Patent 7825911 was granted and assigned to Sanyo Electric Co Ltd on November, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A touch sensor includes a contact sensor and a pressure sensor. The contact sensor includes a first electrode and a first switching element connected to the first electrode, and detects a change in an electric potential when an object contacts a surface. The pressure sensor includes a second electrode and a second switching element connected to the second electrode, and detects a change in a pressure when an object depresses the surface. The touch sensor includes a plurality of the contact sensors and a plurality of the pressure sensors disposed regularly in an array.