Information Handling System Modular Capacitive Mat

• US 20160313819A1
• Filed: 04/21/2015
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Ancona, Rocco, Bui, Vinh X., Knoppert, Michiel Sebastiaan Emanuel Petrus, Morrison, John T., Ligameri, Mark R.
• Granted Patent: US 11,243,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

An expansion device couples to a capacitive mat disposed on a desktop surface and communicates power and data through the capacitive mat to perform functions in support of an information handling system. For example, the expansion device powers an inductive charger to charge a peripheral device, accepts end user touch inputs with a capacitive touch sensor, presents visual information at an integrated display in response to pixel values provided by the information handling system though the capacitive mat.

Claims

1. An information handling system modular capacitive mat comprising:

a capacitive mat having an integrated display operable to present visual images generated by an information handling system, the capacitive mat disposed on a desktop surface and including capacitive sensors operable to detect touches and communicate touch locations to the information handling system;

an expansion coupling device disposed at a side of the capacitive mat and operable to couple with an expansion device and communicate electrical signals between the capacitive mat and the expansion device; and

an expansion device configured to couple to the coupling device, the expansion device having an upper surface operable to perform a function supported by the electrical signals.

2. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 1 further comprising:

an inductive charger disposed proximate the upper surface and operable to inductively charge a device placed on the upper surface; and

a power controller disposed in the expansion device and operable to accept power from the electrical signals and selectively apply power to the inductive charger.

3. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 2 further comprising illumination integrated in the expansion device and operable to identify the inductive charger location as an aid to placement of the device on the upper surface.

4. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 3 further comprising a proximity sensor interfaced with the power controller and operable to selectively apply power to the inductive charger upon placement of a device on the charger location.

5. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 2 further comprising:

first and second rails extending outward from the capacitive mat to create an opening sized to fit the expansion device; and

a power interface extending through the rails to communicate power to the inductive charger.

6. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 1 further comprising capacitive sensors disposed proximate the upper surface to perform a touch pad function.

7. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 1 further comprising:

a display integrated in the expansion device and operable to present visual images; and

a display interface integrated with the expansion coupling device to accept visual information from the information handling system sent through the capacitive mat.

8. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 7 wherein the display interface comprises a DisplayPort interface operable to daisychain visual information from the information handling system.

9. The information handling system modular capacitive mat of claim 1 further comprising:

capacitive sensors disposed proximate the upper surface to detect touch inputs; and

a totem disposed on the upper surface and having identifying capacitive information detectable by the capacitive sensors to distinguish end user inputs to the totem as having a predetermined totem function.

10. A method for expanding a capacitive mat functional surface, the method comprising:

coupling an expansion device to a coupling device of the capacitive mat;

communicating power from the capacitive mat to the expansion device through the coupling device; and

applying the power to perform a function at an upper surface of the expansion device.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

presenting visual images with a display integrated in the capacitive mat;

communicating visual information from the capacitive mat to the expansion device; and

presenting visual images using the visual information with a display integrated in the expansion device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the coupling device comprises a DisplayPort interface.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

accepting end user touch inputs at the expansion device upper surface; and

communicating the end user touch inputs through the coupling device to the capacitive mat.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the applying the power further comprises:

applying power to an inductive charger disposed below the upper surface;

placing a peripheral device on the upper surface; and

charging a battery of the peripheral device with power communicated from the inductive charger.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising illuminating the upper surface to indicate a location for placement of the peripheral device to accept charging.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the peripheral device comprises a totem having an integrated processing device and battery.

17. An information handling system comprising:

a processor;

memory interfaced with the processor;

a graphics system interfaced with the processor and memory, the graphics system operable to process visual information into pixel values for presentation at a display;

a capacitive mat interfaced with the processor and disposed on a desktop surface, the capacitive mat having a capacitive touch sensor operable to detect touches and send touch positions to the processor; and

an expansion device adapted to couple to a side of the capacitive mat and rest on the desktop surface, the expansion device operable to accept power from the capacitive mat and to apply the power to perform a function.

18. The information handling system of claim 17 wherein the function of the expansion device comprises applying power to an inductive charger to inductively charge a peripheral placed on top of the expansion device.

19. The information handling system of claim 17 wherein the function of the expansion device comprises accepting touch inputs with a capacitive touch sensor and communicating the touch inputs through the capacitive mat to the processor.

20. The information handling system of claim 17 wherein the function of the expansion device comprises presenting visual images with a display integrated in the expansion device, the visual images presented with pixel values communicated from the graphics system through the capacitive mat.