Systems and methods for determining types of user input

• US 9,933,882 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Schwartz, Adam, Jordan, Joel, Vandermeijden, Tom, Shepelev, Petr
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pothen, Feba
• Application Number:
  US14/679,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• 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 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe

Abstract

The embodiments described herein thus provide devices and methods that facilitate improved input devices. Specifically, the devices, systems and methods provide the ability to accurately determine user input using multiple different sensing regimes. The different sensing regimes can be used to facilitate accurate position determination of objects both at the surface and away from the surface. For example, the different sensing regimes can be used to determine position information for both ungloved and gloved fingers. In one embodiment the first sensing regime uses a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing. The second sensing regime uses a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing.

Claims

1. A processing system for a touch screen input device comprising:

a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry, the sensor module configured to;

operate a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes to selectively perform transcapacitive sensing and absolute capacitive sensing to detect input objects in a sensing region of the touch screen input device; and

a determination module configured to;

determine positional information for the input objects in the sensing region by selectively operating the processing system in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for the input objects in the sensing region, wherein

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, wherein the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing.

2. The processing system of claim 1, further configured to operate a display screen of the touch screen input device and wherein at least a subset of the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes are used for displaying a graphical user interface.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime comprise at least one of:

a different touch threshold, a different receiver gain, a different filtering fidelity, and a different baseline acquisition duty cycle.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing in the first sensing regime comprises zero percent.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing in the second sensing regime comprises zero percent.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the second sensing regime further comprises a non-sensing duty cycle where capacitive sensing is not performed.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing in the first sensing regime comprises sensing input in a particular region of the input device.

8. The processing system of claim 7, wherein a first grouping of sensor electrodes used to determine positional information during the first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing during the first regime is different than a second grouping of sensor electrodes used during absolute capacitive sensing during one selected from the group consisting of the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime.

9. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the contact information is determined using at least one of the capacitive sensor electrodes, a force sensor, and an optical sensor.

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

determine a type of an input object in the sensing region, the type of the input object comprising;

a hovering finger, a contacting finger, a gloved finger, and a fingernail of a finger; and

performing at least one selected from a group consisting of modifying a sensing regime and selectively operating in another sensing regime based on the determined type of the input object in the sensing region.

11. A method for determining positional information for input objects in a sensing region, comprising:

selectively operating in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for the input objects in the sensing region, wherein;

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing between capacitive sensor electrodes and an input object in the sensing region, and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing between capacitive sensor electrodes, and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, wherein the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing; and

determining positional information for the input objects in the sensing region using at least one of the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime,

wherein the contact information is determined using a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and the contact information comprises;

input object contact with an input surface and no input object contact with the input surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing in the second sensing regime comprises zero percent.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing in the first sensing regime comprises zero percent.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second sensing regime further comprises a non-sensing duty cycle where capacitive sensing is not performed.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a type of the input object in the sensing region, the type of input object comprising;

a hovering finger, a contacting finger, a gloved finger, and a fingernail of a finger; and

selectively operating in another sensing regime based on the determined type of the input object in the sensing region.

16. An input device comprising:

a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes; and

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

perform transcapacitive sensing between electrodes in the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes,

perform absolute capacitive sensing between electrodes in the plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and an input object a sensing region of the input device,

selectively operate in a first sensing regime and a second sensing regime based on contact information for input objects in the sensing region, wherein;

the first sensing regime comprises a first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing; and

the second sensing regime comprises a second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing and a second duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing, where the second duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing is greater than the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing, and

determine positional information for input objects in the sensing region using the first sensing regime and the second sensing regime.

17. The input device of claim 16, wherein the input device is part of an electronic system comprising:

a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a video game console, a display screen, and a cellular phone.

18. The input device of claim 16, wherein the input device comprises a touch screen and the processing system is further configured to operate a display of the touchscreen input device, and wherein at least a subset of the plurality of the capacitive sensor electrodes are used for displaying a graphical user interface.

19. The input device of claim 16, wherein the first duty cycle of absolute capacitive sensing in the first sensing regime comprises zero percent and the second sensing regime further comprises a non-sensing duty cycle where capacitive sensing is not performed.

20. The input device of claim 16, wherein the first duty cycle of transcapacitive sensing in the first sensing regime comprises sensing input in a particular region of the input device.

21. The input device of claim 16, wherein the contact information is determined using at least one of the capacitive sensor electrodes, a force sensor, and an optical sensor.

22. The input device of claim 16, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

determine a type of an input object in the sensing region, the type of input object comprising;

a hovering finger, a contacting finger, a gloved finger, and a fingernail of a finger; and

modify a sensing regime based or selectively operate in another sensing regime based on the determined type of input in the sensing region.