Water rejection for capacitive touch screen

• US 10,365,764 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics International N.V. (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Limited (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Korapati, Lokesh Kumar, Ponnarasu, Manivannan, Nagarajan, Mythreyi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa-Gibson, Gloryvid
• Application Number:
  US15/207,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20180011596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 345174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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 of foreign matter rejection for multi-touch capacitive touch screens includes performing touch detection in both self-capacitance mode and mutual capacitance mode. By combining information from both modes, a distinction is identified between wanted touches, such as by a finger or stylus, and unwanted touches such as by foreign matter.

Claims

1. A method of foreign matter rejection for a capacitive touch screen comprising:

performing touch detection in a mutual capacitance mode to identify mutual capacitance touched nodes;

creating a first mutual capacitance island comprising adjacent mutual capacitance touched nodes that have mutual capacitance strengths greater than a first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold;

creating a first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer comprising at least one mutual capacitance touched node that has a mutual capacitance strength less than a second mutual capacitance strength detection threshold;

calculating an inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of the mutual capacitance strengths of the first mutual capacitance island that are greater than zero;

in response to the inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum not exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold, performing steps comprising;

calculating an expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of the inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum and every mutual capacitance strength of the first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that is greater than zero;

calculating an expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum comprising a sum of each mutual capacitance strength of the mutual capacitance touched nodes of the first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that is less than zero and each mutual capacitance strength of each mutual capacitance touched node of the first mutual capacitance island that is less than zero;

computing a ratio of the expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum to the expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum; and

rejecting the first mutual capacitance island as not being a valid touch in response to the ratio being less than a first ratio threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing touch detection in a self-capacitance mode to identify self-capacitance touched nodes.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

forming a self-capacitance window bounded by a first self-capacitance node axis and a second self-capacitance node axis characterized by outermost self-capacitance touched nodes along each axis.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising entering a foreign matter mode in response to the first mutual capacitance island comprising at least one mutual capacitance touched node positioned outside of the self-capacitance window.

5. A method of foreign matter rejection for multi-touch capacitive touch screens comprising:

performing touch detection in a self-capacitance mode, wherein self-capacitance mode touched nodes are identified and a self-capacitance window bounded by a first self-capacitance node axis and a second self-capacitance node axis characterized by outermost self-capacitance mode touched nodes along each axis is formed;

performing touch detection in a mutual capacitance mode, wherein mutual capacitance touched nodes are identified;

determining a first coincidence of mutual capacitance mode touched nodes and self-capacitance mode touched nodes;

in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, performing steps comprising;

forming a first mutual capacitance island comprising a plurality of mutual capacitance touch nodes, each of the plurality of mutual capacitance touch nodes of the first mutual capacitance island being adjacent to another mutual capacitance touch node of the first mutual capacitance island, each of the plurality of mutual capacitance touch nodes of the first mutual capacitance island having a mutual capacitance strength greater than a first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold, each of the plurality of mutual capacitance touch nodes of the first mutual capacitance island being positioned outside the self-capacitance window; and

forming a second mutual capacitance island comprising adjacent capacitance touched nodes having mutual capacitance strengths greater than the first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold and positioned inside the self-capacitance window.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, validating a touch that created the second mutual capacitance island as caused by at least one of a finger or stylus in response to a sum of the mutual capacitance strengths of each node of the second mutual capacitance island that is greater than zero within the self-capacitance window exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold.

7. A method of foreign matter rejection for a capacitive touch screen comprising:

performing touch detection in a first mode selected from a first set comprising a mutual capacitance mode and a self-capacitance mode;

performing touch detection in a second mode selected from the first set and different from the first mode;

determining a first coincidence of mutual capacitance mode touched nodes detected in the mutual capacitance mode and self-capacitance mode touched nodes detected in the self-capacitance mode;

in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, performing steps comprising;

determining a mutual capacitance strength of each mutual capacitance mode touched node;

creating a mutual capacitance island comprising adjacent mutual capacitance touched nodes having mutual capacitance strengths greater than a first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold;

creating a mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer comprising mutual capacitance touched nodes adjacent to an edge of the mutual capacitance island and having mutual capacitance strengths less than a second mutual capacitance strength detection threshold;

calculating an inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of the mutual capacitance strengths of mutual capacitance touched nodes of the mutual capacitance island that are greater than zero;

in response to the inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum not exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold;

(i) calculating an expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum comprising a sum of the mutual capacitance strengths of mutual capacitance touched nodes of the mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that are less than zero and the mutual capacitance strengths of the mutual capacitance touched nodes of the mutual capacitance island that are less than zero; and

(ii) calculating an expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of the inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum and every mutual capacitance strength of the mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that is greater than zero;

calculating a ratio of the expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum to the expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum;

in response to the ratio being less than a first ratio threshold, rejecting the mutual capacitance island as a foreign matter touch; and

entering a foreign matter mode in response to the mutual capacitance island including the mutual capacitance touched node outside a self-capacitance window and with the mutual capacitance strength greater than the first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein determining the first coincidence comprises determining that at least one mutual capacitance mode touched node falls within a self-capacitance window of the self-capacitance mode bounded by a first self-capacitance node axis and a second self-capacitance node axis characterized by outermost self-capacitance touched nodes along each axis.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising in response to the first coincidence comprising a null set, rejecting all touches as erroneous.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, performing steps further comprising validating a touch that created the mutual capacitance island as at least one of a finger or stylus in response to the inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein performing touch detection in the self-capacitance mode comprises identifying the self-capacitance window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein entering a foreign matter mode comprises rejecting all mutual capacitance mode touched nodes positioned outside boundaries of the self-capacitance window.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the self-capacitance window is bounded by a first self-capacitance node axis and a second self-capacitance node axis characterized by outermost self-capacitance touched nodes along each axis.

14. A method of foreign matter rejection for multi-touch capacitive touch screens comprising:

performing touch detection in a self-capacitance mode, wherein self-capacitance mode touched nodes are identified and a self-capacitance window bounded by a first self-capacitance node axis and a second self-capacitance node axis characterized by outermost self-capacitance mode touched nodes along each axis is formed;

performing touch detection in a mutual capacitance mode, wherein mutual capacitance touched nodes are identified;

determining a first coincidence of mutual capacitance mode touched nodes and self-capacitance mode touched nodes;

in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, performing steps comprising;

forming a first mutual capacitance island comprising adjacent mutual capacitance touched nodes having mutual capacitance strengths greater than a first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold and positioned outside the self-capacitance window;

forming a second mutual capacitance island comprising adjacent capacitance touched nodes having mutual capacitance strengths greater than the first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold and positioned inside the self-capacitance window;

creating a first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer comprising mutual capacitance touched nodes that form a perimeter of one node depth immediately outward of the first mutual capacitance island;

calculating a first inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of each mutual capacitance strength of the first mutual capacitance island that is greater than zero;

in response to the first inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum not exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold, calculating a first expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum comprising a sum of the first inner mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum and each mutual capacitance strength of the first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that is greater than zero; and

calculating a first expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum comprising a sum of each mutual capacitance strength of each mutual capacitance touched node of the first mutual capacitance expanded boundary layer that is less than zero and each mutual capacitance strength of each mutual capacitance touched node of the first mutual capacitance island that is less than zero.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising in response to the first coincidence not comprising a null set, validating a touch that created the second mutual capacitance island as caused by at least one of a finger or stylus in response to the sum of the mutual capacitance strengths of each node of the second mutual capacitance island that is greater than zero within the self-capacitance window exceeding a first aggregate sum threshold.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising in response the first coincidence not comprising a null set, calculating a ratio of the first expanded mutual capacitance aggregate positive sum to the first expanded mutual capacitance aggregate negative sum.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising in response the first coincidence not comprising a null set, rejecting the first mutual capacitance island in response to the ratio being less than a first ratio threshold.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising in response to rejecting the first mutual capacitance island, entering a foreign matter mode in response to the first mutual capacitance island comprising mutual capacitance nodes having mutual capacitance strengths greater than the first mutual capacitance strength detection threshold and lying outside the self-capacitance window.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein entering the foreign matter mode comprises rejecting all mutual capacitance mode touched nodes positioned outside boundaries of the self-capacitance window.