Adaptive mechanical change compensation for force detector

• US 10,048,801 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Ying, Schwartz, Adam L., Ramakrishnan, Shubha
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Ibrahim A
• Application Number:
  US15/057,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• 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 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A capacitive sensing device is configured to detect force being applied to an input surface of the device by an input object, in addition to the position of the input object using touch sensing methods. Embodiments generate a compensation factor that is used to determine the force information in order to compensate for physical changes to the capacitive sensing device over time, air-gap non-uniform distribution, and other mechanical variations and changes.

Claims

1. A method of operating a capacitive sensing device having a plurality of sensor electrodes and at least one force electrode, the method comprising:

storing a baseline capacitance of the force electrode with no force applied to an input surface of the capacitive sensing device;

determining a first change in capacitance of the force electrode, relative to the baseline capacitance, caused by an input object contacting the input surface;

determining a mechanical change compensation factor associated with the capacitive sensing device by applying a pre-determined calibration force to the input surface and measuring a second change in capacitance of the force electrode in response to the pre-determined calibration force being applied to the input surface, wherein the mechanical change compensation factor comprises a ratio between the second change in capacitance to an arithmetic product of the pre-determined calibration force times an arithmetic sum of the baseline capacitance plus the second change in capacitance; and

determining force information for the force electrode based on at least the mechanical change compensation factor, and the first change in capacitance of the force electrode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined calibration force is applied by a calibration device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mechanical change compensation factor is a ratio comprising an inverse of the pre-determined calibration force.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the calibration device is configured to apply the pre-determined calibration force to a specified location on the input surface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining force information for a second input object contacting the input surface based on a proportionality function that comprises at least the mechanical change compensation factor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring further second changes of capacitance of the plurality of sensor electrodes and updating a set of parameters of the mechanical change compensation factor based on the further second changes of capacitance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the baseline capacitance is determined according to a calibration process that applies either no force or a known force to the input surface of the capacitive sensing device.

8. A processing system for a capacitive sensing device having an input surface, wherein the capacitive sensing device comprises at least one force electrode and a plurality of sensor electrodes, the processing system comprising:

a sensor module including sensor circuitry configured to be coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes and the at least one force electrode, wherein the sensor module is configured to;

store a baseline capacitance of the force electrode with no force applied to the input surface of the capacitive sensing device;

determine a first change in capacitance of the force electrode, relative to the baseline capacitance, caused by an input object contacting the input surface;

determine a mechanical change compensation factor associated with the capacitive sensing device by applying a pre-determined calibration force to the input surfaced and measuring a second change in capacitance of the force electrode in response to the pre-determined calibration force being applied to the input surface, wherein the mechanical change compensation factor comprises a ratio between the second change in capacitance to an arithmetic product of the pre-determined calibration force times an arithmetic sum of the baseline capacitance plus the second change in capacitance; and

determine force information for the force electrode based on at least the mechanical change compensation factor and the first change in capacitance of the force electrode.

9. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the pre-determined calibration force is applied by a calibration device.

10. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the capacitive sensing device comprises at least one display cell.

11. The processing system of claim 10, wherein the capacitive sensing device further comprises at least one compressible layer.

12. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the sensor module is configured to determine force information for a second input object contacting the input surface based on a proportionality function that comprises at least the mechanical change compensation factor.

13. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the sensor module is further configured to acquire further second changes of capacitance of the plurality of sensor electrodes and to update a set of parameters of the mechanical change compensation factor based on the further second changes of capacitance.

14. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the baseline capacitance is determined according to a calibration process that applies either no force or a known force to the input surface of the capacitive sensing device.

15. A capacitive sensing device having an input surface, the capacitive sensing device comprising:

at least one force electrode;

a plurality of sensor electrodes; and

a processing system coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes and the at least one force electrode, the processing system comprising a sensor module having sensor circuitry, wherein the sensor module is configured to;

store a baseline capacitance of the force electrode with no force applied to the input surface of the capacitive sensing device;

determine a first change in capacitance of the force electrode, relative to the baseline capacitance, caused by an input object contacting the input surface;

determine a mechanical change compensation factor associated with the capacitive sensing device by applying a pre-determined calibration force to the input surface and measuring a second change in capacitance of the force electrode in response to the pre-determined calibration force being applied to the input surface, wherein the mechanical change compensation factor comprises a ratio between the second change in capacitance to an arithmetic product of the pre-determined calibration force times an arithmetic sum of the baseline capacitance plus the second change in capacitance; and

determine force information for the force electrode based on at least the mechanical change compensation factor and the first change in capacitance of the force electrode.

16. The capacitive sensing device of claim 15, wherein the pre-determined calibration force is applied by a calibration device.

17. The capacitive sensing device of claim 15, wherein the capacitive sensing device comprises at least one display cell.

18. The capacitive sensing device of claim 15, wherein the capacitive sensing device further comprises at least one compressible layer.

19. The capacitive sensing device of claim 15, wherein the sensor module is further configured to acquire further second changes of capacitance of the plurality of sensor electrodes and to update a set of parameters of the mechanical change compensation factor based on the further second changes of capacitance.

20. The capacitive sensing device of claim 15, further comprising:

a backlight disposed between a thin-film transistor (TFT) substrate and the at least one force electrode.