Multi-functional capacitance sensing circuit with a current conveyor

• US 8,866,500 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Kremin, Viktor, Maharita, Andriy
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VINH P
• Application Number:
  US12/507,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20130314109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 324/686
• US Class Current: 324/686
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• 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: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960725 Charge-transfer

Abstract

An apparatus for and a method of sensing capacitance of one or more sensor elements in multiple capacitance sensing modes, including a self-capacitance sensing mode and a mutual capacitance sensing mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a capacitance sensing circuit comprising a current conveyor and a mode selection circuit, the capacitance sensing circuit configured to sense capacitance of one or more sensor elements in a plurality of capacitance sensing modes, wherein a first of the plurality of capacitance sensing modes is a self-capacitance sensing mode, and a second of the plurality of capacitance sensing modes is a mutual capacitance sensing mode;

wherein an output of the mode selection circuit is coupled to a voltage input of the current conveyor; and

wherein the mode selection circuit is configured to switch between the self-capacitance sensing mode and the mutual capacitance sensing mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit further comprises a synchronous demodulation circuit coupled to a current output of the current conveyor, and wherein the synchronous demodulation circuit is configured to generate a current output.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the self-capacitance sensing mode is a single electrode, single-ended sensing mode, and the mutual capacitance sensing mode is a dual-electrode, single-ended sensing mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output of the mode selection circuit is configured to apply a clock signal to the voltage input of the current conveyor, and a current input of the current conveyor is coupled to the one or more sensor elements when the self-capacitance sensing mode is selected.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output of the mode selection circuit is configured to apply a constant reference voltage to the voltage input of the current conveyor, and a current input of the current conveyor is coupled to a first terminal of the one or more sensor elements when the mutual capacitance sensing mode is selected.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a second terminal of the one more sensor elements is coupled to a driver circuit, and wherein the driver circuit receives a clock signal and uses the clock signal to repeatedly charge and discharge the one or more sensor elements to be sensed when the mutual capacitance sensing mode is selected.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to sense capacitance in only one of the plurality of sensing modes at a time.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a capacitance conversion circuit coupled to the capacitance sensing circuit, wherein the capacitance conversion circuit converts a current received from the capacitance sensing circuit into digital data.

9. A method of measuring capacitance, comprising:

applying a mode selection signal to a mode selection circuit of a capacitance sensing circuit;

the mode selection circuit selecting one of a plurality of capacitance sensing modes, wherein a first of the plurality of capacitance sensing modes is a self-capacitance sensing mode, and a second of the plurality of capacitance sensing modes is a mutual capacitance sensing mode;

the mode selection circuit applying an output to a voltage input of a current conveyor of the capacitance sensing circuit, wherein the output is a clock signal when self-capacitance sensing mode is selected, and wherein the output is a constant reference voltage when the mutual capacitance sensing mode is selected; and

sensing capacitance of one or more sensor elements based on the selected one of the plurality of capacitance sensing modes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the self-capacitance sensing mode is a single-electrode, single-ended sensing mode and the mutual capacitance sensing mode is a dual-electrode, single-ended sensing mode.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

sensing the capacitance on the one or more sensor elements by using the current conveyor; and

generating a current output by the current conveyor.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

charging the one or more sensor elements by using a driver circuit when in the mutual capacitance sensing mode; and

charging the one or more sensor elements by using the current input of the current conveyor.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the self-capacitance sensing mode is a dual-channel or a differential channel single-ended sensing mode and the mutual capacitance sensing mode is a dual-channel or a differential channel sensing mode.

14. An apparatus, comprising a capacitance sensing circuit comprising a current conveyor and a mode selection circuit, the capacitance sensing circuit configured to sense capacitance of a sensor element in a self-capacitance sensing mode, wherein when in the self-capacitance sensing mode the capacitance sensing circuit is configured to detect a proximity of an object to one or more sensor elements, wherein an output of the mode selection circuit is coupled to a voltage input of the current conveyor, and wherein the mode selection circuit is configured to select the self-capacitance sensing mode in response to a selection signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the capacitance sensing circuit is further configured to sense capacitance of two or more sensor elements in a mutual capacitance sensing mode and to sense capacitance in only one of the self-capacitance sensing mode and the mutual capacitance sensing mode at a time.