Combining sensor electrodes in a matrix sensor

• US 9,857,925 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Morein, Stephen L., Small, Jeffrey A., Ludden, Christopher A., Reynolds, Joseph Kurth
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Huy Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): FREDERIKSEN, DAVID B
• Application Number:
  US14/502,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20160092000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system, and a method are provided for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device having a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a matrix. The described technique programmatically combines multiple sensor electrodes into a larger sensor electrode for absolute capacitive sensing. The sets of sensor electrodes that are combined may be selectively coupled based a window size and a step size associated with a number of sensor electrodes in common between the sets.

Claims

1. A processing system for an input device, the input device having a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a matrix, the processing system comprising:

a sensor module having sensor circuitry configured to;

drive a first set of the sensor electrodes during a first time period to determine a first aggregate capacitive coupling between the first set of sensor electrodes and an input object, the first aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the first set of the sensor electrodes;

drive a second set of the sensor electrodes during a second time period to determine a second aggregate capacitive coupling between the second set of sensor electrodes and the input object, the second aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the second set of the sensor electrodes, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least one sensor electrode in common and at least one sensor electrode not in common; and

drive a third set of the sensor electrodes during a third time period to determine a third aggregate capacitive coupling between the third set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the third time period and the second time period at least partially overlap.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least two sensor electrodes in common.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to:

selectively couple the first set of sensor electrodes to the sensor module based on a window size comprising a number of sensor electrodes; and

selectively couple the second set of sensor electrodes to the sensor module based on the window size and based on a step size associated with a number of sensor electrodes in common between the first set and the second set.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to:

drive a fourth set of the sensor electrodes during a fourth time period to determine a fourth aggregate capacitive coupling between the fourth set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the second set and the fourth set have at least one sensor electrode in common.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to:

drive the first set and the second set of sensor electrodes simultaneously during a fourth time period.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module further comprises a first receiver channel configured to be selectively coupled to the first set and the second set of sensor electrodes via a plurality of current conveyors.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module further comprises a first receiver channel configured to be selectively coupled to the first set and the second set of sensor electrodes via a multiplexor.

8. An input device comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a matrix comprising N rows having at least two sensor electrodes per row and M columns having at least two sensor electrodes per column;

a processing system coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes, the processing system configured to;

couple to and drive a first set of the sensor electrodes during a first time period to determine a first aggregate capacitive coupling between the first set of sensor electrodes and an input object, the first aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the first set of the sensor electrodes;

couple to and drive a second set of the sensor electrodes during a second time period to determine a second aggregate capacitive coupling between the second set of sensor electrodes and the input object, the second aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the second set of the sensor electrodes, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least one sensor electrode in common and at least one sensor electrode not in common;

couple to and drive a third set of the sensor electrodes during a third time period to determine a third aggregate capacitive coupling between the third set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the third time period and the second time period at least partially overlap; and

determine positional information for the input object based on the first and second aggregate capacitive couplings.

9. The input device of claim 8, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least two sensor electrodes in common.

10. The input device of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

selectively couple the first set of sensor electrodes to the processing system based on a window size comprising a number of sensor electrodes; and

selectively couple the second set of sensor electrodes to the processing system based on the window size and based on a step size associated with a number of sensor electrodes in common between the first set and the second set.

11. The input device of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

drive a fourth set of the sensor electrodes during a fourth time period to determine a fourth aggregate capacitive coupling between the fourth set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the second set and the fourth set have at least one sensor electrode in common.

12. The input device of claim 8, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

drive the first set and the second set of sensor electrodes simultaneously during a fourth time period.

13. The input device of claim 8, wherein the processing system comprises a first receiver channel configured to be selectively coupled to the first set and the second set of sensor electrodes.

14. The input device of claim 13, wherein the sensor electrodes of the first set and the second set are selectively coupled to the first receiver channel via a multiplexor.

15. The input device of claim 13, wherein the sensor electrodes of the first set and the second set are selectively coupled to the first receiver channel via a plurality of current conveyors.

16. A method for operating an input device, the method comprising:

driving a first set of a plurality of sensor electrodes during a first time period to determine a first aggregate capacitive coupling between the first set of sensor electrodes and an input object, the first aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the first set of the sensor electrodes, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes are arranged in a matrix comprising N rows having at least two sensor electrodes per row and M columns having at least two sensor electrodes per column;

driving a second set of the plurality of sensor electrodes during a second time period to determine a second aggregate capacitive coupling between the second set of sensor electrodes and the input object, the second aggregate capacitive coupling determined based on resulting signals received on individual sensor electrodes of the second set of the sensor electrodes, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least one sensor electrode in common and at least one sensor electrode not in common;

driving a third set of the sensor electrodes during a third time period to determine a third aggregate capacitive coupling between the third set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the third time period and the second time period at least partially overlap; and

determining positional information for the input object based on the first and second aggregate capacitive couplings.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first set and the second set comprise at least two sensor electrodes in common.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selectively coupling the first set of sensor electrodes to a sensor module based on a window size comprising a number of sensor electrodes; and

selectively coupling the second set of sensor electrodes to the sensor module based on the window size and based on a step size associated with a number of sensor electrodes in common between the first set and the second set.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

driving a fourth set of the sensor electrodes during a fourth time period to determine a fourth aggregate capacitive coupling between the fourth set of the sensor electrodes and the input object, wherein the second set and the fourth set have at least one sensor electrode in common.