Patent ID: 8063886

Claim:
A data input device comprising a film-based pressure sensor with an active zone, said pressure sensor comprising a first carrier film, a second carrier film and a spacer arranged between said first and second carrier films for keeping the first and second carrier films at a distance from one another, said spacer comprising an opening delimiting said active zone, said first carrier film having a first electrode applied thereon, said second carrier film having a second electrode applied thereon, said first and second electrodes facing each other in said active zone in such a way that, in response to a compressive force acting on the active zone, the first and second carrier films are pressed together and an electrical contact is established between the first and second electrodes; and a control circuit able to operate in at least a first and a second mode of operation, said control circuit being configured so as to measure, in said first mode of operation, a quantity indicative of electrical resistance between said first and second electrodes for detecting an amount of compressive force acting on the active zone and, in said second mode of operation, a quantity indicative of a capacitance of said first electrode for detecting a person or an object approaching thereto.