Synchronization of sensor modules on a computing device

• US 9,058,079 B1
• Filed: 04/22/2014
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tenuta, Matthew Dominic, Schneider, David Ness
• Primary Examiner(s): CERULLO, LILIANA P
• Application Number:
  US14/258,401
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 178 1801- 1808, 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04166 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 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A computing device may include a sensor controller configured to control operations of a human-touch capacitive sensor module, a near-field communication (NFC) controller configured to control operations of an NFC module, and/or a plurality of communication lines including a first communication line and a second communication line. Each of the first and second communication lines may be connected to the sensor controller and the NFC controller such that control signals are transferred between the sensor controller and the NFC controller to synchronize the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the operations of the NFC module.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a sensor controller configured to control operations of a human-touch capacitive sensor module;

a near-field communication (NFC) controller configured to control operations of an NFC module; and

a plurality of communication lines including a first communication line and a second communication line, each of the first and second communication lines being connected to the sensor controller and the NFC controller such that control signals are transferred between the sensor controller and the NFC controller to synchronize the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the operations of the NFC module,

wherein the sensor controller is configured to assert an active sensor control signal on the first communication line and control the human-touch capacitive sensor module to start a sensor scan to determine whether any touch signals exist within an active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor module when an active NFC control signal is not asserted by the NFC controller on the second communication line, wherein the sensor controller is configured to drive the active sensor control signal until the sensor scan is complete,

wherein the NFC controller is configured to assert the active NFC control signal on the second communication line and control the NFC module to start an NFC scan when the active sensor control signal is not asserted by the sensor controller on the first communication line.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor controller is configured to control the human-touch capacitive sensor module to delay the start of the sensor scan until the sensor controller does not detect the active NFC control signal on the second communication line.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the NFC controller is configured to de-assert the active NFC control signal after the operations of the NFC module are completed, and the sensor controller is configured to de-assert the active sensor control signal after the sensor scan is complete or after a last touch signal is processed, whichever is later.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor controller includes a sensor internal timer configured to determine a timing of the sensor scan, and the human-touch capacitive sensor module is not forced to perform the sensor scan at a different time than what is originally provided by the sensor internal timer.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the NFC controller includes an NFC internal timer configured to determining a timing of the NFC scan, and the NFC module is not forced to perform the NFC scan at a different time than what is originally provided by the NFC internal timer.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor module at least partially overlaps with an active area of the NFC module such that a portion of the computing device functions as an interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the NFC module.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the NFC module is a trackpad, and an antenna of the NFC module is integrated within a printed circuit board (PCB) portion of the human-touch capacitive sensor module.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein each of the NFC controller and the sensor controller includes an activity output unit configured to output an active control signal, and an allowability input unit configured to receive a non-allowability control signal.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the activity output unit of the sensor controller is connected to the allowability input unit of the NFC controller via the first communication line, and the activity output unit of the NFC controller is connected to the allowability input unit of the sensor controller via the second communication line.

10. A computing device comprising:

a sensor controller configured to control operations of a human-touch capacitive sensor module, wherein the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor module include a sensor scan to determine whether any touch signals exist within an active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor module;

a near-field communication (NFC) controller configured to control operations of an NFC module, wherein the operations of the NFC module include an NFC scan, wherein an active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor module at least partially overlaps with an active area of the NFC module such that a portion of the computing device functions as an interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the NFC module; and

a first communication line and a second communication line, each of the first and second communication lines being connected to the sensor controller and the NFC controller,

wherein the sensor controller is configured to output an active sensor control signal on the first communication line and control the human-touch capacitive sensor module to start the sensor scan when a non-allowability control signal is not detected by the sensor controller via the second communication line, wherein the sensor controller is configured to drive the active sensor control signal until the sensor scan is complete,

the NFC controller is configured to output an active NFC control signal on the second communication line and control the NFC module to start the NFC scan when a non-allowability control signal is not detected by the NFC controller via the first communication line.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein, when the non-allowability control signal is detected via the second communication line, the sensor controller is configured control the human-touch capacitive sensor module to delay the start of the sensor scan until the non-allowability control signal is de-asserted on the second communication line.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the NFC controller is configured to de-assert the active NFC control signal after the operations of the NFC module are completed, and the sensor controller is configured to de-assert the active sensor control signal after the sensor scan is complete or after a last touch signal is processed, whichever is later.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the sensor controller includes a sensor internal timer configured to determine a timing of the sensor scan, and the NFC controller includes an NFC internal timer configured to determining a timing of the NFC scan.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein an antenna of the NFC module is integrated within a printed circuit board (PCB) portion of the human-touch capacitive sensor module.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor module and the NFC module is a trackpad.

16. A method for synchronizing operations of sensing modules on a computing device according to a synchronization protocol, the method comprising:

determining, by a first controller configured to control a human-touch capacitive sensor, whether a non-allowability control signal is detected via a first communication line connected between the first controller and a second controller configured to control a near-field communication (NFC) sensor;

delaying, by the first controller, a start of a scan operation of the human-touch capacitive sensor when the non-allowability control signal is detected on the first communication line;

asserting, by the first controller, an active control signal via a second communication line connected between the first controller and the second controller when the non-allowability control signal is not detected on the first communication line;

performing, by the human-touch capacitive sensor, the scan operation such that the active control signal is asserted by the first controller until operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor are completed; and

detecting, by the first controller, the non-allowability control signal on the first communication line but disregarding the non-allowability control signal when the human-touch capacitive sensor is currently active such that the active control signal is continuously driven until the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor are completed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

de-asserting, by the first controller, the active control signal, after the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor are completed.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein an active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor at least partially overlaps with an active area of the NFC sensor such that a portion of the computing device functions as an interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor and the NFC sensor.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by the first controller, whether a start scan signal is detected, wherein the first controller determines whether the non-allowability control signal is asserted when the start scan signal is determined as detected.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the synchronization protocol does not force the human-touch capacitive sensor to start performance of the scan operation at a different time than what originally provided by an internal timer of the human touch capacitive sensor.