Dynamic rescan to reduce landing artifacts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11029780-B1
Application number	US-202016938775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 24, 2020
Priority date	Jul 24, 2020
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically rescanning an array of sensor electrodes of an input device. The input device performs a first scan of the array over a plurality of iterations to acquire a frame of sensor data, where a different subframe of the sensor data is acquired from each iteration of the first scan. During each iteration of the first scan, the input device compares the subframe of sensor data acquired from the iteration with a respective subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the iteration. In some implementations, the input device may selectively repeat one or more iterations of the first scan based on the comparison.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for an input device, comprising: processing circuitry; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, causes the controller to: perform a first scan of an array of sensor electrodes over a plurality of iterations to acquire a frame of sensor data, wherein a different subframe of the sensor data is acquired from each iteration of the first scan; compare, during each iteration of the first scan, the subframe of sensor data acquired from the iteration of the first scan with a respective subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the iteration of the first scan; and selectively repeat one or more iterations of the first scan based on the comparison.

2. The controller of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions for selectively repeating the one or more iterations of the first scan causes the controller to:
detect, as a result of the comparison, a difference between a first subframe of sensor data acquired during the first scan and a second subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the acquisition of the first subframe; and
repeat the one or more iterations of the first scan responsive to detecting the difference between the first subframe and the second subframe.

3. The controller of claim 2 , wherein the one or more iterations of the first scan include the iteration of the first scan in which the first subframe is acquired.

4. The controller of claim 3 , wherein the one or more iterations of the first scan further include one or more iterations of the first scan immediately preceding the iteration of the first scan in which the first subframe is acquired.

5. The controller of claim 2 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the controller to:
assemble the subframes acquired from the repeated iterations of the first scan to produce the frame of sensor data.

6. The controller of claim 2 , wherein execution of the instructions for performing the first scan causes the controller to: drive the array of sensor electrodes with a plurality of patterns of sensing signals over the plurality of iterations of the first scan, respectively.

7. The controller of claim 6 , wherein execution of the instructions further causes the controller to:
acquire the second subframe of sensor data during a second scan of the array of sensor electrodes, wherein the second scan is performed prior to the first scan.

8. The controller of claim 7 , wherein the second scan is also performed by driving the array of sensor electrodes with the plurality of patterns of sensing signals, and wherein the first and second subframes are associated with the same pattern of sensing signals.

9. The controller of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions for performing the first scan causes the controller to:
drive a sensing signal onto a different subset of rows in the array, in a raster order, during each iteration of the first scan.

10. The controller of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions for performing the first scan causes the controller to:
drive the array according to a different code-division multiplexing (CDM) block during each iteration of the first scan.

11. A method of capacitive sensing performed by an input device comprising: performing a first scan of an array of sensor electrodes over a plurality of iterations to acquire a frame of sensor data, wherein a different subframe of the sensor data is acquired from each iteration of the first scan; comparing, during each iteration of the first scan, the subframe of sensor data acquired from the iteration of the first scan with a respective subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the iteration of the first scan; and selectively repeating one or more iterations of the first scan based on the comparison.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the selectively repeating of the one or more iterations of the first scan comprises: detecting, as a result of the comparison, a difference between a first subframe of sensor data acquired during the first scan and a second subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the acquisition of the first subframe; and repeating the one or more iterations of the first scan in response to detecting the difference between the first subframe and the second subframe.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more iterations of the first scan include the iteration in which the first subframe is acquired.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more iterations of the first scan further include one or more iterations immediately preceding the iteration of the first scan in which the first subframe is acquired.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
assembling the subframes acquired from the repeated iterations of the first scan to produce the frame of sensor data.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the performing of the first scan comprises:
driving the array of sensor electrodes with a plurality of patterns of sensing signals over the plurality of iterations, respectively.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
acquiring the second subframe of sensor data during a second scan of the array of sensor electrodes, wherein the second scan is performed prior to the first scan by driving the array of sensor electrodes with the plurality of patterns of sensing signals, and wherein the first and second subframes are associated with the same pattern of sensing signals.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the first scan comprises:
driving a sensing signal onto a different subset of rows in the array, in a raster order, during each iteration of the first scan.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the first scan comprises:
driving the array according to a different code-division multiplexing (CDM) block during each iteration of the first scan.

20. An input device comprising: an array of sensor electrodes configured for capacitive sensing in a sensing region of the input device; and a processing system configured to: perform a first scan of the array of sensor electrodes over a plurality of iterations to acquire a frame of sensor data, wherein a different subframe of the sensor data is acquired from each iteration of the first scan; compare, during each iteration of the first scan, the subframe of sensor data acquired from the iteration of the first scan with a respective subframe of sensor data acquired prior to the iteration of the first scan; and selectively repeat one or more iterations of the first scan based on the comparison.

Assignees

• Synaptics Inc

Inventors

• Goudarzi Katayoun
• Dattalo Tracy Scott

Classifications

• G06F3/0418

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/04166 Primary

  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 title

• G06F3/0446

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

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title