Central receiver for performing capacitive sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016196000-A1
Application number	US-201514788739-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

This disclosure generally provides an input device that includes multiple sensor and display electrodes and a processing system. The processing system includes a plurality of local receivers coupled to respective ones of the sensor electrodes, where the local receivers are configured to acquire first resulting signals from the sensor electrodes. The processing system also includes a central receiver coupled to the sensor electrodes and configured to acquire second resulting signals from each of the sensor electrodes simultaneously.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An input device, comprising:
a plurality of sensor electrodes; a plurality of display electrodes; and a processing system, comprising:
a plurality of local receivers coupled to respective ones of the sensor electrodes, wherein the local receivers are configured to acquire first resulting signals from the sensor electrodes;
a central receiver coupled to the sensor electrodes and configured to acquire second resulting signals from each of the sensor electrodes simultaneously.

2 . The input device of claim 1 , wherein the central receiver is coupled to a constant reference voltage and is unmodulated when acquiring the second resulting signals.

3 . The input device of claim 2 , wherein the central receiver comprises an amplifier, wherein an input of the amplifier is coupled to the reference voltage when acquiring the second resulting signals.

4 . The input device of claim 1 , wherein all of the sensor electrodes are coupled with a common electrical node, and wherein the central receiver is coupled to the common electrical node to acquire the second resulting signals.

5 . The input device of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is configured to identify a measurement of interference based on the second resulting signals.

6 . The input device of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is configured to identify a communication signal transmitted by an active input object external to the input device based on the second resulting signals.

7 . The input device of claim 1 , further comprising switches configured to selectively disconnect a display from a power source when the central receiver acquires the second resulting signals.

8 . The input device of claim 7 , further comprising a capacitive power storage element coupled to the power source via the switches, wherein, when the switches are activated, the capacitive power storage element is charged by the power source.

9 . The input device of claim 8 , further comprising a display module configured to update a display using the charged stored in the capacitive power storage element, wherein the display module updates the display, at least partly, in parallel with acquiring the second resulting signals.

10 . The input device of claim 1 , wherein the central receiver is configured to acquire third resulting signals from each of the display electrodes, wherein the second and third resulting signals are acquired in parallel.

11 . A processing system, comprising:
a plurality of local receivers coupled to respective ones of a plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein the local receivers are configured to receiver first resulting signals from the sensor electrodes; a central receiver coupled to the sensor electrodes and is configured to acquire second resulting signals from each of the sensor electrodes simultaneously.

12 . The processing system of claim 11 , wherein the central receiver is coupled to a constant reference voltage and is unmodulated when acquiring the second resulting signals.

13 . The processing system of claim 12 , wherein the central receiver comprises an amplifier, wherein an input of the amplifier is coupled to the reference voltage when acquiring the second resulting signals.

14 . The processing system of claim 11 , wherein the central receiver is configured to identify at least one of a measurement of interference based on the second resulting signals.

15 . The processing system of claim 11 , wherein the central receiver is configured to identify a communication signal transmitted by an active input object external to the input device based on the second resulting signals.

16 . The processing system of claim 11 , further comprising switches configured to selectively disconnect a display from a power source when the central receiver acquires the second resulting signals.

17 . The processing system of claim 16 , further comprising a capacitive power storage element configured to couple to the power source via the switches, wherein, when the switches are activated, the capacitive power storage element is charged by the power source.

18 . The processing system of claim 11 , wherein the central receiver is configured to acquire third resulting signals from each of the display electrodes, wherein the second and third resulting signals are acquired in parallel.

19 . A method, comprising:
receiving first resulting signals at a plurality of local receivers from a plurality of sensor electrodes for performing capacitive sensing, wherein each of the local receivers is coupled with a respective one of the sensor electrodes; and receiving second resulting signals at a central receiver from the sensor electrodes, wherein the central receiver is coupled with the sensor electrodes.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
before receiving the second resulting signal, electrically disconnecting a display from a power source, wherein the sensor electrodes are unmodulated when receiving the second resulting signals at the central receiver.

21 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
identify at least one of a measurement of interference based on the second resulting signals.

22 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
identify a communication signal transmitted by an active input object external to the input device based on the second resulting signals.

Assignees

• Synaptics Inc

Inventors

• Reynolds Joseph Kurth
• Morein Stephen L

Classifications

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F1/3262

  Power saving in digitizer or tablet · 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

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F1/3228

  Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands · CPC title