Capacitive side position extrapolation

• US 10,078,406 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Tanemura, Tetsuo, Shepelev, Petr
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Chun-Nan
• Application Number:
  US15/087,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20170285794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 345173, 345174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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

Abstract

A method for capacitive sensing includes acquiring a mutual capacitive measurement including effects of sensing signals of a sensing region, and acquiring an absolute capacitive measurement including effects of the sensing signals. The method further includes performing a comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the absolute capacitive measurement, and detecting a presence of an input object proximate to a side surface of an input device based on the comparison. The side surface is at least substantially orthogonal to the sensing region on the input device. The method further includes reporting the presence of the input object.

Claims

1. A processing system, comprising:

sensor circuitry configured to;

drive sensing signals on a plurality of sensor electrodes of a sensing region, the sensing region comprising a surface sensing region,

acquire a mutual capacitive measurement comprising effects of the sensing signals, and

acquire a first absolute capacitive measurement comprising effects of the sensing signals; and

processing circuitry configured to;

perform a first comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the first absolute capacitive measurement to obtain a comparison value,

determine whether the comparison value exceeds a first threshold, and

detect, in response to determining that the comparison value exceeds the first threshold, a presence of an input object proximate to a side surface of an input device.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using a first electrode, and the first absolute capacitive measurement is obtained using a second electrode.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the first electrode is closer to the side surface than the second electrode.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using the same electrode as the first absolute capacitive measurement.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the comparison value is a ratio value corresponding to a ratio between the mutual capacitive measurement and the first absolute capacitive measurement.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence comprises determining whether the comparison value is within a range set by the first threshold and a second threshold.

7. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are set by:

generating training data for the first comparison, wherein the training data comprises a plurality of comparison results each being for a predefined input object placed in a plurality of locations of the sensing region;

identifying the first threshold and the second threshold that distinguishes between locations of the plurality of locations proximate to the side surface as compared to location of the plurality of locations not proximate to the side surface.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to:

acquire a second absolute capacitive measurement comprising effects of the sensing signals;

wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to;

perform a second comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the second absolute capacitive measurement,

wherein the presence is detected based on the first comparison and the second comparison both satisfying a criteria.

9. A method for capacitive sensing comprising:

acquiring a mutual capacitive measurement comprising effects of sensing signals of a sensing region comprising a surface sensing region;

acquiring a first absolute capacitive measurement comprising effects of the sensing signals;

performing a first comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the first absolute capacitive measurement to obtain a comparison value;

determining whether the comparison value exceeds a first threshold; and

detecting, in response to determining that the comparison value exceeds the first threshold, a presence of an input object proximate to a side surface of an input device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using a first electrode, and the first absolute capacitive measurement is obtained using a second electrode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first electrode is closer to the side surface than the second electrode.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using the same electrode as the first absolute capacitive measurement.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the comparison value is a ratio value corresponding to a ratio of the mutual capacitive measurement to the first absolute capacitive measurement.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting a presence comprises determining whether the comparison value is within a range set by the first threshold and a second threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are set by:

generating training data for the first comparison, wherein the training data comprises a plurality of comparison results each being for a predefined input object placed in a plurality of locations of a sensing region, the sensing region comprising a surface sensing region;

identifying the first threshold and the second threshold that distinguishes between locations of the plurality of locations proximate to the side surface as compared to location of the plurality of locations not proximate to the side surface.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

acquiring a second absolute capacitive measurement comprising effects of the sensing signals;

performing a second comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the second absolute capacitive measurement,

wherein the presence is detected based on the first comparison and the second comparison both satisfying a criteria.

17. An input device for capacitive sensing comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes for receiving resulting signals from sensing signals; and

a processing system configured to;

acquire a mutual capacitive measurement using the resulting signals;

acquire an absolute capacitive measurement using the resulting signals;

perform a comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the absolute capacitive measurement to obtain a comparison value; and

determine whether the comparison value based on the mutual capacitive measurement and the absolute capacitive measurement exceeds a threshold;

detect, in response to determining that the comparison value exceeds the threshold, a presence of an input object proximate to a side surface of an input device.

18. The input device of claim 17, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using a first electrode, and the absolute capacitive measurement is obtained using a second electrode.

19. The input device of claim 18, wherein the first electrode is closer to the side surface than the second electrode.

20. The input device of claim 17, wherein the mutual capacitive measurement is obtained using the same electrode as the absolute capacitive measurement.