MITIGATING INTERFERENCE IN CAPACITANCE SENSING

• US 20170090670A1
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Schmitt, Felix, Stevenson, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/871,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 processing system for capacitive sensing includes functionality for obtaining, based on resulting signals, first capacitive sensor data by performing capacitance sensing with sensor electrodes and a transmitter electrode, the sensor electrodes configured to receive the resulting signals from the transmitter electrode. The processing system further includes functionality for obtaining a profile using the sensor electrodes, estimating an interference measurement based on the first profile. The profile is along a receiver axis of the capacitance sensing, and the interference measurement corresponds to interference. The effects of the interference are mitigated in the first capacitive sensor data using the interference measurement to obtain second capacitive sensor data, and positional information of an input object in a sensing region is determined using the second capacitive sensor data.

Claims

1. A processing system for capacitive sensing, the processing system comprising functionality for:

obtaining, based on resulting signals, first capacitive sensor data by performing capacitance sensing with a first plurality of sensor electrodes and a transmitter electrode, the first plurality of sensor electrodes configured to receive the resulting signals from the transmitter electrode;

obtaining a first profile using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, the first profile being along a receiver axis of the capacitance sensing;

estimating a first interference measurement based on the first profile, the first interference measurement corresponding to interference;

mitigating effects of the interference in the first capacitive sensor data using the interference measurement to obtain second capacitive sensor data; and

determining positional information of an input object in a sensing region using the second capacitive sensor data.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein performing the capacitive sensing comprises:

transmitting transmitter signals with a second plurality of sensor electrodes and receiving the resulting signals using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the resulting signals comprises effects corresponding to the transmitter signals, wherein the second plurality of sensor electrodes comprises the transmitter electrode.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first capacitive sensor data corresponds to a plurality of active pen signal measurements, wherein performing the capacitance sensing comprises receiving the resulting signals using the first sensor electrodes, the resulting signals corresponding to the transmitter electrode being in an active pen device.

4. The processing system of claim 3, wherein the processing system is further configured to estimate the first interference measurement when the first profile is above an active pen threshold level.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein estimating the first interference measurement is performed by fitting the first capacitive sensor data to the receiver axis profile.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein estimating the first interference measurement is performed using a fitting technique.

7. The processing system of claim 1, further comprising functionality for:

obtaining a second profile using a second plurality of sensor electrodes,

confirming the second sensor data using the second profile.

8. The processing system of claim 1, further comprising functionality for:

confirming the second sensor data by;

determining a position of an active pen device using the second sensor data,

estimating a second interference measurement based on the first profile by omitting profile measurement in the first profile corresponding to the position, and

mitigating effects of the interference in the second sensor data using the second interference measurement.

9. The processing system of claim 1, further comprising functionality for:

removing the interference reflected in the first profile.

10. A method for mitigating interference in capacitance sensing, the method comprising:

obtaining, based on resulting signals, first capacitive sensor data by performing capacitance sensing with a first plurality of sensor electrodes and a transmitter electrode, the first plurality of sensor electrodes configured to receive the resulting signals from the transmitter electrode;

obtaining a first profile using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, the first profile being along a receiver axis of the capacitance sensing;

estimating a first interference measurement based on the first profile, the first interference measurement corresponding to interference;

mitigating effects of the interference in the first capacitive sensor data using the interference measurement to obtain second capacitive sensor data; and

determining positional information of an input object in a sensing region using the second capacitive sensor data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein performing the capacitive sensing comprises:

transmitting transmitter signals with a second plurality of sensor electrodes and receiving the resulting signals using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the resulting signals comprises effects corresponding to the transmitter signals, wherein the second plurality of sensor electrodes comprises the transmitter electrode.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first capacitive sensor data corresponds to a plurality of active pen signal measurements, wherein performing the capacitance sensing comprises receiving the resulting signals using the first sensor electrodes, the resulting signals corresponding to the transmitter electrode being in an active pen device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein estimating the first interference measurement is performed by fitting the first capacitive sensor data to the receiver axis profile.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein estimating the first interference measurement is performed using a fitting technique.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

obtaining a second profile using a second plurality of sensor electrodes,

confirming the second sensor data using the second profile.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

confirming the second sensor data by;

determining a position of an active pen device using the second sensor data,

estimating a second interference measurement based on the first profile by omitting profile measurement in the first profile corresponding to the position, and

mitigating effects of the interference in the second sensor data using the second interference measurement.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

removing the interference reflected in the first profile.

18. An input device for capacitive sensing comprising:

a first plurality of sensor electrodes for receiving resulting signals from a transmitter electrode; and

a processing system configured to;

obtain, based on the resulting signals, first capacitive sensor data by performing capacitance sensing with the first plurality of sensor electrodes and a transmitter electrode;

obtaining a first profile using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, the first profile being along a receiver axis of the capacitance sensing;

estimating a first interference measurement based on the first profile, the first interference measurement corresponding to interference;

mitigating effects of the interference in the first capacitive sensor data using the interference measurement to obtain second capacitive sensor data; and

determining positional information of an input object in a sensing region using the second capacitive sensor data.

19. The input device of claim 18, wherein performing the capacitive sensing comprises:

transmitting transmitter signals with a second plurality of sensor electrodes and receiving the resulting signals using the first plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the resulting signals comprises effects corresponding to the transmitter signals, wherein the second plurality of sensor electrodes comprises the transmitter electrode.

20. The input device of claim 18, wherein the first capacitive sensor data corresponds to a plurality of active pen signal measurements, wherein performing the capacitance sensing comprises receiving the resulting signals using the first sensor electrodes, the resulting signals corresponding to the transmitter electrode being in an active pen device.