Synaptics Corporation

Shawn P Day

David W Gillespie

Timothy P Allen

Ralph C Wolf

Joseph Kurth Reynolds

Bob Lee Mackey

Richard Robert Schediwy

Roger W Barton

Raymond Alexander Trent, Jr

Scott Shaw

Andrew M Errington

Mark Jennings

Alfred Woo

Adam L Schwartz

Patrick A Worfolk

Christopher A Ludden

Thomas A Mackin

Robert J Bolender

David Ely

Andrew C Hsu

Kevin Wayne Arthur

Aaron T Ferrucci

William R Mason, Iii

Fritz Norby

Jr Raymond A Trent

A touch screen control system communicates with a host processing system (HPS). The touch screen control system includes a memory and control circuitry. The control circuitry operates a touch screen according to rules stored in the memory by: during a first time period and in response to detecting a first type of user input with a touch sensor of the touch screen, updating a display screen of the touch screen autonomously without requiring intervention from the HPS following the detection of the first type of user input; during the first time period and in response to detecting a second type of user input with the touch sensor, updating the display screen according to directions provided by the HPS; and during a second time period and in response to detecting the first type of user input with the touch sensor, updating the display screen according to directions provided by the HPS.

Operating a touch screen control system according to a plurality of rule sets

A touch sensor device is provided that uses a flexible circuit substrate to provide an improved input device. Specifically, the present invention uses a touch sensor controller affixed to the flexible circuit substrate, which is coupled to a sensor component to provide a flexible, reliable and cost effective touch sensor suitable for a wide variety of applications. In one embodiment the touch sensor uses a flexible circuit substrate that provides relatively high temperature resistance. This allows the touch sensor controller to be affixed using reliable techniques, such as various types of soldering. The sensor component can comprise a relatively low-temperature-resistant substrate that can provide a cost effective solution. Taken together, this embodiment of the touch sensor provides reliability and flexibility at relatively low cost.

Touch pad with flexible substrate

Touch Pad with flexible substrate

Methods, systems and devices implement changes in operating mode for a media player, wireless telephone, portable computer or other device having a force sensor and a proximity sensor. A force indication is received from the force sensor and a proximity indication is received from the proximity sensor responsive to user input. The device is then switched from a second operating mode to a first operating mode in response to an occurrence of user input being indicated by both the force and proximity indications. A trigger event occurring during one of the operating modes evokes a response by the device that is not evoked by the trigger event in the other of the first and the second operating modes.

Methods and systems for implementing modal changes in a device in response to proximity and force indications

Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide an integrated input device that is configured to sense the position and amount of force applied by input objects that are in contact with an input region of an input device. The input device is generally configured to sense the position and amount of force applied by an input object that is in contact with the input region using a piezoelectric material. The input device generally includes a plurality of electrodes that are positioned to measure an electrical characteristic of the piezoelectric layer at different points within the input region to determine the position and/or amount of applied force. The input device may also include one or more components that are able to simultaneously or sequentially sense the position of an input object using a touch sensing technique independent of the electrical properties of the piezoelectric material to sense the input object position.

Scanned piezoelectric touch sensor device

A system comprising a display screen configured for displaying images, a touch sensor having a sensing region, a host processing system and a touch screen control system. The touch screen control system comprising touch sensor control circuitry configured to operate the touch sensor and display control circuitry configured to operate the display screen. The display circuitry comprising a first memory configured to hold a primary image and a second memory configured to hold a secondary image and display refresh circuitry. The display refresh circuitry configured to update the display screen, and in response to the user input and without requiring intervention by the host processing system, generate a blended image comprising the primary image and the secondary image, and update the display screen with the blended image.

Reduction in latency between user input and visual feedback

Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide an integrated input device that is configured to sense the position and amount of force applied by input objects that are in contact with an input region of an input device. The input device is generally configured to sense the position and amount of force applied by an input object that is in contact with the input region using a piezoelectric material. The input device generally includes a plurality of electrodes that are positioned to measure an electrical characteristic of the piezoelectric layer at different points within the input region to determine the position and/or amount force applied by the input object(s). The input device may also include one or more components that are able to simultaneously or sequentially sense the position of an input object using a touch sensing technique that does not rely on the electrical properties of the piezoelectric material to sense the position of the input object.

Devices and methods are provided that facilitate improved input device performance. The devices and methods utilize a set of sensor electrodes comprising at least one transmitter sensor electrode and at least one receiver sensor electrode that are capacitively coupled to form a transcapacitance for capacitively sensing input objects in a sensing region. A measure of the transcapacitance may be used to determine positional information for the input objects in the sensing region. In accordance with the various embodiments, the devices and methods additionally utilize at least one deflectable electrode, where the deflectable electrode is electrically floating. The deflectable electrode is configured to be deflectable toward the set of sensor electrodes, where the deflection causes a change in the transcapacitance.

Input device with deflectable electrode

Devices and methods are provided that facilitate improved input device performance. Specifically, the devices and methods facilitate input using a pressure-sensitive layer whose electrical admittivity changes in response to pressure applied to a touch surface. An input device is provided that comprises a plurality of sensor electrodes including a set of primary sensor electrodes and a set of secondary sensor electrodes. Each primary sensor electrode is electrically coupled to at least one secondary sensor electrode to form a set of electrical admittances. In one embodiment, the pressure-sensitive layer is located between the sensor electrodes and the touch surface, such that changes in the admittivity of the pressure-sensitive layer in response to pressure on the touch surface cause corresponding changes in the admittances between the primary and secondary sensor electrodes.

Input device and method with pressure-sensitive layer

Devices and methods are provided that utilize a first electrode disposed on a first substrate and a second electrode disposed on a second substrate, where the first electrode and the second electrode define at least part of a variable capacitance. A third substrate is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, the third substrate having an opening arranged such that at least a portion of the first electrode and the second electrode overlap the opening. A transmission element is provided that partially overlaps the opening. The transmission element is physically coupled to the second electrode such that a force biasing the transmission element causes the second electrode to deflect relative to the first electrode, thus changing the variable capacitance. A measurement of the variable capacitance may then be used to determine force information.

Input device with force sensing

A touch screen control system comprising a memory and control circuitry is configured to communicate with a host processing system. The control circuitry comprises a blended image generator and a display screen updater, and operates a touch sensor for detecting user input in a sensing region of the touch sensor. The sensing region overlaps a display screen. In response to detection of user input in the sensing region, the blended image generator autonomously generates a blended image by blending primary image and secondary images held in the memory. The display screen updater autonomously updates the display screen with the blended image. The display screen is updated at a higher rate when updated autonomously by the display screen updater than when directed by the host processing system. The autonomous updating of the display screen by the display screen updater reduces processing of the host processing system.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Shawn P Day