Combined capacitive sensing

A capacitive sensing input device comprising:

• a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in a sensor electrode pattern;
• and
• a processing system configured to operate said sensor electrodes to perform simultaneous absolute capacitive sensing and transcapacitive sensing, wherein said processing system is configured to:
• drive a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern;
• drive a second modulated signal on a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein said second modulated signal has a phase opposite that of said modulated signal, and wherein said modulated signal and said second modulated signal are driven concurrently;
• receive first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receive second resulting signals from said second sensor electrode, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• and
• determine a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and a change in capacitive coupling between said first and second sensor electrodes based on said second resulting signals.

A method of capacitive sensing, said method comprising:

• driving a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of a sensor electrode pattern;
• driving a second modulated signal on a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein said second modulated signal has a phase opposite that of said modulated signal, and wherein said modulated signal and said second modulated signal are driven concurrently;
• receiving first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receiving second resulting signals from said second sensor electrode, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• and
• determining a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and change in capacitive coupling between said first and second sensor electrodes based on said second resulting signals.

A method of capacitive sensing, said method comprising:

• driving a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of a sensor electrode pattern;
• driving a second modulated signal onto a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein in said modulated signal and said second modulated signal are driven during explicitly different time periods;
• receiving first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receiving second resulting signals from said second sensor electrode, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• determining a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and change in capacitive coupling between said first and second sensor electrodes based on said second resulting signals;
• receiving third resulting signals from said second sensor electrode, said third resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said second modulated signal;
• receiving fourth resulting signals from said first sensor electrode, said fourth resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said second modulated signal, and wherein said third resulting signals and said fourth resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• and
• determining a change in capacitive coupling between an input object and said second sensor electrode based on said third resulting signals and change in capacitive coupling between said first and second sensor electrodes based on said fourth resulting signals.

A processing system comprising:

• a sensor module comprising sensing circuitry coupled to sensor electrodes of a sensor electrode pattern, said sensor module configured to:
• drive a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern;
• receive first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• and
• receive second resulting signals from a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, wherein said second sensor electrode is one of a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed along a first axis of said sensor electrode pattern, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• receive third resulting signals with a third sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein said third sensor electrode is one of a second plurality of sensor electrodes disposed along a second axis of said sensor electrode pattern that is substantially orthogonal to said first axis, and wherein said third resulting signals are received simultaneously with said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals;
• drive a second modulated signal onto said third sensor electrode;
• receive fourth resulting signals with said third sensor electrode;
• receive fifth resulting signals with said first sensor electrode and sixth resulting signals with said second sensor electrode, wherein said fifth resulting signals and said sixth resulting signals comprise effects corresponding to said modulated signal;
• and
• a determination module configured to:
• determine a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and a change in capacitive coupling between said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode based on said second resulting signals;
• and
• based on said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth resulting signals, determine a first capacitive image along said first axis, a second capacitive image along said second axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said first axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said second axis, a transcapacitive profile along said first axis, and a transcapacitive profile along said second axis.

A capacitive sensing input device comprising:

• a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in a sensor electrode pattern;
• and
• a processing system configured to operate said sensor electrodes to perform simultaneous absolute capacitive sensing and transcapacitive sensing, wherein said processing system is configured to:
• drive a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern;
• receive first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receive second resulting signals from a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, wherein said second sensor electrode is one of a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed along a first axis of said sensor electrode pattern, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• receive third resulting signals with a third sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein said third resulting signals are received simultaneously with said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals, wherein said third sensor electrode is one of a second plurality of sensor electrodes disposed along a second axis of said sensor electrode pattern that is substantially orthogonal to said first axis;
• drive a second modulated signal onto said third sensor electrode;
• receive fourth resulting signals with said third sensor electrode;
• receive fifth resulting signals with said first sensor electrode and sixth resulting signals with said second sensor electrode, wherein said fifth resulting signals and said sixth resulting signals comprise effects corresponding to said second modulated signal;
• determine a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and a change in capacitive coupling between said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode based on said second resulting signals;
• and
• based on said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth resulting signals, determine a first capacitive image along said first axis, a second capacitive image along said second axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said first axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said second axis, a transcapacitive profile along said first axis, and a transcapacitive profile along said second axis.

A method of capacitive sensing, said method comprising:

• driving a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of a sensor electrode pattern;
• receiving first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receiving second resulting signals from a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• driving a second modulated signal on a third sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, wherein said modulated signal and said second modulated signal are simultaneously driven, and wherein said modulated signal and said second modulated signal are discrete signals based on different ones of a plurality of codes;
• receiving third resulting signals from said third sensor electrode, wherein said second resulting signals further comprise effects corresponding to said second modulated signal, and
• determining a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and change in capacitive coupling between said first and second sensor electrodes based on said second resulting signals.

A method of capacitive sensing with a sensor electrode pattern, wherein said sensor electrode pattern comprises a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed along a first axis and a second plurality of sensor electrode disposed along a second axis, wherein said first axis is substantially orthogonal to said second axis, said method comprising:

• driving a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern;
• receiving first resulting signals from said first sensor electrode;
• receiving second resulting signals from a second sensor electrode of said sensor electrode pattern, said second resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said modulated signal, wherein said first plurality of sensor electrodes comprises said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode, and wherein said first resulting signals and said second resulting signals are simultaneously received;
• and
• receiving third resulting signals with a third sensor electrode of said second plurality of sensor electrodes, wherein said third resulting signals comprise effects corresponding to said modulated signal;
• driving a second modulated signal onto said third sensor electrode;
• receiving fourth resulting signals with said third sensor electrode;
• receiving fifth resulting signals with said first sensor electrode, said fifth resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said second modulated signal;
• receiving sixth resulting signals with said second sensor electrode, said sixth resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to said second modulated signal;
• determining a capacitive coupling between an input object and said first sensor electrode based on said first resulting signals and change in capacitive coupling between said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode based on said second resulting signals;
• and
• determining a first capacitive image along said first axis, a second capacitive image along said second axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said first axis, an absolute capacitive profile along said second axis, a transcapacitive profile along said first axis, and a transcapacitive profile along said second axis based on said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth resulting signals.