US 4,394,643 AGranted

Capacitive touch panel control

AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation

InventorRobert R. Williams

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Abstract

A capacitive touch panel control provided with first and second conductive circuit pads on opposite faces of a thin dielectric sheet in the form of a film secured to a dielectric panel by adhesive. The panel is provided with a touch pad. The circuit pads are disposed so that at least a portion of each is in appositional facial registration with the touch pad and out of appositional facial registration with each other so as to provide a variable capacitance between the circuit pads as an incident of selective touching and non-touching of the touch pad by a user. The circuit pads may form a portion of a printed circuit on the film which further includes electrical conductors for making connection to associated apparatus. Ground conductors may be provided on the film adjacent the output voltage conductors of the circuit to reduce leakage between the circuit conductors. The provision of the circuit pads on opposite faces of the film permits electrically insulated crossover of the conductors for facilitated layout of the circuit.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A capacitive touch panel comprising:

a first dielectric wall member having opposite first and second surfaces;
a conductive touch pad on said first surface;
a second dielectric wall member having opposite third and fourth surfaces;
a first conductive circuit pad on said third surface;
a second conductive circuit pad on said fourth surface, said second circuit pad being out of appositional facial registration with said first circuit pad;
electrical means connecting said first and second conductive circuit pads in an electrical circuit, said electrical connecting means including one portion adjacent said third surface and another portion adjacent said fourth surface, the disposition of said portions adjacent said opposite surfaces of the second dielectric wall member permitting crossover of said portions with the crossover portions being spaced apart by said second dielectric wall member;
and
means for retaining said dielectric wall members with said third surface facially juxtaposed to said second surface and with at least a portion of each of said circuit pads in appositional facial registration with said touch pad to provide a variable capacitance between said circuit pads as an incident of selective touching and nontouching of said touch pad by a user.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.