Low ground mass correction mechanism

• US 9,939,966 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Bulea, Mihai
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): RASTOVSKI, CATHERINE T
• Application Number:
  US14/229,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

A processing system for an input device includes a sensor module coupled to sensor electrodes. The sensor module includes sensor circuitry and configured to acquire first capacitive measurements when the input device is in a first state, and acquire second capacitive measurements when the input device is in a second state. The second state has an increased ground as compared to the first state. The processing system further includes a determination module configured to determine positional information for an input object based on the first capacitive measurements and the second capacitive measurements.

Claims

1. A processing system for an input device comprising:

a sensor module configured to be coupled to a plurality of sensor electrodes, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprising a plurality of transmitter electrodes and a plurality of receiver electrodes, the sensor module comprising sensor circuitry and configured to;

acquire a first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a first state, wherein acquiring the first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the first state comprises sequentially driving every one of the plurality of transmitter electrodes with a varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the first state, a first number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are driven with the varying voltage signal at a same time while a second number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the first number is different than the second number, and

acquire a second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a second state, wherein acquiring the second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the second state comprises sequentially driving every one of the plurality of transmitter electrodes with the varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the second state, a third number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are driven with the varying voltage signal at a same time while a fourth number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the third number is different than the first number, the third number is different than the fourth number, and the fourth number is different than the second number; and

a determination module comprising circuitry configured to;

determine positional information for an input object based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements.

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

generate a low ground mass coefficient based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements, the low ground mass coefficient being a correction factor to correct for low ground mass,

wherein the positional information is determined using the low ground mass coefficient.

3. An input device comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes configured to sense input objects in a sensing region of the input device, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprising a plurality of transmitter electrodes and a plurality of receiver electrodes; and

a processing system configured to;

acquire a first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a first state, wherein acquiring the first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the first state comprises sequentially driving every one of the plurality of transmitter electrodes with a varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the first state, a first number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are driven with a varying voltage signal at a same time while a second number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the first number is different than the second number,

acquire a second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a second state, wherein acquiring the second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the second state comprises sequentially driving every one of the plurality of transmitter electrodes with the varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the second state, a third number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are driven with the varying voltage signal at a same time while a fourth number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the third number is different than the first number, the third number is different than the fourth number, and the fourth number is different than the second number, and

determine positional information for an input object based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements.

4. The input device of claim 3, wherein the processing system is further configured to:

generate a low ground mass coefficient based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements, the low ground mass coefficient being a correction factor to correct for low ground mass,

wherein the positional information is determined using the low ground mass coefficient.

5. A method for capacitive sensing of an input device, the method comprising:

acquiring a first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a first state, wherein acquiring the first plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the first state comprises sequentially driving every one of a plurality of transmitter electrodes with a varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the first state, a first number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes driven with a varying voltage signal at a same time while a second number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the first number is different than the second number;

acquiring a second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in a second state, wherein acquiring the second plurality of capacitive measurements when the input device is in the second state comprises sequentially driving every one of the plurality of transmitter electrodes with the varying voltage signal,

wherein, when sequentially driving in the second state, a third number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are driven with the varying voltage signal at a same time while a fourth number of the plurality of transmitter electrodes are grounded at the same time, wherein the third number is different than the first number, the third number is different than the fourth number, and the fourth number is different than the second number; and

determining positional information for an input object based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a low ground mass coefficient based on the first plurality of capacitive measurements and the second plurality of capacitive measurements, the low ground mass coefficient being a correction factor to correct for low ground mass,

wherein the positional information is determined using the low ground mass coefficient.