Touch and hover sensor compensation

• US 9,836,158 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: King, Brian Michael, Leung, Omar S., Puskarich, Paul G., Bernstein, Jeffrey Traer, Mucignat, Andrea, Cieplinski, Avi E., Choudry, Muhammad Umar, Subramani, Praveen R., Piche, Marc J., Amm, David, Kerr, Duncan Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US14/631,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• 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 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Compensation for sensors in a touch and hover sensing device is disclosed. Compensation can be for sensor resistance and/or sensor sensitivity variation that can adversely affect touch and hover measurements at the sensors. To compensate for sensor resistance, the device can gang adjacent sensors together so as to reduce the overall resistance of the sensors. In addition or alternatively, the device can drive the sensors with voltages from multiple directions so as to reduce the effects of the sensors'"'"' resistance. To compensate for sensor sensitivity variation (generally at issue for hover measurements), the device can apply a gain factor to the measurements, where the gain factor is a function of the sensor location, so as to reduce the sensitivity variation at different sensor locations on the device.

Claims

1. A method of compensating for sensors a sensing panel, the method comprising:

measuring capacitance at the touch sensor panel in a self-capacitance mode,

determining a location of an object based on the self-capacitance measurement in the self-capacitance mode;

adjusting the self-capacitance measurement based on the determined object location so as to compensate for location-based sensitivity variation in the sensing panel in the self-capacitance mode;

measuring capacitance at the touch sensor panel in a mutual capacitance mode;

determining a location of the object based on the mutual capacitance measurement in the mutual capacitance mode; and

adjusting the self-capacitance measurement based on the determined object location so as to compensate for location-based sensitivity variation in the sensing panel in the mutual capacitance mode, wherein adjusting the measurement comprises applying a first gain factor to the measurement in the self-capacitance mode, and applying a second gain factor to the measurement in the mutual capacitance mode, different from the first gain factor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain factor is a function of a minimum capacitance determined at an edge sensor location and a maximum capacitance determined at a center sensor location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the gain factor varies based on sensor location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing panel sensitivity is at a minimum at edge sensor locations, at a maximum at center sensor locations, and increases therebetween from the edge sensor locations to the center sensor locations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the measurement comprises providing a substantially uniform sensitivity across the sensing panel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gain factor is a function of sensor location.

7. A touch and hover sensing device comprising:

a sensing panel having multiple sensors at locations of the panel; and

a touch and hover control system configured to compensate for a sensitivity variation of the touch and hover sensing device by;

measuring a capacitance at the touch sensor panel in a self-capacitance mode, the capacitance being indicative of a proximate object,

determining a location of the proximate object based on the measured self-capacitance at the sensors,

adjusting the self capacitance measurements from the sensors according to a proximate object location in the self-capacitance mode;

measuring capacitance at the touch sensor panel in a mutual capacitance mode;

determining a location of the object based on the mutual capacitance measurement in the mutual capacitance mode; and

adjusting the mutual capacitance measurement based on the determined object location so as to compensate for location-based sensitivity variation in the sensing panel in the mutual capacitance mode, wherein adjusting the measurements comprises applying a first gain factor to the measurements in the self-capacitance mode, and applying a second gain factor to the measurement in the mutual capacitance mode, different from the first gain factor.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the gain factor is a function of sensor location.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the control system adjusts the capacitance measurements according to the sensor locations relative to a center sensor location.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the proximate object is a hovering object.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the gain factor is a function of a minimum capacitance determined at an edge sensor location and a maximum capacitance determined at a center sensor location.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the touch and hover sensing device sensitivity is at a minimum at edge sensor locations, at a maximum at center sensor locations, and increases therebetween from the edge sensor locations to the center sensor locations.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein adjusting the capacitance measurements comprises providing a substantially uniform sensitivity across the touch and hover sensing device.

14. A touch and hover sensing device comprising:

a touch and hover sensing panel having multiple sensors configured to detect one or more objects proximate to the panel, wherein the objects touch the panel to cause a touch event, hover over the panel to cause a hover event, or touch and hover concurrently to cause touch and hover events; and

a touch and hover control system configured to;

measure capacitance associated with the proximate objects in a self-capacitance mode,

determine a location of the one or more proximate objects to the panel based on the self capacitance measurement in the self-capacitance mode,

adjust the self-capacitance measurement based on the location of the one or more proximate objects so as to compensate for sensitivity variation in the self-capacitance mode;

measure capacitance associated with the proximate objects in a mutual capacitance mode;

determine a location of the one or more proximate objects based on the mutual capacitance measurement in the mutual capacitance mode; and

adjust the mutual capacitance measurement based on the determined object location so as to compensate for location-based sensitivity variation in the sensing panel in the mutual capacitance mode, wherein adjusting the capacitance measurement comprises applying a first gain factor to the measurement in the self-capacitance mode, and applying a second gain factor to the measurement in the mutual capacitance mode, different from the first gain factor.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the control system is configured to increase the capacitance measurement as a function of sensor location so as to compensate for the touch and hover sensing device sensitivity variation.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the gain factor is a function of a minimum capacitance determined at an edge sensor location and a maximum capacitance determined at a center sensor location.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the gain factor is a function of sensor location.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein adjusting the measurement comprises providing a substantially uniform sensitivity across the touch and hover sensing device.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the touch and hover sensing device sensitivity is at a minimum at edge sensor locations, at a maximum at center sensor locations, and increases therebetween from the edge sensor locations to the center sensor locations.

20. The device of claim 14, further comprising a display configured to display graphical information to select in response to the touch and hover events.

21. The device of claim 14 incorporated into at least one of a mobile phone, a digital media player, or a computer.