Capacitive sensing with low-frequency noise reduction

• US 9,569,037 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yilmaz, Esat, Philipp, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Lin
• Application Number:
  US12/466,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,833 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 331/17, 178/18.01, 178 1805- 1806, 178/18.03, 340/561, 340/657, 324/678, 324/658, 324/661, 324/686, 324/662, 324/672, 204/403.01, 377/19, 341/33, 341/143, 375/226, 348/308, 320/134, 200/600, 702/191, 382/240, 323/301
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

A method of sensing the presence of a body from a change in an amount of charge present on a capacitively charged key. The method comprises inducing charge onto the key during a drive part of a measurement cycle, coupling a signal measurement capacitor to the key during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle to the effect that the charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle is transferred to the signal measurement capacitor, determining from a noise measurement part of the measurement cycle an amount of charge induced on the key by noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, and controlling the drive part, the signal measurement part and the noise measurement parts of the cycle to provide the charge sensing circuit with a measurement of the signal from which the noise induced on the key has been or can be substantially cancelled.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

inducing charge onto a capacitively charged key using a drive signal during a drive part of a measurement cycle;

transferring, during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle to a signal measurement capacitor;

transferring, during a first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to a noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, resulting in a determined noise value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle is substantially equal in duration to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the drive part of the measurement cycle, begins before the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, such that the key is pre-charged before the charge induced on the key is transferred to the signal measurement capacitor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle and the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle both occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises measuring an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises:

discharging the noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of time required to discharge the noise measurement capacitor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring, during a second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to the noise measurement capacitor, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle not occurring at the same time as the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle and not occurring at the same time as the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, within the measurement cycle, a combined duration of the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle and the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle is substantially equal to a duration of the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

within the measurement cycle, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle; and

within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle and the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle both occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle; and

within the measurement cycle, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle does not occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises:

measuring a first amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle; and

measuring a second amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs during the drive part of the measurement cycle; and

within the measurement cycle, the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle does not occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a driving circuit operable to induce charge onto a capacitively charged key,

a charge sensing circuit comprising;

a signal measurement capacitor; and

a noise measurement capacitor; and

a controller, the controller being operable to perform operations comprising;

controlling the driving circuit to induce charge onto the key during a drive part of a measurement cycle;

controlling the charge sensing circuit to transfer, during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle to the signal measurement capacitor;

controlling the charge sensing circuit to transfer, during a first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to the noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, resulting in a determined noise value.

16. A controller operable to perform operations comprising:

controlling a driving circuit to induce charge onto a capacitively charged key during a drive part of a measurement cycle;

controlling a charge sensing circuit, the charge sensing circuit comprising a signal measurement capacitor and a noise measurement capacitor, to transfer, during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle to the signal measurement capacitor;

controlling the charge sensing circuit to transfer, during a first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to the noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, resulting in a determined noise value.

17. The controller of claim 16, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle is substantially equal in duration to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

18. The controller of claim 16, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the drive part of the measurement cycle begins before the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, such that the key is pre-charged before the charge induced on the key is transferred to the signal measurement capacitor.

19. The controller of claim 16, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

20. The controller of claim 16, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

21. The controller of claim 16, wherein, within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle and the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle both occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle.

22. The controller of claim 16, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises measuring an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

23. The controller of claim 16, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises:

controlling the charge sensing circuit to discharge the noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of time required to discharge the noise measurement capacitor.

24. The controller of claim 16, the controller operable to perform operations further comprising controlling the charge sensing circuit to transfer, during a second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to the noise measurement capacitor, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle not occurring at the same time as the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle and not occurring at the same time as the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

25. The controller of claim 24, wherein, within the measurement cycle, a combined duration of the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle and the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle is substantially equal to a duration of the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle.

26. The controller of claim 24, wherein:

within the measurement cycle, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle; and

within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle occurs prior to the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

27. The controller of claim 24, wherein:

within the measurement cycle, the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle and the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle both occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle; and

within the measurement cycle, the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle does not occur during the drive part of the measurement cycle.

28. The controller of claim 24, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor comprises:

measuring a first amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle; and

measuring a second amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the second noise measurement part of the measurement cycle.

29. The controller of claim 28, wherein determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor further comprises averaging the first amount of charge and the second amount of charge.

30. A device comprising:

a touch sensor comprising a capacitively charged key; and

a controller operable to perform operations comprising;

controlling a driving circuit to induce charge onto the capacitively charged key during a drive part of a measurement cycle;

controlling a charge sensing circuit, the charge sensing circuit comprising a signal measurement capacitor and a noise measurement capacitor, to transfer, during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle to the signal measurement capacitor;

controlling the charge sensing circuit to transfer, during a first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, charge induced on the key due to noise to the noise measurement capacitor; and

determining an amount of charge induced on the key due to noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle based on an amount of charge transferred to the noise measurement capacitor during the first noise measurement part of the measurement cycle, resulting in a determined noise value.