Object classification under low-power scan

• US 10,241,614 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Tanemura, Tetsuo, Cao, Guanhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom V
• Application Number:
  US15/483,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20180292939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• 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 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method may include performing a first low-power scan to detect an input object in a sensing region of an input device. The method may further include determining, using the first low-power scan, whether the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a high-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a second low-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of no interest.

Claims

1. A processing system coupled with an input device, comprising:

a sensor module, the sensor module configured to;

perform a first low-power scan to detect a first input object in a sensing region of the input device; and

a determination module, the determination module configured to;

determine, using the first low-power scan, a type of input object corresponding to the first input object in the sensing region, and

compare the type of input object with a predetermined set of input object types to determine whether the first input object is an object of interest based on whether the type of input object is among the predetermined set of input object types;

when the first input object is the object of interest, perform, by the sensor module, a first high-power scan of the sensing region, and

when the first input object is an object of no interest, perform, by the sensor module, a second low-power scan of the sensing region.

2. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the sensor module is further configured to:

perform a second high-power scan of the sensing region to detect a second input object in the sensing region,

when the second input object is the object of no interest, perform a third low-power scan of the sensing region; and

wherein the determination module is further configured to;

determine, using the second high-power scan, whether the second input object is the object of interest.

3. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the object of interest is a finger of a user, and

wherein the object of no interest is a face of the user.

4. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the first low-power scan has a first spatial resolution that is less than a second spatial resolution of the first high-power scan.

5. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the sensor module comprises sensor circuitry coupled to a plurality of receiver electrodes,

wherein the low-power scan obtains a first plurality of resulting signals from a first subset of receiver electrodes, and

wherein the first high-power scan obtains a second plurality of resulting signals from a second subset of receiver electrodes that is greater than the first subset of receiver electrodes.

6. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the first low-power scan obtains a first plurality of resulting signals from a first plurality of receiver electrodes along a single axis of the sensing region, and

wherein the first high-power scan obtains a second plurality of resulting signals from a second plurality of receiver electrodes along two axes of the sensing region.

7. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein performing the first low-power scan comprises performing a spatial gradient-based detection technique.

8. The processing system of claim 1,

wherein the first low-power scan obtains a first plurality of resulting signals from a first plurality of receiver electrodes along a single axis of the sensing region, and

wherein the first high-power scan obtains a second plurality of resulting signals from a second plurality of receiver electrodes along two axes of the sensing region.

9. An input device, comprising:

a plurality of transmitter electrodes configured to transmit one or more sensing signals;

a plurality of receiver electrodes configured to obtain a plurality of resulting signals in response to transmitting the one or more sensing signals; and

a processing system operatively connected to the plurality of receiver electrodes and the plurality of transmitter electrodes, the processing system configured to;

perform a first low-power scan to detect a first input object in a sensing region;

determine, using the first low-power scan, a type of input object corresponding to the first input object in the sensing region;

compare the type of input object with a predetermined set of input object types to determine whether the first input object is an object of interest based on whether the type of input object is among the predetermined set of input object types;

when the first input object is the object of interest, perform a first high-power scan of the sensing region; and

when the first input object is an object of no interest, perform a second low-power scan of the sensing region.

10. The input device of claim 9, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

perform a second high-power scan of the sensing region to detect a second input object in the sensing region,

when the second input object is the object of no interest, perform a third low-power scan of the sensing region; and

determine, using the second high-power scan, whether the second input object is the object of interest.

11. The input device of claim 9,

wherein the object of interest is a finger of a user, and

wherein the object of no interest is a face of the user.

12. The input device of claim 9,

wherein the first low-power scan has a first spatial resolution that is less than a second spatial resolution of the first high-power scan.

13. The input device of claim 9, further comprising:

sensor circuitry coupled to a plurality of receiver electrodes,

wherein the first low-power scan obtains a first plurality of resulting signals from a first subset of receiver electrodes, and

wherein the first high-power scan obtains a second plurality of resulting signals from a second subset of receiver electrodes that is greater than the first subset of receiver electrodes.

14. A method, comprising:

performing a first low-power scan to detect a first input object in a sensing region of an input device;

determining, using the first low-power scan, a type of input object corresponding to the first input object in the sensing region;

comparing the type of input object with a predetermined set of input object types to determine whether the first input object is an object of interest based on whether the type of input object is among the predetermined set of input object types;

when the first input object is the object of interest, performing a first high-power scan of the sensing region; and

when the first input object is an object of no interest, performing a second low-power scan of the sensing region.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

performing a second high-power scan of the sensing region to detect a second input object in the sensing region,

when the second input object is the object of no interest, performing a third low-power scan of the sensing region; and

determining, using the second high-power scan, whether the second input object is the object of interest.

16. The method of claim 14,

wherein the object of interest is a finger of a user, and

wherein the object of no interest is a face of the user.

17. The method of claim 14,

wherein the first low-power scan has a first spatial resolution that is less than a second spatial resolution of the first high-power scan.