# US 12,118,172 B2 · Electronic equipment, touch sensor, and position detection apparatus

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- Number: US 12,118,172 B2
- Document ID: US12118172B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/357,543
- Filed: 2023-07-24
- Published: 2023-11-16
- Granted: 2024-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-27
- Assignees: Wacom Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Wacom Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jun Kadowaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12118172B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/03545: {Pens or stylus}
- G06F 3/0446: {using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes}
- G06F 1/206: {comprising thermal management}
- G06F 3/03547: {Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface}
- G06F 3/038: Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
- G06F 3/0412: {Digitisers structurally integrated in a display}
- G06F 3/04162: {for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware}
- G06F 3/04166: {Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving (Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184)}
- G06F 3/0442: {using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser}
- G06F 3/0445: {using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer}
- G06F 3/04182: {Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components}
- G06F 2203/04111: Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
- G06F 2203/04112: Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
- G06F 2203/04114: Touch screens adapted for alternating or simultaneous interaction with active pens and passive pointing devices like fingers or passive pens
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Electronic equipment includes a touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes arranged in a plane shape and separated from each other in an array direction, a differential amplifier that amplifies a difference between a positive-side signal and a negative-side signal selectively output from the plurality of electrodes and that outputs the difference, a position detection unit that detects a touch position in a sensor area that is formed by the touch sensor, based on an output signal from the differential amplifier, and a conductive part that is a part made of a conductive material or contains a conductive material and that is arranged to partially overlap the sensor area in plan view. The conductive part is arranged such that an outermost end point thereof in the array direction is positioned on one of the plurality of electrodes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Electronic equipment comprising:
a touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes;
a position detection unit that detects a touch position in a sensor area that is formed by the touch sensor; and
a conductive part that is a part made of a conductive material or contains a conductive material and that is arranged to partially overlap with the sensor area in a plan view such that an outermost end point of the conductive part is inside a perimeter of the sensor area, wherein
the outermost end point of the conductive part is positioned on one of the plurality of electrodes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein
the plurality of electrodes include
a plurality of first electrodes separated from each other in a first direction, and
a plurality of second electrodes separated from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and
the outermost end point of the conductive part is positioned in an intersection area between one of the plurality of first electrodes and one of the plurality of second electrodes.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the conductive part is a heat sink, a heat conduction path, or a battery pack.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein
a length of a contour line of the conductive part overlapping the one of the plurality of electrodes is at least 10 mm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the outermost end point of the conductive part is near a midpoint of a width of said one of the plurality of electrodes.