Device and method for control interface sensitive to a movement of a body or of an object and viewing screen integrating this device

• US 10,007,388 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quickstep Technologies, LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quickstep Technologies, LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roziere, Didier
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US15/396,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20170108968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A device for control interface sensitive to movement of a body, includes a detection surface; at least one capacitive sensor including a measurement electrode including an active surface facing the detection surface, or substantially coinciding with the detection surface; electronic excitation and processing components for exciting the measurement electrodes at an alternating electrical potential and processing the signals emanating from the capacitive sensors, to provide distance information between the active surface of the electrodes and one or several objects; a guard of electrically conducting material disposed in proximity to the measurement electrodes, at least along the face of the measurement electrodes substantially opposite to the active surface, which guard is excited at an alternating electrical potential substantially identical to the alternating electrical potential of the measurement electrodes, wherein: the measurement electrodes and the guard are made of substantially transparent conducting materials; and the device for interface is substantially transparent.

Claims

1. A device for sensing proximity or contact of an object, comprising:

a detection surface;

a plurality of capacitive sensors disposed in proximity to the detection surface;

a guard of electrically conducting material disposed in proximity to the plurality of capacitive sensors; and

excitation and measurement electronics electrically coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensors and the guard, and at least partially referenced to a guard potential different from a ground potential;

wherein the excitation and measurement electronics are configured for

providing a first potential to an interrogated capacitive sensor, the first potential referenced to the guard potential and different from the ground potential,

providing a second potential to the guard, the second potential indirectly coupled to the first potential,

providing a third potential to the plurality of capacitive sensors other than the interrogated capacitive sensor, the third potential indirectly coupled to the first potential, and

processing signals emanating from the interrogated capacitive sensor to provide distance information between the detection surface and the object.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the third potential is substantially identical to the second potential.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the third potential is substantially identical to the guard potential.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible dielectric disposed between the detection surface and the plurality of capacitive sensors;

wherein the excitation and measurement electronics are further configured for detecting a proximity of the object above the detection surface or a force of the object against the detection surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the excitation and measurement electronics are further configured for:

detecting and identifying relative movement of the object with respect to the detection surface; and

detecting a contact of the object with the detection surface.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the excitation and measurement electronics are further configured for detecting and identifying a shape of the object.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of capacitive sensors are independent of one another; and

the excitation and measurement electronics are further configured to interrogate the plurality of capacitive sensors independently of one another.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of capacitive sensors are configured to be formed on non-planar surfaces.

9. The device of claim 1, the excitation and measurement electronics are further configured for electrically gathering signals from a plurality of interrogated capacitive sensors to effectively form a single capacitive sensor.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the excitation and measurement electronics comprise a multiplexer configured for enabling the signals emanating from the plurality of capacitive sensors to be sequentially read.

11. A method for sensing proximity of contact of an object, comprising:

providing a first potential to an interrogated capacitive sensor within a plurality of capacitive sensors, the first potential referenced to a guard potential and different from a ground potential,

providing a second potential to a guard disposed in proximity to the plurality of capacitive sensors, the second potential indirectly coupled to the first potential,

providing a third potential to the plurality of capacitive sensors other than the interrogated capacitive sensor, the third potential indirectly coupled to the first potential, and

processing signals emanating from the interrogated capacitive sensor to provide distance information between a detection surface and the object, the processing of the signals performed with reference to the guard potential.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the third potential is substantially identical to the second potential.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the third potential is substantially identical to the guard potential.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

disposing a flexible dielectric between the detection surface and the plurality of capacitive sensors; and

utilizing the processed signals to detect a proximity of the object above the detection surface or a force of the object against the detection surface.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting and identifying relative movement of the object with respect to the detection surface; and

detecting a contact of the object with the detection surface.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting and identifying a shape of the object.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising interrogating the plurality of capacitive sensors independently of one another.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising forming the plurality of capacitive sensors on non-planar surfaces.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising electrically gathering signals from a plurality of interrogated capacitive sensors to effectively form a single capacitive sensor.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising multiplexing the plurality of capacitive sensors to enable the signals emanating from the plurality of capacitive sensors to be sequentially read.