Capacitive touch panel

A capacitive touch panel comprising:

• a plurality of detection electrodes S(n) which are disposed on an insulating panel in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction so as to be at equal intervals in the first direction;
• a detection voltage generation circuit for generating an AC detection voltage;
• a plurality of drive regions DV(m) which are disposed in the first direction so as to be at equal intervals in the second direction of the insulating panel, the drive regions DV(m) intersecting all the plurality of detection electrodes S(n) with an insulation separation therebetween;
• a drive control unit for selecting a particular drive region DV(m) from the plurality of drive regions DV(m) and applying a detection voltage to the selected drive region DV (m);
• electrode select means for selecting a particular detection electrode S(n) sequentially from the plurality of detection electrodes S(n);
• capacitance detection means which, when the drive control unit applies the detection voltage to the selected drive region DV(m), detects a detection voltage level R(n, m) of a detection voltage appearing on the detection electrode S(n) selected by the electrode select means;
• and
• position detection means for identifying, from the plurality of detection electrodes S(n), a detection electrode S(n) of which detection voltage level R(n, m) is varied due to a change in capacitance caused by an approach of an input operation object between the selected detection electrode S(n) and the drive region DV(m) in the vicinity thereof to which the detection voltage is applied, the position detection means detecting an input operation position in the first direction and the second direction of the input operation object from a position (n) at which the identified detection electrode S(n) is disposed in the first direction on the insulating panel and a position (m) at which the drive region DV(m) with the detection voltage applied thereto is disposed in the second direction on the insulating panel, wherein
• the electrode select means allocates the plurality of detection electrodes S(n) to any one of two or more detection electrode groups SG(k) so that the detection electrodes S(n) to be allocated to each of the detection electrode groups SG(k) are disposed at equal intervals and spaced apart from each other by at least one detection electrode S(n) in the first direction, and sequentially selects, in each of the two or more detection electrode groups SG(k), the detection electrodes S(n) allocated to the detection electrode group SG(k) in the first direction;
• and
• the position detection means compares the detection voltage levels R(n, m) appearing on each of a set of detection electrodes S(n) and S(n+1) adjacent to each other in the first direction, the detection electrode S(n) having a varied detection voltage level R(n, m), and identifies a detection electrode S(n) of which detection voltage level R(n, m) is varied by the input operation object approaching the detection electrode S(n).