Method and apparatus for data transmission via capacitance sensing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10891007-B2
Application number	US-201815870516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2018
Priority date	Feb 23, 2012
Publication date	Jan 12, 2021
Grant date	Jan 12, 2021

Abstract

Example systems and methods transfer data between a first device and a second device. Embodiments generate, using an output circuit, an analog signal based on a data signal for an application associated with the first device and the second device. Embodiments transmit the data signal over an interface between a processor of the first device and a processor of the second device by capacitively coupling the analog signal through a capacitor formed by at least one sensor electrode, of a touchscreen, of the first device and a conductor of the second device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of transferring data between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:
generating, using an output circuit, an analog signal based on a data signal for an application associated with the first device and the second device; and
transmitting the data signal over an interface between a processor of the first device and a processor of the second device, the transmitting of the data signal over the interface comprising capacitively coupling the analog signal through a capacitor formed by at least one sensor electrode, of a touchscreen, of the first device and a conductor of the second device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the analog signal using the output circuit includes using an output circuit of the first device and the transmitting of the data signal includes transmitting the data signal from the processor of the first device to the processor of the second device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the analog signal using the output circuit includes using an output circuit of the second device and the transmitting of the data signal includes transmitting the data signal from the processor of the second device to the processor of the first device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application associated with the first device and the second device is selected from the group of applications consisting of, a device authentication application, a user identification application, a mobile payments application, an access control application, and an electronic business information transfer application.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating, using the output circuit, the analog signal based on the data signal includes generating a modulated analog signal to represent the data signal.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving another data signal over the interface between the processor of the first device and the processor of the second device, the receiving of the other data signal over the interface comprising capacitively coupling another analog signal through the capacitor formed by the at least one of the sensor electrodes of the first device and the conductor of the second device; and
generating, using an input circuit, the other data signal based on the other analog signal.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the generating, using the input circuit, the other data signal based on the other analog signal includes demodulating the other analog signal.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the transmitting of the data over the interface and the receiving of the other data over the interface includes transmitting and receiving Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) serial data.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, using the processor of the first device, detecting that a conductive object is proximate to the at least one sensor electrode based on a capacitance of the at least one sensor electrode.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the capacitively coupling the analog signal through the capacitor formed by the at least one sensor electrode of the first device and the conductor of the second device comprises capacitively coupling the analog signal through at least one capacitive sensor electrode, of a multi-dimensional array of capacitive sensor electrodes of a touchscreen.

11. An electronic system to transmit data, the electronic system comprising:
a memory configured to store software data;
at least one processor coupled to the memory;
input/output (I/O) circuitry coupled to the at least one processor; and
a plurality of capacitance sensing electrodes coupled to I/O circuitry, wherein the I/O circuitry is configured to provide an analog signal that is based on software data to at least one capacitance sensing electrode of the plurality of capacitance sensing electrodes, wherein the at least one capacitance sensing electrode is configured transmit the software data to another device through one or more capacitors to be formed by the at least one capacitance sensing electrode and the other device.

12. The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the I/O circuit is configured to generate a modulated analog signal including the software data and provide the modulated analog signal to the at least one capacitance sensing electrode.

13. The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the I/O circuitry is configured to provide other software data that is based on another analog signal to the processor, wherein the at least one capacitance sensing electrode is configured to receive the another analog signal through the one or more capacitors to be formed by the at least one capacitance sensing electrode and the other device.

14. The electronic system of claim 13 , wherein the I/O circuitry is configured to demodulate the other analog signal and use the demodulated other analog signal to provide the other software data.

15. The electronic system of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the software data and the other software data are associated with an application selected from the group of applications consisting of, a device authentication application, a user identification application, a mobile payments application, an access control application, and an electronic business information transfer application.

16. The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the I/O circuitry includes at least one of a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART), an analog to digital converter, a digital to analog converter, and a pulse width modulation circuit.

17. The electronic system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to detect that a conductive object is proximate to the at least one capacitance sensing electrode based on a capacitance of the at least one capacitance sensing electrode.

18. A method of transferring digital data by a capacitance sensing device, the method comprising:
detecting a presence of a communication device based on a capacitance of a capacitance sensor of the capacitance sensing device; and
responsive to detecting the presence of the communication device, transferring the digital data to the communication device, the transferring of the digital data comprising capacitively coupling an analog signal through a capacitor formed by the capacitance sensor and the communication device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein detecting the presence of the communication device comprises identifying the communication device based on a capacitive profile of the communication device.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising generating the analog signal based on the digital data, wherein the digital data includes at least one of device authentication information, user identification information, payment information, access information, media data information.

Assignees

• Cypress Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Wright David G

Classifications

• G06F3/0443

  using a single layer of sensing electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/04162

  for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware · CPC title

• G06F3/041661

  using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window · CPC title

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/0393

  Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads · CPC title