitting electrode covers a larger area than a combined area of the the plurality of receiving electrodes and wherein the section forming the transmitting electrode is textured thereby reducing a capacitance between the transmitting electrode and each of the plurality of receiving electrodes.