Processing system for a capacitive sensing device

• US 9,298,325 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Shepelev, Petr, Ludden, Christopher A., Lukanc, Jeffrey, Morein, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VINH P
• Application Number:
  US14/042,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device. In one embodiment, the display device includes a plurality of sensor electrodes, a field shaping electrode, and a processing system. Each sensor electrode includes at least one common electrode. Dimensions of each sensor electrode correspond to dimension of pixel elements of the display device. The field shaping electrode is disposed between two of the plurality of sensor electrodes. Dimensions of the field shaping electrode correspond to the dimension of pixel elements of the display device. The field shaping electrode is laterally spaced apart from the two sensor electrodes a distance corresponding to dimensions of the pixel elements. The processing system is coupled to the sensor electrodes and the field shaping electrode. The processing system is configured to, in a first processing mode, drive a transmitter signal onto a first sensor electrode of the sensor electrodes and receiving a resulting signal with the first sensor electrode of the sensor electrodes comprising effects corresponding to the transmitter signal.

Claims

1. A processing system for a capacitive sensing device, the processing system comprising:

a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry coupled to a plurality of sensor electrodes and a grid electrode, the sensor module configured to;

drive and receive with each of the plurality of sensor electrodes to simultaneously acquire measurements of changes in absolute capacitance between each of the plurality of sensor electrodes and an input object;

selectively operate the grid electrode in a first mode and a second mode, wherein during at least one of the first mode and the second mode the grid electrode is configured to substantially isolate a first sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes from a second sensor electrode of the plurality of sensor electrodes; and

wherein the processing system is configured to determine positional information for the input object in a sensing region of the capacitive sensing device based on the measurements of changes in absolute capacitance,

wherein selectively operating the grid electrode in the first mode and the second mode comprises operating the grid electrode in the second mode when the input object is determined to be in a second region of the sensing region and in the first mode when the input object is determined to be in a first region of the sensing region, wherein the first region of the sensing region is between the second region and an input surface of the sensing device.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is further configured to drive the grid electrode with a transmitter signal and receive resulting signals with the first sensor electrode when operating in the first mode and

wherein the processing system is further configured to determine the positional information based on the resulting signals.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein operating in the second mode comprises driving the grid electrode with a first field shaping signal, and wherein the transmitter signal and the first field shaping signal differ in at least one of phase and amplitude.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is configured to drive the grid electrode with a first field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the first mode and a second field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the second mode, wherein the first field shaping signal is different from the second field shaping signal.

5. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the first field shaping signal and the second field shaping signal are varying voltage signals and differ in at least one of amplitude and phase.

6. The processing system of claim 5, wherein second field shaping signal comprises an amplitude greater than an amplitude of the first field shaping signal.

7. The processing system of claim 4, wherein the first field shaping signal is a substantially constant voltage and the second field shaping signal is a varying voltage signal.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein driving and receiving with the plurality of sensor electrodes to simultaneously acquire measurements of changes in absolute capacitance between each of the plurality of sensor electrodes and an input object comprises simultaneously driving the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode with a transmitter signal and receiving resulting signals with the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode, and wherein operating in the second mode comprises driving the grid electrode with a second field shaping signal, and wherein the transmitter signal and the second field shaping signal are similar in at least one of phase and amplitude.

9. An input device comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes comprising a first sensor electrode and a second sensor electrode;

a grid electrode; and

a processing system coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes and the grid electrode, the processing system configured to;

drive and receive with each of the plurality of sensor electrodes to simultaneously acquire measurements of changes in absolute capacitance between each of the plurality of sensor electrodes and an input object;

determine positional information for the input object in a sensing region of the input device based on the measurements of changes in absolute capacitance; and

selectively operate the grid electrode in a first mode when the input object is determined to be in a first region of the sensing region and in a second mode when the input object is determined to be in a second region of the sensing region, wherein the first region of the sensing region is between the second region and an input surface of the sensing device, wherein during at least one of the first mode and the second mode the grid electrode is configured to substantially isolate the first sensor electrode from the second sensor electrode.

10. The input device of claim 9, wherein the processing system is individually coupled to each of the sensor electrodes of the plurality sensor electrodes and to the grid electrode.

11. The input device of claim 9, wherein the grid electrode is disposed between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode.

12. The input device of claim 9, wherein the grid electrode at least partially overlaps one of the first sensor electrode and one of the second sensor electrode.

13. The input device of claim 9, wherein the grid electrode comprises multiple grid electrodes.

14. The input device of claim 9, wherein the processing is further configured to drive the grid electrode with a transmitter signal and receive resulting signals with the first sensor electrode when operating in the first mode and determine the positional information based on the resulting signals.

15. The input device of claim 9, wherein the processing system is configured to drive the grid electrode with a first field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the first mode and a second field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the second mode, wherein the first field shaping signal is different from the second field shaping signal.

16. The input device of claim 15, wherein the first field shaping signal and the second field shaping signal are varying voltage signals and differ in at least one of amplitude and phase.

17. The input device of claim 16, wherein second field shaping signal comprises amplitude greater than an amplitude of the first field shaping signal.

18. The input device of claim 15, wherein the first field shaping signal is a substantially constant voltage and the second field shaping signal is a varying voltage signal.

19. The input device of claim 15, wherein the input device further comprises a display device comprises a plurality of common electrodes configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing and wherein each of the plurality of sensor electrodes comprise at least one common electrode of the plurality of common electrodes.

20. A method for capacitive sensing, the method comprising:

driving and receiving with each of a plurality of sensor electrodes to simultaneously acquire measurements of changes in absolute capacitance between each of the plurality of sensor electrodes and an input object;

determining positional information for the input object in a sensing region of a capacitive sensing device based on the measurements of changes in absolute capacitance; and

selectively operating a grid electrode in a first mode when the input object is determined to be in a first region of the sensing region based and in a second mode when the input object is determined to be in a second region of the sensing region, wherein the first region of the sensing region is between the second region and an input surface of the sensing device, wherein during at least one of the first mode and the second mode the grid electrode is configured to substantially isolate the first sensor electrode from the second sensor electrode.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises driving the grid electrode with a transmitter signal and receive resulting signals with the first sensor electrode when operating in the first mode and determining the positional information based on the resulting signals.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises driving the grid electrode with a first field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the first mode and a second field shaping signal when the grid electrode is operated in the second mode, wherein the first field shaping signal is different from the second field shaping signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first field shaping signal and the second field shaping signal are varying voltage signals and differ in at least one of amplitude and phase.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein second field shaping signal comprises an amplitude higher than amplitude of the first field shaping signal.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the first field shaping signal is a substantially constant voltage and the second field shaping signal is a varying voltage signal.