TOUCH SENSITIVE DISPLAYS WITH COPLANAR CAPACITIVE TOUCH AND PROXIMITY SENSOR PADS AND RELATED TOUCH PANELS

摘要

An electronic touch panel includes a plurality of spaced apart touch sensor pads that are arranged in a first direction on a planar layer. A proximity sensor pad is on the planar layer and is electrically isolated from the touch sensor pads. The proximity sensor pad has a greater surface area than a plurality of the touch sensor pads. A position detection circuit is configured to electrically charge the touch sensor pads to generate capacitive coupling to an adjacent user object and to detect therefrom a location of the user object relative to the first direction across the planar layer, and configured to electrically charge the proximity sensor pad to generate a higher level of capacitive coupling to the user object than a plurality of the touch sensor pads and to detect therefrom a proximity of the user object in a perpendicular direction to the planar layer. The proximity sensor pad may extend as a continuous line on the planar layer between adjacent spaced apart columns of the touch sensor pads.