Systems and methods for determining types of user input

• US 9,024,643 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwartz, Adam, Jordan, Joel, Vandermeijden, Tom R., Shepelev, Petr
• Primary Examiner(s): Vazquez, Arleen M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pothen, Feba
• Application Number:
  US13/536,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20140002114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 324/676
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

The embodiments described herein thus provide devices and methods that facilitate improved input devices. Specifically, the devices, systems and methods provide the ability to accurately determine user input using multiple different sensing regimes. The different sensing regimes can be used to facilitate accurate position determination of objects both at the surface and away from the surface. For example, the different sensing regimes can be used to determine position information for both ungloved and gloved fingers. In one embodiment the first sensing regime uses a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing. The second sensing regime uses a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing.

Claims

1. A processing system for an input device comprising:

a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry, the sensor module configured to;

operate a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes to selectively perform transcapacitive sensing and absolute capacitive sensing to detect objects in a sensing region; and

a determination module configured to;

determine positional information for input objects in the sensing region by selectively operating the processing system in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for input objects in the sensing region;

wherein

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing; and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the determination module is further configured to determine a positional offset for an input object in the sensing region by determining a difference in a position determined using the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and a position determined by a contact sensor.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to:

perform a filtering operation on resulting signals from the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes; and

wherein the first sensing regime further comprises filtering the resulting signals at a first level and the second sensing regime further comprises filtering the resulting signals at a second level.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first sensing regime further comprises a first duty cycle of baseline acquisition and the second sensing regime further comprises a second duty cycle of baseline acquisition, wherein the first duty cycle of baseline acquisition is greater than the second duty cycle of baseline acquisition.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region comprises a determination that an input object is contacting a touch surface and is determined using at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and a contact sensor.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region is determined using a contact sensor, and wherein the contact sensor comprises a force sensor coupled to a touch surface and the processing system.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is configured to determine the contact information for input objects contacting a touch surface using a determined rate of change of a sensing signal.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein a number of sensor electrodes simultaneously driven with a sensing signal in the second sensing regime is greater than in the first sensing regime.

9. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the determination module is configured to determine positional information from absolute capacitive measurements using a spatial correlation and from transcapacitive measurements using interpolation.

10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the determination module is further configured to:

determine a type of an input object in the sensing region using the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes; and

modify a sensing regime based on the determined type of input in the sensing region.

11. A method for determining positional information for input objects in a sensing region, comprising:

selectively operating in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for input objects contacting a touch surface, wherein;

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing between capacitive sensor electrodes and an input object in the sensing region, and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing between capacitive sensor electrodes; and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing; and

determining positional information for input objects in the sensing region using at least one of the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first sensing regime further comprises filtering resulting signals obtained in the first sensing regime at a first level of fidelity and the second sensing regime further comprises filtering resulting signals obtained in the second sensing regime at a second level of fidelity, wherein the first level of fidelity is greater than the second level of fidelity.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region comprises a determination that a conductive input object is contacting the touch surface and wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region is determined using at least one of the capacitive sensor electrodes and a contact sensor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a number of the capacitive sensor electrodes simultaneously driven with a sensing signal for sensing in the second sensing regime is greater than in the first sensing regime.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining positional information for input objects in the sensing region using the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime comprises using an interpolation technique on resulting signals obtained in the first sensing regime and using a spatial correlation technique on resulting signals obtained in the second sensing regime.

16. An input device comprising:

a touch surface overlapping a display;

a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes; and

a processing system coupled to the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes, the processing system configured to;

perform transcapacitive sensing between electrodes in the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes;

perform absolute capacitive sensing between electrodes in the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and an input object a sensing region of the input device;

selectively operate in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for input objects in the sensing region, wherein;

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing; and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing; and

determine positional information for input objects in the sensing region using the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime.

17. The input device of claim 16, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

perform a filtering operation on resulting signals from the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes; and

wherein the first sensing regime further comprises filtering the resulting signals at a first level of fidelity and the second sensing regime further comprises filtering the resulting signals at a second level of fidelity, wherein the first level of fidelity is greater than the second level of fidelity.

18. The input device of claim 16, wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region comprises a determination that a conductive input object is contacting the touch surface of the input device wherein the contact information for input objects in the sensing region is determined using at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and a contact sensor.

19. The input device of claim 16, wherein a number of sensor electrodes simultaneously driven with a sensing signal for sensing in the second sensing regime is greater than in the first sensing regime.

20. The input device of claim 16, wherein the processing system is configured to determine positional information from absolute capacitive measurements using a spatial correlation technique and from transcapacitive measurements using an interpolation technique.