System and method for the generation of a signal correlated with a manual input operation

• US 9,189,093 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ivanov, Artem
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, MD Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US13/577,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 345156-157, 345168-169, 178 1801- 1809, 463 37- 38
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In a system, as well as a method for the generation of a signal correlated with a manual input operation, especially a gesture-like input operation is executed by a user with his hands or fingers in front of a physical device and it input signals for signal processing operations are generated which correlate in a particularly reliable and accurate way with manual input operations. A system may have an electrode group integrated into an equipment component, that has several plane shaped electrodes adjacent to each other, and a circuit arrangement coupled to the electrodes of the electrode group, wherein the electrode group and the circuit arrangement constitute a sensor circuit allowing both a detection of a status to evaluate as a physical contacting of the equipment component, and a position detection of the hand or a finger of a user in a area placed spatially upstream of the equipment component.

Claims

1. System for generating input signals correlating with manual input operations executed by a user, comprising:

an electrode group comprising a generator electrode and a plurality of receiving electrodes integrated into an equipment component, wherein the generator electrode and the plurality of receiving electrodes are formed by flat shaped electrodes and at least a subset of the receiving electrodes are arranged in a plane, and

a circuit arrangement coupled with the electrodes of the electrode group,

wherein the electrode group and the circuit arrangement constitute a sensor circuit which allows both, a detection of a proximity status of a hand or a finger of the user to evaluate a physical contacting of the equipment component, and also a detection of a non-touching gesture performed by the hand or the finger of the user in an area which is spatially located in front of the equipment component,

wherein the circuit arrangement is configured to discriminate between a touch event and a gesture event by evaluating signals received from the receiving electrodes, wherein the circuit arrangement uses a first threshold with respect to a signal amplitude and a second threshold with respect to a derivative of the signal amplitude with time to discriminate the gesture event and the touch event.

2. System according to the claim 1, wherein the non-touching gesture detection primarily is accomplished through the subset of the receiving electrodes contained in the electrode group comprising several subelectrodes spaced apart from each other.

3. System according to claim 2, wherein the electrode group is configured in such a way that the receiving electrodes substantially cover a full surface area serving as touch detection zone surface.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein the electrode group comprises the generator electrode in a plane below the receiving electrodes.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein a total area of the receiving electrodes is smaller than the total area of the generator electrode.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein a detection zone comprises edge zones, and that the subset of the receiving electrodes are arranged in the edge zones.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes are arranged in an area covered by the generator electrode.

8. System according to claim 1, wherein the subset of the receiving electrodes comprise four receiving electrodes and the position of the receiving electrodes is fixed so that the surface centres of gravity of the subset of the receiving electrodes represent edges of a rectangle, a rhombus, or a square.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein a generator electrode is provided that is arranged in a same plane as the subset of the receiving electrodes and the receiving electrodes are arranged around a perimeter of the generator electrode.

10. System according to claim 1, wherein the generator electrode is connected to the circuit arrangement, and wherein the generator electrode is operated as a shielding electrode for extensive shielding of a lower part of the receiving electrodes.

11. System according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the receiving electrodes is transparent and designed as an ITO layer electrode.

12. System according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes each have one smaller electrode surface than the generator electrode.

13. System according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes are arranged in an edge zone of a detection zone.

14. System according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes are strip-like electrode structures extending along an edge of a detection zone.

15. System according to claim 1, wherein a detection zone represents a substantially rectangular area, and the receiving electrodes are configured substantially rotation symmetrical in the detection zone.

16. System according to claim 1, wherein the circuit arrangement is configured to determine a non-touching gesture performed by an object form signals received from the subset of receiving electrodes by triangulation.

17. Method for generating input signals correlating with manual input operations executed by a user using an electrode group integrated into an equipment component comprising several plane shaped receiving electrodes and a generator electrode, the method comprising:

generating an electric field through said generator electrode;

receiving signals from said receiving electrodes to perform, both a detection of proximity status to evaluate whether a physical contacting of the equipment component occurred and a non-touching gesture detection in an area placed spatially in front of the equipment component, wherein a discrimination between a touch event and a gesture event is performed by evaluating signals received from the receiving electrodes, wherein a first threshold with respect to a signal amplitude and a second threshold with respect to derivative of the signal amplitude with time are used to discriminate the gesture event and the touch event, and wherein gestures detected by the detection are used for controlling a system function.

18. Method according to the claim 17, wherein a detection criterion is a dynamic criterion of an indicative signal contribution relative to the position of a Z-axis.

19. Method according to the claim 17, wherein a detection criterion comprises an observation of a detected position of a Z-axis, and that a contact is detected, when a certain distance to the equipment component appears as to be below.

20. Display device with a system for generating input signals correlating with manual input operations executed by a user, comprising:

an electrode group comprising a generator electrode and a plurality of receiving electrodes integrated into an equipment component, wherein the generator electrode and the plurality of receiving electrodes are formed by flat shaped electrodes and at least a subset of the receiving electrodes are arranged in a plane, and

a circuit arrangement coupled with the electrodes of the electrode group, wherein the electrode group and the circuit arrangement constitute a sensor circuit which allows both, a detection of a proximity status of a hand or a finger of the user to evaluate a physical contacting of the equipment component, and also a detection of a non-touching gesture performed by the hand or the finger of the user in an area which is spatially located in front of the equipment component,

wherein the circuit arrangement is configured to discriminate between a touch event and a gesture event by evaluating signals received from the receiving electrodes, wherein the circuit arrangement uses a first threshold with respect to a signal amplitude and a second threshold with respect to a derivative of the signal amplitude with time to discriminate the gesture event and the touch event,

wherein a contact in a two-dimensional detection of a movement of the finger and a spatial detection of the finger or the hand of the user is determined, wherein a function of a computer system connected to the display device is coordinated by touch inputs, which are executed in front of the display device by the finger or the hand of the user.