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US 2018/0004320 A1Published application
Combined force and touch sensor
AssigneeSynaptics Incorporated
InventorsIgor POLISHCHUK, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure generally provides input devices, processing systems and methods for touch and force sensing utilizing combination sensor conductors. The combination sensor conductors are configurable as capacitive sensor conductors and force sensor conductors via operation of a processing system.
Claims20
An input device comprising
- an input surface;
- a plurality of combination sensor conductors comprising:
- a first combination sensor conductor configurable between being a first capacitive sensor conductor of a plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a first force sensor conductor, the first capacitive sensor conductor and the first force sensor conductor sharing a same first conductive portion;
- and
- a second combination sensor conductor configurable between being a second capacitive sensor conductor of the plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a second force sensor conductor, the second capacitive sensor conductor and the second force sensor conductor sharing a same second conductive portion;
- a display configured to display images through the input surface;
- and
- a processing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of combination sensor conductors, the processing system configured to:
- determine positional information for an input object present in a sensing region overlapping the input surface using at least the first capacitive sensor conductor of the plurality of capacitive sensor conductors;
- and
- determine force applied to the input surface of the display by the input object based on a change in a first resistance across the first force sensor conductor and a change in a second resistance across the second force sensor conductor.
8 more elements
A processing system for an input device, comprising:
- a driver module configured to:
- drive a plurality of combination sensor conductors during a first mode for capacitive sensing, the plurality of combination sensor conductors comprising:
- a first combination sensor conductor configurable between being a first capacitive sensor conductor of a plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a first force sensor conductor of a plurality of force sensor conductors, the first capacitive sensor conductor and the first force sensor conductor sharing a same first conductive portion;
- and
- a second combination sensor conductor configurable between being a second capacitive sensor conductor of the plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a second force sensor conductor of the plurality of force sensor conductors, the second capacitive sensor conductor and the second force sensor conductor sharing a same second conductive portion;
- and
- drive at least the first and second force sensor conductors during a second mode;
- and
- a receiver module configured to:
- receive first resulting signals indicative of a position of the input object interfacing with an input surface of the input device while the driver module is operating in the first mode, and
- receive second resulting signals indicative of a force of the input object interfacing with the input surface while the driver module is operating in the second mode.
8 more elements
A method for sensing force and position using an input device, comprising:
- driving a plurality of combination sensor conductors during a first mode, the plurality of combination sensor conductors comprising:
- a first combination sensor conductor configurable between being a first capacitive sensor conductor of a plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a first force sensor conductor of a plurality of force sensor conductors, the first capacitive sensor conductor and the first force sensor conductor sharing a same first conductive portion;
- and
- a second combination sensor conductor configurable between being a second capacitive sensor conductor of the plurality of capacitive sensor conductors and a second force sensor conductor of the plurality of force sensor conductors, the second capacitive sensor conductor and the second force sensor conductor sharing a same second conductive portion;
- and
- driving the first force sensor conductor of the plurality of the force sensor conductors during a second mode;
- determining a position of an input object interfacing with an input surface of the input device from resulting signals comprising effects of at least one signal driven during the first mode on the plurality of combination sensor conductors;
- and
- determining force of the input object applied to the input surface based on a first change in resistance across the first force sensor conductor and a second change in resistance across the second force sensor conductor occurring during the second mode.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.