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US 11,231,808 B2Granted
Dual measurement for high sensitivity capacitive sensing applications and related systems, methods and devices
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorsFeargal Cleary, Rian Whelan
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Abstract
Disclosed embodiments relate, generally, to a dual measurement technique for capacitance sensing, and related systems and methods. In one embodiment, a capacitance sensing method characterized by moisture tolerance is performed and another capacitance sensing method characterized by proximity tolerance is performed. In one embodiment, the method characterized by moisture tolerance is a driven-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement, and the method characterized by proximity tolerance is a grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement.
Claims20
A capacitive sensing circuitry, comprising:
- a sensor comprising electrodes and shielding for the electrodes, the sensor configured to generate measurable signals responsive to capacitive changes at or near the sensor;
- and
- a touch controller configured to:
- perform a capacitive sensing measurement using the measureable signals, the capacitive sensing measurement comprising:
- a driven-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement comprising providing a driven-shield signal to at least part of the shielding of the sensor;
- and
- a grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement comprising providing a ground signal to at least part of the shielding of the sensor and performing a self-capacitance sensing measurement;
- and
- detect a touch responsive to both:
- a determination that the driven-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement exceeds a first threshold value;
- and
- a determination that the grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing measurement exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value different from the first threshold value.
9 more elements
A touch processor, comprising:
- a computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions stored thereon;
- and
- a processing core configured to execute the computer-readable instructions, the computer readable instructions including modules of executable code, the modules of executable code including:
- a grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing module configured to perform a self-capacitance sensing measurement after providing a ground signal to a shielding of an electrode of a touch sensor;
- and
- a driven-shield self-capacitance sensing module configured to perform a self-capacitance sensing measurement while providing a driven shield to the shielding of the electrode of the touch sensor;
- wherein the processing core is configured to report a touch responsive to both:
- a determination, by the grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing module, that the self-capacitance sensing measurement after providing the ground signal to the shielding exceeds a first threshold value;
- and
- a determination, by the driven-shield self-capacitance sensing module, that the self-capacitance sensing measurement while providing the driven shield exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value different from the first threshold value.
7 more elements
A dual measurement sensing method, comprising:
- performing a driven-shield self-capacitance sensing operation;
- determining a first sensing result responsive to determining that a first measurement of the performed driven-shield self-capacitance sensing operation exceeds a first threshold value;
- performing a grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing operation;
- determining a second sensing result responsive to determining that a second measurement of the performed grounded-shield self-capacitance sensing operation exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value different from the first threshold value;
- and
- determining a touch result responsive to both the first measurement exceeding the first threshold value and the second sensing result exceeding the second threshold value.
3 more elements
A capacitive sensing system, comprising:
- a sensor comprising electrodes and sense lines;
- an acquisition circuitry operatively coupled to the sense lines;
- and
- a touch processor operatively coupled to the acquisition circuitry and the sensor, the touch processor configured to detect a touch event responsive to both a first capacitive sensing measurement exceeding a first threshold value and a second capacitive sensing measurement exceeding a second threshold value, the second threshold value different from the first threshold value, wherein one of the first and second capacitive sensing measurements is characterized by moisture tolerance and the other of the first and second capacitive sensing measurements is characterized by proximity detection tolerance.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.