Analog front end channel driver circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12524099-B2
Application number	US-202418892754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2024
Priority date	Jun 22, 2015
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

A channel driver circuit includes a differential module and a driver module. In some examples, the channel driver circuit also includes a sigma-delta module. The differential module receives, via a single node of a load, a channel driving signal that is provided to the load at the single node (e.g., that is based on an electrical characteristic of the load) and generates an analog error signal that is based on the channel driving signal and a reference signal. The driver module is coupled to the differential module and generates the channel driving signal based on the analog error signal or a digital error signal corresponding to the analog error signal and transmits the channel driving signal via the single node to the load. The channel driver circuit simultaneously transmits the channel driving signal to the load at the single node and senses the channel driving signal at the single node.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An Analog Front End (AFE) channel driver circuit comprising:
a differential module configured to generate an analog error signal based on a channel driving signal and a reference signal to generate an analog error signal; and a driver module operably coupled to the differential module and configured to:
generate the channel driving signal based on the analog error signal; and
output the channel driving signal via a single line from the AFE channel driver circuit, wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is configured to output the channel driving signal and simultaneously to sense the channel driving signal via the single line from the AFE channel driver circuit.

2 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the channel driving signal is provided to an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit via the single line.

3 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the differential module and the driver module are configured to operate cooperatively to output the channel driving signal and simultaneously to sense the channel driving signal via the single line from the AFE of the channel driver circuit.

4 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the analog error signal is based on a difference between the channel driving signal and the reference signal.

5 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is operably coupled to a load.

6 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is further configured to sense change of the channel driving signal that is output via the single line from the AFE channel driver circuit.

7 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the differential module and the driver module are further configured to operate cooperatively to sense change of the channel driving signal that is output via the single line from the AFE channel driver circuit.

8 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 7 , wherein:
the channel driving signal is provided to an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit via the single line; and change of the channel driving signal is based on an electrical characteristic of the interface of the AFE channel driver circuit.

9 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 8 , wherein:
the AFE channel driver circuit is operably coupled to a load; and the electrical characteristic of the interface of the AFE channel driver circuit is also based on the load.

10 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein:
the channel driving signal is provided to a first interface of the AFE channel driver circuit via the single line; and the analog error signal is also coupled via a second interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to another component or circuit.

11 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a filter configured to process the analog error signal in accordance with at least one of anti-aliasing filtering or pass band limiting to generate a filter signal and to output the filter signal via an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to another component or circuit.

12 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the driver module is implemented as a voltage to current (V2I) converter circuit.

13 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a filter configured to process the analog error signal in accordance with at least one of anti-aliasing filtering or pass band limiting to generate a filter signal and to output the filter signal via an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to an analog to digital converter (ADC).

14 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 further comprising:
a voltage level translator configured to process the analog error signal in accordance with level translation to generate a level translated analog error signal and to output the level translated analog error signal via an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to another component or circuit.

15 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the differential module includes a differential amplifier having a first input port configured to receive the channel driving signal, a second input port configured to receive the reference signal, and an output port configured to output the analog error signal.

16 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 1 , wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is coupled or connected via an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to a touchscreen, a sensor, a transducer, a device, an integrated circuit, circuitry, a computer, a tablet, a smart phone, an appliance, or a motor.

17 . An Analog Front End (AFE) channel driver circuit comprising:
a differential module configured to generate an analog error signal based on a channel driving signal and a reference signal to generate an analog error signal; and a driver module operably coupled to the differential module and configured to:
generate the channel driving signal based on the analog error signal; and
output the channel driving signal via a single line from the AFE channel driver circuit, wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is configured to output the channel driving signal and simultaneously to sense the channel driving signal including to sense change of the channel driving signal via the single line from the AFE channel driver circuit, wherein the driver module is implemented as a voltage to current (V2I) converter circuit.

18 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 17 , wherein the analog error signal is based on a difference between the channel driving signal and the reference signal.

19 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 17 , wherein the differential module includes a differential amplifier having a first input port configured to receive the channel driving signal, a second input port configured to receive the reference signal, and an output port configured to output the analog error signal.

20 . The AFE channel driver circuit of claim 17 , wherein the AFE channel driver circuit is coupled or connected via an interface of the AFE channel driver circuit to a touchscreen, a sensor, a transducer, a device, an integrated circuit, circuitry, a computer, a tablet, a smart phone, an appliance, or a motor.

Assignees

• Sigmasense Llc

Inventors

• Gray Patrick Troy
• Huynh Phuong

Classifications

• G06F3/04162

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

• G06F3/0418

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

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/03545

  Pens or stylus · 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