Synaptics Corporation

Synaptics Incorpoated

Synpatics Incorporated

Mihai M Bulea

Joseph Kurth Reynolds

David Hoch

Patrick A Worfolk

Tracy Scott Dattalo

Derek Solven

Adam L Schwartz

Kirk Hargreaves

Richard Robert Schediwy

Chunbo Liu

Pascale El Kallassi

Scott Shaw

Joel C Jordan

Douglas M Krumpelman

Torbjorn Hovden

Felix Schmitt

Thomas E Shortledge

A processing system including an amplifier configured to generate, from multiple spatial-common-mode-processed signals, a spatial common mode estimate and multiple feedback signals. The processing system includes multiple charge integrators configured to obtain resulting signals from the capacitive sensor electrodes, each of the resulting signals including a spatial common mode component and a residual noise component. The charge integrators generate multiple spatial-common-mode-processed signals by mitigating the spatial common mode component and the residual noise component in the resulting signals using the feedback signals. The processing system includes a programmable gain amplifier configured to determine the spatial common mode estimate.

Distributed analog display noise suppression circuit

A time-of-flight camera includes a light emitter, a photo detector, and a controller. The time-of-flight camera may determine depth motion of an object by emitting light pulses, receiving reflected light pulses from the object, and accumulating a plurality of charges based on the reflected light pulses. The depth motion may be determined by the controller through analysis of the accumulated charges.

Depth motion determination via time-of-flight camera

A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of an input object is provided. The apparatus may include one or more capacitive sensor electrodes, a speaker, a microphone, and a processor. The one or more capacitive sensor electrodes may detect a change in capacitance. The processor may cause the speaker to generate a first audio signal. The microphone may receive a first audio signal having the first frequency and a reflected first audio signal. The processor may determine a first phase difference between the first audio signal and the reflected first audio signal. The apparatus may detect the presence of the input object based on the determined first phase difference and the determined change in capacitance.

Multi-tone ultrasonic proximity detection

Systems and methods for performing operations based on acoustic locationing are described. An example device includes one or more microphones configured to sense sound waves propagating in an environment. The example device also includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memories store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to recover sound wave information from the sensed sound waves, detect a presence of one or more persons in the environment based on the received sound wave information, determine an operation to be performed by one or more smart devices based on the detected presence of one or more persons, and instruct the one or more smart devices to perform the operation.

Acoustic locationing for smart environments

A method includes obtaining a capacitive function of ground plane displacement and gap distance, and optimizing, using the capacitive function, an optimization function to obtain multiple slice lengths. The slice lengths correspond to multiple gap distances between a first sensor electrode and a second sensor electrode. The method further includes defining a sensor electrode shape using slice lengths and gap distances, defining a sensor electrode pattern based on the sensor electrode shape, and storing the sensor electrode pattern.

Engineering displacement response through electrode shape

In an example, an input device includes a substrate and an elastomeric material. The substrate includes a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed thereon. The elastomeric material is mechanically coupled to the substrate and overlaps the plurality of sensor electrodes. The elastomeric material includes an inner portion disposed such that an area of contact between the inner portion and at least some of the plurality of sensor electrodes changes in response to at least one of a lateral force or a vertical force applied to the elastomeric material.

Low-profile capacitive pointing stick

A processing system for an input device includes a sensor module and a determination module. The sensor module includes sensor circuitry and is configured to acquire a first plurality of measurements of change in capacitive coupling between each sensor electrode of a first set of sensor electrodes and a second set of sensor electrodes. The sensor module is further configured to acquire a second plurality of measurements of change in capacitive coupling between each sensor electrode of the second set of sensor electrodes and an input object. The determination module is configured to determine a first combined measurement based on the first plurality of measurements, determine a second combined measurement based on the second plurality of measurements, and determine positional information for the input object based on a low ground mass parameter. The low ground mass parameter is based on the first combined measurement and the second combined measurement.

Systems and methods for detecting low ground mass conditions in sensor devices

An input device having a sensing region overlapping an input surface includes a first substrate, a second substrate physically coupled to the first substrate, and a sensor electrode disposed on the first substrate and configured to detect input objects in the sensing region. A first force sensor includes a first electrode disposed on the first substrate and a first conductive portion of the second substrate capacitively coupled with the first electrode. The first conductive portion is configured to move relative to the first electrode such that a first variable capacitance of the first force sensor changes in response to force applied to the input surface in a first direction parallel to the touch surface.

Shear force detection using capacitive sensors

A processing system for an input device includes a sensor module coupled to sensor electrodes. The sensor module includes sensor circuitry and configured to acquire first capacitive measurements when the input device is in a first state, and acquire second capacitive measurements when the input device is in a second state. The second state has an increased ground as compared to the first state. The processing system further includes a determination module configured to determine positional information for an input object based on the first capacitive measurements and the second capacitive measurements.

Low ground mass correction mechanism

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

An input device includes an input surface to contact a plurality of input objects. The plurality of input objects includes a first input object and a second input object. Further, the input device includes a plurality of sensor electrodes to determine positional information for the plurality of input objects on the input surface. The input device includes an actuator to move the input surface to provide haptic feedback to the first input object contacting the input surface and to isolate haptic feedback to the second input object contacting the input surface.

Localized haptics for two fingers

Methods, systems and devices are described for operating an electronic system which includes a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in a first layer and configured to detect input objects at an input surface of the input device, the first plurality of sensor electrodes including a first subset of transmitter electrodes; a second plurality of sensor electrodes configured to detect a force imparted to the input surface and configured for capacitive coupling with the first subset of transmitter electrodes; and a compressible dielectric configured to compress in response to force applied to the input surface. The capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrodes and the second plurality of sensor electrodes is configured to vary in response to the applied force.

Device and method for localized force and proximity sensing

The embodiments described herein provide devices and methods that facilitate improved input device performance. Specifically, the devices and methods provide improved resistance to the effect of interference on input devices, and in particular, to the effect of unison noise on proximity sensors that use capacitive techniques to generate images of sensor values. The devices and methods provide improved resistance to the effects of interface by using images of sensor values and one or more profiles of sensor values. An image of sensor values is combined with one or more profiles of sensor values to produce a modified image of sensor values, the modified image having reduced errors due to noise. This reduction in errors due to noise can improve the accuracy and performance of the input device.

Systems and methods for reducing effects of interference in input devices

Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a plurality of sensing elements that are interconnected in desired way to acquire positional information of an input object, so that the acquired positional information can be used by other system components to control a display or other useful system components. One or more of the embodiments described herein, utilizes one or more of the techniques and sensor electrode array configuration disclosed herein to reduce or minimize the number of traces and/or electrodes required to sense the position of an input object within a sensing region of the input device.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mihai M Bulea