Input device and method for driving input device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10430006-B2
Application number	US-201815946927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2018
Priority date	Nov 11, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

An input device includes a voltage divider circuit that includes a resistive sensor whose resistance changes in accordance with a change in pressure of a pressing operation and at least one resistor device and that, upon receiving driving voltage, generates a divider voltage according to the resistance of the resistive sensor device, a first driving circuit that alternately supplies, to the voltage divider circuit at certain time intervals, a first driving voltage and a second driving voltage for generating different divider voltages, a capacitor whose charge changes in accordance with a change in the divider voltage, and a first charge detection circuit that detects an amount of change in the charge of the capacitor at a time when the driving voltage changes from the first driving voltage to the second driving voltage and when the driving voltage changes from the second driving voltage to the first driving voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An input device comprising:
a voltage divider circuit that includes a resistive sensor whose resistance changes in accordance with a change in pressure of a pressing operation and at least one resistor device and that, upon receiving driving voltage, generates a divider voltage according to the resistance of the resistive sensor device;
a first driving circuit that alternately supplies, to the voltage divider circuit at certain time intervals, a first driving voltage and a second driving voltage for generating different divider voltages;
a capacitor whose charge changes in accordance with a change in the divider voltage;
a first charge detection circuit that detects an amount of change in the charge of the capacitor at a time when the driving voltage changes from the first driving voltage to the second driving voltage and when the driving voltage changes from the second driving voltage to the first driving voltage;
a board;
a capacitive sensor unit that includes a plurality of capacitive sensor devices that are arranged on a surface of the board at different positions and whose capacitances change as an object approaches;
a second driving circuit that supplies driving voltage to the plurality of capacitive sensor devices;
a second charge detection circuit that detects charge accumulated in the plurality of capacitive sensor devices as a result of the supply of the driving voltage performed by the second driving circuit; and
a support member that supports the board on a base,
wherein the resistance of the resistive sensor device changes in accordance with a change in pressure by which the board is pressed against the base.

2. The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the voltage divider circuit includes a pair of nodes to which the driving voltage is suppled, and
wherein the first driving circuit connects, when the first driving voltage is to be supplied, one of the pair of nodes to a power supply line and another of the pair of nodes to ground and connects, when the second driving voltage is to be supplied, the one of the pair of nodes to the ground and the other of the pair of nodes to the power supply line.

3. The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the voltage divider circuit applies the divider voltage to one end of the capacitor, and
wherein the first charge detection circuit includes
a charge-transfer capacitor that accumulates charge transferred from another end of the capacitor,
an amplifier circuit that amplifies a difference between a voltage at the other end of the capacitor and a reference voltage and that outputs a resultant voltage to the charge-transfer capacitor, and
a charge initialization circuit that, after the amplifier circuit outputs a voltage according to charge transferred to the charge-transfer capacitor from the capacitor in accordance with a change in the driving voltage, initializes the charge accumulated in the charge-transfer capacitor before the driving voltage changes again.

4. The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein both the first and second charge detection circuits are integrated on a semiconductor integrated circuit chip.

5. The input device according to claim 4 ,
wherein both the first and second driving circuits are integrated on the semiconductor integrated circuit chip.

6. A method for driving an input device including a voltage divider circuit that includes a resistive sensor device whose resistance changes in accordance with a change in pressure of a pressing operation and at least one resistor device and that, upon receiving driving voltage, generates a divider voltage according to the resistance of the resistive sensor device and a capacitor whose charge changes in accordance with a change in the divider voltage, the input device having a board and a support member that supports the board on a base, the input device including a plurality of capacitive sensor devices that are arranged on a surface of the board at different positions and whose capacitances change as an object approaches, the method comprising:
changing the driving voltage from a first driving voltage to a second driving voltage;
detecting an amount of change in the charge of the capacitor when the driving voltage changes from the first driving voltage to the second driving voltage;
changing the driving voltage from the second driving voltage to the first driving voltage;
detecting an amount of change in the charge of the capacitor when the driving voltage changes from the second driving voltage to the first driving voltage;
supplying a driving voltage to the plurality of capacitive sensor devices;
detecting charge accumulated in the plurality of capacitive sensor devices as a result of the supply of the driving voltage; and
wherein the resistance of the resistive sensor device changes in accordance with a change in pressure by which the board is pressed against the base.

Assignees

• Alps Alpine Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shigetaka Hiroshi

Classifications

• G01L1/144

  with associated circuitry (G01L1/146 and G01L1/148 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/0414

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title