IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,871,846

Granted Patent B2

US 10,871,846 · App. 15/317,992 · Granted Dec 22, 2020

Sensor panel, input unit, and display unit

Inventors: Taizo Nishimura (Kanagawa, JP); Hiroto Kawaguchi (Kanagawa, JP); Hiroshi Mizuno (Kanagawa, JP); Shogo Shinkai (Kanagawa, JP); Fumihiko Iida (Kanagawa, JP); Akira Ebisui (Kanagawa, JP); Kei Tsukamoto (Kanagawa, JP); Tomoko Katsuhara (Kanagawa, JP)

Assignee: SONY CORPORATION

G06F3/0414 G06F3/03545 G06F3/044 G06F3/046 G06F3/0416 G06F2203/04104 G06F2203/04105 G06F2203/04106 G06F2203/04112

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 10,871,846
App. No.: 15/317,992
Granted: Dec 22, 2020
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

A sensor panel includes a sensor section that detects magnetic force of a contacting surface or a region in the vicinity of the contacting surface on a basis of a change in capacitance and is allowed to output a signal depending on the change in capacitance along with information on a position where the change in capacitance has occurred.

Claims (134)

1. A sensor panel, comprising:

a sensor section configured to:

detect a first magnetic force of one of a contacting surface of the sensor panel or a region in a vicinity of the contacting surface based on a change in a capacitance of the sensor panel; and

output a signal and information based on the detected first magnetic force, wherein

the signal corresponds to the change in the capacitance,

the change in the capacitance is greater than or equal to a threshold, wherein

the information comprises a position of the change in the capacitance,

the sensor section comprises—

a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes;

a plurality of insulating layers stacked alternatively between the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes; and

a magnetic layer in a plane that faces the contacting surface,

a portion of the magnetic layer is displaceable in a thickness direction of the magnetic layer based on a magnitude of the first magnetic force in the sensor section,

the plurality of first electrodes is a plurality of first magnetic electrodes that extends in the plane,

the plurality of second electrodes is a plurality of second magnetic electrodes that extends in the plane,

each of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes intersects each of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes,

a portion of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes is displaceable in a thickness direction of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes,

a portion of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes is displaceable in a thickness direction of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes, and

the portion of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes and the portion of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes are displaceable based on the magnitude of the first magnetic force in the sensor section.

2. The sensor panel according to claim 1 , wherein

the plurality of first electrodes extends in a first direction associated with the plane,

the plurality of second electrodes extends in a second direction associated with the plane,

the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and

each of the plurality of second electrodes intersects each of the plurality of first electrodes.

3. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein

the sensor section further includes a conductive layer and an electrode substrate below the conductive layer,

the sensor section is further configured to detect the change in the capacitance between the conductive layer and the electrode substrate, and

the electrode substrate includes the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

4. The sensor panel according to claim 3 , wherein the conductive layer is above the magnetic layer in the sensor section.

5. The sensor panel according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic layer includes a conductive layer.

6. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein the magnetic layer includes a plurality of apertures in one of an entirety of the magnetic layer or a part of a region of the magnetic layer.

7. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein the magnetic layer includes one of a magnetized magnetic substance or a soft magnetic substance.

8. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein

the sensor section further includes an electrode substrate and a void between the magnetic layer and the electrode substrate, and

the electrode substrate includes the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

9. The sensor panel according to claim 8 , wherein the sensor section further includes a spacer that holds the void.

10. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein

the portion of the magnetic layer is at a first location in the sensor section, and

the first location of the magnetic layer is farther from the contacting surface than each of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

11. The sensor panel according to claim 10 , wherein

the sensor section further includes a first void, an electrode substrate, and a conductive layer in the first void,

the first void is between the contacting surface and the electrode substrate, and

the electrode substrate includes the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

12. The sensor panel according to claim 11 , wherein

the contacting surface is flexible, and

the conductive layer is deformable based on deformation of the contacting surface.

13. The sensor panel according to claim 11 , wherein the magnetic layer is conductive.

14. The sensor panel according to claim 11 , wherein

the sensor section further includes a spacer and a second void,

the second void is different from the first void, and

the spacer holds the second void between the conductive layer and the electrode substrate.

15. The sensor panel according to claim 10 , wherein

the sensor section further includes an electrode substrate, a void, and a rigid layer in the void,

the void is between the contacting surface and the electrode substrate, and

the electrode substrate includes the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

16. The sensor panel according to claim 10 , wherein

the sensor section further includes a magnet layer at a second location in the sensor section,

the second location is different from the first location, and

the second location of the magnet layer farther from the contacting surface than the magnetic layer.

17. The sensor panel according to claim 2 , wherein

the magnetic layer is at a specific location in the sensor section, and

the specific location of the sensor section is closer to the contacting surface than the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

18. The sensor panel according to claim 17 , wherein the magnetic layer is conductive.

19. The sensor panel according to claim 17 , wherein

the sensor section further includes a void and a rigid layer in the void, and

the void is between the contacting surface and the magnetic layer.

20. The sensor panel according to claim 1 , wherein

the sensor section further includes an electrode substrate,

the magnetic layer is on a bottom surface side of the electrode substrate,

the portion of the magnetic layer is displaceable towards the contacting surface, and

a distance between the electrode substrate and the magnetic layer is based on displacement of the portion of the magnetic layer towards the contacting surface.

21. The sensor panel according to claim 1 , wherein

the magnetic layer is displaceable towards the contacting surface;

the sensor section further includes a magnet layer at a specific location in the sensor section,

the specific location of magnet layer is farther from the contacting surface than the magnetic layer,

the magnet layer is configured to:

generate a second magnetic force; and

return the magnetic layer, which has displaced towards the contacting surface, to an original position of the magnetic layer, and

the magnetic layer is returned to the original position of the magnetic layer based on the generated second magnetic force.

22. An input unit, comprising:

a sensor section configured to:

detect a magnetic force of one of a contacting surface of the sensor section or a region in a vicinity of the contacting surface based on a change in a capacitance of the sensor section; and

output a signal and information based on the detected magnetic force, wherein

the signal corresponds to the change in the capacitance,

the information comprises a position of the change in the capacitance,

the sensor section comprises:

a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes;

a plurality of insulating layers stacked alternatively between the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes; and

a magnetic layer in a plane that faces the contacting surface,

a portion of the magnetic layer is displaceable in a thickness direction of the magnetic layer based on a magnitude of the magnetic force in the sensor section,

the plurality of first electrodes is a plurality of first magnetic electrodes that extends in the plane,

the plurality of second electrodes is a plurality of second magnetic electrodes that extends in the plane,

each of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes intersects each of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes,

a portion of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes is displaceable in a thickness direction of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes,

a portion of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes is displaceable in a thickness direction of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes, and

the portion of the plurality of first magnetic electrodes and the portion of the plurality of second magnetic electrodes are displaceable based on the magnitude of the magnetic force in the sensor section;

a driver configured to:

drive the sensor section;

determine a touch position on the sensor section, wherein

the touch position corresponds to the position of the change in the capacitance, and

the change in the capacitance is greater than or equal to a threshold; and

generate coordinate data based on the signal, the information, and the determination of the touch position on the sensor section; and

a pen configured to generate a magnetic field from a tip of the pen, wherein the magnetic field corresponds to the magnetic force.

23. A display unit, comprising: