System and method of visualizing capacitance sensing system operation

• US 9,367,166 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Kremin, Viktor
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiener, Eric
• Application Number:
  US12/004,831
• Time in Patent Office: 3,098 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 703/4, 345/174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Systems and methods of visualizing capacitance sensing system operation. A graphical user interface for visualizing capacitance sensing system operation includes a first window. The window includes a representation of a physical layout of a plurality of sensor devices on a target apparatus. The graphical user interface is operable to accept input from a pointing device to select a selected sensor from the plurality of sensor devices. A second window is for displaying capacitive sensing data of the selected sensor.

Claims

1. A computing device to generate a graphical user interface for visualizing capacitance sensing system operation, the graphical user interface comprising:

a first window comprising a representation of a physical layout of an electrode pattern of a plurality of capacitive sensors of a capacitive slider of a target apparatus, wherein the first window is configured to represent a position of a conductive object proximate at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensors by providing an indication in the representation that corresponds to the position of the conductive object proximate the at least one of the plurality of sensors, wherein the graphical user interface is operable to accept input from a pointing device to select a capacitive sensor from the plurality of capacitive sensors for display of raw capacitive sensing data associated with the selected capacitive sensor; and

a second window to display the raw capacitive sensing data associated with the selected capacitive sensor in response to a selection of the selected capacitive sensor, wherein the first window and the second window are displayed concurrently in the graphical user interface, and wherein the computing device is further configured to;

generate command information for the target apparatus to obtain the raw capacitive sensing data of the selected capacitive sensor to provide to the graphical user interface in response to the selection of the selected capacitive sensor,

generate a chart using the raw capacitive sensing data of the selected capacitive sensor after obtaining the raw capacitive sensing data, and

display the chart in the second window.

2. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the computing device is further configured to produce the command information for the target apparatus in response to selecting of the selected capacitive sensor.

3. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the first window is further to indicate activation of the selected capacitive sensor of the plurality of capacitive sensors.

4. The computing device of claim 3 wherein the first window visually highlights the selected capacitive sensor, and wherein the selected capacitive sensor is displayed in a highlighted color.

5. The computing device of claim 1 wherein a position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to others of the plurality of capacitive sensors within the representation of the physical layout corresponds to an actual position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to the others of the plurality of capacitive sensors on the target apparatus.

6. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the generated chart comprises at least one of count data or baseline data.

7. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the first window comprises a slider position indicator.

8. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a third window to control a communication interface to functionally couple the target apparatus to the graphical user interface.

9. A method for visualizing a capacitance sensing system operation, the method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, a graphical user interface comprising a first window to display a representation of a physical layout of an electrode pattern of a plurality of capacitive sensors of a capacitive sensing system, the first window configured to represent a position of a conductive object proximate at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensors of the capacitive sensing system by providing an indication in the representation that corresponds to the position of the conductive object proximate the at least one of the plurality of sensors;

accepting, by the computing device, input from a pointing device to select a capacitive sensor of the plurality of capacitive sensors from the representation of the physical layout for display of raw capacitive sensing data corresponding with the selected capacitive sensor;

responsive to selecting the selected capacitive sensor, sending a command stream to the capacitive sensing system to send the raw capacitive sensing data corresponding to the selected capacitive sensor from the capacitive sensing system;

generating a chart using the raw capacitive sensing data of the selected capacitive sensor after receiving the raw capacitive sensing data from the capacitive sensing system in response to the selecting of the selected capacitive sensor; and

displaying the chart in a second window of the graphical user interface, wherein the first window and the second window are displayed concurrently in the graphical user interface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising visually highlighting an activated capacitive sensor on the capacitive sensing system in the first window.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the generated chart comprises at least one of count data or baseline data.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein a position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to others of the plurality of capacitive sensors within the representation of the physical layout corresponds to an actual position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to the others of the plurality of capacitive sensors on a target apparatus.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the raw capacitive sensing data is displayed in a highlighted color of the selected capacitive sensor.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the first window comprises a slider position indicator.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, that when executed by a computing device, perform operations comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface comprising a first window for display of a representation of physical layout of an electrode pattern of a plurality of capacitive sensors of a capacitive sensing system, the first window configured to represent a position of a conductive object proximate at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensors of the capacitive sensing system by providing an indication in the representation that corresponds to the position of the conductive object proximate the at least one of the plurality of sensors;

accepting input from a pointing device to select a capacitive sensor of the plurality of capacitive sensors within the representation for display of raw capacitive sensing data associated with the selected capacitive sensor;

sending, responsive to selecting the selected capacitive sensor, a command stream to the capacitive sensing system to send the raw capacitive sensing data corresponding to the selected capacitive sensor from the capacitive sensing system;

generating a chart using the raw capacitive sensing data of the selected capacitive sensor after receiving the raw capacitive sensing data from the capacitive sensing system in response to selecting the selected capacitive sensor; and

displaying the chart in a second window of the graphical user interface, wherein the first window and the second window are displayed concurrently in the graphical user interface.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise producing command information for a target apparatus of the capacitive sensing system to provide the raw capacitive sensing data of the selected capacitive sensor to the graphical user interface.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15,

wherein the generated chart comprises at least one of count data or baseline data.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein a position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to others of the plurality of capacitive sensors within the representation of the physical layout corresponds to an actual position of each of the plurality of capacitive sensors relative to the others of the plurality of capacitive sensors on a target apparatus of the capacitive sensing system.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a slider position indicator in the first window.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a third window for control of a communication interface for functionally coupling a target apparatus to the graphical user interface.