Method and system for gesture detection and touch detection

• US 9,927,933 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Heim, Axel, Dorfner, Andreas, Aubauer, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Viet
• Application Number:
  US14/793,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20160011692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96066 Thumbwheel, potentiometer, scrollbar or slider simulation by touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96077 comprising an electrode which is floating
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes

Abstract

A system has a gesture detection device with a plurality of input channels and an output channel which uses an alternating electric near field generated through at least one transmission electrode coupled with the output channel, wherein some of the input channels are coupled with receiving electrodes of the gesture detection device. The system further has a plurality of touch electrodes, wherein the touch electrodes are coupled with one of the input channels by multiplexing.

Claims

1. A system comprising a three-dimensional (3D) gesture detection integrated circuit device with a plurality of input pins and an output pin and comprising a 3D gesture controller unit, wherein the 3D gesture controller unit does not comprise a controller dedicated to detect a touch, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device uses an alternating electric near field generated through at least one transmission electrode coupled with the output pin and wherein each of the input pins of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device is configured to be connected with a 3D sensor receiving electrode for sensing the alternating electric near field, wherein some of the input pins are coupled with 3D sensor receiving electrodes of the system such that one of the input pins is not connected with any of the 3D sensor receiving electrodes, the system further comprising a plurality of touch electrodes, wherein the one of the input pins of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuits device is coupled to at least one of the plurality of touch electrodes through multiplexing, wherein the 3D sensor receiving electrodes and a selected touch electrode sense the alternating electric near field generated by the transmission electrode and wherein the 3D gesture controller unit is configured to process signals received from the 3D sensors to determine 3D position information and applies a threshold to the signal received at the one of the input pins to determine a touch.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein multiplexing is a time division multiplexing with a time division multiple access scheme.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the time division multiple access scheme comprises different sub-modes comprising scheduled controlled, event-based controlled or carrier-sensing time division multiple access.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises a controller comprising one or more receiving multiplexers coupled with the touch electrodes and controlled to perform said multiplexing.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises a controller having general purpose input/output pins and the system further comprises one or more receiving multiplexers coupled with the touch electrodes and controlled through general purpose I/O pins of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device to couple one of the touch electrodes with one of the input channels.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises five input channels and wherein four input channels are connected to four receiving electrodes and the fifth input channel is coupled with an output of the receiving multiplexer.

7. The system according to claim 6, comprising a fifth receiving electrode coupled with one the receiving multiplexer inputs.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises a controller having general purpose input/output pins (GPIOs) and the system comprising one or more discrete analog multiplexers and one or more discrete digital multiplexers each coupled with the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device which are controlled by GPIOs.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of transmission electrodes wherein the controller comprises one output channel coupled with an input of the digital multiplexer, wherein the transmission electrodes are coupled with outputs of the digital multiplexer, and wherein the touch electrodes are coupled with inputs of the analog multiplexers.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the touch electrodes comprise one or more touch button electrodes.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the touch electrodes comprise one or more touch segment electrodes arranged to form a slider electrode.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes and the touch electrodes are arranged along a straight line.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving electrodes and the touch electrodes are formed by electrode segments of touch detection electrode grid.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the touch electrodes are formed by electrode segments of touch detection electrode grid and the receiving electrodes are arranged around the touch detection electrode grid.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the touch electrode grid comprises electrode segments arranged in a single layer.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the touch electrode grid comprises electrode segments arranged in a single layer.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein a touch electrode is arranged above a transmission electrode.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein a touch electrode is arranged in the same layer as an associated transmission electrode and adjacent to the associated transmission electrode.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein a touch electrode is arranged under a transmission electrode.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the transmission electrode is a meshed electrode.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the receiving electrodes are arranged in the same layer as the meshed transmission electrode.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising an additional transmission electrode arranged under the receiving electrodes.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein a touch electrode comprises a first segment is arranged in the same layer as an associated transmission electrode and a second segment arranged under the transmission electrode.

24. A system comprising a three-dimensional (3D) gesture detection integrated circuit device with a plurality of input pins and an output pin and comprising a 3D gesture controller, wherein the 3D gesture controller unit does not comprise a controller dedicated to detect a touch, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device uses an alternating electric near field generated through at least one 3D transmission electrode coupled with the output pin, wherein some of the input pins of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device are coupled with 3D receiving electrodes, the system further comprising a plurality of transmitting touch electrodes associated with a receiving touch electrode coupled with an input pin, wherein the output pin of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuits device is coupled with at least one of the plurality of transmitting touch electrodes through multiplexing, wherein the receiving touch electrode sense an alternating electric near field generated by a selected transmitting touch electrode and wherein the 3D gesture controller is configured to process signals received from the 3D sensors without using a touch controller to determine 3D position information and applies a threshold to the signal received at the receiving touch electrode to determine a touch.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises a controller having general purpose input/output pins (GPIOs) and the system further comprises one or more discrete transmission multiplexers coupled with the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device which are controlled by the GPIOs.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein the transmission multiplexer is a digital multiplexer.

27. The system according claim 24, wherein the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device comprises one or more internal transmission multiplexers.

28. A method for operating a three-dimensional (3D) gesture detection integrated circuit detection device comprising a 3D gesture controller, wherein the 3D gesture controller unit does not comprise a controller dedicated to detect a touch, using an alternating electric near field and comprising at least one 3D transmission electrode and a plurality of input pins, the method comprising the steps of:

coupling some of the input pins of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuit device with 3D receiving electrodes wherein one input pin of the 3D gesture detection integrated circuits device is not connected to any of the 3D receiving electrodes, and

multiplexing a plurality of touch electrodes using a multiplexer, wherein the multiplexer is controlled to couple at least one selected touch electrode with the one input pin not connected to any of the 3D receiving electrodes

generating an alternating electric near field,

sensing the alternating electric near field with the 3D receiving electrodes and the at least one selected touch electrode,

determining 3D position information from signals received from the 3D receiving electrodes by a 3D gesture controller, and

applying a threshold to the signal received from the selected touch electrode by the 3D gesture controller without using a separate touch controller to determine a touch at the selected touch electrode.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein multiplexing is time division multiplexing with a time division multiple access scheme.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the time division multiple access scheme comprises different sub-modes comprising scheduled controlled, event-based controlled or carrier-sensing time division multiple access.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein the touch electrodes comprise one or more touch segment electrodes arranged to form a slider electrode.

32. The method according to claim 28, wherein the receiving electrodes and the touch electrodes are arranged along a straight line.