MUTUAL CAPACITANCE MEASURING CIRCUITS AND METHODS

• US 20100073323A1
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: GEAGHAN, Bernard O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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

An apparatus for measuring a parameter related to the capacitance between a drive electrode and a receive electrode of a touch sensitive device. The apparatus includes an accumulator capacitor coupled at one end to a voltage measurement circuit and at the other end to the receive electrode, and control circuitry configured and arranged, during each cycle of a measurement sequence, to connect a reference voltage to a first node that electrically connects the accumulator capacitor to the voltage measurement circuit. The apparatus further includes a resistive circuit configured and arranged to draw current from a second node electrically connected to the accumulator capacitor and to the receive electrode during the measurement sequence.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a parameter related to capacitance between a drive electrode and a receive electrode of a touch sensitive device, the apparatus comprising:

an accumulator capacitor coupled at one end to a voltage measurement circuit and at the other end to the receive electrode;

control circuitry configured and arranged, during each cycle of a measurement sequence, to connect a reference voltage to a first node that electrically connects the accumulator capacitor to the voltage measurement circuit; and

a discharge circuit configured and arranged to draw current from a second node electrically connected to the accumulator capacitor and to the receive electrode during the measurement sequence.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a resistor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a transistor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to connect the reference voltage to the first node during one of negative or positive transitions of a voltage that drives the drive electrode, a transition of the voltage that drives the drive electrode occurring when the reference voltage is connected to the first node.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to count the number of cycles of the measurement sequence that it takes for the voltage at the first node to cross a threshold voltage of the voltage measurement circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the accumulator capacitor is configured to accumulate charge during each cycle of the measurement sequence, and the parameter related to capacitance between the drive electrode and the receive electrode is the capacitance between the drive electrode and the receive electrode.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to charge the accumulator capacitor for a fixed number of cycles of the measurement sequence and the resistive circuit is further configured to connect the second node to a second reference voltage that is fixed during the fixed number of cycles, and wherein, at the end of the fixed number of cycles, the control circuitry is further configured to vary the second reference voltage until the voltage at the first node crosses a threshold voltage of the voltage measurement circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to count the number of cycles of the measurement sequence after the fixed number of cycles that it takes for the voltage at the first node to cross the threshold voltage of the voltage measurement circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising drive circuitry configured and arranged to generate an AC wave to drive the drive electrode, and wherein the cycles of the AC wave correspond to the cycles of the measurement sequence and the control circuitry is further configured to connect the reference voltage to the first node during negative or positive transitions of the AC wave.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage measurement circuit is an analog to digital converter, and the parameter related to capacitance between the drive electrode and the receive electrode is a ratio of capacitances.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the accumulator capacitor is directly connected to the receiving electrode by means, not comprising an electric switching element, for connecting.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive electrode and the receive electrode are co-located under the surface of a touch sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive electrode is located in a stylus and at least one receive electrode is in the touch sensitive device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a voltage-modulation-circuit configured to vary the first reference voltage during the measurement sequence.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the voltage-modulation-circuit is configured to change the first reference voltage at a constant rate during the measurement sequence.

14. Apparatus for measuring a parameter related to the capacitance between a drive electrode and a receive electrode, the apparatus comprising:

a sample capacitor having two terminals, one of the two terminals directly connected to the receive electrode by means, not comprising an electric switching element, for connecting;

a voltage measurement circuit directly connected to the other one of the two terminals of the sample capacitor;

a first reference voltage;

a second reference voltage,

a discharge circuit with one terminal connected to the receive electrode, and another terminal connected to a first reference voltage;

at least one electric switching element having both a single respective closed state in which it connects the other terminal of the sample capacitor to the second reference voltage, the switching element further having a respective open state in which it does not connect the other terminal to the second reference voltage; and

a switch controller for closing at least one electric switching element during selected times during a measurement sequence.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a resistor.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the discharge circuit comprises a transistor switching element.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a voltage-modulation-circuit configured to change the first reference voltage after the measurement sequence.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the voltage-modulation-circuit is configured to change the first reference voltage at a constant rate after a measurement sequence

21. A circuit-based method of sensing the presence of a body proximate a coupling capacitor and spaced apart therefrom by a dielectric layer, the coupling capacitor comprising a drive electrode and a receive electrode, the drive electrode electrically connected to a signal generator supplying a plurality of voltage cycles, the receive electrode connected to a first reference voltage through a resistor and to a first terminal of a capacitor whose second terminal is connected to a switch and to a voltage measuring circuit, the method comprising the steps of:

a. controlling the switch so as to connect the second terminal of the capacitor to a second reference voltage;

b. controlling the switch during a first predetermined portion of one of the voltage cycles to connect the second terminal of the capacitor to the second reference voltage, thereby transferring electric charge between the receive electrode and the capacitor;

c. controlling the switch during a second predetermined portion of the one of the voltage cycles to disconnect the second terminal of the capacitor from the second reference voltage; and

d. performing a measurement sequence that includes one of

i. comparing a voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor to a threshold value, and repeating steps b), c) and d) for additional ones of the voltage cycles until the voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor crosses the threshold value, or

ii. repeating steps b) and c) for a predetermined number of the voltage cycles, and then measuring the voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor.

22. The circuit-based method of claim 21, wherein step d) includes the steps of comparing the voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor to a threshold value, and repeating steps b), c) and d) until the voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor crosses the threshold value.

23. The circuit-based method of claim 21, wherein step d) includes the step of repeating steps b) and c) for a predetermined number of the voltage cycles, and then measuring the voltage on the second terminal of the capacitor.

24. The circuit-based method of claim 21, further comprising varying the first reference voltage during the measurement sequence.

25. The circuit-based method of claim 21, wherein varying the first reference voltage includes changing the first reference voltage at a constant rate during the measurement sequence.

26. The circuit-based method of claim 21, wherein the drive electrode couples to multiple receive electrodes, each of the receive electrodes connected to the first reference voltage through a resistor and to a first terminal of a capacitor whose second terminal is connected to a switch and to a voltage measuring circuit, and wherein steps a), b), c) and d) are performed simultaneously for each of the receive electrodes.

27. Apparatus for measuring the capacitance between a drive electrode and a receive electrode, the apparatus comprising:

at least three switching elements, each of the at least three switching elements having both a respective open state and a single respective closed state, and each of the at least three switching elements being electrically connected to one of three distinct reference voltages;

a sample capacitor having two terminals, a proximal one of the two terminals connected to the receive electrode by means, not comprising one of the switching elements, for connecting and the other one of the terminals being distal from the receive electrode;

a voltage measurement circuit connected to the other one of the terminals of the sample capacitor by means, not comprising one of the switching elements, for connecting, the measurement circuit including one of a logic gate and a voltage comparator; and

a controller for operating the three switching elements so that at any time at least one of the three switching elements is in its respective closed state,

wherein;

a first of the three switching elements connects the drive electrode to a first reference voltage when in its closed state and disconnects the drive electrode from the first reference voltage when in its open state;

a second of the three switching elements connects the drive electrode to a second reference voltage when in its closed state and disconnects the drive electrode from the second reference voltage when in its open state; and

the third of the three switching elements connects the distal terminal of the sample capacitor to a third reference voltage when in its closed state and disconnects the distal terminal from the third reference voltage when in its open state.

28. A method for measuring a capacitance between a first electrode and at least one second electrode comprising:

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to the first electrode;

accumulating from the second electrode a first signal representative of charge over a plurality of switch-controlled charging cycles during which fixed frequency negative voltage transitions are applied to the first electrode; and

accumulating from the second electrode a second signal representative of charge over a plurality of switch-controlled discharging cycles during which fixed frequency positive voltage transitions are applied to the first electrode; and

using the accumulated first and second signals to determine a value representative of the capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to the second electrode;

accumulating from the first electrode a third signal representative of charge over a plurality of switch-controlled charging cycles during which fixed frequency negative voltage transitions are applied to the second electrode; and

accumulating from the first electrode a fourth signal representative of charge over a plurality of switch-controlled discharging cycles during which fixed frequency positive voltage transitions are applied to the second electrode; and

using the accumulated third and fourth signals to determine a value representative of the capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

30. A device for measuring capacitance between a drive electrode and a receive electrode comprising:

two or more switches having open and closed states and configured so that a first configuration of open and closed states of the two or more switches applies positive voltage to the drive electrode, and a second configuration of open and closed states of the two or more switches applies a fixed frequency negative voltage to the drive electrode;

control circuitry configured to control the two or more switches;

one or more signal accumulators disposed to accumulate a first signal representative of the capacitance to be measured during charging of the receive electrode under the first configuration of open and closed states, and to accumulate a second signal representative of the capacitance to be measured during discharging of the receive electrode under the second configuration of open and closed states; and

measuring circuitry configured to determine a value indicative of the capacitance to be measured using the accumulated first signal and the accumulated second signal.

31. A method of capacitively sensing the presence and location of a body proximate a touch-sensitive device having a first electrode array and a second electrode array where each array has capacitance to ground and inter-array capacitance, comprising:

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to at least one electrode of the first array;

measuring from at least one electrode of the second array a first signal representative of capacitance of at least one electrode of the second array;

determining which electrodes of the second array are proximate a body based on the first signal;

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to at least one electrode of the second array;

measuring from at least one electrode of the first array a second signal representative of capacitance of at least one electrode of the first array; and

determining which electrodes of the first array are proximate a body based on the second signal.

32. A storage medium containing computer-executed instructions that when executed by a computer in conjunction with a touch-sensitive device having a first electrode array and a second electrode array where each array has capacitance to ground and inter-array capacitance, causes the following steps to be performed:

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to at least one electrode of the first array;

measuring from at least one electrode of the second array a first signal representative of capacitance of at least one electrode of the second array;

determining which electrodes of the second array are proximate a body based on the first signal;

applying a series of switch-controlled voltage pulses to at least one electrode of the second array; and

measuring from at least one electrode of the first array a second signal representative of capacitance of least one electrode of the first array; and

determining which electrodes of the first array are proximate a body based on the second signal.