Synchronizing input sensing with display updating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11256366-B2
Application number	US-202017107582-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2020
Priority date	Jan 22, 2020
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A processing system configured to receive a first display control signal corresponding to a non-display update period of a display frame and a second display control signal corresponding to a display update period of the display frame. The processing system is further configured to acquire, based on receipt of the first display control signal, first resulting signals from sensor electrodes electrically connected to the sensor driver by operating the sensor electrodes for a first type of input sensing during a first period overlapping with at least a portion of the non-display update period. Further, the processing system is configured to acquire, based on receipt of the second display control signal, second resulting signals with the sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a second type of input sensing during a second period overlapping with at least a portion of the display update period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing system comprising:
a sensor driver configured to:
receive a first display control signal corresponding to a non-display update period of a display frame and a second display control signal corresponding to a display update period of the display frame;
acquire, based on receipt of the first display control signal, first resulting signals from sensor electrodes electrically connected to the sensor driver by operating the sensor electrodes for a first type of input sensing during a first period, wherein the first period overlaps with at least a portion of the non-display update period; and
acquire, based on receipt of the second display control signal, second resulting signals with the sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a second type of input sensing during a second period, wherein the second period overlaps with at least a portion of the display update period, and wherein the second type of input sensing differs from the first type of input sensing.

2. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises driving one or more of the sensor electrodes with an absolute capacitive sensing signal and receiving the first resulting signals with the driven one or more sensor electrodes.

3. The processing system of claim 2 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the second type of input sensing comprises driving a second one or more of the sensor electrodes with a transcapacitive sensing signal and receiving the second resulting signals with a third one or more of the sensor electrodes.

4. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises operating a first one or more of the sensor electrodes for active pen sensing.

5. The processing system of claim 1 further comprising a determination module configured to mitigate interference based on a comparison of first positional information determined from the first resulting signals and second positional information determined from the second resulting signals.

6. The processing system of claim 5 , wherein mitigating the interference comprises determining a valid detection of an input object.

7. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor driver is further configured to receive a third display control signal corresponding to a second non-display update period of the display frame, wherein a timing of the third display control signal is adjusted at least partially based on the first resulting signals.

8. A method for input sensing comprising:
receiving, at a sensor driver, a first display control signal corresponding to a non-display update period of a display frame and a second display control signal corresponding to a display update period of the display frame;
acquiring, based on receipt of the first display control signal, first resulting signals with sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a first type of input sensing during a first period, wherein the first period overlaps with at least a portion of the non-display update period; and
acquiring, based on receipt of the second display control signal, second resulting signals with the sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a second type of input sensing during a second period, wherein the second period overlaps with at least a portion of the display update period, and wherein the second type of input sensing differs from the first type of input sensing.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises driving one or more of the sensor electrodes with an absolute capacitive sensing signal and receiving the first resulting signals with the driven one or more sensor electrodes.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the second type of input sensing comprises driving a second one or more of the sensor electrodes with a transcapacitive sensing signal and receiving the second resulting signals with a third one or more of the sensor electrodes.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises operating a first one or more of the sensor electrodes for active pen sensing.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising mitigating interference based on a comparison of first positional information determined from the first resulting signals and second positional information determined from the second resulting signals.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein mitigating the interference comprises determining a valid detection of an input object.

14. An input device comprising:
sensor electrodes; and
a processing system electrically connected to the sensor electrodes and configured to:
receive a first display control signal corresponding to a non-display update period of a display frame and a second display control signal corresponding to a display update period of the display frame;
acquire, based on receipt of the first display control signal, first resulting signals with the sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a first type of input sensing during a first period, wherein the first period overlaps with at least a portion of the non-display update period; and
acquire, based on receipt of the second display control signal, second resulting signals with the sensor electrodes by operating the sensor electrodes for a second type of input sensing during a second period, wherein the second period overlaps with at least a portion of the display update period, and wherein the second type of input sensing differs from the first type of input sensing.

15. The input device of claim 14 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises driving one or more of the sensor electrodes with an absolute capacitive sensing signal and receiving the first resulting signals with the driven one or more sensor electrodes.

16. The input device of claim 15 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the second type of input sensing comprises driving a second one or more of the sensor electrodes with a transcapacitive sensing signal and receiving the second resulting signals with a third one or more of the sensor electrodes.

17. The input device of claim 14 , wherein operating the sensor electrodes for the first type of input sensing comprises operating a first one or more of the sensor electrodes for active pen sensing.

18. The input device of claim 14 , wherein the processing system is further configured to mitigate interference based on a comparison of first positional information determined from the first resulting signals and second positional information determined from the second resulting signals.

19. The input device of claim 18 , wherein mitigating the interference comprises determining a valid detection of an input object.

20. The input device of claim 14 , further comprising a display device comprising display electrodes, wherein the processing system is configured to drive the display electrodes to update the display electrodes during the display update period.

Assignees

• Synaptics Inc

Inventors

• Losh Jonathan
• Talukdar Dipankar

Classifications

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0441

  using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals · CPC title

• G06F3/0445 Primary

  using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer · CPC title

• G06F3/04162

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

• G06F3/04184 Primary

  Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally · CPC title