Finger tracking in an input device with proximity sensing
AssigneeCirque Corporation
InventorsJared G. Bytheway, David C. Taylor, Jon Alan Bertrand
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for increasing the proximity sensing distance of a touch and proximity sensitive touch sensor to thereby enable greater distance of detectability of a user in a proximity sensing mode of a touch sensor by driving a time varying voltage or drive signal onto a user who is also holding a touch sensor with at least one hand, and then sensing the drive signal from the user's fingers or thumb on sense electrodes that are on the touch sensor when the fingers are within a proximity sensing distance of sense electrodes in the touch sensor.
Claims12
A system for increasing a proximity sensing distance of a touch and proximity sensor, said touch and proximity sensor system comprised of:
- a housing for the touch and proximity sensor system;
- a power supply;
- a drive signal generator for generating a drive signal;
- at least one drive electrode for receiving the drive signal from the drive signal generator;
- at least one sense electrode, wherein the at least one sense electrode is capacitively coupled indirectly to the drive signal from the at least one drive electrode;
- a sense circuit for receiving the capacitively coupled drive signal on the at least one sense electrode;
- and
- a detectable object that receives the drive signal from the at least drive electrode, wherein the at least one sense electrode detects the drive electrode on the detectable object to thereby indirectly detect the drive signal from the drive electrode, wherein the detectable object is detectable by the sense circuit at a greater distance than if the detectable object did not receive the drive signal.
A method for increasing a proximity sensing distance of a touch and proximity sensor, said method comprising:
- providing a housing for the touch and proximity sensor system, providing a power supply;
- providing a drive signal generator for generating a drive signal, providing at least one drive electrode for receiving the drive signal, providing at least one sense electrode, wherein the at least one sense electrode is capacitively coupled indirectly to the drive signal from the at least one drive electrode, providing a sense circuit for receiving the capacitively coupled drive signal on the at least one sense electrode, and providing a detectable object that receives the drive signal from the at least drive electrode;
- generating the drive signal on the at least one drive electrode;
- transferring the drive signal from the at least one drive electrode to the detectable object;
- capacitively coupling the drive signal on the detectable object to the at least one sense electrode;
- and
- detecting the detectable object using the sense circuit, wherein the detectable object is detectable by the sense circuit at a greater distance than if the detectable object did not receive the drive signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.