CN112187244B

CN112187244B - Switch operation sensing apparatus and detecting apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN112187244B
Application number: CN202010423578.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柳济赫; 高主烈; 池龙云; 李钟佑; 洪炳柱
Original assignee: Samsung Electro Mechanics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electro Mechanics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-03
Filing date: 2020-05-19
Publication date: 2024-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-19
Also published as: KR102185046B1; CN112187244A; KR20210004902A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a switch operation sensing apparatus including an input operation unit, an oscillation circuit, a frequency-to-digital converter, and a touch detection circuit, and a detection apparatus. The input operation unit includes a first switch member integrally formed with the housing. The oscillation circuit is configured to generate an oscillation signal whose resonance frequency changes during an input operation based on a capacitance change or an inductance change according to a touch input member in contact with the first switching member. The frequency-to-digital converter is configured to convert the oscillation signal into a count value. The touch detection circuit is configured to detect capacitive sensing and inductive sensing based on a slope change of the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter, and output corresponding touch detection signals of different levels based on the detection.

Description

Switch operation sensing apparatus and detecting apparatus

The present application claims the priority rights of korean patent application No. 10-2019-0080120 filed on the korean intellectual property office at 7 month 3 of 2019 and korean patent application No. 10-2019-0132912 filed on the korean intellectual property office at 10 month 24 of 2019, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a switch operation sensing apparatus with touch input member recognition.

Background

In general, wearable devices are desired to be thin and have a simple, clean design. To achieve this, existing mechanical switches in wearable devices have been replaced with non-mechanical switches implemented using dust and water proof technology, developing a seamless model.

Current technologies such as metal touch (ToM) technology for touching a metal surface, capacitive sensing methods using touch panels, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), micro strain gauges, and other technologies have been developed. In addition, a force touch function that can determine even the force with which a button is pressed is under development.

In the case of existing mechanical switches, for example, relatively large dimensions and internal space are required to perform the switching function (which may have a somewhat untidy design and may require a large amount of space due to the convex shape of the switch), and the structure of the switch may not be integrated into the housing.

Furthermore, there is a risk of electric shock due to direct contact with the electrically connected mechanical switch. In addition, the structure of the mechanical switch makes it difficult to prevent dust and water.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one general aspect, a switching operation sensing apparatus includes an input operation unit, an oscillating circuit, a frequency digitizer, and a touch detection circuit. The input operation unit includes a first switch member integrally formed with the housing. The oscillation circuit is configured to generate an oscillation signal whose resonance frequency changes during an input operation based on a capacitance change or an inductance change according to a touch input member in contact with the first switching member. The frequency-to-digital converter is configured to convert the oscillation signal into a count value. The touch detection circuit is configured to: capacitive sensing and inductive sensing are detected based on a slope change of the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter, and corresponding touch detection signals of different levels are output based on the detection.

The frequency-to-digital converter may be further configured to generate the count value by counting a reference clock signal using the oscillation signal.

The first switching member and the housing may be formed using the same material.

The input operation unit may further include a second switching member integrated with the housing and disposed at a position different from that of the first switching member, and the second switching member and the housing may be formed using the same material.

The oscillating circuit may include an inductive circuit and a capacitive circuit. The inductance circuit may include a first coil element disposed on an inner side of the first switching member. The capacitive circuit may include a capacitive element connected to the inductive circuit. The oscillation signal may have a first frequency characteristic when the first switching member is touched by a human body part, and may have a second frequency characteristic when the first switching member is touched by a non-human body input member.

The oscillating circuit may include an inductive circuit and a capacitive circuit. The inductance circuit may include a first coil element disposed on an inner side of the first switching member and have an inductance that varies when the first switching member is touched by a non-human input element. The capacitive circuit may include a capacitive element connected to the inductive circuit and having a capacitance that varies when the first switching member is touched by a human body part.

The first coil element may be mounted on a substrate and attached to an inner side surface of the first switching member.

The frequency digitizer may be further configured to: a frequency-divided reference clock signal is generated by dividing a reference frequency signal using a reference frequency division ratio, and the count value generated by counting the frequency-divided reference clock signal using the oscillation signal is output.

The frequency digitizer may be further configured to: a divided reference clock signal is generated by dividing a reference frequency signal using a reference division ratio, the oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit is divided using a sensing division ratio, and the count value generated by counting the divided reference clock signal using the divided oscillation signal is output.

The frequency to digital converter may include a down converter, a period timer, and a Cascaded Integrator Comb (CIC) filter circuit. The down-converter may be configured to: a reference frequency signal is received as a reference clock signal and a divided reference clock signal is generated by dividing the reference clock signal using a reference division ratio to down-convert the frequency of the reference frequency signal. The period timer may be configured to: the oscillation signal is received as a sampling clock signal, and a period count value generated by counting the frequency-divided reference clock signal of one period time received from the down-converter using the sampling clock signal is output. The Cascaded Integrator Comb (CIC) filter circuit may be configured to output the count value generated by performing cumulative amplification on the period count value received from the period timer.

The CIC filter circuit may include a decimator CIC filter configured to: performing an accumulation amplification on the period count value from the period timer using a predetermined number of integration steps, a predetermined decimator factor, and a predetermined comb differential delay order; and providing the accumulated amplified period count value.

The touch detection circuit may differential the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter to generate a difference value, and compare the difference value with each of a predetermined falling threshold value and a predetermined rising threshold value to output the touch detection signal having one of different levels for identifying capacitive sensing and inductive sensing based on a comparison result.

The touch detection circuit may include a delay circuit, a subtraction circuit, and a slope detection circuit. The delay circuit may be configured to: the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter is delayed by a time determined based on a delay control signal to output a delay count value. The subtracting circuit may be configured to: the count value is subtracted from the delay count value to generate and output a difference value. The slope detection circuit may be configured to: the difference received from the subtracting circuit is compared with each of a predetermined falling threshold and a predetermined rising threshold to output the touch detection signal having the first level or the second level for identifying capacitive sensing and inductive sensing based on a comparison result.

The slope detection circuit may include a slope detector, a falling slope detector, a rising slope detector, and a detection signal generator. The slope detector may be configured to: it is determined whether the difference is decreased or increased, and when the difference is decreased, an enable signal in an active state is output, and when the difference is increased, an enable signal in an inactive state is output. The falling slope detector may be configured to: a drop detection signal is generated when the enable signal enters the active state and the difference value is less than or equal to a drop threshold value for a predetermined time. The rising slope detector may be configured to: a rise detection signal is generated when the enable signal enters the active state and the difference is greater than or equal to a rise threshold for the predetermined time. The detection signal generator may be configured to: the touch detection signal having a first level or a second level is generated based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal.

When the difference value increases after falling, the detection signal generator may generate the touch detection signal having a first level based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal in response to capacitive sensing.

When the difference value decreases after rising, the detection signal generator may generate the touch detection signal having a second level based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal in response to the inductance sensing.

The electronic device may be any one of a bluetooth headset, a bluetooth earplug headset, smart glasses, VR (virtual reality) headset, AR (augmented reality) headset, smart key buttons of a vehicle, a laptop computer, a Head Mounted Display (HMD), and a stylus.

In another general aspect, a detection apparatus includes: the touch detection device includes a housing, an input operation unit, an oscillation circuit, and a touch detection circuit. The input operation unit includes a first switch member integrally formed with the housing. The oscillating circuit is configured to generate an oscillating signal based on contact to a touch input member on the first switch member. The touch detection circuit is configured to: one of capacitive sensing and inductive sensing is determined based on a slope change of a count value of the oscillation signal, and a detection signal is output based on the determined sensing.

The oscillating circuit may be further configured to: the oscillation signal having a resonance frequency corresponding to the touch input member contacting the first switching member is generated during an input operation.

The detection device may further include a frequency-to-digital converter connected to the oscillating circuit and configured to convert the oscillating signal into the count value.

The input operation unit may further include a second switching member integrally formed with the housing and disposed at a position different from that of the first switching member.

The contact of the touch input member may be determined to be the capacitive sensing when the contact is a human body touch, and the contact may be determined to be the inductive sensing when the contact of the touch input member is a non-human body input member touch.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1A and 1B are diagrams of examples of a mobile device according to the present application.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' in fig. 1A showing an example of a structure of the touch input sensing device in fig. 1A.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' in fig. 1B showing an example of a structure of the touch input sensing device in fig. 1B.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example of an oscillating circuit and circuit components of a switch operation sensing device according to the present application.

Fig. 5 is an example of a circuit diagram of an oscillating circuit when not touched.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a capacitive sensing method when touched by a human body part.

Fig. 7 is an example of a circuit diagram of an oscillating circuit when touched by a human body part.

Fig. 8 is a detailed circuit diagram of the oscillating circuit in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 illustrates an example of an inductance sensing method when touched by a non-human input member.

Fig. 10 is an example of a circuit diagram showing an example of an oscillating circuit when touched by a non-human input member.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a frequency digitizer.

Fig. 12 shows an operation of an example of the cycle timer.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the touch detection circuit.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the slope detection circuit in fig. 13.

Fig. 15 shows an example of a count value and a difference value (a slope value of the count value) when touched by a human body part.

Fig. 16 shows an example of a count value and a difference value when touched by a non-human input member.

Fig. 17 shows an example of drift of the count value and the difference value when touched by a human body part.

Fig. 18 shows examples of the difference change, the falling threshold, the rising threshold, and the touch detection signal.

Fig. 19 shows examples of various applications of the switch operation sensing device of the present application.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the drawings and detailed description. The figures may not be drawn to scale and the relative sizes, proportions, and depictions of elements in the figures may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration, and convenience.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in obtaining a thorough understanding of the methods, apparatus, and/or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatuses, and/or systems described herein will be apparent upon an understanding of the disclosure of the present application. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example and is not limited to the order of operations set forth herein, but rather variations in the order of operations described herein that will be apparent upon an understanding of the disclosure of the present application may be made in addition to operations that must occur in a particular order. In addition, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

The features described herein may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein have been provided solely to illustrate some of the many possible ways of implementing the methods, devices, and/or systems described herein that will be apparent after an understanding of the present disclosure.

Throughout the specification, when an element such as a layer, region or substrate is referred to as being "on", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element, it can be directly "on", connected to "or coupled to" the other element or one or more other elements intervening therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element, there may be no other element intervening elements present.

As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any one of the listed items associated and any combination of any two or more.

Although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers or sections should not be limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first member, first component, first region, first layer, or first portion referred to in the examples described herein may also be referred to as a second member, second component, second region, second layer, or second portion without departing from the teachings of the examples.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing various examples only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. Singular forms also are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having" are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, operations, elements, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, elements, and/or groups thereof.

As will be apparent after an understanding of the disclosure of the present application, the features of the examples described herein may be combined in various ways. Further, while the examples described herein have various configurations, other configurations are possible that will be apparent upon an understanding of the disclosure of the present application.

Fig. 1A and 1B are external views of an example of a mobile device according to the present application.

In fig. 1A, the mobile device 10 includes a touch screen 11, a housing 500, and an input operation unit SWP. The input operation unit SWP may include a first switch member SM1 replacing a mechanical push button switch. In fig. 1B, the mobile device 10 includes a touch screen 11, a housing 500, and an input operation unit SWP. The input operation unit SWP may include a first switch member SM1 and a second switch member SM2 replacing the mechanical push button switch. It should be noted herein that the use of the term "may" with respect to an example or embodiment (e.g., with respect to what the example or embodiment may include or implement) indicates that there is at least one example or embodiment that includes or implements such feature, and all examples and embodiments are not so limited.

In fig. 1B, the input operation unit SWP is shown to include a first switch member (or first touch member) SM1 and a second switch member (or second touch member) SM2. However, this is merely an example for easy description, and the input operation unit SWP is not limited to the two switch members SM1 and SM2, and it will be understood that the number of touch members may be expanded in the same manner as the first touch member and the second touch member.

As an example, in fig. 1A and 1B, the mobile device 10 may be a portable device (such as a smart phone) or a wearable device (such as a smart watch), but is not limited to any particular device. The mobile device 10 may be a portable electronic device or a wearable electronic device, or any electronic device having a switch for operational control.

The housing 500 may be a casing for an electronic device. For example, when the switch operation sensing apparatus is applied to the mobile device, the case 500 may be a cover provided on a side (side surface) of the mobile device 10. As an example, the housing 500 may be integrated with a cover disposed on the rear surface of the mobile device 10, or may be separate from a cover disposed on the rear surface of the mobile device 10.

As described above, the housing 500 may be the casing of an electronic device, but is not limited to any particular location, shape, or configuration.

In fig. 1B, each of the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may be disposed inside the housing 500 of the mobile device 10, but the disposition thereof is not limited thereto.

The first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may be provided on the cover of the mobile device 10. In this case, the cover may be a cover that does not include a touch screen, for example, a side cover, a rear cover, or a cover that may be provided on a portion of the front surface. For convenience of description, a case provided on a side cover of the mobile device will be described as an example, but the case is not limited thereto.

In fig. 2, the switching operation sensing apparatus includes an input operation unit SWP, an oscillation circuit 600, a frequency digitizer 700, and a touch detection circuit 800.

The input operation unit SWP may include at least one first switching member SM1 integrated with the housing 500 of the electronic device. As an example, the first switching member SM1 may include the same material as that of the case 500.

The oscillation circuit 600 may generate an oscillation signal LCosc whose resonance frequency varies based on a capacitance variation or an inductance variation according to the touch input member during an input operation through the first switching member SMl. For example, the oscillating circuit 600 includes an inductance circuit 610 and a capacitance circuit 620. In examples described herein, the touch input member (or object of the input operation) may include a human body part (such as a human hand) and a non-human body input member (such as plastic). In the examples described in this application, the input operation may be a concept including a touch input or a force input.

The frequency-to-digital converter 700 may convert an oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit 600 into a count value. For example, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 may convert the oscillation signal LCosc into the count value l_cnt in a frequency counting manner.

The touch detection circuit 800 may be configured to recognize and Detect capacitive sensing by a human body part and inductive sensing by a non-human body input member based on the count value l_cnt input from the frequency-to-digital converter 700, and may output touch detection signals (DF) detect_flag having different levels from each other based on the detection.

A first example of the input operation unit SWP will be described with reference to a front view of the housing in the direction a in fig. 2.

As an example, the input operation unit SWP may include a first switching member SM1, and the first switching member SM1 may be integrated with the case 500. Accordingly, the first switching member SM1 may be formed using the same material as that of the case 500.

As an example, when the case 500 includes a conductor such as a metal, the first switching member SM1 may also include a conductor. On the other hand, when the case 500 includes an insulator such as plastic, the first switching member SM1 may also include an insulator.

For the front view of the first coil element in fig. 2 in the direction a, the inductance circuit 610 may be provided on the inner side of the first switching member SM1, and may have a first coil element 611, the first coil element 611 having an inductance Lind.

The capacitive circuit 620 may include a capacitive element 621 having a capacitance Cext connected to the inductive circuit 610. For example, the capacitance of the capacitance circuit 620 may include a touch capacitance Ctouch generated when the input operation unit SWP is touched, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, and the touch capacitance Ctouch (see fig. 7) may be generated, thereby increasing the total capacitance of the oscillation circuit 600.

As an example, the first coil element 611 may include a first coil pattern 611-P having a spiral shape connected between a first pad PA1 and a second pad PA2 disposed on the PCB substrate 611-S.

In fig. 2, the first coil element 611 may be disposed on one surface (e.g., an upper surface) of the substrate 200, and the circuit member CS and the capacitance element 621, such as a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), or the like, may be disposed on the other surface (e.g., a lower surface) of the substrate 200.

As an example, the circuit member CS may be an Integrated Circuit (IC) including a part of the oscillation circuit 600, the frequency-to-digital converter 700, and the touch detection circuit 800.

The substrate 200 may be a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB), but is not limited thereto. The substrate 200 may be a board on which a circuit pattern is formed, for example, one of various circuit boards such as a PCB, or a panel, for example, a panel for a Panel Level Package (PLP).

The structure of the switching operation sensing device shown in fig. 2 is merely an example, and is not limited thereto.

A non-limiting example of the first switching member SM1 has been described in fig. 2, but the description of the first switching member SM1 is also applicable to the second switching member SM2 (see fig. 1B). For example, when the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 are included, the single circuit member CS may process different resonance signals corresponding to the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2, respectively.

When describing the drawings of the present application, duplicate descriptions may be omitted for components having the same reference numerals and the same functions, and only the differences will be described.

Examples of the switch operation sensing device described below may include a plurality of touch members. In an example, multiple touch members may be arranged in a row. Alternatively, the plurality of touch members may be arranged horizontally and vertically in a matrix arrangement.

The example of the switch operation sensing device 50 shown in fig. 1A and 1B may include one or more switch members. However, for convenience of description, the one or more switching members shown in fig. 1A and 1B are only non-limiting examples, and the touch member of the switching operation sensing device is not limited thereto.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the switch operation sensing device may comprise one or more touch members.

In the examples described in this application, the switching member may be integrated into the housing 500 or integrally formed in the housing 500. The term "integrated" refers to the fact that: regardless of whether the material of the touch member and the material of the housing 500 are the same as or different from each other, the touch member and the housing 500 are manufactured as one body such that they cannot be easily separated from each other after their manufacture and have an integral structure (rather than a mechanically separated structure or a physically separated structure) with no discernable gap between the touch member and the housing 500.

As an example, the first coil element 611 may be a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) coil element formed in a PCB pattern, but is not limited thereto.

As an example, the first coil element 611 may be a PCB coil element implemented on a double-sided PCB or a multi-layer PCB, but is not limited thereto.

As an example, the first coil element 611 may be formed in various shapes (such as a circle, a triangle, a rectangle, etc.), and the shape of the first coil element 611 is not limited thereto.

With respect to components having the same reference numerals and the same functions in the embodiments of the respective drawings, unnecessary repetitive description thereof may be omitted, and differences between the embodiments of the respective drawings may be described.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line I-I' in fig. 1B showing another example of the structure of the switch operation sensing device in fig. 1B.

In fig. 3, the switch operation sensing device includes an input operation unit SWP including a first switch member SM1 and a second switch member SM2.

Each of the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may be integrated with the case 500 of the same material or integrally formed with the case 500 of the same material.

The inductive circuit 610 (see fig. 2) of the oscillating circuit 600 (see fig. 2) may include a first coil element 611 and a second coil element 612. The oscillating circuit 600 (see fig. 2) may include a capacitive element 621. The first coil element 611, the second coil element 612, the capacitor element 621, and the circuit member CS may be mounted on the substrate 200.

The first coil element 611 may be disposed on the inner side of the first switching member SM 1. The second coil element 612 may be disposed on the inner side of the second switching member SM 2.

The switch operation sensing apparatus of the present application may include a plurality of switch members. In this example, in order to generate different oscillation signals based on touches to each of the plurality of switching members, the switching operation sensing device may include a plurality of coil elements respectively corresponding to the plurality of switching members.

As an example, the first and second switching members SMl and SM2 may be formed using the same material as that of the case 500. When the case 500 includes a conductor such as metal, the first and second switching members SMl and SM2 may also include a conductor. When the case 500 includes an insulator such as plastic, the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may also include insulators.

Further, the first coil element 611 and the second coil element 612 may be disposed on one side surface (e.g., upper surface) of the substrate 200. In a non-limiting example, the circuit member CS and the capacitive element 621 (such as an MLCC or other type of capacitor) may be disposed on the other side surface (e.g., lower surface) of the substrate 200. Such an arrangement is merely an example, and is not limited thereto.

The first coil element 611 and the second coil element 612 are spaced apart from each other on one surface of the substrate 200 and connected to a circuit pattern formed on the substrate 200. For example, each of the first and second coil elements 611, 612 may be separate coil elements (such as solenoid coils, wound inductors, chip inductors, or other types of separate coil elements). However, each of the first coil element 611 and the second coil element 612 is not limited thereto, and may be any element having inductance.

As an example, when the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 are formed using a conductive metal having a high resistance (e.g., 100kΩ or more), interference between the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may be reduced, and thus the first and second switching members SM1 and SM2 may be practically applied to an electronic device.

In the examples described in the present application, the term "operation" refers to a touch, a force, or both a touch and a force input through the input operation unit.

In fig. 4, a switching operation sensing apparatus according to the present application may include an oscillation circuit 600, a frequency-to-digital converter 700, and a touch detection circuit 800. As described above, the oscillating circuit 600 may include an inductive circuit 610 and a capacitive circuit 620.

In the example of the present application, the oscillation circuit 600 may be, for example, an LC oscillation circuit, but is not limited thereto. The oscillating circuit may be configured to generate the oscillating signal using a capacitance variable according to a touch of a human body part or an inductance variable according to a touch of a non-human input member.

The circuit means CS may include a part of the oscillation circuit 600, the frequency digitizer 700, and the touch detection circuit 800. In this example, a portion of the oscillating circuit 600 may be an amplifier circuit 630. As an example, the amplifier circuit 630 may include an inverter or an amplifier element, and is not limited thereto as long as the amplifier circuit 630 can hold a resonance signal as an oscillation signal.

The circuit member CS may include a capacitive element. When the capacitive element is not included in the circuit member CS, the switching operation sensing device may include the capacitive element 621 (such as an MLCC provided independently of the circuit member CS). In each example of the present application, the circuit component CS may or may not be an Integrated Circuit (IC).

The frequency-to-digital converter 700 may divide the reference frequency signal fref (see fig. 11) by the reference division ratio N to generate the divided reference clock signal dosc_ref (see fig. 11), and may count the divided reference clock signal dosc_ref (see fig. 11) using the oscillation signal to output the count value l_cnt.

The touch detection circuit 800 may differential the count value l_cnt received from the frequency-to-digital converter 700 to generate a difference Diff (see fig. 13). The touch detection circuit 800 may compare the difference Diff (see fig. 13) with predetermined thresholds f_th and r_th (see fig. 13) to output a touch detection signal DF (detect_flag) having a level for identifying a human touch or a non-human touch based on the comparison result.

In the examples described in this application, the difference Diff may correspond to a slope change value of the resonance frequency, a slope change value of the count value, or a difference value.

In the example described in the present application, the count value l_cnt is a digital value generated by a count processing operation using digital signal processing (not analog signal processing). Accordingly, the count value l_cnt may not be generated by signal amplification performed by a simple analog amplifier, but may be generated according to a count processing operation performed by the frequency-to-digital converter 700 of the present application. Such a counting process operation requires a reference clock signal (e.g., a reference frequency signal) and a sampling clock signal (e.g., an oscillation signal), which will be described later.

In fig. 2 and 4, for example, as described above, the oscillating circuit 600 may include an inductive circuit 610 and a capacitive circuit 620.

The inductance circuit 610 may include a first coil element 611 disposed inside the first switching member SMl, and the capacitance circuit 620 may include a capacitance element 621 connected to the inductance circuit 610.

As an example, when the first switching member SM1 is touched by a human body part, the oscillation circuit 600 may generate the oscillation signal LCosc having the first frequency characteristic. When the first switching member SM1 is touched by the non-human input member, the oscillation circuit 600 may generate the oscillation signal LCosc having the second frequency characteristic.

As an example, the inductance circuit 610 may have an inductance that varies when the first switching member SM1 is touched by a non-human input member, and the capacitance circuit 620 may have a capacitance that varies when touched by a human body part.

As an example, the first coil element 611 may be mounted on the substrate 200 and may be attached to an inner side surface of the first switching member SMl.

In fig. 5, as described above, the oscillating circuit 600 may include an inductance circuit 610, a capacitance circuit 620, and an amplifier circuit 630. The amplifier circuit 630 may include at least one inverter INT or at least one amplifier element. The oscillation circuit 600 can hold an oscillation signal due to the amplifier circuit 630.

The inductance circuit 610 may have an inductance Lind of the first coil element 611 when not touched by the non-human input member. When not touched by a body part, the capacitive circuit 620 may have capacitances Cext (2 Cext and 2 Cext) of capacitive elements 621 (such as MLCCs).

In fig. 5, the oscillating circuit 600 may be a parallel oscillating circuit including an inductance circuit 610 having an inductance Lind of the first coil element 611 and a capacitance circuit 620 having capacitances Cext (2 Cext and 2 Cext).

As an example, when not touched by a human body part or a non-human body input member, the first resonance frequency fres1 of the oscillating circuit 600 may be represented by the following formula 1.

fres1≒1/2πsqrt(Lind×Cext)(1)

In formula 1, the values of the symbols are the same or similar, and the term "similar" means that other values may be included.

In an example, a resistor may be connected between the first coil element 611 and the capacitive element 621. The resistor may perform an electrostatic discharge (ESD) function.

As disclosed herein, when the touch input member is in contact with the surface of the first switching member SM1 (integrated with the housing 500 of the mobile device or integrally formed with the housing 500 of the mobile device), the capacitive sensing method may be applied in case of being touched by a human body part, and the inductive sensing method may be applied in case of being touched by a non-human input member. Thus, a distinction can be established as to whether the input member is a human body part or a non-human input member.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a capacitive sensing method when touched by a human body part. Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram of an example of an oscillating circuit when touched by a human body part.

In fig. 6 and 7, the capacitance circuit 620 of the oscillating circuit 600 may further have a touch capacitance Ctouch formed by a touch of a human body part when touched by the human body part. Thus, the total capacitance may vary.

For example, when a human body part (hand) touches the contact surface of the first switching member SM1, the capacitance sensing principle is applied to increase the total capacitance value. As a result, the resonance frequency of the oscillating circuit 600 is reduced (equation 1).

On the other hand, in fig. 9 and 10, when a non-human input member such as a conductor (metal) touches the contact surface of the first switching member SM1, the inductance sensing principle is applied to reduce the inductance caused by eddy currents. As a result, the resonance frequency is increased.

As described above, in the case of the touch sensing switch structure in which the two sensing methods are mixed, the touch of the human body part and the touch of the non-human input member can be distinguished from each other according to the rise or fall of the resonance frequency of the oscillation signal.

Fig. 8 shows a detailed example of the oscillating circuit in fig. 7.

In fig. 7 and 8, the oscillation circuit 600 may have a capacitance Cext (2 Cext and 2 Cext) from the capacitance element 621 included in the capacitance circuit 620 and a capacitance Ctouch (Ccase, cfinger and Cgnd) formed when touched by a human body part.

In fig. 8, the touch capacitances Ctouch (Ccase, cfinger and Cgnd) may be a case capacitance ccose and a finger capacitance Cfinger connected in series with each other and a ground capacitance Cgnd between circuit ground and ground.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the total capacitance of the oscillating circuit 600 in fig. 8 is variable compared to the oscillating circuit 600 in fig. 5.

For example, when the capacitances 2Cext and 2Cext are expressed as equivalent circuits divided into one capacitance 2Cext and the other capacitance 2Cext based on circuit ground, the case capacitance ccose, the finger capacitance Cfinger, and the ground capacitance Cgnd may be connected in parallel to the one capacitance 2Cext and the other capacitance 2Cext.

As an example, the second resonance frequency fres2 of the oscillating circuit 600 when touched by a human body part may be represented by the following formula 2.

fres2≒1/{2πsqrt(Lind×[2Cext‖(2Cext+CT)])}

CT≒Ccase‖Cfinger‖Cgnd(2)

In formula 2, the values of the symbols are the same or similar, and the term "similar" means that other values may be included. In equation 2, ccs represents a parasitic capacitance existing between the case (cover) and the first coil element 611, cfinger represents a capacitance of a human body part, and Cgnd represents a ground return capacitance between circuit ground and ground.

In formula 2, "|" is defined as follows: "a" and "b" are defined as the series connection between "a" and "b" in the circuit, and the sum value thereof is calculated as "(a×b)/(a+b)".

When equation 1 (when not touched) and equation 2 (when touched by a human body part) are compared, the capacitance 2Cext of equation 1 increases to the capacitance (2cext+ct) of equation 2. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the first resonant frequency fres1 when not touched is reduced to the second resonant frequency fres2 when touched.

In fig. 7 and 8, the oscillation circuit 600 may generate an oscillation signal (having a first resonance frequency fres1 when not touched by a human body part or a second resonance frequency fres2 when touched by a human body part) and may output the oscillation signal to the frequency digitizer 700.

Fig. 9 shows an example of an inductance sensing method when touched by a non-human input member, and fig. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an oscillating circuit when touched by a non-human input member.

In fig. 9 and 10, when a non-human input member such as a conductor (metal) touches the contact surface of the first switching member SM1, the inductance sensing principle is applied, and thus, inductance caused by eddy current can be reduced to increase the resonance frequency. As described above, the touch of the non-human input member may be detected based on the increase of the resonance frequency.

In fig. 10, when a touch of a non-human input member such as a metal is input to the first switching member SM1, inductance is reduced (i.e., lind- Δl) due to a change in magnetic force between the first switching member SM1 and the first coil element 611, and thus, a resonance frequency may be increased to detect the touch of the non-human input member.

The inductance sensing principle will be described below.

When the oscillating circuit is operated, an AC current is generated in the inductor, and a magnetic Field H-Field is generated due to the AC current. In this case, when the metal is touched, the magnetic Field H-Field of the inductor affects the metal to generate a circulating current, e.g., eddy current. The eddy currents create a reverse magnetic Field H-Field. When the oscillating circuit is operated in a direction in which the magnetic Field H-Field of the inductor decreases, the inductance of the existing inductor decreases. As a result, the resonance frequency (sensing frequency) increases.

Further, the change of C (capacitance) or L (inductance) is determined according to whether or not the switching member of the case is touched by a human body part (hand) or a conductor (metal), which allows the decrease or increase of the frequency to be determined.

As described above, two types of sensing may be performed using the structure of a single touch sensing device, and a touch of a human body part and a touch of a non-human input member may be detected, and the touch of the human body part and the touch of the non-human input member may be distinguished from each other and recognized, which will be described below.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a frequency digitizer.

In fig. 11, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 converts the oscillation signal LCosc into a count value l_cnt. As an example, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 may count a reference frequency signal (reference clock signal) for a reference time (e.g., one period) using the oscillation signal LCosc. Alternatively, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 may count the oscillation signal LCosc for a reference time (e.g., one period) using a reference frequency signal (reference clock signal). The frequency to digital converter 700 may be configured to perform the cal_hold function by enabling or disabling the operation of the frequency to digital converter 700. For example, when cal_hold=0, the frequency digitizer 700 operates and updates the count value l_cnt, and when cal_hold=1, the frequency digitizer 700 stops operating and stops updating the count value l_cnt.

For example, as shown in equation 3 below, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 may divide the reference frequency signal fref using a reference division ratio N to generate a divided reference clock signal dosc_ref=fref/N, and may divide the oscillation signal LCosc from the oscillation circuit 600 using a sensing division ratio M. The frequency-to-digital converter 700 may count the divided reference clock signal dosc_ref using the divided oscillation signal LCosc/M to output the generated count value l_cnt.

In contrast, the frequency-to-digital converter 700 may count a divided reference signal using a divided sensing signal.

L_CNT＝(N×LCosc)/(M×fref) (3)

In equation 3, LCosc represents the frequency (resonant frequency) of the oscillation signal, fref represents the reference frequency, N represents the frequency division ratio of the reference frequency (e.g., 32 KHz), and M represents the frequency division ratio of the resonant frequency.

As shown in equation 2, "dividing the resonance frequency LCosc by the reference frequency fref" means counting the period of the reference frequency fref using the resonance frequency LCosc. When the count value l_cnt is obtained in the above-described manner, the low reference frequency fref can be used, and the count accuracy can be improved.

In fig. 11, a frequency-to-digital converter (FDC) 700 may include a down-converter 710, a period timer 720, and a cascaded-integration-comb (CIC) filter circuit 730.

The down-converter 710 receives a reference clock signal clk_ref (a reference of a time period of a timer to be counted) to down-convert the frequency of the reference clock signal clk_ref.

As an example, the reference clock signal clk_ref input to the down converter 710 may be any one of the oscillation signal LCosc and the reference frequency signal fref. As an example, when the reference clock signal clk_ref is the oscillation signal LCosc input from the oscillation circuit, the frequency of the sensing frequency signal LCosc is down-converted to "dosc_ref=lcosc/M", where M may be set in advance by an external entity. As another example, when the reference clock signal clk_ref is the reference frequency signal fref, the reference clock signal clk_ref is down-converted to "dosc_ref=fref/N", where N may be preset by an external entity.

The period timer 720 may count one period time of the divided reference clock signal dosc_ref received from the down converter 710 using the sampling clock signal clk_spl to generate and output a period count value PCV.

As an example, CIC filter circuit 730 may include a decimator CIC filter. The decimator CIC filter may perform an accumulation amplification on the received period count value PCV to generate and output a count value l_cnt.

As another example, CIC filter circuit 730 may also include a first order CIC filter. The first order CIC filter may calculate a moving average to remove noise from the output values of the decimator CIC filter.

As an example, the decimator CIC filter may perform cumulative amplification on the period count value from the period timer using a cumulative gain that is determined based on the period count value from the period timer using a predetermined number of integration stages, a predetermined decimator factor, and a predetermined comb differential delay order.

For example, when the decimator CIC filter includes an integrating circuit, a decimator, and a differential circuit, the cumulative gain [ (r×m)/(S) ] may be obtained based on the number of stages S of the integrating circuit, the decimator factor R, and the delay order M of the differential circuit. For example, when the number of stages S of the integrating circuit is 4, the decimator factor R is 1 and the delay order M of the differential circuit is 4, the cumulative gain may be 256, i.e., [ (1×4) ≡4].

Fig. 12 shows the operation of the cycle timer.

In fig. 12, as described above, in the period timer 720, the reference clock signal clk_ref may be any one of the resonance frequency signal LCosc and the reference frequency signal fref. The reference frequency signal fref may be a signal generated by an external crystal, and may be an oscillation signal such as PLL, RC, or the like in an Integrated Circuit (IC).

As an example, when the reference clock signal clk_ref is the resonant frequency signal LCosc received from the oscillating circuit, the sampling clock signal clk_spl may be the reference frequency signal fref. In this case, the divided oscillating signal may be "LCosc/M".

Alternatively, the sampling clock signal clk_spl may be the resonant frequency signal LCosc when the reference clock signal clk_ref is the reference frequency signal fref. In this case, the divided oscillation signal may be "fref/N".

Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the touch detection circuit.

In fig. 13, the touch detection circuit 800 may differential the count value l_cnt received from the frequency-to-digital converter 700 to generate a difference value Diff, and may compare the difference value Diff with each of a predetermined falling threshold value f_th and a predetermined rising threshold value r_th to output a touch detection signal DF having a level for identifying capacitive sensing (corresponding to a touch of a human body part) and inductive sensing (corresponding to a touch of a non-human body input member) based on the comparison result.

As an example, the touch detection circuit 800 may subtract the Delay count value l_cnt_delay and the count value l_cnt generated by delaying the count value l_cnt by a predetermined time to generate a difference value Diff, and may compare the difference value Diff with the falling threshold f_th and the rising threshold r_th. The touch detection circuit 800 may output the touch detection signal detect_flag having a first level when the difference Diff is smaller than the falling threshold f_th, and the touch detection circuit 800 may output the touch detection signal detect_flag having a second level when the difference Diff is greater than the rising threshold r_th.

In fig. 13, the touch detection circuit 800 may include a delay circuit 810, a subtraction circuit 820, and a slope detection circuit 830.

The Delay circuit 810 may Delay the count value l_cnt received from the frequency-to-digital converter 700 by a time determined based on the Delay control signal delay_ctrl to output a Delay count value l_cnt_delay. The Delay time may be determined according to the Delay control signal delay_ctrl.

The subtracting circuit 820 may subtract the Delay count value l_cnt_delay and the count value l_cnt to output a difference value. The count value l_cnt corresponds to a current count value, and the Delay count value l_cnt_delay corresponds to a value counted from the current to a predetermined Delay time.

The slope detection circuit 830 may compare the difference Diff received from the subtraction circuit 820 with a predetermined falling threshold value f_th and a predetermined rising threshold value r_th, and may output a touch detection signal DF having a first level or a second level determined to identify capacitive sensing (corresponding to a touch of a human body part) and inductive sensing (corresponding to a touch of a non-human body input member) based on the comparison result.

As an example, the slope detection circuit 830 may compare the difference value Diff with the falling threshold value f_th and the rising threshold value r_th, and when the difference value Diff is less than the falling threshold value f_th, the slope detection circuit 830 may output the touch detection signal detect_flag having a low level, and when the difference value Diff is greater than the rising threshold value r_th, the slope detection circuit 830 may output the touch detection signal detect_flag having a high level.

As an example, the upper limit value fu_hys and the lower limit value fl_hys of the falling hysteresis may be set and used based on the falling threshold value f_th. The upper limit value ru_hys and the lower limit value rl_hys of the rising hysteresis may be set and used based on the rising threshold value r_th.

As described above, the difference Diff of the slopes may be used to prevent errors caused by temperature drift, and the upper and lower limits fu_hys and fl_hys of the falling hysteresis and ru_hys and rl_hys of the rising hysteresis may be used to improve touch detection accuracy. In fig. 13, rh_time represents a predetermined Time for determining a falling hold and a rising hold.

In fig. 14, based on the falling detection signal f_det and the rising detection signal r_det, when the difference Diff increases after falling, the detection signal generator 834 may generate the touch detection signal detect_flag having a first level in the touch of the human body part, and when the difference Diff decreases after rising, the detection signal generator 834 may generate the touch detection signal detect_flag having a second level in the touch of the non-human input member.

For example, in fig. 14, the slope detection circuit 830 may include a slope detector 831, a falling slope detector 832, a rising slope detector 833, and a detection signal generator 834.

The slope detector 831 determines whether the difference Diff of the received slopes increases or decreases. For example, the slope detector 831 may determine whether the difference value Diff decreases or increases, and when the difference value Diff increases, the slope detector 831 may output the enable signal enb=1 in an active state, and when the difference value Diff decreases, the slope detector 831 may output the enable signal enb=0 in an inactive state.

As an example, when the received difference value decreases, the slope detector 831 may output an enable signal enb=1 in an active state to the falling slope detector 832 and the rising slope detector 833 to start an operation. Meanwhile, when the received difference increases, the slope detector 831 may output an enable signal enb=0 to the falling slope detector 832 and the rising slope detector 833 to not perform an operation.

The falling slope detector 832 generates a falling detection signal f_det when the enable signal enters the active state enb=1 and the received difference Diff is less than or equal to the falling threshold f_th for a predetermined Time fh_time.

The rising slope detector 833 generates a rising detection signal r_det when the enable signal enters the active state enb=1 and the received difference Diff is greater than or equal to the rising threshold r_th for a predetermined Time rh_time. As an example, the rising slope detector 833 may generate the rising detection signal r_det when the enable signal enters the active state enb=1 and the difference Diff is greater than or equal to the values r_th, ru_hys, and rl_hys of the rising period for a predetermined Time rh_time.

The detection signal generator 834 may generate a touch detection signal Detect Flag having a first level or a second level based on the received falling detection signal f_det and the received rising detection signal r_det.

Further, the process of generating the touch detection signal detect_flag is based on whether the falling detection signal f_det and the rising detection signal r_det are simultaneously activated and the activation Time interval ph_time of the signals f_det and r_det.

When the generation of the final touch detection signal detect_flag is completed, the detection signal generator 834 may generate an initialization signal clr and transmit the initialization signal clr to the slope detector 831, the falling slope detector 832, and the rising slope detector 833.

Fig. 15 shows an example of a count value and a difference value (a slope value of the count value) when touched by a human body part, and fig. 16 shows an example of a count value and a difference value when touched by a non-human body input member.

In fig. 15, waveforms are an example of waveforms of count values and waveforms of differences (slope changes) measured when a hand touches a first coil element mounted below a first switch member. In fig. 16, waveforms are examples of waveforms of count values and differences (slope changes) measured when a conductor such as metal touches a first coil element mounted under a first switching member.

In fig. 15, it can be seen that the first switching member on the first coil element operates capacitively to decrease the count value l_cnt when the human body part (hand) touches the first switching member and to increase the count value l_cnt to its initial state when the human body part (hand) does not touch the first switching member. If the slope value is checked based on the above phenomenon, it can be seen that the slope value decreases when touched by a human body part (hand) and increases when not touched by the human body part (hand).

As described above, when touched by a human body part (hand), the slope change (difference) appears as a pair of rising slopes after the falling slope.

In addition, in fig. 16, it can be seen that the first switching member on the first coil element operates inductively to increase the count value l_cnt when the conductor (metal) touches the first switching member and to decrease the count value l_cnt to its initial state when the conductor (metal) does not touch the first switching member.

As described above, when touched by a conductor (metal), the slope change (difference) appears as a pair of falling slopes after the rising slope.

For example, it can be seen that when a human body part (hand) or a conductor (metal) touches the first switch member on the first coil element, the slope change (a pair of rising slopes (corresponding to the human body part) and a pair of falling slopes (corresponding to the conductor)) and the order in which the falling slopes and the rising slopes occur change according to the touch input member.

In fig. 17, furthermore, when the first coil element is continuously touched by a human body part (hand), a falling drift of the count value occurs due to a temperature change of the first coil element. For this reason, the slope change (rather than the absolute counter level) may be used to exclude effects caused by temperature drift to determine if the first coil element is touched.

Accordingly, the touch of the human body part (hand) can confirm that the slope in the initial state increases above the rising threshold after falling below the falling threshold.

Further, when a touch of a human body part and a touch of a conductor are mixed, both touches are treated as a pair of falling slopes and rising slopes, a touch of a human body part is treated as a pair of rising slopes after the falling slopes, and a touch of a conductor is treated as a pair of falling slopes after the rising slopes. Thus, an operation (a falling slope after a rising slope) of a touch with respect to a conductor can be detected and eliminated.

Further, when falling below the falling threshold is detected again without rising after falling below the falling threshold in the initial state, a failure can be prevented by the initialization process.

In detail, fig. 18 shows an example of the falling threshold f_th and the rising threshold r_th, the falling hysteresis intervals fu_hys and fl_hys for the respective thresholds, and the rising hysteresis intervals ru_hys and rl_hys for the respective thresholds, and shows an example of the final touch detection signal detect_flag for the respective thresholds.

The various thresholds and the various hysteresis intervals described above may be stored by a user in a memory or register to be changed and reset depending on the state of the device or module.

First to seventh application examples of the switch operation sensing device according to the present application are shown in fig. 19.

In fig. 19, a first application example may be an example of an operation control button applicable to a substitute bluetooth headset, and a second application example may be an example of an operation control button applicable to a substitute bluetooth headset. As an example, the second application example may be applied to a power on/off switch instead of the bluetooth headset and the bluetooth headset.

In fig. 19, a third application example may be an example applicable to an operation control button instead of smart glasses. As an example, the third application example may be applied to a button for performing a function of a phone button, a mail button, a home button, or the like, instead of a device such as google glass, VR (virtual reality) head mounted device, AR (augmented reality) head mounted device, or the like.

In fig. 19, a fourth application example may be an example applicable to a door lock button of an alternative vehicle. The fifth application example may be an example of a smart key button applicable to an alternative vehicle. The sixth application example may be an example applicable to an operation control button of the alternative computer. The seventh application example may be an example applicable to an operation control button instead of the refrigerator.

Further, the switch operation sensing apparatus of the present application may be used to replace volume and power switches of laptop computers and switches of VR devices, head Mounted Displays (HMDs), bluetooth earbud headphones, touch pens, and the like. In addition, the switch operation sensing device may be used to replace a button of a monitor of a home appliance, a refrigerator, a laptop computer, or the like.

For example, the operation control button may be integrated with a cover, a frame, or a housing of a device to which the operation control button is applied, and may be used to turn on/off power, adjust volume, and perform other specific functions (e.g., return, move to home, lock, etc.).

Further, the switch operation sensing apparatus of the present application may include a plurality of touch switches to perform various functions when performing corresponding functions (e.g., return, move to home page, lock, etc.).

The touch switch of the present application is not limited to the above-described buttons of the device, and may be applied to devices such as a mobile device and a wearable device each having a switch. Furthermore, the touch switch of the present application can be applied to realize an integrated design.

When the above-described embodiments of the present application are applied to a mobile device, a thinner, simpler, more orderly design can be achieved, and unlike a capacitive sensing method, a transducer (ADC) is not required, and an application structure can be easily achieved by directly attaching a touch switch to a target surface of a switching member. Further, unlike capacitive sensing, dust and waterproof switching can be realized, and sensing can be performed even in a humid environment.

As described above, in the touch switch structure using the case as the housing of the electronic device, the touch input member for the input operation can be identified based on the slope change including the capacitance change and the inductance change of the input member (such as the human body part or the non-human body input member) according to the input operation. Accordingly, sensing accuracy of touch input can be improved, and malfunction that may be caused by touch errors caused by non-human input members (not human body parts) can be prevented.

While this disclosure includes particular examples, it will be apparent that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents after understanding the disclosure of this application. The examples described herein are to be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The description of features or aspects in each example will be considered to apply to similar features or aspects in other examples. Suitable results may be obtained if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in the described systems, architectures, devices or circuits are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Thus, the scope of the disclosure is defined not by the detailed description but by the claims and their equivalents, and all changes within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included in the disclosure.

Claims

1. A switch operation sensing device configured to be added to an electronic apparatus, the switch operation sensing device comprising:

an input operation unit including a first switch member provided in a housing;

an oscillation circuit configured to generate an oscillation signal whose resonance frequency changes during an input operation based on a capacitance change or an inductance change according to a touch input member in contact with the first switching member;

a frequency-to-digital converter configured to convert the oscillation signal into a count value; and

touch detection circuitry configured to: capacitive sensing and inductive sensing are detected based on a slope change of the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter, and a corresponding touch detection signal is output based on the detection.

2. The switch operation sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding touch detection signals have different levels from each other.

3. The switch operation sensing device of claim 1, wherein the frequency-to-digital converter is further configured to generate the count value by counting a reference clock signal using the oscillation signal.

4. The switch operation sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first switch member and the housing are formed using the same material.

5. The switch operation sensing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the input operation unit further includes a second switch member that is integrated with the housing and is disposed at a position different from that of the first switch member, and

the second switching member and the housing are formed using the same material.

6. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillating circuit includes:

an inductance circuit including a first coil element provided on an inner side of the first switching member; and

a capacitive circuit including a capacitive element connected to the inductive circuit,

wherein the oscillating signal has a first frequency characteristic when the first switching member is touched by a human body part, and has a second frequency characteristic when the first switching member is touched by a non-human body input member.

7. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillating circuit includes:

An inductance circuit including a first coil element disposed on an inner side of the first switching member and having an inductance that varies when the first switching member is touched by a non-human input member; and

a capacitance circuit including a capacitance element connected to the inductance circuit and having a capacitance that changes when the first switching member is touched by a human body part.

8. The switch operation sensing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first coil element is mounted on a substrate and attached to an inner side surface of the first switch member.

9. The switch operation sensing device of claim 1, wherein the frequency-to-digital converter is further configured to: a frequency-divided reference clock signal is generated by dividing a reference frequency signal using a reference frequency division ratio, and the count value generated by counting the frequency-divided reference clock signal using the oscillation signal is output.

10. The switch operation sensing device of claim 1, wherein the frequency-to-digital converter is further configured to: generating a divided reference clock signal by dividing a reference frequency signal using a reference division ratio, dividing the oscillation signal from the oscillation circuit using a sensing division ratio to generate a divided oscillation signal, and outputting the count value generated by counting the divided reference clock signal using the divided oscillation signal.

11. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the frequency-to-digital converter includes:

a down converter configured to: receiving a reference frequency signal as a reference clock signal and generating a divided reference clock signal by dividing the reference clock signal using a reference division ratio to down-convert a frequency of the reference frequency signal;

a period timer configured to: receiving the oscillation signal as a sampling clock signal, and outputting a period count value generated by counting the frequency-divided reference clock signal of one period time received from the down-converter using the sampling clock signal; and

a cascaded integrator comb filter circuit configured to output the count value generated by performing cumulative amplification on the period count value received from the period timer.

12. The switch-operation sensing device of claim 11, wherein the cascaded integrator-comb filter circuit comprises a decimator cascaded integrator-comb filter configured to:

performing an accumulation amplification on the period count value from the period timer using a predetermined number of integration steps, a predetermined decimator factor, and a predetermined comb differential delay order; and

A cumulative amplified cycle count is provided.

13. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the touch detection circuit differentiates the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter to generate a difference value, and compares the difference value with each of a predetermined falling threshold and a predetermined rising threshold to output the touch detection signal having one of the different levels for identifying capacitive sensing and inductive sensing based on a comparison result.

14. The switch operation sensing device of claim 12, wherein the touch detection circuit comprises:

a delay circuit configured to: delaying the count value received from the frequency-to-digital converter by a time determined based on a delay control signal to output a delay count value;

a subtracting circuit configured to: subtracting the count value from the delay count value to generate and output a difference value; and

a slope detection circuit configured to: the difference received from the subtracting circuit is compared with each of a predetermined falling threshold and a predetermined rising threshold to output the touch detection signal having the first level or the second level for identifying capacitive sensing and inductive sensing based on a comparison result.

15. The switch operation sensing device of claim 14, wherein the slope detection circuit comprises:

a slope detector configured to: determining whether the difference is decreased or increased, and outputting an enable signal in an active state when the difference is decreased, and outputting an enable signal in an inactive state when the difference is increased;

a falling slope detector configured to: generating a drop detection signal when the enable signal enters the active state and the difference value is less than or equal to a drop threshold value for a predetermined time;

a rising slope detector configured to: generating a rise detection signal when the enable signal enters the active state and the difference is greater than or equal to a rise threshold for the predetermined time; and

a detection signal generator configured to: the touch detection signal having a first level or a second level is generated based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal.

16. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the detection signal generator generates the touch detection signal having a first level based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal in response to capacitive sensing when the difference increases after falling.

17. The switching operation sensing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the detection signal generator generates the touch detection signal having a second level based on the falling detection signal and the rising detection signal in response to the inductance sensing when the difference value decreases after rising.

18. The switch operation sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is any one of a bluetooth headset, a bluetooth earpiece, smart glasses, a virtual reality headset, an augmented reality headset, a smart key button of a vehicle, a laptop computer, a head mounted display, and a stylus.

19. A detection apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

an input operation unit including a first switch member integrally formed with the housing;

an oscillating circuit configured to generate an oscillating signal based on a contact to a touch input member on the first switch member; and

touch detection circuitry configured to: one of capacitive sensing and inductive sensing is determined based on a slope change of a count value of the oscillation signal, and a detection signal is output based on the determined sensing.

20. The detection device of claim 19, wherein the oscillating circuit is further configured to: the oscillation signal having a resonance frequency corresponding to the touch input member contacting the first switching member is generated during an input operation.

21. The detection device of claim 19, further comprising a frequency-to-digital converter connected to the oscillating circuit and configured to convert the oscillating signal to the count value.

22. The detection apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the input operation unit further includes a second switch member that is integrally formed with the housing and is provided at a position different from that of the first switch member.

23. The detection device of claim 19, wherein the contact of the touch input member is determined to be the capacitive sensing when the contact is a human touch and the contact is determined to be the inductive sensing when the contact of the touch input member is a non-human input member touch.