Uniformity correction method for low cost and non-rectangular touch sensor matrices

• US 10,185,444 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Yarosh, Andriy, Weber, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US15/875,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A method includes storing a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of a plurality of unit cells of the touch array and accessing a correction matrix that defines an active region and an inactive region of the touch array. The inactive region is surrounded by the active region. The method further includes modifying touch sense values of a first subset of the plurality of unit cells that are partially within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

Claims

1. A method of modifying touch sense values corresponding to unit cells of a touch array, the method comprising:

storing a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of a plurality of unit cells of the touch array;

accessing a correction matrix that defines an active region and an inactive region of the touch array, the inactive region surrounded by the active region; and

modifying touch sense values of a first subset of the plurality of unit cells that are partially within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inactive region defined by the correction matrix comprises an opening in a surface of a touch panel including the touch array.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the opening in the surface of the touch panel is from an upper surface of the touch panel to a lower surface of the touch panel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of the plurality of unit cells is partially within the inactive region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the correction values of the correction matrix comprise a masking correction value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying of the touch sense values of the first subset of the plurality of unit cells comprises modifying the touch sense values using a non-unity gain correction value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of the set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of the at least one unit cell includes storing the set of touch sense values corresponding to a capacitance associated with the at least one unit cell.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each correction value of the correction matrix corresponds to an RX*TX intersection of the touch array.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the correction values and storing the correction values in a memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defining of the correction values and the storing of the correction matrix in the memory is part of a manufacturing process or part of a testing process of a touch panel including the touch array.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the inactive region is completely surrounded by the active region.

12. A method of detecting a proximity of an object to a touch panel, the method comprising:

using a memory device to store a correction matrix that defines an active portion of a touch array and an inactive portion of the touch array, wherein the active portion surrounds the inactive portion;

storing a touch sense value associated with a unit cell of the touch array;

accessing the memory to determine a correction value in the correction matrix that corresponds to the unit cell; and

based on the unit cell being located partially in the active portion and partially in the inactive portion, modifying the sense value for the unit cell using the determined correction value; and

detecting the proximity of the object to the touch panel, using the modified sense value.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the storing of the correction matrix includes storing a rectangular matrix.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing another touch sense value associated with another unit cell of the touch array; and

based on the unit cell being located completely within the active portion, detecting the proximity of the object to the touch panel, using the sense value.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing another touch sense value associated with another unit cell of the touch array; and

based on the unit cell being located completely within the inactive portion, detecting the proximity of the object to the touch panel, without the sense value.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the modifying of the sense value for the unit cell comprises using a gain value that corresponds to a proportion of the unit cell that is within the active portion.

17. A system comprising:

a touch array comprising a first region that surrounds a second region of the touch array; and

a touch controller coupled to the touch array, the touch controller comprising

a memory to store a plurality of correction values, each correction value corresponding to a discrete sensor location, of a plurality of discrete sensor locations, of the touch array; and

a processing element coupled to the memory and configured to

access a sense value corresponding to a first discrete sensor location, of the plurality of discrete sensor locations, wherein the first discrete sensor location is partially in the first region and partially in the second region,

determine a first correction value of the plurality of correction values that corresponds to the first discrete sensor location, and

modify the sense value using the first correction value to account for an inactive status of the second region.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the sense value corresponding to the first discrete sensor location corresponds to a self-capacitance of the first discrete sensor location.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory is configured to store a matrix including the plurality of correction values.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each correction value of the matrix corresponds to an RX*TX intersection of the touch array.