Uniformity correction method for low cost and non-rectangular touch sensor matrices

• US 9,910,544 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Yarosh, Andriy, Weber, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US15/710,488
• Time in Patent Office: 167 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 178 1801- 1803, 178 1805- 1807
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• 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: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A correction matrix for use with non-rectangular touch arrays is described. In one embodiment, a sensing device may include a memory and a processing element coupled to the memory. The memory may store a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of plurality of unit cells of a non-rectangular touch array and may store a correction matrix. The correction matrix may define an active region and an inactive region of the non-rectangular touch array. The processing element may modify touch sense values of a subset of the plurality of unit cells that are not completely within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

Claims

1. A sensing device comprising:

a memory to store;

a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of a plurality of unit cells of a non-rectangular touch array; and

a correction matrix, the correction matrix defining an active region and an inactive region of the non-rectangular touch array; and

a processing element coupled to the memory, the processing element to modify touch sense values of a subset of the plurality of unit cells that are not completely within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

2. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein:

the non-rectangular touch array comprises a plurality of row sensing elements and a plurality of column sensing elements;

each of the plurality of row sensing elements is disposed about a corresponding row axis that is parallel with a first axis;

each of the plurality of column sensing elements is disposed about a corresponding column axis that is parallel with a second axis;

each of the plurality of unit cells is defined by an intersection of a corresponding row sensing element of the plurality of row sensing elements and a corresponding column sensing element of the plurality of column sensing elements;

the active region is defined by the plurality of row sensing elements and the plurality of column sensing elements; and

one or more edges of the active region of the non-rectangular touch array are not parallel with the first axis and the second axis.

3. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is a capacitance sensing device and the non-rectangular touch array is a capacitance sensor array.

4. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is a resistance sensing device and the non-rectangular touch array is a resistance sensor array.

5. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is an infrared-sensing device and the non-rectangular touch array is an infrared sensor array.

6. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is an optical-sensing device and the non-rectangular touch array is an optical sensor array.

7. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the sensing device is an acoustic-sensing device and the non-rectangular touch array is an acoustic sensor array.

8. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the non-rectangular touch array comprises one or more openings from an upper surface of the non-rectangular touch array to a lower surface of the non-rectangular touch array.

9. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the correction values comprise at least one of a unity-gain correction value, a masking correction value, or a non-unity gain correction value.

10. The sensing device of claim 9, wherein the correction matrix defines an edge region, wherein the processing element is to provide at least one of a unity-gain functionality for the active region via the unity-gain correction value, a masking functionality for the inactive region via the masking correction value, or a gain functionality for the edge region via the non-unity gain correction value.

11. A method comprising:

storing a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of a plurality of unit cells of a non-rectangular touch array;

accessing a correction matrix that defines an active region and an inactive region of the non-rectangular touch array; and

modifying touch sense values of a first subset of the plurality of unit cells that are partially within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

detecting testing values corresponding to the plurality of unit cells of the non-rectangular touch array;

determining, based on the testing values, the first subset of the plurality of unit cells that are partially within the active region and a second subset of the plurality of unit cells that are completely within the active region; and

generating the correction matrix based on the testing values, the first subset of the plurality of unit cells, and the second subset of the plurality of unit cells.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the correction matrix comprises elements and the generating of the correction matrix comprises at least one of:

assigning unitary gain correctors to the second subset of the elements that are completely within the active region;

assigning masking correctors to a third subset of the elements that are completely within the inactive region;

or

assigning gain correctors to the first subset of the elements that are within an edge region, each unit cell of the first subset being partially within the active region and partially within the inactive region.

14. A system comprising:

a touch array comprising a plurality of unit cells, wherein a first subset of the plurality of unit cells corresponds to an active region, wherein an inactive region is surrounded by the active region; and

a touch controller coupled to the touch array, the touch controller comprising;

a memory to store;

a set of touch sense values corresponding to a measured characteristic of at least one unit cell of the plurality of unit cells; and

a correction matrix, the correction matrix defining the active region and the inactive region of the touch array; and

a processing element coupled to the memory, the processing element to modify touch sense values of a second subset of the plurality of unit cells that are partially within the active region defined by correction values of the correction matrix.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the touch array is a capacitive sensor array;

the touch array comprises a plurality of row sensing elements and a plurality of column sensing elements;

each of the plurality of row sensing elements is disposed about a corresponding row axis that is parallel with a first axis and each of the plurality of column sensing elements is disposed about a corresponding column axis that is parallel with a second axis;

each of the plurality of unit cells is defined by an intersection of a corresponding row sensing element of the plurality of row sensing elements and a corresponding column sensing element of the plurality of column sensing elements;

the active region is defined by the plurality of row sensing elements and the plurality of column sensing elements; and

one or more edges of the active region of the touch array are not parallel with the first axis and the second axis.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the correction values comprise at least one of a unity-gain correction value, a masking correction value, or a non-unity gain correction value.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the correction matrix defines an edge region, wherein the processing element is to provide a gain functionality for the edge region via the non-unity gain correction value.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing element is to provide at least one of a unity-gain functionality for the active region via the unity-gain correction value or a masking functionality for the inactive region via the masking correction value.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the touch array is a free-form panel, the touch controller is a rectangular-organized touch controller, and the correction matrix is a rectangular matrix that corresponds to the rectangular-organized touch controller.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the correction matrix corresponds to a first area that is greater than a second area corresponding to the plurality of unit cells.