Using 3D touch for tracking objects on a wet touch surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11340773-B2
Application number	US-201615289102-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2016
Priority date	Aug 25, 2016
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

This application is directed to detecting touch events on a touch sensing surface coupled to a capacitive sense array and one or more force electrodes. The capacitive sense array includes a plurality of sense electrodes configured to provide a plurality of capacitive sense signals. The force electrodes are configured to provide one or more force signals. A subset of sense electrodes are determined to be associated with a candidate touch based on the capacitive sense signals and their associated baseline values. When force associated with the force signals is below a predetermined force threshold, the candidate touch is determined as an invalid touch (e.g., coverage by a water drop on an area of the touch sensing surface corresponding to the subset of sense electrodes). Baseline values are adjusted for the subset of sense electrodes for determining subsequent touch events associated with the subset of sense electrodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting touch events on a touch sensing surface coupled to a capacitive sense array, implemented at a processing device coupled to the capacitive sense array and a plurality of force electrodes associated with the capacitive sense array, the method comprising:
obtaining a plurality of capacitive sense signals from a plurality of sense electrodes of the capacitive sense array;
in accordance with the plurality of capacitive sense signals and a plurality of baseline values, determining that a subset of sense electrodes is associated with a candidate touch, wherein each of the plurality of baseline values is associated with at least one of the plurality of sense electrodes;
obtaining a plurality of force signals from the plurality of force electrodes; and
in accordance with a determination that force associated with the plurality of force signals is below a predetermined force threshold:
determining that the candidate touch is not a valid touch based on the plurality of force signals; and
in response to determining that the candidate touch is not a valid touch based on the plurality of force signals, for each electrode of the subset of sense electrodes of the capacitive sense array, adjusting a respective baseline value for determining subsequent touch events associated with the respective sense electrode according to one of the plurality of capacitive sense signals associated with the respective sense electrode, modifying the capacitive sense signal of the respective sense electrode based on the respective adjusted baseline value, and comparing a modified capacitive sense signal of the respective sense electrode with a touch detection threshold to determine the subsequent touch events;
wherein the respective baseline value is adjusted from below the touch detection threshold to above the touch detection threshold to suppress false touch detection.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the candidate touch is associated with an area of the touch sensing surface corresponding to the subset of sense electrodes, and determining the subsequent touch event on the touch sensing surface further comprises:
in accordance with the adjusted baseline values of the subset of sense electrodes, detecting a subsequent touch that at least partially overlaps with the area of the touch sensing surface corresponding to the subset of sense electrodes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the subsequent touch overlaps with the area of the touch sensing surface corresponding to the subset of sense electrodes.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the subsequent touch has a touch area that is smaller than the area of the touch sensing surface, and the subsequent touch is entirely contained within the area of the touch sensing surface.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a subsequent touch event on the touch sensing surface, including:
in accordance with the adjusted baseline values, detecting a subsequent touch that does not overlap with an area of the touch sensing surface, the area corresponding to the subset of sense electrodes, wherein no touch is detected at the area of the touch sensing surface in accordance with the adjusted baseline values of the subset of sense electrodes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the area of the touch sensing surface has a maximum diameter that is less than one centimeter.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a type of the candidate touch that is not a valid touch based on at least one of a duration of the candidate touch and a signal strength of a subset of capacitive sense signals corresponding to the candidate touch.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of baseline values are configured to be continuously adjusted based on the plurality of force signals.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of baseline values is configured to be periodically adjusted based on the plurality of force signals.

10. A processing device comprising:
a processing core;
a capacitance sense circuit; and
memory storing one or more programs comprising instructions which, when executed by the processing core, cause the processing core to perform:
obtaining a plurality of capacitive sense signals from a plurality of sense electrodes of a capacitive sense array, wherein the processing device is coupled to the capacitive sense array and a plurality of force electrodes associated with the capacitive sense array;
in accordance with the plurality of capacitive sense signals and a plurality of baseline values, determining that a subset of sense electrodes is associated with a candidate touch, wherein each of the plurality of baseline values is associated with at least one of the plurality of sense electrodes;
obtaining a plurality of force signals from the plurality of force electrodes; and
in accordance with a determination that force associated with the plurality of force signals is below a predetermined force threshold:
determining that the candidate touch is not a valid touch based on the plurality of force signals; and
in response to determining that the candidate touch is not a valid touch based on the plurality of force signals, for each electrode of the subset of sense electrodes of the capacitive sense array, adjusting a respective baseline value for determining subsequent touch events associated with the respective sense electrode according to one of the plurality of capacitive sense signals associated with the respective sense electrode, modifying the capacitive sense signal of the respective sense electrode based on the respective adjusted baseline value, and comparing a modified capacitive sense signal of the respective sense electrode with a touch detection threshold to determine the subsequent touch events;
wherein the respective baseline value is adjusted from below the touch detection threshold to above the touch detection threshold to suppress false touch detection.

11. The processing device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of baseline values is configured to be continuously or periodically adjusted based on the plurality of force signals.

12. The processing device of claim 10 , the memory further storing instructions for identifying a type of the candidate touch that is not a valid touch based on at least one of a duration of the candidate touch and a signal strength of a subset of capacitive sense signals corresponding to the candidate touch.

13. The processing device of claim 10 , wherein the processing device is configured to obtain the plurality of capacitive sense signals from the plurality of sense electrodes of the capacitive sense array by at least one of:
measuring the plurality of capacitive sense signals based on self-capacitances of the plurality of sense electrodes with respect to a ground; and
measuring the plurality of capacitive sense signals based on mutual capacitances of the plurality of sense electrodes.

14. An electronic system comprising:
a capacitive sense array coupled to a touch sensing surface, wherein the capacitive sense array includes a plurality of sense electrodes;
a plurality of force electrodes; and
a processing device coupled to the capacitive sense array and the plurality of force electrodes, wherein the processing device is configured to:
obtain a plurality of capacitive sense signals from the plurality of sense electrodes of the capacitive sense array;
in accordance with the plurality of capacitive sense signals and a plurality of baseline values, determine that a subset of sense electrodes is associated with a candidate touch, wherein each of the plurality of baseline values is associa

Assignees

• Parade Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Drake Victor
• Tucker Jeffrey
• Bentson Tom
• Lobrow Marcin
• Sterling Gary

Classifications

• G06F3/041662

  using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning · CPC title

• G06F2203/04104

  Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F2203/04101

  2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup · CPC title

• G06F2203/04106

  Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection · CPC title