Touch noise canceling for dot-inversion driving scheme

• US 9,891,774 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Khazeni, Kasra, Morein, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US14/986,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

Techniques for removing display-based corrupting components from a capacitive sensing signal are provided. A routing carrying display related signals (e.g., a source signal for sub-pixel updating) may induce corrupting current into a routing for carrying capacitive sensing signals. This corrupting current may reduce the ability to determine presence of an input object via the sensing signal. Therefore, the corrupting signal is effectively removed by driving the display elements with a dot inversion technique and by performing capacitive sensing for a sensor electrode during a time in which an even number of display rows are driven for display updates. Dot inversion causes the corrupting current to alternate polarity. Thus, driving sensor electrodes in a period of time in which an even number of rows is driven means that an equal number of positive and negative polarity corrupting currents are induced into the sensing signal.

Claims

1. A processing system configured for updating an array of sub-pixel elements and performing capacitive sensing, the processing system comprising:

a display driver configured to be coupled to a first sub-pixel element and a second sub-pixel element of the array, wherein the first and second sub-pixel elements are configured to be coupled to a source driver via a first source line and provided on adjacent rows of the array, the display driver configured to;

drive the first sub-pixel element with a first update signal during a first display update period; and

drive the second sub-pixel element with a second update signal during the first display update period, wherein the first and second update signals are opposite in polarity; and

sensor circuitry configured to mitigate corrupting currents induced by the first and second update signals in a first sensor electrode routing located proximate to the first source line by;

receiving first resulting signals via the first sensor electrode routing when an even number of rows in the array of sub-pixel elements are driven for display updates, wherein the first resulting signals are received during a first sensing period that at least partially overlaps the first display update period.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein driving the first update signal and the second update signal causes corrupting currents to change polarity in each row of the array of sub-pixel elements.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein a number of positive polarity corrupting currents is equal to a number of negative polarity corrupting currents in the first sensor electrode routing when an even number of rows are driven for display updates.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are disposed in a common layer.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are disposed in different layers, and wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are parallel to each other.

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

drive the first sensor electrode routing in an absolute sensing mode.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein:

the display driver is further configured to be coupled to a third sub-pixel element of the array, wherein the third sub-pixel element is configured to be coupled to the source driver via a second source line and provided on the same row of the array as the first sub-pixel element, the display driver configured to;

drive the third sub-pixel element with a third update signal having the same polarity as the second sub-pixel element, wherein the third sub-pixel element is adjacent to the first sub-pixel element; and

the sensor circuitry is further configured to be coupled to a second sensor electrode routing located proximate to the second source line, wherein the second sensor electrode routing is configured to be coupled to a second sensor electrode, the sensor circuitry configured to;

receive second resulting signals via the second sensor electrode routing during the first sensing period.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor electrode routing is coupled to a first sensor electrode of a plurality of sensor electrodes arrayed in a matrix arrangement.

9. An input device configured for updating a display and performing capacitive sensing, the input device comprising:

an array of sub-pixel elements configured to be coupled to a processing system via a plurality of source lines, the plurality of source lines including at least a first source line;

a plurality of sensor electrodes configured to be coupled to the processing system via a plurality of sensor electrode routings, the plurality of sensor electrode routings including at least a first sensor electrode routing located proximate to the first source line;

a display driver configured to be coupled to a first sub-pixel element and a second sub-pixel element of the array, wherein the first and second sub-pixel elements are configured to be coupled to the first source line and provided on adjacent rows of the array, the display driver configured to;

drive the first sub-pixel element with a first update signal having a first polarity during a first display update period; and

drive the second sub-pixel element with a second update signal having a second polarity during the first display update period, wherein the first polarity is opposite the second polarity; and

sensor circuitry configured to mitigate corrupting currents induced by the first and second update signals in the first sensor electrode routing by;

receiving first resulting signals via the first sensor electrode routing when an even number of rows in the array of sub-pixel elements are driven for display updates, wherein the first resulting signals are received during a first sensing period that at least partially overlaps the first display update period.

10. The input device of claim 9, wherein driving the first update signal and the second update signal causes corrupting currents to change polarity in each row of the array of sub-pixel elements.

11. The input device of claim 10, wherein a number of positive polarity corrupting currents is equal to a number of negative polarity corrupting currents in the first sensor electrode routing when an even number of rows are driven for display updates.

12. The input device of claim 9, wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are disposed in a common layer.

13. The input device of claim 9, wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are disposed in different layers, and wherein the first source line and the first sensor electrode routing are parallel to each other.

14. The input device of claim 9, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to:

drive the first sensor electrode routing in an absolute sensing mode.

15. The input device of claim 9, wherein:

the display driver is further configured to be coupled to a third sub-pixel element of the array, wherein the third sub-pixel element is configured to be coupled to a second source line of the plurality of source lines and provided on the same row of the array as the first sub-pixel element, the display driver configured to;

drive the third sub-pixel element with a third update signal having the second polarity, wherein the third sub-pixel element is adjacent to the first sub-pixel element; and

the sensor circuitry is further configured to be coupled to a second sensor electrode routing of the plurality of sensor electrode routings, wherein the second sensor electrode routing is located proximate to the second source line, the sensor circuitry configured to;

receive second resulting signals via the second sensor electrode routing during the first sensing period.

16. The input device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes is arrayed in a matrix arrangement.

17. A method for updating an array of sub-pixel elements and performing capacitive sensing, the method comprising:

driving a first sub-pixel element of the array with a first update signal during a first display update period;

driving a second sub-pixel element of the array with a second update signal during the first display update period, wherein the first and second sub-pixel elements are coupled to a source driver via a first source line and provided on adjacent rows of the array, and wherein the first and second update signals are opposite in polarity; and

receiving resulting signals via a sensor electrode routing during a first sensing period when an even number of rows in the array of sub-pixel elements are driven for display updates, to mitigate corrupting currents induced by the first and second update signals in a sensor electrode routing located proximate to the first source line, wherein the first sensing period at least partially overlaps the first display update period.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

driving the first update signal and the second update signal causes corrupting currents to change polarity in each row of the array of sub-pixel elements.