Capacitive sensor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9525417-B2
Application number	US-201213686325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2012
Priority date	Apr 19, 2011
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a capacitive sensor device capable of detecting the position and magnitude of external force with high accuracy.
Employed is a capacitive sensor which comprises pairs of electrodes arranged in a matrix, each of the pairs of electrodes being disposed to face each other with a distance therebetween, and an elastically deformable dielectric layer arranged between each of the pairs of electrodes. A capacitance measuring part measures capacitance of respective electrode pair groups in a plurality of combinations each comprising more than one of the pairs of electrodes including a selected one of the pairs of electrodes. An external force calculating part calculates the magnitude of external force applied to the position of the selected pair of electrodes based on a plurality of measured values of the capacitance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A capacitive sensor device, comprising:
a capacitive sensor comprising pairs of electrodes that are defined by respective first electrodes of a first electrode group and respective second electrodes of a second electrode group arranged in a matrix, each of the pairs of electrodes being disposed to face each other with a distance therebetween, and an elastically deformable dielectric layer arranged between each of the pairs of electrodes;
a capacitance measurer that measures capacitance of respective electrode pair groups in a plurality of combinations, each of the plurality of combinations of electrode pair groups comprising a same selected one of the pairs of electrodes and the pairs of electrodes adjoining the same selected one of the pairs of electrodes;
an external force calculator that calculates a magnitude of external force applied to position of the selected pair of electrodes based on a plurality of measured values of the capacitance;
an input switching circuit having a plurality of first switches; and
an output switching circuit having a plurality of second switches,
wherein the plurality of first switches are configured to connect at least two of the first electrodes to a voltage source and the plurality of second switches are configured to connect at least two of the second electrodes to the capacitance measurer such that a capacitance of at least a plurality of the pairs of electrodes can be directly measured at the same time.

2. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first electrodes extend in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
the second electrodes extend in the second direction and are arranged in the first direction, and the second electrode group being arranged to face the first electrode group with a distance therebetween; and
the dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode group and the second electrode group.

3. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the electrode pair groups whose capacitance is to be measured by the capacitance measurer comprises a plurality of adjoining ones of the pairs of electrodes.

4. The capacitive sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the electrode pair groups whose capacitance is to be measured by the capacitance measurer is one of the electrode pair groups not including pairs of electrodes constituting a just measured one of the electrode pair groups.

Assignees

• Tokai Rubber Ind Ltd
• Sumitomo Riko Co Ltd

Inventors

• Inada Seishou
• Guo Shijie
• Shiraoka Takahisa
• Isobe Hiroshi

Classifications

• H03K17/962 Primary

  Capacitive touch switches · CPC title

• G01L1/146 Primary

  for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays (G01L1/148 takes precedence) · CPC title