Andrew Kinane

Title: The Innovations of Andrew Kinane

Introduction

Andrew Kinane is a notable inventor based in Slane, Ireland, recognized for his contributions to the field of touch interface technology. With a total of four patents to his name, Kinane has made significant advancements that enhance the functionality and efficiency of touch systems.

Latest Patents

One of Kinane's latest patents is titled "Always on low power capacitive matrix autonomous scan." This invention discloses sensing systems and methods that eliminate CPU intervention or interrupts when performing sensor scans of a touch interface. It supports low power sensing operation without requiring periodic wake-up of the CPU and is scalable to multi-channel or multi-chip sensor configurations to support large touch screens or a high number of sensors. The sensor scanning module may operate in a chained-scan using direct memory access (CS-DMA) mode or an autonomous scan-multiple scan (AS-MS) mode to perform scanning of all sensors within a frame without requiring CPU intervention or generating CPU interrupts after every scan in the frame. Additionally, the sensor scanning module may operate autonomously in a low-power always-on scan (LP-AOS) mode for multiple frames without CPU interaction until a touch event is detected. This allows the CPU to operate in a low power sleep mode during the scan while providing a consistent refresh rate and low touch-to-system wake-up latency.

Another significant patent is the "Low-emissions touch controller." This technology is directed to low-emissions touch controllers in in-cell touch display systems. One in-cell touch controller includes a signal generator circuit that is configured to generate a sense signal according to a sensing function, which includes a windowed sinusoidal waveform. The controller generates a transition signal to transition the in-cell touch display between a display function and the sensing function. During a touch scanning interval, the controller drives the sense signal and the transition signal on the common voltage (VCOM) layer of electrodes.

Career Highlights

Kinane is currently employed at Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, where he continues to innovate and develop cutting-edge technologies in the field of touch interfaces. His work has significantly impacted the efficiency and performance of touch systems.

Collaborations

Throughout his career, Kinane has collaborated with talented individuals such as Vibheesh Bharathan and Viktor Kremin, contributing to the advancement of technology in their field.

Conclusion

Andrew Kinane's innovative work in touch interface technology has