# US 10,120,479 B2 · Capacitive pressure sensor and method for the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,120,479 B2 - Document ID: US10120479B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/396,689 - Filed: 2017-01-02 - Published: 2017-07-20 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-18 - Assignees: Superc-Touch Corporation - Applicants: Superc-Touch Corporation - Inventors: Hsiang-Yu Lee; Shang Chin; Ping-Tsun Lin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10120479B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/0445: {using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer} - G06F 3/0447: {Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells} - G06F 3/04182: {Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components} - G06F 2203/04107: Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A capacitive pressure sensor includes an upper substrate having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, a first electrode layer with a plurality of first sensing electrodes, a second electrode layer having at least one second sensing electrode, a dielectric layer arranged between the first and the second electrode layers, and a capacitance sensing circuit. In pressure sensing operation, the capacitance sensing circuit sends a capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one second sensing electrode and obtains a pressure sensing signal from the second sensing electrode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A capacitive pressure sensor comprising: an upper substrate having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face; a first electrode layer arranged on the second face and having a plurality of first sensing electrodes; a second electrode layer having at least one second sensing electrode, the first electrode layer placed between the upper substrate and the second electrode layer; a dielectric layer arranged between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; and a capacitance sensing circuit configured to send a capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one second sensing electrode and obtain a pressure sensing signal from the second sensing electrode, thus performing pressure sensing, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to send, sequentially or randomly, a counter-exciting signal to at least one chosen first sensing electrode, the chosen first sensing electrode corresponding to the at least one second sensing electrode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises an elastic gel material, where the elastic gel material is compressively deformed under pressure and restores to original shape and volume if pressure is not present. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the counter-exciting signal is a DC reference voltage or a time-varying signal with phase opposite to that of the capacitance-exciting signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to send sequentially or randomly a signal with phase same with the capacitance-exciting signal to at least one of non-chosen first sensing electrode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the capacitance-exciting signal is a time-varying signal or a current source. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 5, wherein the time-varying signal is a sinusoidal wave signal, a square wave signal, a triangular wave signal or a trapezoidal wave signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is a self-capacitance sensing circuit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, wherein the upper substrate is a glass substrate, a polymer substrate or a hard coating layer. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 1, further comprising a lower substrate arranged toward a side of the second electrode layer opposite to the dielectric layer, the lower substrate is a glass substrate or a polymer substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The capacitive pressure sensor in claim 9, wherein the lower substrate is a color filter of a display panel. ### Claim 11 A method for performing a capacitive pressure sensing, comprising: providing a capacitive pressure sensor comprising: an upper substrate having a first electrode layer on a face of the upper substrate and having a plurality of first sensing electrodes; a second electrode layer having at least one second sensing electrode, and a dielectric layer arranged between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the dielectric layer compressively deformed under pressure and restoring to original shape and volume if pressure is not present, and a capacitance sensing circuit; sending a capacitance-exciting signal to the at least one second sensing electrode and obtaining a pressure sensing signal from the second sensing electrode, thus performing pressure sensing; and sequentially or randomly sending a counter-exciting signal to at least one chosen first sensing electrode, the chosen first sensing electrode corresponding to the at least one second sensing electrode. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method in claim 11, wherein the capacitance-exciting signal is a time-varying signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method in claim 12, wherein the time-varying signal is a sinusoidal wave signal, a square wave signal, a triangular wave signal or a trapezoidal wave signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method in claim 11, wherein the counter-exciting signal is a DC reference voltage or a time-varying signal with phase opposite to that of the capacitance-exciting signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method in claim 14, wherein the DC reference voltage is a ground signal of zero volt. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method in claim 11, further comprising sending a signal with phase same as the capacitance-exciting signal to at least one of non-chosen first sensing electrodes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method in claim 11, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is a self-capacitance sensing circuit.