Touch and hover sensing on single-layer segmented sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11762515-B1
Application number	US-202217827519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 27, 2022
Priority date	May 27, 2022
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes by an electronic device: receiving sensor data indicative of a touch input from one or more sensors of a touch panel of the electronic device, where the touch input occurs at a detected touch location of the touch panel, accessing a baseline of signal data corresponding to the touch panel, calculating a delta change based on the baseline of the signal data and the sensor data, determining a touch state corresponding to the touch input based on a comparison of the delta change to a plurality of touch threshold levels, selecting a touch location prediction method from a plurality of touch location prediction methods based on the touch state, and determining a predicted touch location of the touch input based on the touch location prediction method and the sensor data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising, by an electronic device:
receiving sensor data indicative of a touch input from one or more sensors of a touch panel of the electronic device, wherein the touch input occurs at a detected touch location of the touch panel;
accessing a baseline of signal data corresponding to the touch panel;
calculating a delta change based on the baseline of the signal data and the sensor data;
determining a touch state corresponding to the touch input based on a comparison of the delta change to a plurality of touch threshold levels, wherein:
the determined touch state is one of a set of touch states comprising a non-touch event, a hover event, and a touch event; and
the touch threshold levels are arranged such that:
when the delta change is less than a first touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the non-touch event;
when the delta change is greater than the first touch threshold level and less than a second touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the hover event; and
when the delta change is greater than the second touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the touch event;

selecting, based on the determined touch state, a specific touch location prediction method from a plurality of available touch location prediction methods for the determined touch state; and
determining a predicted touch location of the touch input based on the touch location prediction method and the sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned in a pattern on the touch panel where a first subset of sensors are configured as source sensors and a second subset of sensors are configured as read sensors.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pattern comprises one or more of a stripe pattern, a U-shaped stripe pattern, an H-shaped stripe pattern, a diamond-stripe pattern, a diamond-middle-stripe pattern, a full-wriggle-stripe pattern, a wriggle-middle-stripe pattern, a triangle-rectangle-stripe pattern, a triangle-stripe pattern, or a double-triangle-stripe pattern.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
injecting a plurality of signals into one or more of the source sensors, wherein the plurality of signals comprise at least a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; and
detecting, by one or more of the read sensors, a plurality of attenuated measured signals based on the touch input interfacing the plurality of signals, wherein the plurality of attenuated measured signals are used to generate the sensor data.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
switching the first subset of sensors to be configured as read sensors and the second subset of sensors to be configured as source sensors at a predetermined frequency, wherein the sensor data includes data from a plurality of attenuated measured signals based on the touch input interfacing a plurality of injected signals that are injected to each of the source sensors.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of available touch location prediction methods comprises one or more of a look up table method, a curve fitting method, or a machine learning model method.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
preprocessing the sensor data to generate a preprocessed output using one or more of detrending, digital filtering, or windowing;
transforming the preprocessed output into a frequency domain using a frequency extraction algorithm, wherein the frequency domain comprises one or more frequency components;
extracting one or more magnitudes of a respective frequency component of the one or more frequency components to generate a power spectral density; and
processing the power spectral density with a low pass filter to generate a filtered output, wherein the filter output is further used to determine the predicted touch location of the touch input.

8. An electronic device comprising:
one or more touch panels;
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions; and
one or more processors coupled to the storage media, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to:
receive sensor data indicative of a touch input from one or more sensors of a touch panel of the one or more touch panels of the electronic device, wherein the touch input occurs at a detected touch location of the touch panel;
access a baseline of signal data corresponding to the touch panel;
calculate a delta change based on the baseline of the signal data and the sensor data;
determine a touch state corresponding to the touch input based on a comparison of the delta change to a plurality of touch threshold levels, wherein:
the determined touch state is one of a set of touch states comprising a non-touch event, a hover event, and a touch event; and
the touch threshold levels are arranged such that:
when the delta change is less than a first touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the non-touch event;
when the delta change is greater than the first touch threshold level and less than a second touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the hover event; and
when the delta change is greater than the second touch threshold level, then the determined touch state is the touch event;

select, based on the determined touch state, a specific touch location prediction method from a plurality of available touch location prediction methods for the determined touch state; and
determine a predicted touch location of the touch input based on the touch location prediction method and the sensor data.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of sensors, and wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned in a pattern on the touch panel where a first subset of sensors are configured as source sensors and a second subset of sensors are configured as read sensors.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the pattern comprises one or more of a stripe pattern, a U-shaped stripe pattern, an H-shaped stripe pattern, a diamond-stripe pattern, a diamond-middle-stripe pattern, a full-wriggle-stripe pattern, a wriggle-middle-stripe pattern, a triangle-rectangle-stripe pattern, a triangle-stripe pattern, or a double-triangle-stripe pattern.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:
inject a plurality of signals into one or more of the source sensors, wherein the plurality of signals comprise at least a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; and
detect, by one or more of the read sensors, a plurality of attenuated measured signals based on the touch input interfacing the plurality of signals, wherein the plurality of attenuated measured signals are used to generate the sensor data.

12. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:
switch the first subset of sensors to be configured as read sensors and the second subset of sensors to be configured as source sensors at a predetermined frequency, wherein the sensor data includes data from a plurality of attenuated measured signals based on the touch input interfacing a plurality of injected signals that are injected to each of the source sensors.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of available touch location prediction methods comprises one or more of a look up table method, a curve fitting method, or a machine learning model method.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saude Mohammad J Abu
• Perdices-Gonzalez Sergio
• Workman William Augustus
• Reading Dean N
• Park Hanjin
• Estruch Tena Marc
• Sadi Sajid Hassan

Classifications

• G06F3/0446

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

• G06F3/04166

  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

• 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

• G06F3/0445 Primary

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

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title