Method and apparatus to improve noise immunity of a touch sense array

• US 9,092,098 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Konovalov, Anton, Yarosh, Andriy, Maharyta, Andriy, Ogirko, Roman, Pirogov, Oleksandr, Sharamaga, Roman, Kremin, Viktor
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/246,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20120268415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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

Abstract

A method for improving noise immunity of capacitive sensing circuit associated with a touch sense array is disclosed. The capacitive sensing circuit receives a response signal from a touch sense array. The capacitive sensing circuit measures a noise component of the response signal. When a level of noise of the noise component within a passband of the capacitive sensing circuit is greater than a threshold, the capacitive sensing circuit changes at least one parameter of capacitive sensing circuit to move the passband substantially outside the frequency spectrum of the noise component.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

interleaving between listening for a level of noise and performing a scan of a touch sense array, the listening for the level of noise comprising;

receiving a response signal, which is generated in an absence of the scan, at a capacitive sensing circuit from the touch sense array;

measuring a noise component of the response signal;

determining whether the level of noise is above a threshold; and

when a level of noise within a passband of the capacitive sensing circuit is greater than a threshold, changing at least one parameter of the capacitive sensing circuit to move the passband substantially outside the frequency spectrum of the noise component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said changing at least one parameter comprises at least one of changing a sensing frequency passband, integration time, driving signal, a number of sub-conversions per conversion cycle, and a number of TX cycles applied in an individual sub-conversion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said changing the sensing frequency passband comprises forcing synchronization of the sensing frequency passband to cause the frequency spectrum of the noise component to substantially match the passband of the capacitive sensing circuit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the level of noise is above the threshold comprises analyzing raw counts levels during several conversions around a touch area of a conductive object proximate to the touch sense array.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the level of noise is above the threshold comprises analyzing touch position jitter history of a touch position of a conductive object proximate to the touch sense array.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the level of noise is above the threshold comprises obtaining a measurement of the level of noise while applying a TX signal for a predetermined number of cycles and analyzing a distribution of the noise level during a second set of one or more cycles, wherein the predetermined number of cycles is less than the second set of one or more cycles, and wherein during the second set of one or more cycles full conversion measurements are performed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining whether the level of noise is above the threshold comprises listening to the level of noise by measuring the level of noise in a mutual capacitance mode when all receive (RX) electrodes are tied together in a single channel and a transmit (TX) signal absent on TX electrodes.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising alternating between listening to the level of noise and performing a full panel scan of the touch sense array.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising interleaving between listening to the level of noise and performing a partial panel can of the touch sense array.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein said measuring a noise component of the response signal and said changing a sensing frequency passband comprises:

(a) listening to the level of noise interleaved with performing a panel scan of the touch sense array;

(b) measuring the level of noise;

(c) if the level of noise is above a threshold, switching to a next available sensing frequency passband;

(d) repeating (a)-(c) until all available sensing frequency passbands are exhausted; and

(e) selecting an available sensing frequency passband having a lowest level of noise.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

(f) temporarily switching to a maximum sensing frequency passband from a current sensing frequency passband after a refresh rate number of scanning cycles;

(g) repeating (a) and (b); and

(h) if the level of noise falls below a second predetermined level, setting the sensing frequency passband to the maximum sensing frequency passband, otherwise

(i) returning to the current sensing frequency passband.

12. A circuit comprising

a capacitive sensing circuit configured to:

receive a response signal from a touch sense array, which is generated in an absence of a scan of the touch sense array;

measure a noise component of the response signal; and

when a level of noise of the noise component within a passband of the capacitive sensing circuit is greater than a threshold, change at least one parameter of capacitive sensing circuit to move the passband substantially outside the frequency spectrum of the noise component.,

wherein the capacitive sensing circuit comprises a circuit for forcing synchronization of a sensing frequency passband to cause the frequency spectrum of the noise component to substantially match the passband of the capacitive sensing circuit.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the circuit for forcing synchronization of the sensing frequency passband comprises a clocking circuit.

14. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the capacitive sensing circuit further comprises a pair of current sources each coupled to the clocking circuit and a one shot coupled between the clocking circuit and one of the current sources to determine whether the level of noise is above the threshold.

15. The circuit of claim 13, wherein the capacitive sensing circuit further comprises a current source coupled to the clocking circuit and a delay circuit coupled between the clocking circuit and the current source to determine whether the level of noise is above the threshold.

16. A processing device, comprising:

a capacitive sensing circuit configured to;

receive a first response signal from a touch sense array; and

measure a noise component of the first response signal,

when a level of noise of the noise component within the passband of the capacitive sensing circuit is greater than a threshold, change at least one parameter of capacitive sensing circuit to move the passband substantially outside the frequency spectrum of the noise component; and

processing logic coupled to the capacitive sensing circuit and configured to detect a conductive object proximate to the touch sense array using a second response signal generated responsive to a scan of the touch sense array, wherein the processing logic is configured to interleave between listening to the level of noise and performing the scan.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing device further comprises a circuit for forcing synchronization of a sensing frequency passband to cause the frequency spectrum of the noise component to substantially match the passband of the capacitive sensing circuit.