Capacitance sensing device for detecting a three-dimensional location of an object

• US 9,323,353 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AmZetta Technologies, LLC (American Megatrends International, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Megatrends Incorporated
• Inventors: Sivertsen, Clas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mummalaneni, Nalini
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quiles, Ivelisse Martinez
• Application Number:
  US14/054,382
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• 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 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A mechanism for utilizing multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays to detect the 3D location of an object with respect to a capacitive panel is disclosed. The multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays may change size and shape by integrating multiple capacitive sensor electrodes. The distance to an object relative to the capacitive panel may be determined by applying a distance formula to capacitive signals detected by the reconfigurable hover sensing arrays. In addition, a user interaction interface that may change the shape of the identifier of the interface corresponding to the detected 3D movement of the object is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a capacitive panel having multiple capacitive sensor electrodes affixed to thereto; and

a microcontroller configured to

set multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with a first size by electrically coupling at least two electrodes of the multiple capacitive sensor electrodes via an integration bus bar,

utilize the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays to detect capacitive signals caused by a capacitance between an object and the reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size,

determine a first threshold value corresponding to the first size of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays,

determine a location of the object based on the detected capacitive signals and the first threshold value, and

save the detected capacitive signals in a first sampled value matrix (first SVM) stored in a memory available to the microcontroller, wherein each element of the first SVM represents a physical location of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to apply the detected capacitive signals into a distance formula stored in the microcontroller to determine a distance of the object relative to the capacitive panel if the detected capacitive signals exceed the first threshold value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to determine a location of the object in a two dimensional plane that is parallel to the capacitive panel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a distance between the two dimensional plane and the capacitive panel is determined to be substantially equal to a distance between the object and the capacitive panel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to report a location of the object relative to the capacitive panel based on the determined two dimensional location of the object and the determined distance of the object relative to the capacitive panel.

6. A computer-implemented method of using a capacitive panel to detect a movement of an object with respect to the capacitive panel comprising:

setting multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with a first size by electrically coupling at least two electrodes of multiple capacitive sensor electrodes via an integration bus bar;

utilizing the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays to detect capacitive signals caused by capacitance between an object and the reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size;

determining a first threshold value corresponding to the first size of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays;

determining a location of the object based on the detected capacitive signals and the first threshold value; and

saving the detected capacitive signals in a first sampled value matrix (first SVM), wherein each element of the first SVM represents a physical location of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising applying the detected capacitive signals into a distance formula to determine a distance of the object relative to the capacitive panel when the detected capacitive signals exceed the first threshold value.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising determining a location of the object in a two dimensional plane that is parallel to the capacitive panel.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a distance between the two dimensional plane and the capacitive panel is determined to be substantially equal to a distance between the object and the capacitive panel.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to report a location of the object relative to the capacitive panel based on the determined two dimensional location of the object and the determined distance of the object relative to the capacitive panel.

11. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoding a sequence of computer-executable instructions thereupon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

set multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with a first size by electrically coupling at least two electrodes of the multiple capacitive sensor electrodes via an integration bus bar;

utilize the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays to detect capacitive signals caused by capacitance between an object and the reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size;

determine a first threshold value corresponding to the first size of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays;

determine a location of the object based on the detected capacitive signals and the first threshold value; and

save the detected capacitive signals in a first sampled value matrix (first SVM), wherein each element of the first SVM represents a physical location of the multiple reconfigurable hover sensing arrays with the first size.

12. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions further that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to apply the detected capacitive signals into a distance formula to determine a distance of the object relative to a capacitive panel if the detected capacitive signals exceed the first threshold value.

13. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions further that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a location of the object in a two dimensional plane that is parallel to the capacitive panel.

14. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 13, wherein a distance between the two dimensional plane and the capacitive panel is determined to be substantially equal to a distance between the object and the capacitive panel.

15. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions further that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to report a location of the object relative to the capacitive panel based on the determined two dimensional location of the object and the determined distance of the object relative to the capacitive panel.