Active pen panel receiver interference cancellation

• US 10,126,874 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Hargreaves, Kirk, Mani, Sanjay
• Primary Examiner(s): CERULLO, LILIANA P
• Application Number:
  US15/346,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• 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 reducing interference. The processing system includes: a sensor module configured to: receive a noisy active pen signal associated with an active pen from a panel receiver; and receive a plurality of interference signals from a plurality of interference receivers; and a determination module configured to: determine an estimated interference signal based on a subset of the plurality of interference signals; and generate a filtered active pen signal by reducing interference in the noisy active pen signal based on the estimated interference signal.

Claims

1. A processing system for reducing interference, comprising:

a sensor module configured to;

receive a noisy active pen signal associated with an active pen from a panel receiver; and

receive a plurality of interference signals from a plurality of interference receivers; and

a determination module configured to;

determine a location of the active pen;

calculate a plurality of distances between the location and the plurality of interference receivers;

select, based on the plurality of distances, a subset of the plurality of interference signals from a subset of the plurality of interference receivers,

wherein the subset of the plurality of interference receivers are separated from the location by a subset of the plurality of distances;

determine an estimated interference signal based on the subset of the plurality of interference signals; and

generate a filtered active pen signal by reducing interference in the noisy active pen signal based on the estimated interference signal.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interference receivers are located along a perimeter of the panel receiver, and wherein the filtered active pen signal is generated by subtracting the estimated interference signal from the noisy active pen signal.

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

apply a plurality of weights to the subset of the plurality of interference signals based on the subset of the plurality of distances,

wherein the estimated interference signal is further determined based on the plurality of weights.

4. The processing system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of weights are proportional to the subset of the plurality of distances, and wherein the location of the active pen is determined using capacitive sensing.

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

select a plurality of weights that mathematically minimize the interference; and

apply the plurality of weights to the plurality of interference signals,

wherein the estimated interference signal is further determined based on the plurality of weights.

6. The processing system of claim 1, the determination module comprising:

a plurality of demodulators for demodulating the plurality of interference signals;

a plurality of low pass filters for filtering the plurality of interference signals after demodulation; and

a plurality of analog to digital converters (ADC) to digitize the plurality of interference signals.

7. The processing system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of interference signals are digitized before demodulation and demodulation and filtering are performed digitally.

8. The processing system of claim 1, the determination module comprising:

a first wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a first analog to digital converter (ADC);

a switch bank coupling the plurality of interference signals to an input of the first ADC,

wherein the switch bank selects the subset of the plurality of interference signals in response to the subset of the plurality of distances exceeding a predetermined distance, and

wherein the output of the switch bank is a summing junction;

a first demodulator connected to the first ADC; and

a first low pass filter connected to first demodulator; and

a second wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a second ADC separate from the first ADC and coupled to the noisy active pen signal;

a second demodulator separate from the first demodulator and connected to the second ADC; and

a second low pass filter separate from the first low pass filter and connected to the second demodulator.

9. The processing system of claim 8, wherein the switch bank is configured as a multiplexer that selects only one of the plurality of interference signals, and wherein the summing junction is a wire.

10. The processing system of claim 1, the determination module comprising:

a single wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a difference amplifier with a first input coupled to the noise active pen signal; and

a plurality of variable resistors coupling the subset of the plurality of interference signals to a second input of the difference amplifier.

11. A method for reducing interference, comprising:

receiving a noisy active pen signal associated with an active pen from a panel receiver;

receiving a plurality of interference signals from a plurality of interference receivers;

determining a location of the active pen;

calculating a plurality of distances between the location and the plurality of interference receivers;

selecting, based on the plurality of distances, a subset of the plurality of interference signals from a subset of the plurality of interference receivers,

wherein the subset of the plurality of interference receivers are separated from the location by a subset of the plurality of distances;

determining an estimated interference signal based on the subset of the plurality of interference signals; and

generating a filtered active pen signal by reducing interference in the noisy active pen signal based on the estimated interference signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

applying a plurality of weights to the subset of the plurality of interference signals based on subset of the plurality of distances,

wherein the estimated interference signal is further determined based on the plurality of weights.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

demodulating the plurality of interference signals using a plurality of demodulators;

filtering the plurality of interference signals by applying a plurality of low pass filters to the subset of the plurality of interference signals after demodulation; and

digitizing the plurality of interference signals using a plurality of analog to digital converters (ADC).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein digitizing the plurality of interference signals occurs before demodulating the plurality of interference signals.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the subset of the plurality of interference signals are selected using a switch bank in response to the subset of distances exceeding a predetermined distance;

the switch bank couples the subset of the plurality of interference signals to an input of a first analog to digital converter (ADC); and

the noisy active pen signal is coupled to an input of a second ADC separate from the first ADC.

16. An input device, comprising:

a panel receiver;

a plurality of interference receivers; and

a processing system configured to;

receive a noisy active pen signal associated with an active pen from the panel receiver;

receive a plurality of interference signals from the plurality of interference receivers;

determine a location of the active pen;

calculate a plurality of distances between the location and the plurality of interference receivers;

select, based on the plurality of distances, a subset of the plurality of interference signals from a subset of the plurality of interference receivers,

wherein the subset of the plurality of interference receivers are separated from the location by a subset of the plurality of distances;

determine an estimated interference signal based on the subset of the plurality of interference signals; and

generate a filtered active pen signal by reducing interference in the noisy active pen signal based on the estimated interference signal.

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

apply a plurality of weights to the subset of the plurality of interference signals based on the subset of the plurality of distances,

wherein the estimated interference signal is further determined based on the plurality of weights.

18. The input device of claim 16, the processing system comprises:

a plurality of demodulators for demodulating the plurality of interference signals;

a plurality of low pass filters for filtering the plurality of interference signals after demodulation; and

a plurality of analog to digital converters (ADC) to digitize the plurality of interference signals.

19. The input device of claim 16, wherein the processing system comprises:

a first wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a first analog to digital converter (ADC);

a switch bank coupling the plurality of interference signals to an input of the first ADC,

wherein the switch bank selects the subset of the plurality of interference signals in response to the subset of the plurality of distances exceeding a predetermined distance, and

wherein the output of the switch bank is a summing junction;

a first demodulator connected to the first ADC; and

a first low pass filter connected to first demodulator; and

a second wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a second ADC separate from the first ADC and coupled to the noisy active pen signal;

a second demodulator separate from the first demodulator and connected to the second ADC; and

a second low pass filter separate from the first low pass filter and connected to the second demodulator.

20. The input device of claim 16, wherein the processing system comprises:

a single wide bandwidth channel comprising;

a difference amplifier with a first input coupled to the noise active pen signal; and

a plurality of variable resistors coupling the subset of the plurality of interference signals to a second input of the difference amplifier.