The present disclosure relates to electronic equipment, and more particularly, to a user interface thereof.
Touch sensors are widely used as one of user interfaces in electronic equipment such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and laptop computers in recent years. Resistive and capacitive touch sensors are mainstream.
A resistive touch sensor includes two metal thin films and a measurement section. The two metal thin films are stacked one on top of the other in a manner insulated from each other. The measurement section measures the composite resistance of the two metal thin films. This touch sensor relies on the change in composite resistance in response to the coordinates touched by the user.
A capacitive touch sensor includes a plurality of sensor electrodes and a measurement section adapted to measure the capacitance of each of the sensor electrodes. When the user's finger comes in proximity to one of the sensor electrodes, the capacitance formed by that sensor electrode changes. This touch sensor detects the coordinates touched by the user based on the relative change in capacitance formed by the plurality of sensor electrodes.
These touch sensors commonly include transparent electrodes and are arranged on a display panel, thus making up a touch panel.
In connection with the related art, the reader is requested to refer to U.S. Pat. No. 8,284,165.