Patent ID: 9128543
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: G06F,H04M

Abstract:
1. A touch pad device comprising: a substrate having opposing first and second surfaces; a drive electrode and multiple sensing electrodes on the second surface, the multiple sensing electrodes including first and second sensing electrodes each substantially in the shape of a right triangle positioned on the second surface such that the first and second sensing electrodes form a rectangular arrangement with the drive electrode being situated diagonally between a hypotenuse of the first sensing electrode and a hypotenuse of the second sensing electrode; a plurality of conductors on the first surface, each of the conductors having a rectangular shape with each of the conductors being positioned along a horizontal axis on the first surface such that each of the conductors is respectively situated directly across from a portion of the first sensing electrode, a portion of the second sensing electrode, and a portion of the drive electrode, wherein a size of the respective portions of the first sensing electrode increases in a first direction along the horizontal axis and a size of the respective portions of the second sensing electrode decreases in the first direction along the horizontal axis; a drive circuit configured to generate a drive signal, the drive circuit being electrically connected to the drive electrode to supply the drive signal to the drive electrode to generate coupling signals in the multiple sensing electrodes, the coupling signals being dependent on any electrical contact between an input object and at least one of the conductors; multiple signal measuring units electrically connected to the multiple sensing electrodes to measure the coupling signals in the multiple sensing electrodes and to produce output signals; and a processing unit connected to the multiple signal measuring units to process the output signals to determine which of the conductors is being electrically contacted by the input object to determine a position of the input object; wherein the touch pad device is configured such that the drive electrode generates the coupling signals in the multiple sensing electrodes.