Mutual capacitance sensing using a self-capacitance sensing device

• US 8,779,783 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Liepold, Carl F, Van Antwerpen, Hans, Kizziar, John, Klein, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPLIT, JAMES G
• Application Number:
  US13/917,163
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• US Class Current: 324/686
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24 by varying capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960725 Charge-transfer

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods of mutual-capacitance sensing with a capacitance-sensing circuit, such as a self-capacitance sensing device (CSD). One apparatus includes an input node coupled to a capacitance sense pin to couple to a first electrode of a sense array, a transmit (TX) signal generation circuit to generate a TX signal to drive a second electrode of the sense array, logic circuitry coupled to the TX signal generation circuit and the input node. The logic circuitry is configured to selectively couple a first capacitor to the input node and a second capacitor to the input node timed with the TX signal. The apparatus further includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to receive a receive (RX) signal from the input node and to convert the RX signal into a digital value, the digital value representing a mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Claims

1. A capacitance-sensing circuit comprising:

an input node coupled to a capacitance sense pin coupled to a first electrode of a sense array, wherein the input node is a single signal path of a sensing channel of the capacitive-sensing circuit;

a transmit (TX) signal generation circuit to generate a TX signal to drive a second electrode of the sense array;

logic circuitry coupled to the TX signal generation circuit, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively couple a first capacitor to the single signal path and a second capacitor to the single signal path timed with the TX signal, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are coupled to ground; and

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) coupled to receive a receive (RX) signal from the input node and to convert the RX signal into a digital value, wherein the digital value represents a mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the ADC comprises a comparator comprising a first input coupled to the single signal path and a second input coupled to a voltage reference (Vref), wherein a direct electrical connection is formed on the single signal path between the capacitance sense pin and the first input of the comparator, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively couple the first capacitor and the second capacitor to the single signal path in a non-overlapping manner and timed to capture the RX signal from a first edge of the TX signal and to capture the RX signal from a second edge of the TX signal.

2. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are external to an integrated circuit die upon which the capacitance-sensing circuit is disposed.

3. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 2, further comprising:

a first switch coupled between the single signal path and the first capacitor, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively activate the first switch to selectively couple the first capacitor to the single signal path; and

a second switch coupled between the single signal path and the second capacitor, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively activate the second switch to selectively couple the second capacitor to the single signal path, wherein the logic circuitry is to activate the first switch and the second switch in a non-overlapping manner.

4. The capacitance-sensing circuitry of claim 3, wherein the first capacitor is coupled to a first pin and the second capacitor is coupled to a second pin, wherein the first pin and second pin are general-purpose input-output (GPIO) pins of a processing device comprising the capacitance-sensing circuit.

5. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the first capacitor and second capacitor are configured to store the RX signal and retain an error from cycle to cycle of the TX signal.

6. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, further comprising a first programmable current source coupled to the logic circuitry, wherein the logic circuitry is to selectively couple the first programmable current source to the single signal path to source current during a positive portion of a TX cycle of the TX signal and to sink current during a negative portion of the TX cycle.

7. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a first programmable current source coupled to the logic circuitry; and

a second programmable current source coupled to the logic circuitry, wherein the logic circuitry is to selectively couple the first programmable current source and the second programmable current source to the single signal path, wherein the first programmable current source and second programmable current source are separate sink and source current sources, and wherein the first programmable current source is to source current on the single signal path during a positive portion of a TX cycle of the TX signal and the second programmable current source is to sink current on the single signal path single signal path during a negative portion of the TX cycle.

8. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the comparator is to output when the RX signal crosses the voltage reference, wherein the ADC further comprises:

a flip-flop coupled to the output of the comparator to sample the output of the comparator;

a timer to reset the ADC after a time period; and

a counter coupled to an output of the flip-flop to count a number of times the RX signal crosses the voltage reference during the time period, wherein a counter value of the counter, prior to the reset, represents the mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

9. The capacitance-sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the TX signal generation circuit comprises a flip-flop coupled to receive a first signal and to output the TX signal, wherein the TX signal is delayed by the flip-flop, and wherein the logic circuitry comprises:

a NOR gate coupled to receive the first signal and the TX signal and to output a first control signal to selectively couple the first capacitor to the single signal path; and

a AND gate coupled to receive the first signal and the TX signal and to output a second control signal to selectively couple the second capacitor to the single signal path.

10. A method comprising:

driving a first electrode of a sense array with a transmit (TX) signal by a capacitance-sensing circuit;

receiving a receive (RX) signal on a capacitance sense pin coupled to a second electrode of the sense array, wherein the capacitance sense pin is coupled to an input node of a multiplexer (MUX) bus of the capacitance-sensing circuit, wherein the input node is a single signal path of a sensing channel of the capacitive-sensing circuit;

selectively coupling a first capacitor to the single signal path and a second capacitor to the single signal path timed with the TX signal, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are coupled to ground; and

converting the RX signal into a digital value by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the capacitance-sensing circuit, wherein the ADC comprises a comparator comprising a first input coupled to the single signal path and a second input coupled to a voltage reference (Vref), wherein the digital value represents a mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein a direct electrical connection is formed on the single signal path between the capacitance sense pin and the first input of the comparator, wherein the selectively coupling comprises;

selectively coupling the first capacitor to the single signal path in time to capture the RX signal from a first edge of the TX signal; and

selectively coupling the second capacitor to the single signal path in a non-overlapping manner and in time to capture the RX signal from a second edge of the TX signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selectively coupling comprises:

selectively activating a first switch coupled between the single signal path and the first capacitor to selectively couple the first capacitor to the single signal path; and

selectively activating a second switch coupled between the single signal path and the second capacitor to selectively couple the second capacitor to the single signal path.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are external to an integrated circuit die upon which the capacitance-sensing circuit is disposed, wherein the first capacitor is coupled to a first pin and the second capacitor is coupled to a second pin, and wherein the first pin and second pin are general-purpose input-output (GPIO) pins of the capacitance-sensing circuit of a processing device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the RX signal in the first capacitor during a positive portion of a TX cycle of the TX signal; and

storing the RX signal in the second capacitor during a negative portion of the TX cycle, wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor are configured to retain an error from cycle to cycle of the TX signal.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selectively controlling a first programmable current source to source current on the single signal path during a positive portion of a TX cycle of the TX signal; and

selectively controlling a second programmable current source to sink current on the single signal path during a negative portion of the TX cycle, wherein the first programmable current source and second programmable current source are selectively controlled in a non-overlapping manner.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a first external capacitor coupled to ground;

a second external capacitor coupled to ground;

a processing device comprising;

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) comprising a comparator comprising a first input coupled to a single signal path and a second input coupled to a voltage reference (Vref);

a multiplexer bus coupled to single signal path of the ADC; and

logic circuitry configured to selectively couple the first external capacitor and the second external capacitor to the single signal path in a non-overlapping manner;

wherein the processing device is configured to drive a first electrode of a sense array with a transmit (TX) signal and to measure a receive (RX) signal on the multiplexer bus and convert the RX signal to a digital value by the ADC, wherein the multiplexer bus is coupled to a capacitance sense pin of the processing device, and wherein a direct electrical connection is formed on the single signal path between the capacitance sense pin and the first input of the comparator;

a first switch coupled between the single signal path and the first capacitor, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively activate the first switch to selectively couple the first capacitor to the single signal path; and

a second switch coupled between the single signal path and the second capacitor, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to selectively activate the second switch to selectively couple the second capacitor to the single signal path, wherein the logic circuitry is to activate the first switch and the second switch in the non-overlapping manner.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the comparator is to output when the RX signal crosses the voltage reference, wherein the ADC comprises:

a flip-flop coupled to the output of the comparator to sample the output of the comparator;

a timer to reset the ADC after a time period; and

a counter coupled to an output of the flip-flop to count a number of times the RX signal crosses the voltage reference during the time period, wherein a counter value of the counter, prior to the reset, represents the mutual capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.