Underwater non-conductive touch tracking

• US 9,904,427 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Co, Ryan Lester Tan, Hirakawa, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US15/013,958
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 345174, 178 1806
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• 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

The various implementations described herein include systems, methods and/or devices used to enable underwater non-conductive touch tracking. An exemplary method is performed at a touch sensitive device and includes: detecting submersion of a capacitive sense array (CSA), including detecting increased electrode responses from at least a subset of a plurality of sensor electrodes of the CSA that exceed a predetermined electrode response criterion. The method further includes: (1) identifying one or more normalization factors for the CSA based on the detected increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes, and (2) normalizing, using the one or more normalization factors, the CSA to form a substantially uniform baseline response across the CSA. The method further includes during the submersion, and subsequent to the normalizing, identifying one or more subsequent electrode responses that differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least a threshold amount.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device having at least one processor and a capacitive sense array that includes a plurality of sensor electrodes;

detecting submersion of at least a portion of the capacitive sense array, including detecting increased electrode responses from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed a predetermined electrode response criterion;

normalizing the capacitive sense array to form a substantially uniform baseline response across at least the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array;

identifying one or more subsequent electrode responses from the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array that differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least a threshold amount; and

inverting the one or more subsequent electrode responses such that negative electrode responses are inverted into positive electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response and positive electrode responses are inverted into negative electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion comprises detecting a predefined number of sensor electrodes of the plurality of sensor electrodes having electrode responses that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic device, positioning one or more capacitance sensors at different critical detection regions of the capacitive sense array.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion comprises detecting a substantially uniform electrode response across the plurality of sensor electrodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes includes:

a first self-capacitance buffer that stores the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the first self-capacitance buffer is configured to track a submersion status of the capacitive sense array; and

a second self-capacitance buffer that is normalized subsequent to detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array, wherein the second self-capacitance buffer is configured to track touches on the capacitive sense array while the capacitive sense array is submerged.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined electrode response criterion is a first predetermined electrode response criterion associated with self-capacitance measurements, and wherein detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array further includes detecting increased mutual-capacitance measurements from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed a second predetermined electrode response criterion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined electrode response criterion exceeds an electrode response associated with a non-submerged touch.

8. The method of claim 1, subsequent to detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array, the method further comprises, at the electronic device:

notifying a host system that the capacitive sense array is submerged.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic device, ignoring subsequent electrode responses that do not differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least the threshold amount.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the electronic device:

identifying one or more normalization factors for the capacitive sense array based on the detected increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes,

wherein the capacitive sense array is normalized using the one or more normalization factors.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein normalizing the capacitive sense array to form the substantially uniform baseline response comprises forming the substantially uniform baseline response across the entire capacitive sense array.

12. A system comprising:

a capacitive sense array that includes a plurality of sensor electrodes; and

a processing device coupled to the capacitive sense array, the processing device configured to;

detect submersion of at least a portion of the capacitive sense array, including detecting increased electrode responses from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed a predetermined electrode response criterion;

normalize the capacitive sense array to form a substantially uniform baseline response across at least the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array;

identify one or more subsequent electrode responses from the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array that differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least a threshold amount; and

invert the one or more subsequent electrode responses such that negative electrode responses are inverted into positive electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response and positive electrode responses are inverted into negative electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein detecting the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion comprises detecting a predefined number of sensor electrodes of the plurality of sensor electrodes having electrode responses that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined electrode response criterion is a first predetermined electrode response criterion associated with self-capacitance measurements, and wherein detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array further includes detecting increased mutual-capacitance measurements from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed a second predetermined electrode response criterion.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the predetermined electrode response criterion exceeds an electrode response associated with a non-submerged touch.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the processing device is further configured to calibrate the predetermined electrode response criterion upon satisfaction of one or more calibration criteria.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes includes:

a first self-capacitance buffer that stores the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the first self-capacitance buffer is configured to track a submersion status of the capacitive sense array; and

a second self-capacitance buffer that is normalized subsequent to detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array, wherein the second self-capacitance buffer is configured to track touches on the capacitive sense array while the capacitive sense array is submerged.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a sensing system, the one or more programs including instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the sensing system to:

detect submersion of at least a portion of a capacitive sense array, including detecting increased electrode responses from at least a subset of a plurality of sensor electrodes of the capacitive sense array that exceed a predetermined electrode response criterion;

normalize the capacitive sense array to form a substantially uniform baseline response across at least the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array;

identify one or more subsequent electrode responses from the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array that differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least a threshold amount; and

invert the one or more subsequent electrode responses such that negative electrode responses are inverted into positive electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response and positive electrode responses are inverted into negative electrode responses relative to the normalized uniform baseline response.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein detecting the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion comprises detecting a predefined number of sensor electrodes of the plurality of sensor electrodes having electrode responses that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein detecting the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed the predetermined electrode response criterion comprises detecting a substantially uniform electrode response across the plurality of sensor electrodes.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes includes:

a first self-capacitance buffer that stores the increased electrode responses from the subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the first self-capacitance buffer is configured to track a submersion status of the capacitive sense array; and

a second self-capacitance buffer that is normalized subsequent to detecting submersion of the capacitive sense array, wherein the second self-capacitance buffer is configured to track touches on the capacitive sense array while the capacitive sense array is submerged.

22. A method comprising:

at an electronic device having at least one processor and a capacitive sense array that includes a plurality of sensor electrodes;

detecting submersion of at least a portion the capacitive sense array, including detecting increased electrode responses from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor electrodes that exceed a predetermined electrode response criterion;

inverting the increased electrode responses such that positive electrode responses are inverted into negative electrode responses;

normalizing the capacitive sense array to form a substantially uniform baseline response across at least the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array; and

identifying one or more subsequent electrode responses from the submerged portion of the capacitive sense array that differ from the substantially uniform baseline response by at least a threshold amount.