Touch pad driven handheld computing device

• US 5,543,588 A
• Filed: 12/03/1993
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Allen, Timothy P., Miller, Robert J., Bisset, Stephen, Steinbach, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US08/161,671
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 341/33, 341/34, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 178/18.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A handheld computing device comprises a thin enclosure having two opposing major faces. A display screen is disposed on a first one of the major opposing faces of the enclosure and a touch-sensitive object position detector input device is disposed on a second one of the major opposing faces of the enclosure. Computing device circuitry, circuitry for interfacing the touch-sensitive object position detector to the computing device circuitry, and circuitry for driving the display screen are all disposed within the enclosure.

Claims

1. A handheld computing device comprising:

an enclosure having first face comprising a front panel and second face comprising a rear panel, said first and second faces opposing each other;

a substantially flat visual display disposed on said first face of said enclosure;

a substantially flat touch-sensor transducer disposed on said second face of said enclosure;

computing means contained in said enclosure and coupled to said visual display and to said touch-sensor transducer, said computing means including means for accepting input information from said touch-sensor transducer and for displaying visual information developed from said input information on said visual display.

2. The handheld computing device of claim 1 wherein:

said touch sensitive transducer comprises a matrix of row conductive lines disposed in a first direction and column conductive lines disposed in a second direction generally perpendicular to said first direction, said row conductive lines and said column conductive lines insulated from one another, and an insulating layer disposed over said row conductive lines and said column conductive lines, said insulating layer having a thickness selected to promote significant capacitive coupling between a finger placed on its surface said row conductive lines and said column conductive lines;

and wherein said means for accepting input information from said touch-sensor transducer comprises;

means for simultaneously injecting a known amount of charge onto each of said row conductive lines, and for sensing a row-sense voltage created by said known amount of charge onto each of said row conductive lines;

means for simultaneously injecting a known amount of charge onto each of said column conductive lines, and for sensing a column-sense voltage created by said known amount of charge onto each of said column conductive lines; and

means for producing a set of object-sensed electrical signals related to said row-sense voltage and said column-sense voltage.

3. The handheld computing device of claim 2, wherein said means for accepting input information from said touch-sensor transducer further includes:

means for sensing an minimum background capacitance from among said row conductive lines, for sensing an minimum background capacitance from among said column conductive lines, for producing a set of minimum background electrical signals related thereto; and

means for subtracting said set of minimum background electrical signals from said set of object-sensed electrical signals.

4. The handheld computing device of claim 2, wherein said means for accepting input information from said touch-sensor transducer further includes:

means for producing a set of average background electrical signals related to said average background capacitance from among said row conductive lines and said average background capacitance from among said column conductive lines; and

means for subtracting said set of average background electrical signals from said set of object-sensed electrical signals.