Design Considerations
AN64846 - Getting Started with CapSense
®
Doc. No. 001-64846 Rev. *X
64
3.6.2 Proximity Sensor Design
A capacitive proximity sensor can be constructed using one of the following methods:
Button:
A button sensor, when tuned for high sensitivity, can be used as a proximity sensor, as shown in
The proximity-sensing distance is directly proportional to the sensor area. Because the diameter of a button sensor
typically ranges from 5 mm to 15 mm, the proximity-sensing distance achieved with a button sensor is very less when
compared to other sensor implementation methods.
Figure 3-35. CapSense-based Proximity Sensing with Button Sensor
Sensor Ganging:
Sensor ganging refers to connecting multiple sensors (Buttons, Proximity trace, Proximity loop) to
the CapSense circuitry and scanning them as a single sensor as shown in
(b)
. Ganging multiple sensors
increases the effective sensor area and results in higher proximity-sensing distance, but ensure that the C
P
of the
ganged sensor does not cross the maximum C
P
for details on how to implement
proximity sensing using sensor ganging.
Figure 3-36. CapSense-based Proximity Sensing with Sensor Ganging
Button
Sensor
CapSense
Circuitry
Button
Sensor
Button
Sensor
AMUXBUS
Multiple
sensors
connected to
CapSense
circuitry
Button
Sensor
CapSense
Circuitry
Button
Sensor
Button
Sensor
AMUXBUS
Sensor
connected to
CapSense
circuitry during
scanning
Sensors
disconnected
(a) Only one sensor is connected to
AMUXBUS during scanning
(b) Multiple sensors connected to
AMUXBUS at the same time for scanning
PCB Trace:
A long PCB trace on a FR4 or a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) board can form a proximity sensor. The
trace can be a straight line (
(a)
)
, or it can surround the perimeter of a system’s user interface, as shown in
Figure 3-37 (b)
. Implementing a proximity sensor with a PCB trace has the following advantages when compared to
other sensor implementation methods:
Proximity-sensor C
P
is less
Proximity-sensing distance is higher because more electric field lines couples to the hand
More appropriate for mass production
Overlay
PCB
Button Sensor