Synaptics Corporation

Joel C Jordan

Adam L Schwartz

Joseph Kurth Reynolds

Patrick A Worfolk

Petr Shepelev

Shahrooz Shahparnia

Tom R Vandermeijden

John Weinerth

Elkin E Garcia Diaz

Jeffrey Alan Small

Mihai M Bulea

Torbjorn Hovden

Stepan Starchenko

A method includes driving, by the master controller, transmitter electrodes with a first transmitter signal having a first sensing frequency while transmitting a first trigger signal to slave controllers, obtaining a location of an input object determined from first capacitive measurements determined by the slave controllers using the first trigger signal, and performing a resonant frequency scan. The performing the resonant frequency scan is by performing for each possible resonant frequency of resonant frequencies: driving, by the master controller, only a subset of the transmitter electrodes with a second transmitter signal having the possible resonant frequency while transmitting a second trigger signal to the slave controllers, wherein the subset corresponds to the location of the input object. The slave controllers demodulate a resulting signal according to the second trigger signal to obtain a second capacitive measurements for the possible resonant frequency.

Minimizing latency for resonant input object detection and classification

An input device includes a capacitive proximity sensor and a processing system. The capacitive proximity sensor includes a multitude of transmitter electrodes and a multitude of receiver electrodes for proximity sensing in a sensing region. The processing system is configured to obtain a noisy sensor signal from the capacitive proximity sensor, extract a spike train in the noisy sensor signal, synchronize a pulse output of a pulse-generating circuit onto the spike train, and triggered by a first of a multitude of pulses of the pulse output, perform a first capacitive proximity sensing.

Proximity sensing with soft-synchronization to noise

Devices and method are provided that facilitate improved input device performance. Specifically, the systems and methods are configured to identify a portion of an image of sensor values as corresponding to at least one sensed object in the sensing region, determine a polygon corresponding to the identified portion of the image, and determine a contact characterization of the at least one sensed object based on the polygon. The determination of a polygon corresponding to a sensed object facilitates improved contact characterization of the sensed object. For example, the determined polygon may be used to determine if the sensed object is actually more than one object. As a second example, the determined polygon may be used to determine the orientation of the sensed object. In addition, determined polygons may be used to more accurately track changes in the position of the sensed object.

System and method for determining user input from occluded objects

The various embodiments described herein provide input devices configured to selectively operate in two different sensing regimes. The first sensing regime is configured to determine positional information for ungloved fingers in the sensing region. The second sensing regime is configured to determine positional information for gloved fingers in the sensing region. The input devices are further configured to switch from operating in the first sensing regime to the second sensing regime responsive to detecting an input gesture that meets each of a set of criteria, where the set of criteria includes a measure of sensor value stability corresponding to the input gesture being beyond a sensor value stability threshold level. So implemented, the input device allows a user to easily switch between two different sensing regimes, and thus can facilitate the use of the device with both gloved and ungloved fingers providing input.

Systems and methods for switching sensing regimes for gloved and ungloved user input

An example processing system for a capacitive input device includes a first interface coupled to at least one first electrode of at least one lighting element and a second interface coupled to at least one second electrode of the at least one lighting element spaced apart from the at least one first electrode. A controller is configured to: forward-bias the at least one lighting element during first time periods to provide illumination; drive the at least one first and the at least one second electrodes with substantially the same voltage during second time periods; and drive the at least one first electrode with a modulated voltage relative to a reference voltage while guarding the at least one second electrode during third time periods to measure capacitance. A determination module is configured to determine presence of at least one input object in a sensing region based on changes in the capacitance.

Capacitive sensing using discrete lighting elements

The embodiments described herein thus provide devices and methods that facilitate improved input devices. Specifically, the devices, systems and methods provide the ability to accurately determine user input using multiple different sensing regimes. The different sensing regimes can be used to facilitate accurate position determination of objects both at the surface and away from the surface. For example, the different sensing regimes can be used to determine position information for both ungloved and gloved fingers. In one embodiment the first sensing regime uses a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing. The second sensing regime uses a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing.

Systems and methods for determining types of user input

Devices, systems, and methods are provided for coordinating the interaction between a touch screen controller and a display controller in an electronic device of the type including a host processor, a touch screen controller configured to acquire capacitive measurements from a touch screen, and a display controller configured to update a display at a refresh frequency and phase. The method includes: sharing a synchronization signal between the display controller and the host processor, the synchronization signal indicative of the refresh frequency and phase; polling the touch screen controller, by the host processor, based on the synchronization signal; and in response to the polling, acquiring the capacitive measurements by the touch screen controller at a sampling rate and phase determined by the refresh frequency and phase.

Device and method for synchronizing display and touch controller with host polling

In a method of interference avoidance for a capacitive sensor device, a transmitter signal is transmitted with a transmitter electrode of the capacitive sensor device. A resulting signal is received with a receiver electrode of the capacitive sensor device. The resulting signal corresponds to the transmitter signal. A first demodulated output is acquired by demodulating the resulting signal in a first way. A second demodulated output is acquired by demodulating the resulting signal in a second way, where the second way and the first way differ. A shift is made from using the first demodulated output for determining positional information to using the second demodulated output for determining positional information. The shift is based at least in part upon an amount of interference.

Varying demodulation to avoid interference

In a method of capacitive sensing using an integrated capacitive sensor device and display device, a transmitter signal is transmitted with a combination electrode of the integrated capacitive sensor device and display device. The combination electrode is configured for both capacitive sensing and display updating. The transmitter signal transitions at least twice during a non-display update time period associated with row update of the display device. A display of the display device is updated during an update time period. A resulting signal is received with a receiver electrode of the integrated capacitive sensor device and display device during the non-display update time period. The resulting signal corresponds to the transmitter signal.

Sensing during non-display update time to avoid interference

In a method of operating a touch screen, an object interaction is detected with the touch screen while in a first doze mode. It is determined if a detected object interaction with the touch screen is a valid input object interaction with the touch screen. In response to determining the object interaction is a valid input object interaction, the touch screen is transitioned from the first doze mode to a gesture recognition mode. The touch screen is transitioned from the gesture recognition mode to an active mode in response to a determination of a valid gesture interaction with the touch screen by the input object.

System and method for low power input object detection and interaction

An input device, including: a plurality of sensor electrodes configured to receive a first plurality of capacitive signals and a second plurality of capacitive signals; and a processing system operatively connected to the plurality of sensor electrodes and configured to: operate in a superdoze mode by receiving the first plurality of capacitive signals from a single receive channel connected to the plurality of sensor electrodes; execute an analysis of the first plurality of capacitive signals; and operate, based on the analysis, in an active mode by: driving a plurality of transmitter electrodes with a first drive pattern of a sensing signal; and receiving the second plurality of capacitive signals associated with the first drive pattern from a plurality of receive channels connected to the plurality of sensor electrodes. The superdoze mode requires less power than the active mode.

Single receiver superdoze mode

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a zero-dimensional button that detects whether an input object is proximate to a sensing region. However, different input objects may provide similar responses which may prevent the input device from accurately determining whether the user actually intended to activate the button. In one embodiment, the input device drives a capacitive sensing signal onto a sensor electrode in the capacitive button and measures at least two resulting signals. The input device then derives capacitance values based on the two resulting signals and uses a ratio between the capacitance values to classifying the interaction with the input object. This ratio enables the input device to distinguish between events that have similar capacitive responses and would otherwise be indistinguishable if only one resulting signal were measured.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Joel C Jordan