SENSING AN ACTIVE DEVICE'S TRANSMISSION USING TIMING INTERLEAVED WITH DISPLAY UPDATES

• US 20170090611A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: SHEPELEV, Petr, AYZENBERG, Oscar
• Granted Patent: US 10,037,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• 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: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include an input device with a plurality of sensor electrodes, where each sensor electrode includes at least one display electrode of a plurality of display electrodes, and where each display electrode is configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing. The input device also includes a processing system configured to acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes during one or more display blanking periods, where a first half sensing period occurs during a first display blanking period and a second half sensing period occurs during a second display blanking period. The processing system acquires sensor data using a first resulting signal from the first half sensing period and a second resulting signal from the second half sensing period.

Claims

1. A processing system for a capacitive sensing device, comprising:

a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry configured to acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes of a plurality of sensor electrodes during one or more display blanking periods, wherein a first half sensing period occurs during a first display blanking period and a second half sensing period occurs during a second display blanking period, and wherein a display update period occurs between the first display blanking period and the second display blanking period, wherein each sensor electrode comprises at least one display electrode of a plurality of display electrodes, and wherein each display electrode is configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing; and

;

wherein the sensor module acquires sensor data using a first resulting signal from the first half sensing period and a second resulting signal from the second half sensing period.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to detect a communication signal from an active device using the first resulting signal and the second resulting signal.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the first display blanking period has a shorter duration than a transmission cycle of the communication signal generated by the active device.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises a receiver that is configured to enter a reset mode during the display update period following the first display blanking period.

5. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the wherein the processing system comprises a driver module that is configured to update one or more output display lines while the receiver is in the reset mode.

6. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the sensor module is further configured to drive at least one sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing during a second blanking period following a second display update period, wherein the second blanking period is longer than a half sensing period.

7. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the processing system is further configured to drive at least one sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing during a vertical blanking period following the display update period.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is configured to integrate the first and second resulting signals from the first half sensing period and the second half sensing period.

9. The processing system of claim 1, wherein acquiring sensor data comprises:

performing an absolute capacitive sensing technique.

10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein acquiring sensor data comprises:

performing a transcapacitive capacitive sensing technique.

11. A method for operating an input device, comprising:

acquiring sensor data using a plurality of sensor electrodes during a first display blanking period, wherein an analog front end associated with the plurality of sensor electrodes is in a reset mode during the first display blanking period;

updating one or more display lines after the first display blanking period, wherein the analog front end remains in the reset mode after the first display blanking period;

acquiring sensor data using the plurality of sensor electrodes during a second display blanking period, wherein the analog front end remains in the reset mode during the second display blanking period; and

integrating sensor data acquired during the first and second display blanking periods to detect a communication signal from an active device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a transmission cycle of the communication signal from the active device is longer than the first display blanking period.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring sensor data during a third display blanking period, wherein the third display blanking period is a long horizontal blanking period that is longer than the first or second display blanking period.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring sensor data during a third display blanking period, wherein the third display blanking period is a vertical blanking period that is longer than the first or second display blanking period.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein acquiring sensor data comprises:

performing an absolute capacitive sensing technique.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein acquiring sensor data comprises:

performing a transcapacitive capacitive sensing technique.

17. An input device, comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein each sensor electrode comprises at least one display electrode of a display, and wherein each display electrode is configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing; and

a processing system configured to;

acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes during a first display blanking period while in a reset mode;

remain in the reset mode during a display update period following the first display blanking period;

acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes during a second display blanking period following the display update period while remaining in the reset mode; and

integrate the acquired sensor data during the first and second display blanking periods to detect a communication signal from an active device.

18. The input device of claim 17, wherein the first display blanking period has a transmission cycle that is longer than the communication signal from the active device.

19. The input device of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes during a third display blanking period, wherein the third display blanking period is a long horizontal blanking period that is longer than the first or second display blanking period.

20. The input device of claim 17, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

acquire sensor data using one or more sensor electrodes during a third display blanking period, wherein the third display blanking period is a vertical blanking period that is longer than the first or second display blanking period.