SNOA961A February   2017  – February 2023 LDC2112 , LDC2114 , LDC3114 , LDC3114-Q1

 

  1.   Inductive Touch System Design Guide for HMI Button Applications
  2. 1Mechanical Design
    1. 1.1 Theory of Operation
    2. 1.2 Button Construction
    3. 1.3 Mechanical Deflection
    4. 1.4 Mechanical Factors that Affect Sensitivity
      1. 1.4.1 Target Material Selection
        1. 1.4.1.1 Material Stiffness
        2. 1.4.1.2 Material Conductivity
      2. 1.4.2 Button Geometry
      3. 1.4.3 Spacing Between Target and Sensor
    5. 1.5 Layer Stacks of Touch Buttons
      1. 1.5.1 Conductive Surface
      2. 1.5.2 Non-Conductive Surface
    6. 1.6 Sensor Mounting Reference
    7. 1.7 Sensor Mounting Techniques
      1. 1.7.1 Adhesive-Based
      2. 1.7.2 Spring-Based
      3. 1.7.3 Slot-Based
    8. 1.8 Mechanical Isolation
  3. 2Sensor Design
    1. 2.1 Overview
      1. 2.1.1 Sensor Electrical Parameters
      2. 2.1.2 Sensor Frequency
      3. 2.1.3 Sensor RP and RS
      4. 2.1.4 Sensor Inductance
      5. 2.1.5 Sensor Capacitance
      6. 2.1.6 Sensor Quality Factor
    2. 2.2 Inductive Touch
    3. 2.3 LDC211x/LDC3114 Design Boundary Conditions
    4. 2.4 Sensor Physical Construction
      1. 2.4.1 Sensor Physical Size
      2. 2.4.2 Sensor Capacitor Position
      3. 2.4.3 Shielding INn traces
      4. 2.4.4 Shielding Capacitance
      5. 2.4.5 CCOM Sizing
      6. 2.4.6 Multi-Layer Design
        1. 2.4.6.1 Sensor Parasitic Capacitance
      7. 2.4.7 Sensor Spacers
      8. 2.4.8 Sensor Stiffener
      9. 2.4.9 Racetrack Inductor Shape
    5. 2.5 Example Sensor
  4. 3Summary
  5. 4Revision History

1.2 Button Construction

Using the principle discussed above, we can construct a metal plate and sensor combination which can function as a button. As the sensitivity of the sensor increases with closer targets, the conductive plate should be placed quite close to the sensor—typically 10% of the sensor diameter. At this close distance, the LDC can reliably measure a 0.2-µm deflection. For small deflections, the amount of deflection is roughly proportional to the applied force.

For a robust interface, it is necessary to control the distance between the sensor and the target so that random movements are not interpreted as button presses. #T4726003-4 shows how sensors can be clamped onto the inside surface so that only touch forces cause a deflection toward the sensor and any other forces do not produce an effective deflection toward the sensor.

GUID-BE2BD12D-6356-45E0-93B1-FB0B9D8526D0-low.pngFigure 1-2 Button Construction With Metal Target and PCB Sensor

If the sensor is constructed of a rigid PCB material such as FR4, then the rigid backing is not necessary.