Synchronization of sensor modules on a computing device

• US 9,459,727 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schneider, David Ness, Tenuta, Matthew Dominic
• Primary Examiner(s): CERULLO, LILIANA P
• Application Number:
  US14/709,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20150301680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• 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 5/26 using coils
• 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 method for synchronizing operations of sensors 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 short-range wireless communication 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.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an active area of the human-touch capacitive sensor at least partially overlaps with an active area of the short-range wireless communication sensor such that a portion of the computing device functions as an interaction point for both the human-touch capacitive sensor and the short-range wireless communication sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, 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.

5. The method of claim 1, 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.

6. A computing device comprising:

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

a second controller configured to control operations of a short-range wireless communication sensor; 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 first controller and the second controller such that control signals are transferred between the first controller and the second controller to synchronize the operations of the human-touch capacitive sensor and the operations of the short-range wireless communication sensor,

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

wherein the second controller is configured to assert the active control signal on the second communication line and control the short-range wireless communication sensor to start a scan when the active sensor control signal is not asserted by the first controller on the first communication line.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the first controller is configured to control the human-touch capacitive sensor to delay the start of the sensor scan until the first controller does not detect the active control signal on the second communication line.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the second controller is configured to de-assert the active control signal after the operations of the short-range wireless communication sensor are completed, and the first 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.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the first controller includes a sensor internal timer configured to determine a timing of the sensor scan, and the human-touch capacitive sensor is not forced to perform the sensor scan at a different time than what is originally provided by the sensor internal timer.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the second controller includes an internal timer configured to determining a timing of the scan, and the short-range wireless communication sensor is not forced to perform the scan at a different time than what is originally provided by the internal timer of the second controller.

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

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