CN102594328B - Capacitive sensor and its detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a capacitive sensor and a detection method thereof. All the reference sheets are electrically coupled to the same first wire, and each reference sheet is electrically coupled to a second wire. When the first conducting wire and each second conducting wire are provided with an electric signal, a plurality of approaching or touched sensing pieces can be detected singly or simultaneously according to the signal difference of each second conducting wire and the first conducting wire.

Description

Capacitive sensor and its detection method

technical field

The invention relates to a capacitive sensor and a detection method thereof, in particular to a capacitive sensor capable of detecting multiple simultaneous touches and a detection method thereof.

Background technique

In portable electronic devices, many physical human-machine interfaces are required to provide users with input data or commands. The most commonly used interface is the mechanical button, but the mechanical button is easy to be damaged due to excessive use, especially the most frequently used buttons. In addition, when the portable electronic device is stored, the buttons may be pressed, which may easily cause fatigue or poor contact of the buttons.

Capacitive sensors are often used as buttons on smartphones or tablets. Compared with physical buttons, capacitive sensors will not be damaged due to excessive use of components. However, since the screen emits a lot of noise, and the noise changes constantly, the capacitive sensor is easily interfered by the noise and misjudged.

This shows that above-mentioned prior art obviously has inconvenience and defective, and extremely waits to be further improved. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the relevant manufacturers have tried their best to find a solution, but no suitable design has been developed for a long time, and there is no suitable structure and method for general products and methods to solve the above-mentioned problems. This is obviously a problem that relevant industry players are eager to solve. Therefore, how to create a new technology is one of the important research and development topics at present, and it has also become a goal that the industry needs to improve.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a capacitive sensor and a detection method thereof. The capacitive sensor of the present invention includes at least one sensing patch and at least one reference patch surrounding each sensing patch. All reference sheets are electrically coupled to the same first wire, and each reference sheet is electrically coupled to a second wire. When the first wire and each second wire are provided with an electrical signal, according to the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire, it is possible to detect a single or simultaneous detection of a plurality of being approached or touched sensor sheet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a capacitive sensor, which can be covered with an insulating protective layer, and can detect without being directly touched, and there is no mechanical key that will be damaged after repeated use. Problems with elastic fatigue or poor contact. In addition, the capacitance of the present invention is detected by comparing the signals of the first wire and each second wire, has good anti-noise ability, is suitable for being installed on the front of a display, and has the ability to detect multiple touches at the same time.

The capacitive sensor of the present invention can be covered with an insulating protective layer, and can detect without direct contact, and there is no problem of mechanical fatigue or poor contact after repeated use. In addition, the capacitance of the present invention is detected by comparing the signals of the first wire and each second wire, has good anti-noise ability, is suitable for being installed on the front of a display, and has the ability to detect multiple touches at the same time.

The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems are achieved by adopting the following technical solutions. According to a detection method of a capacitive sensor proposed by the present invention, it includes: providing a first wire and a plurality of second wires; continuously providing an electrical signal to the first wire and each second wire; Each time the electrical signal is provided, according to a signal difference between each second wire and the first wire, distinguish whether a signal of each second wire belongs to a first type or a second type .

The purpose of the present invention and its technical problems can also be further realized by adopting the following technical measures.

The detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the first wire and each second wire are respectively electrically coupled to at least one conductor, wherein the first wire is electrically coupled to the at least one conductor The overall size is the same as the overall size of the at least one conductor to which each second wire is electrically coupled.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, when all the conductors are not approached or touched by external objects, the signals of the first wire and each second wire are the same.

The detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the at least one conductive body electrically coupled with the first wire defines a plurality of spaces, and the at least one conductive body electrically coupled with each second wire is respectively in one of said spaces.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, when the at least one conductive body electrically coupled with any one of the second wires is approached or touched by an external object, the signal of the second conductive strip belongs to the first type and the One of the second types, and when the at least one conductive body electrically coupled with any second wire is not approached or touched by an external object, the signal of the second conductive strip belongs to the first type and another of the second type one.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the signal of at least one second wire belongs to the first type, and when the signal of at least one second wire belongs to the second type, it is electrically coupled to the first At least one conductor of the wire is approached or touched by an external object.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, the signal of each second wire whose signal difference with the first conductive strip is a positive value belongs to one of the first type and the second type, and each A signal of the second wire whose signal difference with the first conductive strip is a negative value belongs to the other of the first type and the second type.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, when the electrical signal is provided for a first time and a second time, the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire is respectively A first signal difference and a second signal difference, the signal of each second wire is distinguished according to the first signal difference and the second signal difference whether it belongs to a first type or a second type.

In the detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the signal of each second wire is determined to belong to a first signal according to the difference between the first signal difference and the second signal difference and a threshold value. Class or a second class.

The detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor further includes providing at least one shielded conductive strip, wherein the first conductive strip and the second conductive strip are arranged in parallel to a controller, and the at least one shielded conductive strip is located at The two sides of the part where the first conductive strip and the second conductive strip are arranged in parallel.

The detection method of the aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein at least one conductor electrically coupled to each second wire has an area on one side facing a touch sensor smaller than an area on the other side, wherein the area facing The area of the touch sensor and the area of the other side are the area between a range with the same width between the two sides.

The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problem also adopt the following technical solutions to achieve. A capacitive sensor according to the present invention includes: a first wire; at least one second wire; at least one reference sheet defining at least one space, and all reference sheets are electrically coupled to the first wire; At least one detection sheet, each detection sheet is located in one of the at least one space and electrically coupled to one of the at least one second wire; and a controller provides an electrical signal between the first wire and each A second wire, and according to a corresponding signal difference between each second wire and the first wire, detects each detection piece that is touched or approached by an external object.

The purpose of the present invention and its technical problems can also be further realized by adopting the following technical measures.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor, the size of each detection patch is equal to that of all reference patches.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the at least one reference sheet defines a space, the detection sheet is located in the space, and the at least one reference sheet defines an opening, and the corresponding second wire passes through the opening to electrically conduct coupled to the detector chip.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the space is defined by a single reference sheet.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein each detector includes at least two reference sheets, the at least two reference sheets and a part of the first wire surround the detection sheet and define an opening, and the corresponding second wire passes through electrically coupled to the detection piece through the opening.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein the corresponding signal difference of each detector touched or approached by an external object is greater than or smaller than a threshold value, wherein the corresponding signal difference of each detector is the corresponding The signal difference between the second lead and the first lead.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein when the corresponding signal difference of each detector that is touched or approached by an external object is positive, the corresponding signal of each detector that is not touched or approached by an external object The difference is a negative value, wherein the corresponding signal difference of each detector is the signal difference between the corresponding second wire and the first wire.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor, wherein when a corresponding signal difference of each detector that is touched or approached by an external object is negative, the corresponding signal of each detector that is not touched or approached by an external object The difference is a positive value, wherein the corresponding signal difference of each detector is the signal difference between the corresponding second wire and the first wire.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor, a corresponding signal difference of each detector is respectively a first signal difference and a second signal difference before being touched and when being touched, and the first signal difference and The difference of the second signal difference is larger or smaller than a threshold value.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor further includes a shielding line, the shielding line surrounds the at least one detector, the first wire and each second wire.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor, the area of one side of each detection sheet facing a touch sensor is smaller than the area of the other side, wherein the area of one side facing the touch sensor is the same as that of the other side The area of is the area between a range with the same width on both sides.

The purpose of the present invention and its technical problems are solved by adopting the following technical solutions in addition. A capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection according to the present invention includes: a first wire; at least a second wire; at least one reference sheet defining at least one space, and all reference sheets are electrically coupled to the first wire; at least one detection sheet, each detection sheet is respectively located in one of the at least one space and electrically coupled to one of the at least one second wire; and a controller, performing at least the following operations: Continuously provide an electrical signal to the first wire and each second wire in a plurality of time periods, so as to respectively obtain a reference value of the first wire and a detection value of each second wire; A period is used as an initial period, and other periods are used as detection periods; in the initial period, the difference between each detected value and the reference value is recorded as an initial difference of each detected value; in each In the detection period, each detection value and the reference value are respectively generated as a detection difference of each detection value; and in each detection period, each of the detection differences is greater than or less than the identifying the detected values with an initial difference-threshold limit as one of a first category and a second category, and classifying each of the detected values that are not greater than or less than the initial difference-threshold limit The detected values are identified as the other of a first type and a second type.

The purpose of the present invention and its technical problems can also be further realized by adopting the following technical measures.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor using signal difference detection, wherein when the detection difference of each detected value identified as the first type is greater than the initial difference, it is identified as the second type The detected difference of each detected value of is smaller than the initial difference.

The aforementioned capacitive sensor using signal difference detection, wherein when the detection difference of each detected value identified as the first type is smaller than the initial difference, it is identified as the second type The detected difference of each detected value of is greater than the initial difference.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection, wherein the reference value is generated based on the signal of at least one reference slice, the at least one reference slice defines a plurality of spaces, and each detection value is They are respectively generated according to the signal of one of the plurality of detection slices, and each detection slice is respectively located in one of the spaces.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor using signal difference detection, the size of each detection patch is the same as that of all the reference patches.

In the aforementioned capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection, the area of one side of each detection sheet facing a touch sensor is smaller than the area of the other side, wherein one side facing the touch sensor The area of one side and the area of the other side are the area between a range of the same width between the two sides.

The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems are also achieved by the following technical solutions. A method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference according to the present invention includes the following steps: continuously providing a reference value and a plurality of detection values in a plurality of periods; using a period of the period as the An initial period, and other periods are used as the detection period; in the initial period, the difference between each detected value and the reference value is recorded as an initial difference of each detected value; and in each detection During the period, generate each detection value and the reference value as a detection difference of each detection value; and in each detection period, make each detection difference greater or smaller than the initial difference identifying the detection value of a threshold value as one of a first type and a second type, and classifying each detection whose difference value is not greater than or less than the initial difference value a threshold value Values are identified as the other of a first type and a second type.

The purpose of the present invention and its technical problems can also be further realized by adopting the following technical measures.

The aforementioned method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference, wherein when the detection difference of each detection value identified as the first type is greater than the initial difference, it is identified as the second The detection difference for each detection value of the class is less than the initial difference.

The aforementioned method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference, wherein when the detection difference of each detection value identified as the first type is smaller than the initial difference, it is identified as the second The detection difference for each detection value of the class is greater than the initial difference.

In the aforementioned method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference, wherein the reference value is generated based on the signal of at least one reference slice, the at least one reference slice defines a plurality of spaces, and each detected value They are respectively generated according to the signal of one of the plurality of detection sheets, and each detection sheet is respectively located in one of the spaces.

In the aforementioned method for detecting capacitive sensors using signal differences, the size of each detection patch is the same as that of all reference patches.

In the aforementioned method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference, the area of one side of each detection sheet facing a touch sensor is smaller than the area of the other side, wherein the area facing the touch sensor is The area of one side and the area of the other side are the areas between a range of the same width between the two sides.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. By virtue of the above technical solutions, the capacitive sensor and its detection method of the present invention have at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. With the above technical solution, the method and device for position detection of the present invention have at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

1. It can detect the approach or touch of one or multiple external objects at the same time.

2. It can detect the state change of one or multiple signals at the same time.

3. With strong anti-noise ability, it can be configured on the front of the display that constantly emits noise of varying degrees.

The present invention has significant progress in technology, has obvious positive effects, and is a novel, progressive and practical new design. The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented according to the contents of the description, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable , the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited below, and are described in detail as follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In summary, the capacitive sensor of the present invention includes at least one sensing patch and at least one reference patch surrounding each sensing patch. All reference sheets are electrically coupled to the same first wire, and each reference sheet is electrically coupled to a second wire. When the first wire and each second wire are provided with an electrical signal, according to the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire, it is possible to detect a single or simultaneous detection of a plurality of being approached or touched sensor sheet. The present invention has significant progress in technology, and has obvious positive effects, and is a novel, progressive and practical new design.

The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented according to the contents of the description, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable , the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited below, and are described in detail as follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

1 to 4 are schematic diagrams of a capacitive sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a detection method of a capacitive sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a capacitive sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

1, 2, 3, 4, 7: capacitive sensors 10, 20, 70: detectors

11, 21, 31, 41, 71: Detection sheet 12, 22, 32, 42, 72: Reference sheet

13: The first wire 14: The second wire

15: Shielding wire 16: Controller

17: Touch sensor

Detailed ways

In order to further explain the technical means and effects of the present invention to achieve the intended purpose of the invention, the specific implementation of the capacitive sensor and its detection method proposed according to the present invention, Structure, characteristic and effect thereof are as follows in detail.

According to a first practical example of the present invention, a capacitive sensor is provided, comprising a first wire, at least one second wire, at least one reference plate, at least one detecting plate, a The controller and a shielding line. The at least one detection sheet defines (or separates out) at least one space, and all the reference sheets are electrically coupled to the first wire. In addition, each detection piece is electrically coupled to a second wire respectively. In addition, the controller provides electrical signals to the first wire and each second wire, and detects each detector that is touched or approached by an external object according to the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the capacitive sensor 1 includes a first wire 13, at least one second wire 14, at least one detector 10 and a controller 16, wherein each detector 10 includes a detection sheet 11 and a reference sheet 12 . The reference sheet 12 is U-shaped and defines a space in which the detection sheet 11 is located and electrically coupled to a second wire 14 . Although FIG. 1 takes three detectors 10 as an example, those skilled in the art can infer that the number of detectors includes but not limited to three.

In an example of the present invention, the capacitive sensor includes at least one detector, and each detector includes a detection sheet and at least one reference sheet, the at least one reference sheet defines a space, and the detection sheet in this space.

As another example shown in FIG. 2, the capacitive sensor 2 includes a first wire 13, at least one second wire 14, at least one detector 20 and a controller 16, wherein each detector 20 includes a detector Slice 21 and two reference slices 22. The two reference sheets 22 and the first wire 13 define a space, the detection sheet 22 is located in this space, and is electrically coupled to a second wire 14, wherein the space can also be regarded as defined by the two reference sheets 22 and the first wire 13 definition. Although FIG. 2 is an example of three detectors 20 , those skilled in the art can infer that the number of detectors 20 includes but not limited to three.

In another example of the present invention, the capacitive sensor is defined by at least one reference sheet to define a plurality of spaces, and all the reference sheets are electrically coupled to the first wire, each detection sheet is located in a space, and are respectively electrically coupled to a second wire.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the capacitive sensor 3 is defined by a reference sheet 32 (such as being formed by connecting four reference sheets or having a reference sheet integrally formed) or four reference sheets 32 to define four spaces, and each space is respectively A detection sheet 31 is configured.

As another example shown in FIG. 4 , the capacitive sensor 4 is defined by a reference sheet 42 (such as a plurality of reference sheets connected or integrally formed by a reference sheet) or a plurality of reference sheets 42 to define a plurality of spaces, and each space is respectively A detection sheet 41 is configured.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 4, the shielding line 15 roughly surrounds the aforementioned first wire 13, at least one second wire 14, at least one reference sheet (12, 22, 32, 42) and at least one detection sheet (11, 21, 31, 41), and electrically coupled to the controller 16. In an example of the present invention, the first wire 13 and all the second wires 14 can be arranged in parallel to the controller 16, and the shielding wire 15 can be composed of one or more wires, arranged between the first wire 13 and all the second wires 14 sides. In another example of the present invention, there may be two shielding wires 15 , which are respectively located on both sides of the parallel first wires 13 and all the second wires 14 .

In an example of the present invention, the first wire 13 and at least one second wire 14 are connected to the controller 16 in a parallel arrangement, for example, a part of the first wire 13 and at least one second wire 14 is arranged in parallel On a flat printed circuit board or flexible cable. In addition, one or two shielding wires 15 are arranged on both sides of the first wire 13 and at least one second wire 14 . In an example of the present invention, the shielding wire 15 is provided with the same electrical signal as the first wire 13 and at least one second wire 14 at the same time. Accordingly, when not approached or touched by any external object, there is a symmetrical electric field on both sides of each of the first wire 13 and the at least one second wire 14 . Therefore, when not being approached or touched by external objects, there is a symmetrical electric field on both sides of the part of the first wire 13 and each second wire 14 arranged in parallel to the controller 16 .

Those skilled in the art can deduce that the detection sheet of the present invention includes but not limited to square, rectangle, sector, triangle, circle, ellipse, polygon or other geometric patterns.

In an example of the present invention, the electrical signal provided by the controller to the first wire and the second wire may be a pulse width modulation signal (PWM) or other types of AC signals, and the invention is not limited thereto. The electrical signal may be provided continuously. In one example of the present invention, the electrical signal may be continuously provided intermittently. In another example of the present invention, the electrical signal may be continuously provided continuously. supply.

In addition, the controller can use the integrator to detect the capacitive coupling of the conductor connected between the first wire and the second wire, so as to detect the magnitude of the signal or the magnitude of the signal variation. In addition, the signal difference between each of the above-mentioned second wires and the first wire can be generated by one or more differential amplifiers. Those skilled in the art can infer that the signal difference is also generated by other forms of subtractors , the present invention is not limited.

FIG. 5 is a detection method of a capacitive sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. First, as shown in step 510 , a first wire 13 and a plurality of second wires 14 are provided. Next, as shown in step 520 , continuously provide an electrical signal to the first wire 13 and each of the second wires 14 . In addition, as shown in step 530, each time the electrical signal is provided, according to a signal difference between each second wire 14 and the first wire 13, it is determined whether a signal of each second wire 14 belongs to A first category or a second category.

In an example of the present invention, steps 520 and 530 may be performed by the aforementioned controller 16 . The first wire 13 and each second wire 14 provided in step 510 are respectively electrically coupled to at least one conductor, and the total dimension of the at least one conductor electrically coupled to the first wire 13 is the same as that of each second wire The overall size of the electrically coupled at least one conductor is similar. For example, in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the first wire 13 is electrically coupled to a plurality of reference sheets 12 , 22 , 32 , 42 , and each second wire 14 is electrically coupled to a detection sheet 11 , 21 , 31 , 41 . Those skilled in the art can deduce that the detection chip 11 can be composed of multiple sub-detection chips, that is, each second wire 14 can also be electrically coupled to multiple sub-detection chips. In an example of the present invention, at least one conductor electrically coupled to the first wire 13 defines a plurality of spaces, and at least one conductor electrically coupled to each second wire 14 is respectively located in one of these spaces.

Since the overall size of at least one electrical conductor electrically coupled with the first wire 13 is equivalent to the overall size of at least one electrical conductor electrically coupled with each second wire 14, when all electrical conductors are not approached or touched by external objects, The first wire 13 is equivalent to the signal of each second wire 14 . In an example of the present invention, all the conductors may be covered with an insulating layer, and the insulating layer may be transparent or opaque, such as transparent glass or film. When an external object approaches or touches, it may approach or touch the insulating layer.

The external object may be a physical ground or a virtual ground, for example, it may be a human body part standing on the ground, such as a finger. When an external object approaches or touches the conductor, the change amount of the signal of the conductor will change with the distance and area of the external object. Therefore, when an external object approaches or touches a detection sheet and a part of the reference sheet at the same time, the area of the detection sheet corresponding to the approaching and touching of the external object is relatively larger than the area of the reference sheet corresponding to the approaching and touching of the external object. In other words, the variation of the signal of the second wire 14 electrically coupled to the detection sheet approached or touched by the external object will be greater than the variation of the signal of the first wire 13 (electrically coupled to all the reference sheets). On the contrary, the variation of the signal of the second wire 14 electrically coupled to the detection sheet which is not approached or touched by the external object will be smaller than the variation of the signal of the first wire 13 . Therefore, according to the signal of the second wire 14 and the signal of the first wire 13 electrically coupled to the detection sheet approached or touched by the external object, it can be judged that the detection sheet (such as belonging to the first wire 13) is approached or touched by the external object One of the first category and the second category) or a detection sheet that is not approached or touched by an external object (if it belongs to the other category of the first category and the second category).

For example, the approach or touch of an external object will cause a decrease in the signal, so it can be a detection chip that directly uses the signal difference between each second wire 14 and the first wire 13 to determine the electrical coupling of each second wire 14 Whether it is approached or touched, for example, when the signal difference is greater than or less than a threshold value, it means that it is approached or touched by an external object. It is also possible to use the signal difference when it is not approached or touched as a comparison standard, for example, the signal difference detected in an initial period is regarded as the signal difference that is not approached or touched by an external object. When the signal difference detected by the multiple detection periods is greater than or smaller than a threshold value, it represents the approach or touch of the external object. In an example of the present invention, when the signal difference exceeds a preset range or the difference between the signal difference between the initial period and the detection period exceeds a preset range, it means that it is approached or touched by an external object; otherwise, it means that it is not touched by an external object approach or touch. Wherein, the preset range may be less than a threshold limit or greater than a threshold limit.

In an example of the present invention, whether the signal belongs to the first category or the second category can be determined based on whether the signal difference or the difference between the signal difference between the initial period and the detection period is a positive value or a negative value. For example, the signal of each second wire 14 whose signal difference with the first wire 13 is a positive value belongs to one of the first type and the second type, and the signal of each second wire whose signal difference is a negative value belongs to One of the first category and another of the second category.

Therefore, when part of the detection sheet is approached or touched and part of the detection sheet is not approached or touched, the conductive sheet electrically coupled with at least one second wire 14 will be identified as belonging to the first type, And the conductive sheet electrically coupled with at least one second wire 14 will be identified as belonging to the second category, wherein the conductor electrically coupled to the first wire 13 is approached or touched by an external object.

By comparing the signals of each second wire 14 and the first wire 13 of the capacitive sensor of the present invention, one or more detection pads touched by external objects can be determined. The comparison of the two signals can be compared with a comparator, or the signal difference between the two is generated by a differential amplifier, and the two signals are converted into a digital difference for comparison, or the two signals are converted into a digital value. value and then compare. The present invention includes but is not limited to the foregoing signal comparison methods, and those skilled in the art can infer other signal comparison methods, which will not be repeated here.

The capacitive sensor of the present invention can be used as a key application, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, for example, each detection sheet can be used to correspond to an independent key, and the capacitive sensor of the present invention can detect Measure the touch pressure of multiple buttons at the same time. The keys can also be designed as direction keys, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 , which can include direction keys in four directions: up, right, down, and left. Those skilled in the art can infer direction keys in other directions, such as direction keys in eight directions. For another example, it can be a multidirectional direction key, such as shown in FIG. 4 , which can be a ring-shaped multidirectional sensor, which can be used as a jog dial or the like.

In an example of the present invention, multiple capacitive sensors can be combined, for example, multiple groups of capacitive sensors can be included, and each capacitive sensor includes the above-mentioned first wire, at least one second wire, at least one A reference plate, at least one detecting plate, a controller and a shielding line. The at least one detection sheet defines (or separates out) at least one space, and all the reference sheets are electrically coupled to the first wire. In addition, each detection piece is electrically coupled to a second wire respectively. In addition, the controller provides electrical signals to the first wire and each second wire, and detects each detector that is touched or approached by an external object according to the signal difference between each second wire and the first wire. Accordingly, all the detecting plates can form a detecting plate matrix.

These capacitive sensors can each have an independent first wire 13 and a plurality of second wires 14, which are directly connected to the controller 16, or are controlled by a switch circuit, and share the wire connected to the controller 16, at the same time Only the first wire 13 and the plurality of second wires 14 of the capacitive sensor are electrically coupled to the controller 16 .

FIG. 6 shows a method for detecting a capacitive sensor by using a signal difference according to a third embodiment of the present invention. First, as described in step 610, a reference value and a plurality of detection values are continuously provided in a plurality of periods, and as described in step 620, a period of these periods is used as an initial period, and other periods are used as detection periods . For example, the first period is used as the initial period, or any period is used as the initial period. Step 610 and step 620 may be performed repeatedly.

Next, as described in step 630 , in the initial period, the difference between each detected value and the reference value is recorded as an initial difference of each detected value. And, as described in step 640, in each detection period, each detection value and the reference value are respectively generated as a detection difference of each detection value. In addition, as described in step 650, in each detection period, each detection value whose detection difference is greater than or less than the initial difference-threshold value is identified as one of a first type and a second type , and each of the detection values whose detection difference is not greater than or less than a threshold value of the initial difference is identified as the other of a first type and a second type. The steps 630, 640, 650 may be executed repeatedly along with the steps 610, 620. In addition, the aforementioned steps 610 to 650 may be performed by the aforementioned controller 160 .

The above method may be applied to a capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection, comprising: a first wire; at least a second wire; at least one reference sheet defining at least one space, and all reference sheets are electrically Coupled to the first wire; at least one detection sheet, each detection sheet is located in at least one space and electrically coupled to one of the at least one second wire; and a controller performs at least the following operations: continuously Provide an electrical signal on the first wire and each second wire for a period of time to obtain a reference value and a plurality of detection values respectively; one of these periods is used as an initial period, and other periods are used as detection periods ; In the initial period, record the difference between each detected value and the reference value as an initial difference of each detected value; in each detection period, generate each detected value and the reference value as a detection difference value for each detection value; and in each detection period, identifying each detection value whose detection difference value is greater than or less than the initial difference value-threshold limit as a first type and a One of the second category, and identifying each detection value whose detection difference is not greater than or not smaller than the initial difference a threshold value as the other of a first category and a second category.

In an example of the present invention, the reference value is generated according to the signal of at least one reference slice, the at least one reference slice defines a plurality of spaces, and each detection value is respectively based on one of the plurality of detection slices For signal generation, each detector patch is located in one of these spaces.

In another example of the present invention, when the detection difference of each detection value identified as the first type is greater than the initial difference, the detection difference of each detection value identified as the second type value is less than the initial difference. Conversely, when the detection difference of each detection value identified as the first type is smaller than the initial difference, the detection difference of each detection value identified as the second type is greater than the initial difference. For example, in some detection periods, the reference value and at least one detection value change and become larger or smaller at the same time, wherein the change amount of the at least one detection value is obviously greater than the reference value, so that the at least one detection value The detection difference of the measured value becomes larger or smaller. In contrast, the detection differences of other detection values show opposite changes.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can deduce that the reference value of the present invention is not necessarily equivalent to each detection value at the initial period, and may be equivalent or not. Similarly, those of ordinary skill in the art can deduce that the sizes of conductors electrically coupled between the first wire and each second wire in the present invention may also be equivalent or not. The present invention includes but is not limited to the first wire and each second wire. A second wire is electrically coupled to the conductors of equal size.

In addition, the above-mentioned first type and second type can be used to represent a binary state, one of which can represent a state change, and the other can represent a state that does not change. For example, the first category may represent conductors that are approached or touched by external objects or signals that are changed accordingly, while the second category may represent conductors that are not approached or touched by external objects or signals that are therefore unchanged. As another example, it can be applied to the use of a switch. When the reference value exceeds a threshold limit, and at least one detection value changes significantly larger than the reference value, the detection difference of the unchanged detection value will be greater than a threshold limit. , which can be used to detect unchanged detection values as one state of on or off, and other detection values as the other state.

Please refer to FIG. 7 , which shows a capacitive sensor 7 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, which includes a plurality of reference chips 72 and a plurality of detection chips 71 . In addition, this embodiment further includes a touch sensor 17 adjacent to the capacitive sensor 7 . Although FIG. 7 takes five detectors 70 as an example, those skilled in the art can infer that the number of detectors includes but is not limited to five. When an external object approaches or touches the touch sensor 17 , the touch sensor 17 can provide sensing information representing the position of the external object for solving the position of the external object. For example, the sensing information can be received by the controller 16 to determine the position of the external object. Those skilled in the art can infer that the touch sensor 17 can be capacitive, resistive, surface acoustic wave, infrared, optical, etc., and the corresponding detection methods of sensing information are known techniques. I won't repeat them here.

In an example of the present invention, the area of one side of the detection sheet 71 facing the touch sensor 17 is smaller than the area of the other side. Wherein, the area on one side facing a touch sensor 17 and the area on the other side may be an area between two sides of a range with the same width. For example, the detection sheet 71 is a triangle, one corner of which faces the touch sensor 17 , as shown in FIG. 7 . For another example, the side facing the touch sensor 17 is arc-shaped, such as semi-circle or semi-ellipse.

The area of the detection sheet 71 facing the touch sensor 17 is determined according to the distance between the detection sheet 71 and the touch sensor 17 .

For example, as shown in the touch range 77 in FIG. 7, when an external object approaches or touches the touch sensor 17 and the detection sheet 71 at the same time, the area of the detection sheet 71 approached or touched by the external object is quite small, so If the above signal difference or the difference between the signal difference between the initial period and the detection period does not exceed a preset range, it will not be detected as a valid touch. On the contrary, for example, as shown in the touch range 78 in FIG. 7 , when most of the area approached or touched by the external object falls on the detection sheet 71, the above-mentioned signal difference or the difference between the signal difference between the initial period and the detection period Enough to exceed the preset range. In this way, the false touch problem that may be caused when the capacitive sensor 7 is close to the touch sensor 17 can be reduced.

In the foregoing description, the size of the two is equivalent to that the size of the two is the same or approximately the same, for example, the difference between the two is within 10%, such as one is 10% larger than the other. The overall size of the at least one conductor electrically coupled with the first wire 13 is equivalent to the overall size of the at least one conductor electrically coupled with each second wire 14 refers to the entirety of the at least one conductor electrically coupled with the first wire 13 The overall size difference of at least one conductor electrically coupled with each second wire 14 is within 10%.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this field Those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, can use the technical content disclosed above to make some changes or modify equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, but all the content that does not depart from the technical solution of the present invention, according to the technical content of the present invention Technical Essence of the Invention Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments still fall within the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection, characterized in that it comprises: a first conductor; at least one second lead; At least one reference slice defines at least one space, and all reference slices are electrically coupled to the first wire; At least one detection sheet, each detection sheet is respectively located in one of the at least one space and electrically coupled to one of the at least one second wire; and A controller that performs at least the following operations: providing an electrical signal to the first wire and each second wire continuously for a plurality of time periods, so as to respectively obtain a reference value of the first wire and a detection value of each second wire; using one of the periods as an initial period, and using other periods as detection periods; During the initial period, recording the difference between each detected value and the reference value as an initial difference for each detected value; In each detection period, each detection value and the reference value are respectively generated as a detection difference of each detection value; and In each detection period, each detection value whose detection difference is greater than a threshold value of the initial difference value is identified as one of a first type and a second type, and each detection identifying the detection values whose difference values are not greater than the initial difference-threshold value as the other of a first category and a second category; or each of the detected differences being smaller than the initial difference-threshold limit identifying the detected value as one of a first type and a second type, and identifying each detected value whose detected difference is not less than a threshold value of the initial difference as a first type With one another of the second class. 2. The capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection according to claim 1, wherein the detection difference of each detected value when identified as the first type is greater than the initial difference value, the detected difference for each detected value identified as the second category is less than the initial difference. 3. The capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection according to claim 1, wherein the detection difference of each detected value when identified as the first type is smaller than the initial difference , the detection difference for each detection value identified as the second category is greater than the initial difference. 4. The capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection according to claim 1, wherein said reference value is generated according to a signal of at least one reference slice, and said at least one reference slice defines multiple spaces, and each detection value is generated according to the signal of one of the plurality of detection slices, and each detection slice is respectively located in one of the spaces. 5. The capacitive sensor utilizing signal difference detection according to claim 1, wherein the size of each detection patch is the same as that of all the reference patches. 6. A method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Continuously provide a reference value and multiple detection values in multiple time periods; using one of the periods as an initial period, and using other periods as detection periods; During the initial period, recording the difference between each detected value and the reference value as an initial difference for each detected value; and In each detection period, each detection value and the reference value are respectively generated as a detection difference of each detection value; and In each detection period, each detection value whose detection difference is greater than or less than a threshold value of the initial difference is identified as one of a first type and a second type, and each The detected values for which the detected difference is not greater than or not smaller than a threshold value of the initial difference are identified as the other of a first type and a second type. 7. The method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference according to claim 6, wherein the detection difference of each detection value identified as the first type is greater than the initial When there is a difference, the detected difference for each detected value identified as the second category is less than the initial difference. 8. The method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference according to claim 6, wherein when the detection difference of each detected value identified as the first type is smaller than the initial For each detection value identified as the second category, the detected difference is greater than the initial difference. 9. The method for detecting a capacitive sensor using a signal difference according to claim 6, wherein said reference value is generated based on a signal of at least one reference slice, and said at least one reference slice defines a There are multiple spaces, and each detection value is generated according to the signal of one of the multiple detection slices, and one detection slice is respectively located in one of the spaces. 10 . The method for detecting a capacitive sensor by signal difference according to claim 6 , wherein the size of each detection patch is the same as that of all the reference patches. 11 .