Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090303198 | CAPACITIVE SENSING WITH HIGH-FREQUENCY NOISE REDUCTION - A method and apparatus for sensing the presence of a body from a change in an amount of charge present on a capacitively charged key includes performing a measurement burst which generates a plurality of signal sample values from a plurality of measurement cycles. Each of the measurement cycle includes inducing charge onto the key during a drive part of the measurement cycle, measuring during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle the charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle, and generating a signal sample value to represent of the charge measured from the key during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle. The method includes comparing the value of the plurality of the signal sample values of the measurement burst with a determined range of accepted values between a determined maximum and a determined minimum value, and processing any of the plurality of signal sample values, which are outside the determined accepted range to the effect that the presence of the body can be determined only from a change in the value of one or more of the plurality of signal samples which are within the determined accepted range. By removing the effects of signal sample values, which are outside the determined accepted range of values, then the effects of noise, such as rectangular noise, which might otherwise cause a body to be erroneously detected can be substantially reduced. | 12-10-2009 |
20090303203 | CAPACITIVE SENSING WITH LOW-FREQUENCY NOISE REDUCTION - A method of sensing the presence of a body from a change in an amount of charge present on a capacitively charged key. The method comprises inducing charge onto the key during a drive part of a measurement cycle, coupling a signal measurement capacitor to the key during a signal measurement part of the measurement cycle to the effect that the charge induced on the key during the drive part of the measurement cycle is transferred to the signal measurement capacitor, determining from a noise measurement part of the measurement cycle an amount of charge induced on the key by noise during the signal measurement part of the measurement cycle, and controlling the drive part, the signal measurement part and the noise measurement parts of the cycle to provide the charge sensing circuit with a measurement of the signal from which the noise induced on the key has been or can be substantially cancelled. | 12-10-2009 |
20100096193 | CAPACITIVE TOUCH SENSORS - A touch data set is acquired via signals from each sensing node in a capacitive sensor array having a plurality of sensing nodes. Touch presence and location on the capacitive sensor array is determined from the touch data set. In subsequent sampling periods while presence of a touch continues to be detected, touch data sets may be acquired from respective subsets of the sensing nodes, each subset being located at and adjacent to the touch location determined in the preceding sampling period. | 04-22-2010 |
20100097077 | SENSOR AND METHOD OF SENSING - A touch sensor senses the presence of an object at one of a plurality of channels on a surface of the touch sensor, wherein proximity of the object to the touch sensor results in a change in capacitance at the position of the channel. The touch sensor includes a drive circuit and a charge sensing circuit, each coupled to each of the channels. The charge sensing circuit includes at least one charge measurement capacitor. A measurement cycle is applied to the touch sensor having a drive portion and a sense portion. During the drive portion a charge is applied to the channels and therefore the charge measurement capacitors of the touch sensor, and during a sense portion the charge measurement capacitors are discharged by a predetermined amount and the remaining charge on the charge measurement capacitors is measured. | 04-22-2010 |
20100193258 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL TOUCH PANEL - A capacitive touch panel is provided capable of detecting multiple simultaneous touches. The touch panel delivers sets of capacitance signal values to a processor which computes the coordinates of single or multiple touch locations on the touch panel. The processing of each set is performed by (i) identifying the sensing element having the largest capacitance signal value; (ii) defining a region around that sensing element; and (iii) repeating the process iteratively, wherein each subsequent identifying step excludes signals that lie in previously defined regions. A multi-touch sensor is thus provided in which the signal processing is based on successive definition of regions or sub-blocks in the touch: panel. The touch location in each region can be determined more accurately by then applying interpolation between the adjacent signal values. This allows for position resolution at a finer scale than that defined by the touch panel's electrode patterning. | 08-05-2010 |
20100200309 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR - A sensor for determining a position of an object in two dimensions is provided. The sensor comprises a substrate with a sensitive area defined by a pattern of electrodes arranged thereon. The pattern of electrodes comprises four drive electrodes arranged in a two-by-two array and coupled to respective drive channels, and a sense electrode coupled to a sense channel. The sense electrode is arranged so as to extend around the four drive electrodes (i.e. to wholly or partially surround the drive electrodes, for example, so as to extend adjacent to at least three sides of the drive electrodes). The sensor may further comprise a drive unit for applying drive signals to the respective drive electrodes, and a sense unit for measuring sense signals representing a degree of coupling of the drive signals applied to the respective drive electrodes to the sense electrode. Furthermore the sensor may comprise a processing unit for processing the sense signals to determine a position of an object adjacent the sensor. The functionality of the drive channels, the sense channels, and the processing unit may be provided by a suitably programmed microcontroller. | 08-12-2010 |
20100214259 | SENSOR AND METHOD OF SENSING - A sensor is arranged to determine the presence of an object from a change in a capacitance of a sensing element. The sensor includes a capacitance measurement circuit operable to perform measurement cycles to measure a capacitance of the sensing element, and a controller circuit. The control circuit is operable to detect a periodic noise signal induced on the sensing element, to determine a first part, of a repeating pattern of the periodic noise signal, which causes a change in an amount of charge present on the sensing element, which affects the measurement of the capacitance of the sensing element by the capacitance measurement circuit, to determine a second part of the repeating pattern of the periodic noise signal, which does not cause a change in the amount of charge present on the sensing element, and to control the measurement cycles of the capacitance measurement circuit to perform the measurement cycles during the second part of the periodic noise signal and not to perform the measurement cycles during the first part of the periodic noise signal. | 08-26-2010 |
20100321043 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR - A two-dimensional position sensor is formed by drive electrodes ( | 12-23-2010 |
20110025639 | ELECTRODE LAYOUT FOR TOUCH SCREENS - A device includes a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of sense electrodes. The drive electrodes run generally in a first direction and have multiple projections along their length. The sense electrodes run generally in a second direction transverse to the drive electrodes. The sense electrodes have multiple projections interleaved with the multiple projections of the drive electrodes. | 02-03-2011 |
20110037705 | TOUCH-SENSITIVE USER INTERFACE - A touch-sensitive user interface includes a sensor element providing a plurality of sensing areas, a measurement circuit coupled to the sensor element and operable to iteratively acquire measurement signal values indicative of the proximity of an object to the respective sensing areas, and a processor operable to receive the measurement signal values from the measurement circuit and to classify a sensing area as an activated sensing area for a current iteration according to predefined selection criteria, wherein the predefined selection criteria are such that activation of at least a first sensing area in a current iteration is suppressed if at least a second sensing area has previously been classified as an activated sensing area within a predefined period before the current iteration. Thus a sensing area may be prevented from being activated for a predefined period of time after another sensing area has been activated. Furthermore, activation of different sensing areas may be suppressed for different periods of time in response to other sensing areas having been previously activated. sensing area | 02-17-2011 |
20110048812 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR - A capacitive position sensor is provided having a touch-sensitive area defined by a single-layer of electrodes arranged in a pattern along two axes. The electrode pattern includes a plurality of units each occupying a portion of the touch sensitive area along one axis. Each unit has at least three lines of elongate electrodes spaced apart in the one axis and extending for a length parallel to the other axis. The three lines of elongate electrodes in each unit comprise at least one line of drive electrodes and two lines of sense electrodes or at least one line of sense electrodes and two lines of drive electrodes. Selected electrodes of each unit are arranged in interconnected groups, each group having electrodes from more than one line which have partially overlapping extents along their length. | 03-03-2011 |
20110048813 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL POSITION SENSOR - A capacitive position sensor is provided having a touch-sensitive area defined by a single-layer of electrodes arranged in a pattern along two axes. The electrode pattern includes a plurality of units each occupying a portion of the touch sensitive area along one axis. Each unit has at least three lines of elongate electrodes spaced apart in the one axis and extending for a length parallel to the other axis. The three lines of elongate electrodes in each unit comprise at least one line of drive electrodes and two lines of sense electrodes or at least one line of sense electrodes and two lines of drive electrodes. Selected electrodes of each unit are arranged in interconnected groups, each group having electrodes from more than one line which have partially overlapping extents along their length. | 03-03-2011 |
20110057899 | CAPACITIVE CONTROL PANEL - A control panel for proximity and force sensing, includes a cover layer, a first electrode layer including a first force sensor electrode, a second force sensor electrode positioned in a second electrode layer or on a support layer, and a dielectric substrate at least a portion of which is compressible and is positioned between the first and second force sensor electrodes. The support layer is positioned to support at the vicinity of the second force sensor electrode support location so that compression of the dielectric substrate and the separation of the first and second force sensor electrodes depends on the magnitude of a force applied to the cover layer. Touch sensor electrodes are positioned on one or more of the electrode layers such that their capacitance depends on proximity of an object such as a finger. Controllers measure the capacitance of the force and touch sensor electrodes respectively and output force and touch proximity signals. | 03-10-2011 |
20110095990 | INTERDIGITATED TOUCHSCREEN ELECTRODES - A device includes a plurality of adjacent electrodes for a touch sensitive device. The electrodes run generally in a first direction. Adjacent electrodes are interdigitated to provide one or more interpolation sections of the electrodes. Touch sensitive devices may utilize such interdigitated electrodes as drive electrodes, along with transverse sense electrodes formed over a display. | 04-28-2011 |
20110095996 | TOUCHSCREEN ELECTRODE ARRANGEMENT - A touchscreen includes an array of first electrode pairs and an array of second electrode pairs distributed across an active area of the touchscreen. The first and second electrode pairs may be configured in various snaking patterns to vary the proportion of first and second electrode pair density in a first direction across the touchscreen. The position of a touch can be determined by the proportion of densities of elements in the area of the touch, such as by measuring capacitive coupling of the drive elements. | 04-28-2011 |
20110096015 | SENSE ELECTRODE SPINE INTERPOLATION - An electrode layout for a touchscreen includes multiple sense electrodes. Each sense electrode has multiple spines coupled to each other, including a main spine and at least one spaced apart interpolation spine running in the same direction. The interpolation spine of one sense electrode is positioned adjacent a spaced apart interpolation spine of a neighboring sense electrode to provide interpolated sense electrodes. | 04-28-2011 |
20110096016 | SENSE ELECTRODE DESIGN - A touch sensitive device includes a plurality of sense electrodes arranged in a pattern to receive charge from drive electrodes. The pattern of sense electrodes has extreme portions having worst case charge transfer times, wherein the worst case charge transfer time at multiple extreme portions is substantially equal. | 04-28-2011 |
20120044190 | ELECTRONIC INK TOUCH SENSITIVE DISPLAY - An electronic ink display incorporating a touch sensitive screen which does not significantly increase the thickness of the electronic ink display as compared to conventional touch screen displays. The touch screen has a first and second electrode layers each having electrodes arranged to form nodes where the electrodes overlap. The electronic ink display contains microcapsules having different positively and negatively charged inks of different colors which are attracted the oppositely charged electrode to form an image. | 02-23-2012 |
20120062472 | POSITION-SENSING PANEL - A touch position sensing panel including first and second electrode layers shaped with repeating patterns. Each electrode pattern is interpolated with adjacent electrode patterns. | 03-15-2012 |
20120105081 | CAPACITIVE SENSOR, DEVICE AND METHOD - Exemplary capacitive sensors may be capable of determining presence and location of a touch and capable of determining a fingerprint pattern. | 05-03-2012 |
20120113014 | TOUCH POSITION-SENSING PANEL AND METHOD - A touch position-sensing panel has electrodes arranged in different directions to form capacitive nodes, where at least one electrode has a corner within the perimeter of the electrode. | 05-10-2012 |