KR102357724B1 - Hybrrid gesture sensor capable of sensing gesture, touch, and touch force based on single channel sensing and method of operation therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a hybrid gesture sensor and an operating method thereof. The sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a sensing electrode; an intermediate component placed outside the sensing electrode and capable of being deformed; a first resonance circuit connected electrically to the sensing electrode; a second resonance circuit having the same electrical characteristics with the first resonance circuit; and a detection circuit for receiving a first electrical signal formed on top of the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode and receiving a second electrical signal formed on the second resonance circuit. The detection circuit detects a difference between a first resonance frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonance frequency of the second electrical signal to generate detection information. The detection information includes a distance from an external conductor to the intermediate component, which is approached by the external conductor owing to the motion of a user, and information for determining whether the conductor is in contact with the outer contact surface of the intermediate component. Therefore, provided is a technique for detecting the motion input of a user on a device accurately.

Description

A hybrid gesture sensor capable of detecting gesture, touch, and touch force based on single-channel sensing and an operation method thereof

The present invention relates to a proximity-based user interface device, a sensor for the device, and a method of operating the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a technique for improving and effectively implementing the sensitivity of a proximity-based gesture sensor, a touch sensor, and a touch force sensor, and a technique for operating the same.

In recent years, touch recognition technology has made rapid development, and many modern devices include various touch-sensitive input devices for interacting with the device by a user. In addition to direct touch, the touch sensing technology can detect whether a human body is close to the sensor.

As an example of a technology for providing user feedback based on Touch or Proximity Sensing technology, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication KR 10-2018-0068303 “Systems and methods for proximity-based haptic feedback” is disclosed. do. The prior document uses a non-contact proximity sensor and a touch sensor to detect a contact or non-contact proximity interaction and transmit it to a haptic output device.

U.S. Patent No. 9,250,734 "Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation" discloses a technology capable of recognizing a hovering gesture and a touch gesture using an infrared-type proximity sensor together with a capacitive touch sensor. .

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. KR 10-2015-0121949 "Method and Apparatus for Recognizing Gestures" uses an infrared sensor to recognize a hovering gesture and a distance in the z-axis direction, and to recognize a touch gesture and a position on a two-dimensional plane. Disclosed is a technology using a touch sensor of

Korean Patent No. KR 10-2140791 "A touch controller, a display device and an electronic device including the touch controller, and a touch sensing method" discloses a single-touch mode for detecting proximity that is vertically spaced apart in a space above a touch screen panel , and a technology for respectively detecting non-contact proximity and multi-touch by a multi-touch mode for detecting a plurality of touch areas when a proximity touch occurs. However, in this method, the electrode structure capable of multi-touch operation must be operated in a separate mode for single-touch operation, and in this process, power consumption increases and a quick response is difficult.

Prior documents mainly use an infrared sensor or a capacitive-based sensor to recognize a user gesture by detecting a movement of a part of a user's body or a conductor approaches or touches a device, or approaches/contacts a device using an infrared sensor or a capacitance-based sensor.

In general, in order to detect a location of a touch or proximity, or to recognize a user gesture for a plurality of locations, a separate sensor is used for each location or area, or an individual channel is allocated to each location. As the number of partitioned regions increases, the number of sensors or channels increases, thus increasing the cost.

Meanwhile, in the prior literature, in addition to allocating an individual channel for each object to be distinguished (non-contact proximity, touched position, touch force, and size of the touched object), power consumption increases and quick response because it operates by allocating an individual operation mode. There is this difficult problem.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent KR 10-2018-0068303 "Systems and Methods for Proximity-Based Haptic Feedback" (June 21, 2018) US registered patent US 9,250,734 "Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation" (February 2, 2016) Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent KR 10-2015-0121949 "Method and Apparatus for Recognizing Gestures" (October 30, 2015) Korean Patent Registration KR 10-2140791 "Touch controller, display device and electronic device including touch controller, and touch sensing method" (July 28, 2020)

The prior art provides a technology for detecting a touch/proximity sensing-based user gesture for various applications, but an object to be distinguished (non-contact proximity, touch/proximity location, touch force, size or type of touch/proximity) Since each operation mode is allocated and operated, power consumption increases and it is difficult to respond quickly.

The present invention detects a user's hovering gesture, touch presence, and touch force through a hybrid gesture sensor configuration by a single channel and a single operation mode, and tracks changes in the gesture, touch, and touch force over time. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of accurately detecting a user's motion input to a device by a single operation mode of a single channel sensor.

An object of the present invention is to reduce power consumption and shorten a sensing time by sensing proximity motion, touch action, and/or touch force on an individual area with a single measurement without scanning frequency components.

An object of the present invention is to provide a user interface for detecting a change in time and frequency domain and recognizing a gesture using a hybrid gesture sensor of a single channel and a single operation mode. According to the present invention, changes in time and frequency domains can be easily detected without requiring a variable frequency scan, and there is no need to change the operation mode according to the target to be detected, so that the setting of the sensing circuit is maintained as a single setting. An object of the present invention is to provide a gesture sensor that can obtain continuous sensing information in real time.

The present invention can interpret the user's gesture and user's intention input by quickly detecting the details of the user's motion (approach, touch, and touch force) for individual areas by continuous sensing in real time. It aims to provide a user interface that can be

An object of the present invention is to provide a user interface capable of interpreting a gesture indicated by a user's motion and an input made by the user's intention by rapidly detecting various aspects of the user's motion by sensing by a single setting.

The present invention is a configuration derived to achieve the above object, a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention is a sensing electrode; a deformable intermediate part located outside the sensing electrode; a first resonance circuit electrically connected to the sensing electrode; a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit; and a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed on the second resonance circuit.

The detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal.

The sensing information includes information capable of identifying a distance at which an external conductor approaches the intermediate part by a user's motion, and whether the conductor is in contact with an external contact surface of the intermediate part.

The detection circuit may output an output signal proportional to the magnitude of the detection information, and the output signal may have a value that changes based on the polarity of the detection information.

In the hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, based on the output signal, whether the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part, the distance that the conductor approaches the intermediate part, and whether the conductor contacts the external contact surface of the intermediate part It may further include a controller for recognizing whether or not, and the intensity of a touch force that the conductor inputs to the external contact surface.

Based on the change of the output signal over time, the controller determines the distance that the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and intermediate part by the user's motion, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and the touch that the conductor enters into the external contact surface. A change in force strength may be tracked, and a gesture indicated by the user's motion may be recognized based on the tracking result.

The detection circuit may detect the magnitude and polarity of the sensing information over time while maintaining the electrical characteristics of the first resonant circuit and the second resonant circuit at the first single setting.

The detection circuit includes: an operator for calculating a difference between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency; a low-pass filter connected to the output terminal of the calculator to remove high-frequency components; and an output signal generator connected to the output terminal of the low-pass filter to generate an electrical signal proportional to the magnitude according to the polarity of the sensing information.

The user interface device of the present invention includes a hybrid gesture sensor; and a controller, wherein the hybrid gesture sensor includes: a first resonance circuit; a sensing electrode electrically connected to the first resonance circuit; a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit; a second resonant circuit; a deformable intermediate part located outside the sensing electrode; and a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed on the second resonance circuit.

The detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal.

Based on the sensing information, the controller determines whether the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate component, the distance the conductor approaches the intermediate component, whether the conductor is in contact with the outer contact surface of the intermediate component, and whether the conductor enters the outer contact surface. Recognizes the intensity of the touch force.

The detection circuit may have a value that changes based on the polarity of the detection information and output an output signal proportional to the size of the detection information.

Based on the change of the output signal over time, the controller determines the distance that the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and intermediate part by the user's motion, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and the touch that the conductor enters into the external contact surface. A change in force strength may be tracked, a gesture indicated by the user's motion may be recognized based on the tracking result, and the gesture may be translated into a user input intended by the user's motion.

A method of operating a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving, by a detection circuit, a first resonant circuit and a first electrical signal formed on a sensing electrode electrically connected to the first resonant circuit; receiving, by the detection circuit, a second electrical signal formed in the second resonant circuit; and detecting, by the detection circuit, a difference between the first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and the second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal to generate sensing information.

According to the present invention, a user's hovering gesture, touch presence, and touch force are detected through a hybrid gesture sensor configuration by a single channel and a single operation mode, and changes in the gesture, touch, and touch force over time are tracked. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the user's motion input to the device by the single operation mode of the single channel sensor.

According to the present invention, power consumption and sensing time can be reduced by detecting a proximity motion, a touch action, and/or a touch force for an individual area with a single measurement without scanning a frequency component.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user interface for detecting a change in time and frequency domains and recognizing a gesture using a hybrid gesture sensor of a single channel and a single operation mode. According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily detect a change in time and frequency domain without requiring a variable frequency scan, and there is no need to change an operation mode according to an object to be detected, so setting of a sensing circuit It is possible to obtain continuous sensing information in real time while maintaining a single setting.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to quickly detect the details (approach or touch, touch force) of a user's motion for an individual area by continuous sensing in real time. The user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention may quickly detect and interpret a gesture indicated by a user's motion and an input made by the user's intention.

The user interface according to an embodiment of the present invention can quickly detect various aspects of a user's motion by sensing by a single setting, and thereby quickly respond to a gesture indicated by the user's motion and an input by the user's intention. can detect and interpret.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, since information detected using a hybrid gesture sensor of a single channel and a single operation mode is output as a quantified value, it is possible to verify whether there is an error in the sensing result by comparing it with a predetermined measured value section. can According to an embodiment of the present invention, the proximity of the conductor (including a part of the human body) by the user's motion, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and whether the user inputs a touch force depend on the user's intention. It can be verified whether or not it is caused by an error.

Since the prior art detects the amplitude of the resonance signal or the amplitude of the analog AC signal, it is only possible to detect whether the detected result exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, the present invention calculates the resonance frequency difference of the differential signal and generates an analog signal or digitized value proportional to the resonance frequency difference, so that quantified sensing information can be obtained, and using this, the sensor of a single channel and a single operation mode Based on this, it is possible to precisely detect a change in a touch/proximity position in a time-three-dimensional space.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a user interface device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the structure of a hybrid gesture sensor of a user interface device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram illustrating a function of a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a differential resonance circuit of a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a detection circuit of a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating waveforms during operation of a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is an operation flowchart illustrating a method of operating a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In addition to the above objects, other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent through the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. KR 10-2018-0068303 “Systems and Methods for Proximity-Based Haptic Feedback,” which are the aforementioned prior documents, US Patent No. 9,250,734 “Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation”, Korean Publication Patent KR 10-2015-0121949 "Method and device for recognizing gesture" (October 30, 2015), and Korean Patent KR 10-2140791 "Touch controller, display device and electronic device including touch controller, and touch Sensing methods" disclose prior art related to the present invention. These prior documents are partially related to the problems to be solved by the present invention, and some of the solutions adopted by the present invention can be borrowed from the prior art.

Only matters commonly included in order to embody the present invention among the matters disclosed in the preceding documents will be regarded as a part of the configuration of the present invention. In addition, matters that are obvious to those skilled in the art through the preceding documents among the matters necessary for embodying the present invention may be omitted from detailed description in the present specification.

Korean Patent Publication KR 10-2018-0068303 "Systems and methods for proximity-based haptic feedback", US Patent No. 9,250,734 "Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation", Korean Patent Publication KR 10-2015- 0121949 "Method and Apparatus for Recognizing Gesture" (October 30, 2015), and Korean Patent KR 10-2140791 "A touch controller, a display device and an electronic device including a touch controller, and a touch sensing method" in the present invention Various applications of a user interface using a hybrid gesture sensing technology obtained based on the configuration of A detailed description of these applications will be omitted in this specification. However, even if the prior documents suggest haptic feedback or a user interface for a smartphone, the configuration of the present invention provides an interpretation of user input using touch or proximity-based user motion sensing information, and visual, auditory, It can be applied to various applications that provide olfactory, tactile, gustatory, or synesthetic feedback.

Hereinafter, a hybrid gesture sensor, a user interface device, and an operating method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying FIGS. 1 to 7 .

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a user interface device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the inside of the user interface device 100 may be divided into at least one individual area. At least one or more channel electrodes may be disposed to correspond to each individual region.

According to an embodiment, the inside of the user interface device 100 may be divided into a single area, a single channel may be set, and one electrode may be allocated to a single channel.

1 illustrates a user interface device 100 in the form of a button. The user interface device 100 includes an external contact surface 112 positioned toward the outside to receive a user's input, a deformable intermediate part positioned between the external contact surface 112 and the sensing electrode (not shown in FIG. 1) ( 170) is shown.

Although one button is illustrated in FIG. 1 , a plurality of buttons may be included according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this case, each button is divided into individual regions, and at least one channel electrode is disposed corresponding to each of the individual regions.

An external conductor (a part of the user's body or an additional interface device such as a stylus) 180 may approach the user interface device 100 by the user's proximity motion. The channel sensing electrodes corresponding to each of the individual regions determine whether the external conductor 180 approaches with the intermediate part 170 interposed therebetween, the distance the external conductor 180 approaches, and the external conductor 180 on the external contact surface 112 . ), sensing information corresponding to whether the external conductor 180 approaches or a touch force is input to the external contact surface 112 is generated and transmitted to the circuit in the user interface device 100 .

The user interface device 100 may provide a hovering gesture in which the external conductor 180 approaches the external contact surface 112 , a touch gesture touching the external contact surface 112 , and/or a touch force on the external contact surface 112 . An input gesture may be detected and interpreted as a user input according to the user's intention.

2 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the structure of a hybrid gesture sensor of the user interface device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the sensing electrode 210 and the external contact surface 212 of the user interface device 200 are shown. An intermediate component 270 is disposed between the sensing electrode 210 and the external contact surface 212 . The intermediate part 270 may be made of a material that is deformable by an external force.

The hybrid gesture sensor may consider that there is no user input when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the first range 218 .

The position of the conductor 280 according to the user's motion may be changed very quickly in the first range 218 and the second range 216 because there is no obstacle. Therefore, in the hybrid gesture sensor, when the change in the signal induced to the sensing electrode 210 by the position of the conductor 280 according to the user's motion exceeds the first threshold, the first range 218 to the second range 216 can be recognized as entering.

The hybrid gesture sensor may recognize the user's motion as a hovering gesture when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the second range 216 . In addition, the hybrid gesture sensor may recognize as a meaningful hovering gesture when the length of time the conductor 280 stays in the second range 216 according to the user's motion exceeds the first threshold time.

The hybrid gesture sensor may recognize that the user is inputting a touch force when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the third range 214 . The hybrid gesture sensor recognizes the position of the conductor 280 in the Z-axis direction based on the elasticity of the intermediate part 270 when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the third range 214, and recognizes the position in the Z-axis direction. The intensity of the touch force may be calculated from the position of .

In the hybrid gesture sensor, when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the boundary range of the second range 216 and the third range 214, the user touches the external contact surface 212 but does not input a touch force. It can be recognized that it is not.

In the hybrid gesture sensor, when a change in a signal induced to the sensing electrode 210 by the position of the conductor 280 according to the user's motion corresponds to a touch section between the second threshold and the third threshold, the sensor responds to the user's motion. It may be recognized that the position of the conductor 280 is within the boundary range of the second range 216 and the third range 214 .

The hybrid gesture sensor may recognize a meaningful touch input when the time for the conductor 280 according to the user's motion to be located in the boundary range of the second range 216 and the third range 214 exceeds the second threshold time. .

In the hybrid gesture sensor, when the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the third range 214, the position of the conductor 280 in the Z-axis direction is determined based on the elasticity of the intermediate part 270. When the user enters the third range 214 outside the fourth threshold from the boundary range, it may be recognized that the user is significantly inputting a touch force.

When the conductor 280 according to the user's motion is located in the third range 214, the position in the Z-axis direction of the conductor 280 is determined based on the elasticity of the intermediate part 270 and the user's pressing input, Accordingly, the distance at which the conductor 280 is separated from the sensing electrode 210 is determined.

The hybrid gesture sensor detects whether the position of the conductor 280 stays in the Z-axis direction of the external contact surface 212 rather than detecting whether the conductor 280 has actually touched the external contact surface 212 according to the user's motion. Therefore, the outer contact surface 212 need not be a conductor. In this case, it is preferable that the intermediate part 270 and/or the external contact surface 212 have electrical characteristics clearly distinguished from the conductor 280 , and in the case of a non-conductor, various materials may be used.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a function of a hybrid gesture sensor 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user interface device 300 includes a hybrid gesture sensor 350 and a controller 360 . The hybrid gesture sensor 350 includes a first resonance circuit 320 , at least one sensing electrode 310 electrically connected to the first resonance circuit 320 ; a second resonant circuit 330; at least one dummy electrode 330d electrically connected to the second resonance circuit 330; and a detection circuit 340 for receiving a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit 320 and at least one sensing electrode 310 , and receiving a second electrical signal formed on the second resonance circuit 330 . ) is included.

The hybrid gesture sensor 350 includes a second resonance circuit 330 having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonance circuit 320 . In this case, the same electrical characteristics may mean the same impedance or the same R-L-C configuration.

The detection circuit 340 generates sensing information by detecting a difference between the first resonant frequency ω1 of the first electrical signal and the second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal.

In this case, the sensing information includes gesture information indicated by a motion of a user in proximity to at least one of the sensing electrode 310 and the external contact surface 212 . Gesture information may include whether the user is proximate to the intermediate part 170 , .270 and/or the outer contact surfaces 112 , 212 , and whether the user is in proximity to the intermediate part 170 , .270 and/or the outer contact surfaces 112 , 212 . The proximity distance, whether the user touched the external contact surface 212 , whether the user inputted a touch force to the external contact surface 212 , the intensity of the touch force input by the user to the external contact surface 212 , and It includes a change in the distance between the conductors 180 and 280 and the sensing electrode 310 due to the user's motion over time, and includes information that the user's motion can be interpreted as an intended user command.

Recently, in combination with mobile devices, smart devices, virtual reality, and augmented reality, the user interface aims to accurately recognize precise touch/proximity-based user motions and gestures, and to understand the user's intentions. The embodiment of the present invention detects the motion of the user around the user interface device 300 using the capacitive sensing of the prior art, and a continuous real-time detection signal based on a single operation mode by a single channel and a single setting We propose a technology that receives and accurately measures and quantifies the user's motion based on it, identifies the user's intention and accurately recognizes the user's gesture. In this case, the single setting may mean a case in which the basic impedance is maintained at a single setting so that the resonant frequency of the resonant circuits does not change and the bias of the resonant circuits and the detection circuit 340 is not changed to a single setting. have.

The detection circuit 340 may output an output signal based on the magnitude and polarity of the detection information, and in this case, the detection circuit 340 may output the output signal as an analog signal or a digitized value.

The controller 360 determines whether the conductors 180 and 280 approach the sensing electrode 310 and the intermediate parts 170 and 270 based on the output signal, and the conductors 180 and 280 are the intermediate parts 170 and 270. the distance to which it is approached, whether the conductors 180 , 280 are in contact with the outer contact surfaces 112 , 212 of the intermediate parts 170 , 270 , and the intensity of the touch force the conductors enter into the outer contact surfaces 112 , 212 . (intensity) can be recognized.

3 shows an embodiment in which the controller 360 is disposed outside the hybrid gesture sensor 350 , but according to another embodiment of the present invention, the controller 360 may be included as a part of the hybrid gesture sensor 350 .

The controller 360 determines the distance at which the conductors 180 and 280 approach the sensing electrodes 310 and the intermediate parts 170 and 270 and the conductors 180 by the user's motion based on the change of the output signal over time. , 280) track whether or not the external contact surfaces 112 and 212 are touched, and the change in intensity of the touch force that the conductors 180 and 280 input to the external contact surfaces 112 and 212 are tracked, and the tracking result A gesture indicated by the user's motion may be recognized based on the . The controller 360 may translate the gesture into a user input intended by the user motion.

The detection circuit 340 may detect the magnitude and polarity of the sensing information over time while maintaining the electrical characteristics of the first resonance circuit 320 and the second resonance circuit 330 as a single setting.

4 is a diagram illustrating a differential resonance circuit of the hybrid gesture sensor 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the detection circuit 440 receives the first electrical signal formed in the first resonance circuit 420 and the sensing electrode 410 via the sensing port 420a. Similarly, the detection circuit 440 receives the second electrical signal (reference electrical signal) formed in the second resonance circuit 430 via the reference port 430a. The reference port 430a may be connected to the dummy electrode or not connected to the electrode.

The first resonant circuit 420 and the second resonant circuit 430 may be designed so that the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency (reference resonant frequency) are maintained in the same state when there is no external input. Alternatively, the difference between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency in the absence of an external input may be pre-measured as an offset, and the offset may be compensated for a measured value when a user input is sensed.

When the conductors 180 and 280 such as the user's finger or the user's stylus come close to the sensing electrode 410 or touch the first electrode 410 , the difference between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency is changed. can do. For example, when a user's conductor is close to the sensing electrode 410 , the capacitance formed by the sensing electrode 410 with the conductors 180 and 280 affects the L and C values of the first resonant circuit 420 . The first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal formed on the first resonant circuit 420 is changed. Since the proximity of the conductors 180 and 280 will induce either a rise or a fall of the first resonant frequency, the sensing information will have a significant size with a constant polarity in response to the proximity of the conductor 180 .

The detection circuit 440 may detect such a difference, and when detection information exceeding a minimum threshold is detected, it may be determined that a meaningful user input has been input.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 and 4 together, the detection circuits 340 and 440 detect two resonant frequency difference information so that the user's conductors 180 and 280 are the sensing electrodes 310 and 410 and/or the intermediate member ( 170, 270) may be detected.

In an embodiment in which the user interface device 300 , 400 is implemented such that the user selects either the first button or the second button, for example, the first button corresponds to the sensing electrode 310 , 410 and the second button It may be implemented to correspond to another second channel electrode (not shown) to identify whether the user intends to select either the first button or the second button. In addition, by setting a valid resonant frequency change section when the user selects either the first button or the second button, that is, a valid section of the measured value of the resonance frequency difference, a valid user when a measured value belonging to the corresponding section appears It can be regarded as an input, and when a measurement value outside the corresponding section appears, it can be regarded as a change in resonance frequency due to motion unintended by the user. For example, when a polarity opposite to the polarity that the resonant frequency difference information for each channel should have appears according to a normal user's gesture, it may be considered that there is noise or other types of interference.

The detection circuits 340 and 440 maintain the electrical characteristics (including the RLC impedance) of the first resonant circuits 320 and 420 and the second resonant circuits 330 and 430 in a single setting while maintaining the detection information over time. Size and polarity can be detected.

That is, the user interface devices 300 and 400 and the hybrid gesture sensors 350 and 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention do not require a change in sensing mode and no variable frequency scan for each sampling. Size and polarity can be detected: The user interface devices 300 and 400 and the hybrid gesture sensors 350 and 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention can obtain continuous sensing information in real time without changing the operation mode, At the time of output, the sensing information may be provided as a continuous analog signal value or as a digital value discrete for each sampling time.

5 is a diagram illustrating a detection circuit 540 of a hybrid gesture sensor 550 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a first oscillator 520b and a second oscillator 530b are disposed. Although it is recommended that the first oscillator 520b and the second oscillator 530b have the same characteristics, even if there is a difference, a difference in resonance frequency measured in the absence of a user input may be compensated for with an offset.

The first resonance circuit 520 is connected to the sensing electrode 510 via the sensing port 520a and transmits a first electrical signal to the detection circuit 540 . The second resonance circuit 530 transmits a second electrical signal to the detection circuit 540 . The second resonance circuit 530 may be connected to the reference port 530a, but the reference port 530a does not need to be connected to the electrode. In another embodiment of the present invention, the second resonance circuit 530 may be connected to a dummy electrode (not shown) having the same electrical characteristics and shape as the sensing electrode 510 via the reference port 530a.

The first resonant circuit 520 and the second resonant circuit 530 illustrated in FIG. 5 are equivalent circuits, and do not necessarily include a lumped RLC element. For example, capacitance, inductance, and resistance may be independent elements or may represent parasitic components. In addition, even when the first resonant circuit 520 and the second resonant circuit 530 are implemented using independent elements, the arrangement of the elements does not necessarily follow FIG. 5 and can equivalently correspond to the circuit of FIG. 5 . it is enough to have In addition, although it is recommended that the first resonant circuit 520 and the second resonant circuit 530 have the same electrical characteristics, even if there is a difference, the difference in resonant frequency measured in the absence of a user input may be compensated with an offset.

The detection circuit 540 considers that any one of the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency has caused a significant change if the measured value obtained by removing the offset of the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency is equal to or greater than the first measurement threshold. It may be determined that the conductors 180 and 280 due to the user's motion are close to the electrode 510 . That is, if a change in the difference in the resonance frequency is detected due to noise, unintentional movement, unintentional contact, or unintentional vibration, but it is less than the first measurement threshold, the first resonance frequency is not considered to have caused a significant change. can

When the difference between the resonant frequency values measured in a state where no user input is applied is not 0, a calibration process may be performed. For example, the calibration process may be performed based on the addition or adjustment of the variable resistor R' (not shown).

In contrast to the present invention, the prior art measures the change in impedance after sequentially inputting a plurality of frequency signals through a variable frequency scan. This method has a prerequisite for accurately detecting and comparing the magnitude of the signal. . Therefore, there is a problem in that it takes time to measure and power consumption is large. In addition, the prior art has difficulty in recognizing the whole of the user's motion changing in real time because the frequency must be varied and measured several times for every sampling.

The present invention takes the change of the resonance frequency as the main detection object instead of the amplitude of the signals as the main detection object, and the means for applying the AC signal of the same frequency without adopting a method such as variable frequency scan is sufficient enough for the desired purpose can be achieved Therefore, according to the present invention, using this method, the user's response can be recognized immediately from a point in time when the user's response is significantly closer to at least one of the channel electrodes, and the user's motion changing in real time can be recognized without a separate sensing mode modification.

In addition, since the change in the resonant frequency is not detected in an indirect way, but the value of the frequency is directly detected, it is easy to generate an accurate output signal using this. It is possible to generate an analog signal or a digital value proportional to the change in the measured resonant frequency, and thus, there is an advantage in that the measured information can be accurately transmitted to the controller 360, which is an application interface, without loss.

The detection circuit 540 of the hybrid gesture sensor 550 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an operator 542 for calculating the difference between the first resonant frequency ω1 and the second resonant frequency, and the operator 542. A low-pass filter 544 connected to an output terminal to remove a high-frequency component, and a first resonant frequency ω1 connected to an output terminal of the low-pass filter 544 and corresponding to the difference between the second resonance frequency It may include an output signal generator 546 that generates an electrical signal proportional to the quantitative information.

The output signal generator 546 according to one of the embodiments of the present invention may be a time-to-digital converter that generates a digitized value proportional to the frequency of the differential frequency component signal. According to another embodiment of the invention, it may be an analog voltage generator that generates an analog signal proportional to the measured frequency difference. According to another embodiment of the present invention, it may be an analog current generator proportional to the measured frequency difference.

Depending on the embodiment of the detection circuit 540, it may include a sampler and a comparator for the differential frequency component signal. In this case, for the smooth operation of the detection circuit 540, the sampler and the comparator are the first measurement thresholds described above. It can be designed by selecting an operating frequency that is sufficiently larger than the value and sufficiently larger than the operating range of the resonance frequency component corresponding to the displacement to be sensed.

In embodiments of the present invention, the detection circuits 340 , 440 , and 540 may detect the resonance frequency information of the channel independently from the amplitude of the electric signal of the channel (without detection of the amplitude). At this time, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the conventional technique of detecting amplitude independently of the resonance frequency is applied in parallel, and two pieces of detection information (first detection information based on detection of amplitude, amplitude and Independently, the first reference detection information based on the detection of the resonance frequency) may be cross-verified.

1 to 5, the detection circuits 340, 440, 540 detect the polarity and magnitude of the difference between the sensing resonance frequency for each channel and the reference resonance frequency for each channel based on the lapse of time. It is possible to generate a sensed value based on the passage of time. The detection circuits 340 , 440 , 540 detect the proximity of the conductors 180 and 280, the touch of the conductors 180 and 280, the proximity of the conductors 180 and 280 based on user motion based on the sensed value based on the lapse of time. Changes in distance and movement of touch/proximity locations can be tracked. The controller 360 may translate the movement of the three-dimensional position of the conductors 180 and 280 based on the user's motion as a user input intended by the user's motion. Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the controller 360 and the detection circuits 340 , 440 , and 540 are not separated and may be integrated into one integrated circuit.

6 is a diagram illustrating waveforms during operation of a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user interface devices 300 and 400 and the hybrid gesture sensors 350 and 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention do not require a change in a sensing mode or a variable frequency scan every sampling time, and the size of the resonance frequency difference information for each channel and Polarity can be detected: The user interface devices 300 and 400 and the hybrid gesture sensors 350 and 450 according to an embodiment of the present invention can obtain continuous sensing information in real time without changing the operation mode, and when output , the sensing information may be provided as a continuous analog signal value as shown in FIG. 6 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the sensing information may be provided as a digital value that is discrete for each sampling time.

The magnitude of the signal recognized in FIG. 6 is also related to the area where the human body and the sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 , and 510 face each other, and the human body approaches the sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 and 510 . It can also be related to distance. Therefore, when a part of the human body, for example, a finger or a palm approaches the sensing electrodes 210, 310, 410, and 510, the signal strength may be slightly different. Considering this, the first to fourth thresholds A threshold may be set.

The first event 610a of FIG. 6 refers to an event in which the user's finger or palm is positioned on the sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 , and 510 . At this time, since the positions of the conductors 180 and 280 estimated based on the magnitude of the difference in the resonant frequency of the first event 610a are interpreted as exceeding the first threshold but not exceeding the second threshold, the intermediate parts 170, 270 may be recognized as a hovering gesture that is not touched.

Referring to the waveform of FIG. 6 , in the case of touching the intermediate parts 170 and 270 , in the case of a hovering gesture that does not touch the intermediate parts 170 and 270 , and/or in the intermediate parts 170 and 270 , When the signal changes, the magnitude is clearly revealed so that cases that are not recognized as a hovering gesture due to not approaching close can be sufficiently distinguished.

The next second event 612a shown in FIG. 6 means a case in which the user's finger or palm touches the external contact surfaces 112 and 212 of the intermediate parts 170 and 270 beyond the hovering gesture.

The next third event 612b shown in FIG. 6 refers to a case in which a user's finger or palm weakly inputs a touch force to the external contact surfaces 112 and 212 .

A criterion (a second threshold value and/or a third threshold value) for distinguishing the touch gesture and the hovering gesture may be preset to distinguish the first event 610a and the second event 610b, for example. That is, if the magnitude of the signal change for each channel is less than a certain reference value, it may be recognized as a hovering gesture, and if the magnitude of the change of the signal for each channel is greater than or equal to the reference value, it may be recognized as a touch gesture.

Depending on the area or shape of the sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 , and 510 , a pattern of capacitance formed when the conductors 180 and 280 due to a user motion are close to each other may appear differently. At this time, in order to normalize the effect of the size/area of the conductors 180 and 280 and/or the distance between the sensing electrodes 210, 310, 410, 510 and the conductors 180, 280, the sensing electrodes 210, 310, 410, 510) may have a shape other than a rectangular shape.

At this time, all the phenomena of the conductors 180 and 280 approaching the individual sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 and 510 within a predetermined distance can be detected by the preset detection value section for each individual location area, so that the user can use the device 100, 200), the proximity itself can be detected irrespective of whether it is in contact or non-contact proximity.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the detection value varies depending on the degree and/or the proximity distance of the conductors 180 and 280 to the individual sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 and 510 . It is also possible to identify how close the conductors 180 and 280 are to the individual sensing electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 and 510 due to .

Also, since the amount of change in capacitance and resonance frequency may vary depending on whether the conductors 180 and 280 used by the user are part of the human body or other conductive objects such as a stylus, the detection value section for each individual location area is individually sensed. Not only one section is set for each of the electrodes 210 , 310 , 410 , and 510 , but a plurality of detection value sections may be set corresponding to the types of the plurality of conductors 180 and 280 .

The present invention has a fast response speed because a user motion can be tracked only by a single measurement at every point in time without a frequency scan, unlike the prior art, and thus the user motion can be tracked in real time.

In the present invention, since a wide location area around the devices 100 and 200 can be covered by using a single-channel sensor, the cost of the integrated circuit can be reduced, and power when the sensor is operated can be reduced, so that the mobile device Alternatively, it can be used more effectively even when using a battery.

Since inter-channel interference may occur in an embodiment in which a plurality of individual regions are provided and a channel is formed for each individual region, in the embodiment of the present invention, spacing between channel reference resonant frequencies may be set to prevent inter-channel interference. Since the reference resonance circuit and the sensing resonance circuit for each channel are set to have the same electrical characteristics, the channel frequency spacing is equally applied to the sensing resonance circuit.

Also, through calibration, the signal amplitude may be normalized based on the distance that the human body part approaches with respect to the channel region corresponding to each channel.

The magnitude of the change in the sensing signal may increase as the human body part approaches the sensing electrode.

7 is an operation flowchart illustrating a method of operating a hybrid gesture sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method of FIG. 7 may be executed in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6 , and may be executed by program instructions loaded and executed by a processor or a controller.

The operation method of FIG. 7 may include: receiving, by the detection circuit, a first resonant circuit and a first electrical signal formed on at least one sensing electrode electrically connected to the first resonant circuit (S710); receiving, by the detection circuit, a second resonant circuit (reference) and a second electrical signal formed in the second resonant circuit (S720); and detecting, by the detection circuit, a difference between the first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and the second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal ( S730 ).

At this time, the detection circuit and/or the controller determines whether the user's motion over time approaches the device 100 , 200 , touches the device 100 , 200 , and the device 100 , 200 based on the sensing information. ) may further include a step (S750) of detecting a change in the input touch force, tracking the detection result, and recognizing gesture information indicated by a motion of a user proximate to the devices 100 and 200 based on the tracking result (S750). .

In this case, the detection circuit and/or the controller may determine whether the result of step S730 exceeds the first measurement threshold to determine whether a significant change is detected ( S740 ).

The method of operation of the present invention further includes a step (not shown) of the detecting circuit or the controller translating a movement of a position of a touch or proximity of a conductor based on the user motion into a user input intended by the user motion. may include A detailed example of a process of interpreting a user motion as a user input can be easily derived by those skilled in the art with reference to the configuration of the preceding documents cited above, so a detailed description will be omitted.

1 to 7 of the present invention may be applied to various applications. For example, as an embodiment of the present invention, it may be assumed that an input is possible with only one button and there is no separate user input as it is surrounded by a single enclosure. In this case, it provides high waterproofness, airtightness, and safety, but it is difficult to provide convenience of functions with the prior art. The present invention may, for example, implement a plurality of functions with a single button, for example, may be implemented based on a single mode of a single channel from POWER-ON to other specific operations.

As an embodiment of the present invention, due to the recent outbreak of infectious diseases such as covid-19, there is an embodiment in which a button for inputting a movement command between elevator floors is implemented in a non-contact manner. At this time, it is desirable for the user to put his or her finger within the recommended distance range without touching the elevator button, but even if the button is deformed by touching the button due to the user's mistake or lack of information, or by inputting a pressing force to the button, the user It should be accepted as input and control the movement of the elevator. In the prior art, in order to respond to this case, each of a proximity sensor (hovering gesture), a touch sensor, and a touch force sensor is implemented as an individual sensor, or at least a separate channel, or an operation mode for recognizing a hovering gesture, a touch operation An operation mode for recognition was required individually.

In the present invention, these various operations can be implemented as a single operation mode of a single channel, and there is no need to change the operation mode setting, so the user's hovering gesture, touch gesture, and touch force only by recognizing the pattern of the sensing signal received in real time can detect the intensity of

In an embodiment of the elevator button of the present invention, even if an additional exterior material is disposed on the surface of the button, the operation may not be affected. Currently, an antibacterial film is installed on elevator buttons, but since conductivity must be added to the antibacterial film, the material of the antibacterial film is limited to metallic materials such as copper. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position in the Z-axis direction based on the proximity of the conductor 180 can be recognized even if it is not detected whether the conductors 180 and 280 actually have electrical contact with the external contact surfaces 112 and 212. to detect whether the conductors 180 and 280 remain at the positions of the outer contact surfaces 112 and 212 in the Z-axis direction, the outer contact surfaces 112 and 212 do not need to be conductors. It is preferable that the external contact surfaces 112 and 212 have electrical characteristics clearly distinguished from the conductors 180 and 280, and in the case of a non-conductor, various materials may be utilized.

The elevator button interface according to an embodiment of the present invention activates the power when the user approaches to a close distance through non-contact or contact, and the user maintains the position of the conductors 180 and 280 within the critical distance for more than a threshold time In this case, it is recognized as a hovering gesture and can be determined as the user's intended input. Also, when the user maintains the position of the conductors 180 and 280 at the touch boundary for a threshold time or longer, or when the touch force is calculated from the position of the conductors 180 and 280, it may be determined as the user's intended input.

As an embodiment of the present invention, a motion controller interface may be used as an example. In this regard, the conventional interface may include a game interface based on a motion controller, and the embodiment of the present invention may be applied to improve the conventional motion controller interface.

The motion controller interface according to an embodiment of the present invention may deactivate power and wait in a sleep state when an approach of a body part near the button is not detected. The motion controller interface according to an embodiment of the present invention detects when a hand or a finger is lightly placed on the button to the extent that deformation of the intermediate parts 170 and 270 does not occur, activates the power and waits in a stand-by state. have.

The motion controller interface according to an embodiment of the present invention determines that when a user inputs a pressing force enough to cause deformation of the intermediate parts 170 and 270, it is determined as the user's intended input, and in response to the user's intended input You can provide feedback. In this case, the motion controller interface according to an embodiment of the present invention may measure whether the user's intended pressing force is input, and the intensity of the user's intended pressing force input.

On the other hand, the condition of activating the power in the motion controller interface according to an embodiment of the present invention and waiting in a stand-by state is set to a case in which the approach is maintained for a predetermined time after the user's approach is detected within the threshold distance of the button. can

As an embodiment of the present invention, an example applied to a vehicle motion controller interface such as a steering wheel of a vehicle or a driver information system (DIS) of a vehicle may be given.

The motion controller interface for a vehicle of the present invention may operate similarly to a motion controller interface such as a game machine, and the user's approach to the user's body part, the user's body part touch, whether the user's intended pressing force is input, and the user's intended Information on the intensity of the pressing force of the input may be provided to the application layer.

As an embodiment of the present invention, an ON/OFF switch interface for lighting in a vehicle or indoor lighting may be used. The light switch interface according to an embodiment of the present invention may be arranged to be flickering at a position touched by a hand.

In principle, the light switch interface according to an embodiment of the present invention activates the light when the user presses the button, but the user's hand is contaminated, the user's movement is inconvenient, or an urgent situation. It may be applied as an embodiment of activating lighting when the proximity of the user's body part is detected when the button cannot be pressed. Reaching the light switch can be tricky if you need to turn on a light, such as when you are looking for something in the dark. In the case of a vehicle light switch, the reach of the hand may be limited, such as wearing a seat belt.

When the user wants to activate the lighting, the urgency or the specificity of the situation is recognized, but when the user wants to deactivate the lighting, it is usually after the specificity of the situation is resolved. You can only disable lighting when you have clearly articulated your intentions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a user's gesture is registered or promised in advance, and a modified embodiment such as activating the lighting by one approach and deactivating the lighting by two consecutive approaches may also be applied.

When the user directly presses the button, the button press input may be most preferentially applied without considering other gestures (eg, a hovering gesture) to be regarded as the user's intended input.

Since the embodiment of the present invention detects a change in the resonant frequency instead of detecting a change in the amplitude of the signal, in response to the distance between the external conductor and the sensing electrode, the sensor of the prior art is outside the dynamic range in which the change in amplitude can be detected. In response to the distance between the conductor and the sensing electrode, the dynamic range capable of detecting the difference in resonant frequency is larger, so it has a wide range of detectable distances

In addition, there may be a disclosure in which the dynamic range of the capacitive proximity sensor is intentionally significantly modified among the prior art, but in this case, there is a problem in that the precision and accuracy of the measurement are remarkably deteriorated.

The present invention uses a single channel sensor to identify the distance at which the outer conductor approaches the outer contact surface of the intermediate member, whether the outer conductor contacts the outer contact surface of the intermediate member, and the touch force that the outer conductor enters into the outer contact surface of the intermediate member and whether the outer conductor is inputting a touch force to the outer contact surface of the intermediate member, and information about the intensity of the touch force input by the outer conductor to the outer contact surface of the intermediate member. .

This is because the resonance frequency difference detection technique of the present invention has a much larger dynamic range for detecting the distance between the external conductor and the sensing electrode than the techniques for detecting amplitude changes of the prior art, and also provides a wide dynamic range while providing measurement precision and accuracy is not degraded.

The present invention thus provides high measurement precision while the outer conductor approaches the outer contact surface of the intermediate member. In addition, even when the distance between the outer conductor and the sensing electrode becomes closer while the outer contact surface of the intermediate member is deformed after the outer conductor comes into contact with the outer contact surface of the intermediate member, very high measurement accuracy can be provided. The present invention provides high precision and a wide dynamic range while maintaining accuracy. Based on these characteristics, the present invention can provide information on the approach of the external conductor, the touch of the external conductor, the touch force of the external conductor, and the intensity of the touch force by a single channel sensor. are greatly differentiated from

According to the present invention, it is possible to recognize changes in impedance due to deformation of the intermediate member or the exterior material, and even the aspect of the user's body approaching from the outside of the exterior material can be identified through a single channel. In addition, rather than simply replacing the mechanical/capacitive button, the capacitive proximity sensor and the mechanical push detection button may be combined into one embodiment implemented by a single channel.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art and detect the approach of the body part conductor, the detection of the approached distance, the intensity of the touch event, the pressing event, and the pressing force by a single channel, a wide range while maintaining high sensitivity, precision, and accuracy It should be possible to provide a dynamic range, and the present invention can respond to a very wide dynamic range while maintaining a high resolution by detecting a difference in frequency instead of amplitude detection where the dynamic range is easily limited.

Since the present invention for detecting the resonance frequency difference can use a wide frequency band, it can easily respond to a wide dynamic range of a physical quantity to be detected. In addition, in this process, the detection circuit can be easily optimized without degrading the detection resolution, precision, accuracy, and/or sensitivity of the circuit.

The circuit, sensor, and/or method of operating a user interface device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floppy disks. - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

However, the present invention is not limited or limited by the examples. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements. Length, height, size, width, etc. introduced in the embodiments and drawings of the present invention may be exaggerated to help understanding.

As described above, in the present invention, specific matters such as specific components, etc., and limited embodiments and drawings have been described, but these are only provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , various modifications and variations are possible from these descriptions by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, and not only the claims to be described later, but also all those with equivalent or equivalent modifications to the claims will be said to belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. .

100, 200, 300: user interface device
210, 310, 410, 510: sensing electrode
112, 212: external contact surface
320, 420, 520: a first resonant circuit
330, 430, 530: a second resonant circuit
340, 440, 540: detection circuit
350, 450, 550: hybrid gesture sensor
360: controller
170, 270: middle part
180, 280: external conductor (part of the user's body)

Claims (10)

sensing electrode;
a deformable intermediate part positioned outside the sensing electrode;
a first resonance circuit electrically connected to the sensing electrode;
a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit; and
a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed in the second resonance circuit; and
the detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal;
The detection circuit outputs an output signal proportional to the size of the detection information while having a value that changes based on the polarity of the detection information,
The sensing information is a hybrid gesture sensor including information capable of identifying a distance by which an external conductor approaches the intermediate part by a user's motion, and whether the conductor is in contact with an external contact surface of the intermediate part. delete According to claim 1,
based on the output signal whether the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part, the distance that the conductor approaches the intermediate part, whether the conductor contacts the outer contact surface of the intermediate part, and the a controller for recognizing an intensity of a touch force input by a conductor to the external contact surface;
A hybrid gesture sensor further comprising a. 4. The method of claim 3,
the controller is
The distance at which the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part by the user's motion based on the change of the output signal over time, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and whether the conductor A hybrid gesture sensor that tracks a change in the intensity of a touch force input to the external contact surface and recognizes a gesture indicated by the user's motion based on the tracking result. sensing electrode;
a deformable intermediate part positioned outside the sensing electrode;
a first resonance circuit electrically connected to the sensing electrode;
a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit; and
a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed in the second resonance circuit; and
the detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal;
The sensing information includes information that can identify a distance that an external conductor approaches the intermediate part by a user's motion, and whether the conductor is in contact with an external contact surface of the intermediate part,
The detection circuit is a hybrid gesture sensor configured to detect the magnitude and polarity of the sensing information over time while maintaining the electrical characteristics of the first resonance circuit and the second resonance circuit in a first single setting. sensing electrode;
a deformable intermediate part positioned outside the sensing electrode;
a first resonance circuit electrically connected to the sensing electrode;
a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit; and
a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed in the second resonance circuit; and
the detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal;
The sensing information includes information that can identify a distance that an external conductor approaches the intermediate part by a user's motion, and whether the conductor is in contact with an external contact surface of the intermediate part,
The detection circuit is
an operator for calculating a difference between the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency;
a low pass filter connected to the output terminal of the calculator to remove a high frequency component; and
an output signal generator connected to an output terminal of the low-pass filter to generate an electrical signal proportional to a magnitude according to the polarity of the sensing information;
A hybrid gesture sensor comprising a. hybrid gesture sensor; and
controller; including;
The hybrid gesture sensor
a first resonant circuit;
a sensing electrode electrically connected to the first resonance circuit;
a second resonant circuit having the same electrical characteristics as the first resonant circuit;
a deformable intermediate part positioned outside the sensing electrode; and
a detection circuit configured to receive a first electrical signal formed on the first resonance circuit and the sensing electrode, and a second electrical signal formed in the second resonance circuit; and
the detection circuit generates sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of the second electrical signal;
The detection circuit outputs an output signal proportional to the size of the detection information while having a value that changes based on the polarity of the detection information,
The controller determines whether an external conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part based on the sensing information, the distance at which the conductor approaches the intermediate part, and whether the conductor contacts the external contact surface of the intermediate part A user interface device for recognizing whether or not, and an intensity of a touch force input by the conductor to the external contact surface. 8. The method of claim 7,
the controller is
The distance at which the conductor approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part by the user's motion based on the change of the output signal over time, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and whether the conductor Track a change in the intensity of a touch force input to the external contact surface, recognize a gesture indicated by the user's motion based on the tracking result, and translate the gesture into a user input intended by the user's motion ) user interface device. receiving, by a detection circuit, a first resonant circuit and a first electrical signal formed on a sensing electrode electrically connected to the first resonant circuit;
receiving, by the detection circuit, a second electrical signal formed in a second resonant circuit;
generating, by the detection circuit, sensing information by detecting a difference between a first resonant frequency of the first electrical signal and a second resonant frequency of a second electrical signal; and
outputting, by the detection circuit, an output signal proportional to the magnitude of the detection information with a value that changes based on the polarity of the detection information;
including,
The sensing information may identify the distance at which an external conductor is located outside the sensing electrode and approaches the deformable intermediate part by the user's motion, and whether the conductor is in contact with the external contact surface of the intermediate part. A method of operating a hybrid gesture sensor including information. 10. The method of claim 9,
The distance at which the controller approaches the sensing electrode and the intermediate part by the motion of the user based on the change of the output signal over time, whether the conductor touches the external contact surface, and the tracking a change in intensity of a touch force input by a conductor to the external contact surface;
recognizing, by the controller, a gesture indicated by the user's motion based on the tracking result; and
translating, by the controller, the gesture into a user input intended by the user's motion;
An operating method of a hybrid gesture sensor further comprising a.

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