Self capacitance touch sensing

• US 10,061,444 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shahparnia, Shahrooz, Krah, Christoph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lam, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US14/067,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

Self capacitance touch circuits to cancel the effects of parasitic capacitance in a touch sensitive device are disclosed. One circuit can generate a parasitic capacitance cancelation signal that can be injected into touch sensing circuitry to cancel the parasitic capacitance. Another circuit can adjust the phase and magnitude of the parasitic capacitance cancelation signal based on characteristics of channels in the touch sensing circuitry so as to fine tune the parasitic capacitance cancelations. Another circuit can drive a guard plate and touch panel electrodes so as to cancel the parasitic capacitances between the panel and the plate and between the electrodes.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a cancelation circuit comprising a numerically controlled oscillator coupled to an input of a push/pull current source, the push/pull current source capable of generating a cancelation signal based on parasitic capacitance affecting a self capacitance signal, wherein;

the cancelation circuit is configured to generate a time-varying signal and scale the time-varying signal to generate an amplitude-controlled time-varying signal based on the parasitic capacitance to adjust a magnitude of the cancelation signal, the amplitude-controlled time-varying signal controlling the magnitude of the cancelation signal generated by the push/pull current source, and

the cancelation signal is coupled to the self capacitance signal so as to cancel the parasitic capacitance from the self capacitance signal; and

a sense circuit capable of receiving the self capacitance signal with the parasitic capacitance canceled therefrom and a stimulation signal, and outputting a touch signal in response to the self capacitance signal with the parasitic capacitance canceled therefrom and the stimulation signal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a magnitude adjustment circuit capable of receiving the time-varying signal from the numerically controlled oscillator, adjusting a magnitude of the time-varying signal, and outputting the amplitude-controlled time-varying signal to the input of the push/pull current source.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a common mode adjustment circuit capable of receiving the time-varying signal from the numerically controlled oscillator, adjusting a common mode of the time-varying signal, and outputting the adjusted signal to the push/pull current source.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a voltage source capable of generating the cancelation signal to cancel the parasitic capacitance associated with a guard plate of the device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the numerically controlled oscillator generates the time-varying signal, coupled to the input of the push/pull current source, to control the push/pull current source configured to generate the cancellation signal.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuit comprises:

a first buffer capable of receiving the self capacitance signal with the parasitic capacitance canceled therefrom and the stimulation signal, and outputting a buffer signal in response to the self capacitance signal and the stimulation signal;

a second buffer capable of receiving the buffer signal and outputting the touch signal in response to the buffer signal; and

a voltage source capable of powering the first and second buffers in a power-saving mode.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sense circuit comprises:

a first buffer capable of receiving the self capacitance signal with the parasitic capacitance canceled therefrom and the stimulation signal, and outputting a buffer signal in response to the self capacitance signal and the stimulation signal;

a second buffer capable of receiving the buffer signal and outputting the touch signal in response to the buffer signal;

a first voltage source capable of powering the first buffer at a first voltage; and

a second voltage source capable of powering the second buffer at a second voltage, the second voltage being substantially lower than the first voltage.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an amplifier coupled to the sense circuit and capable of supplying a voltage signal to the sense circuit to intermittently boost power to the sense circuit.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch panel capable of generating the self capacitance signal affected by the parasitic capacitance, the self capacitance signal indicative of an object proximate to the panel.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the cancelation signal and the stimulation signal have independently programmable common mode voltage levels to shift a common mode level at the sense circuit substantially below an input common mode level of the sense circuit.

11. The device of claim 1 being at least one of a mobile phone, a digital player, or a portable computer.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the cancelation circuit is further capable of calibrating the cancelation signal, and coupling the calibrated cancelation signal to the self capacitance signal so as to cancel the parasitic capacitance on the self capacitance signal,

the sense circuit is further capable of receiving the coupled calibrated cancelation signal and outputting the touch signal in response to the coupled cancelation signal and the stimulation signal, and

the cancelation circuit calibrates the cancelation signal so as to minimize the outputted touch signal.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein:

the numerically controlled oscillator is further capable of calibrating the cancelation signal by adjusting the time-varying signal to control the push/pull current source to adjust the cancelation signal to offset a parasitic current associated with the parasitic capacitance.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a magnitude adjustment circuit capable of receiving a signal from the numerically controlled oscillator, adjusting a magnitude of the signal, and outputting the adjusted signal to the push/pull current source.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a first input to the numerically controlled oscillator configured to adjust a phase of an output from the numerically controlled oscillator and a second input to the numerically controlled oscillator configured to adjust a frequency of the output from the numerically controlled oscillator.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a voltage source capable of calibrating the cancelation signal by adjusting a voltage signal to a guard plate of the device so as to cancel the parasitic capacitance associated with the panel and the guard plate.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises:

a voltage source capable of calibrating the cancelation signal by adjusting a voltage signal to a touch electrode of the panel so as to cancel the parasitic capacitance associated with the touch electrode.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises a common mode adjustment circuit capable of receiving a signal from the numerically controlled oscillator, adjusting a common mode of the signal, and outputting the adjusted signal to the push/pull current source.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the cancelation circuit comprises a first input to the numerically controlled oscillator configured to set a phase of an output from the numerically controlled oscillator and a second input to the numerically controlled oscillator configured to set a frequency of the output from the numerically controlled oscillator.

20. A method for canceling effects of parasitic capacitance in a touch sensitive panel, the method comprising:

generating a self capacitance signal indicative of an object proximate to the panel, the self capacitance signal being affected by a parasitic capacitance;

generating, with a push/pull current source, a cancelation signal at a cancelation circuit comprising a numerically controlled oscillator coupled to an input of the push/pull current source based on the parasitic capacitance, wherein the cancelation circuit is configured to generate a time-varying signal and scale the time-varying signal to generate an amplitude-controlled time-varying signal based on the parasitic capacitance to adjust the magnitude of the cancelation signal, the amplitude-controlled time-varying signal controlling the magnitude of the cancelation signal generated by the push/pull current source;

coupling the cancelation signal with the self capacitance signal to cancel the parasitic capacitance therefrom; and

generating a touch signal indicative of the proximate object at a sense circuit in response to a first input of the self capacitance signal with the parasitic capacitance canceled therefrom and a second input of a stimulation signal.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

calibrating the cancelation signal at the cancelation circuit based on the parasitic capacitance.

22. A touch sensing system comprising:

a cancelation circuit comprising a numerically controlled oscillator coupled to an input of a push/pull current source capable of generating a cancelation signal based on a parasitic capacitance, the cancelation circuit configured to generate a time-varying signal and scale the time-varying signal to generate an amplitude-controlled time-varying signal based on the parasitic capacitance to adjust a magnitude of the cancelation signal, the amplitude-controlled time-varying signal controlling the magnitude of the cancelation signal generated by the push/pull current source;

the cancelation circuit capable of using the cancelation signal to cancel the parasitic capacitance from a self capacitance signal generated at a touch node; and

a receive circuit capable of receiving the self capacitance signal and a stimulation signal, and outputting a touch signal in response to the self capacitance signal and the stimulation signal.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein a phase of the stimulation signal is the same as a phase of the self capacitance signal;

and

wherein a magnitude of the stimulation signal is the same as a magnitude of the self capacitance signal.