Breaking code execution based on time consumption
Granted: November 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9489287
An on-chip system uses a time measurement circuit to trap code that takes longer than expected to execute by breaking code execution on excess time consumption.
Noise reduction in capacitive touch sensors
Granted: November 8, 2016
Patent Number:
9489072
In touch sensitive display devices, the display scanning circuitry responsible for driving images of the panel screen can cause noise on the electrodes of nearby touch sensors. The display controller circuit and/or the touch sensor controller circuit of the exemplary touchscreen display devices may be configured to reduce such noise during the touch sensor acquisition cycle by implementing one or more of several techniques in which a portion of each of the sensor acquisition cycles…
Active stylus with fractional clock-cycle timing
Granted: November 1, 2016
Patent Number:
9483129
In one embodiment, a method performed by an active stylus includes wirelessly receiving a synchronization signal from a touch controller. The method also includes determining a synchronization parameter of the synchronization signal, the synchronization parameter including an integer part and a fractional part, the integer part representing a positive integer multiple of an active-stylus clock period and the fractional part representing a fractional portion of the active-stylus clock…
Circuit, system and method for communication between two nodes of a radio network
Granted: October 25, 2016
Patent Number:
9479952
A first node of a radio network initiates a mode for finding the range to a second node. The first node transmits to the second node, with the address of the second node, a range finding command, which switches the second node into the range finding mode and controls a sequence. The first node transmits in a transmission time window a first signal, which is received by the second node in an associated reception time window, a first phase value of the first signal being measured. The…
Touch sensor having a single sensor layer
Granted: October 25, 2016
Patent Number:
9478189
In one aspect, a touch sensor includes a dielectric surface layer; drive electrodes disposed on the dielectric surface layer and arranged radially about a center, the drive electrodes defining a perimeter about the center, and a sense electrode disposed on the dielectric surface layer and arranged between two of the drive electrodes. Each drive electrode can include: an outer radial section extending radially along the perimeter; a central section extending from the outer radial section…
System bus transaction queue reallocation
Granted: October 18, 2016
Patent Number:
9471524
A bus architecture is disclosed that provides for transaction queue reallocation on the modules communicating using the bus. A module can implement a transaction request queue by virtue of digital electronic circuitry, e.g., hardware or software or a combination of both. Some bus clogging issues that affect conventional systems can be circumvented by combining an out of order system bus protocol that uses a transaction request replay mechanism. Modules can evict less urgent transactions…
Flexible touch sensor input device
Granted: October 18, 2016
Patent Number:
9471185
In one embodiment, an input device includes a flexible outer layer and a flexible touch sensor layer. The flexible outer layer is formed from a solidified material. The flexible touch sensor includes a substrate and a plurality of electrodes coupled to at least one side of the substrate. The electrodes are operable to detect touches of the flexible outer layer. Each of the electrodes have a shape formed by a plurality of lines of metal, which may be fine lines of metal (FLM), that occupy…
Measuring power consumption of circuit component operating in ultra-low power mode
Granted: October 18, 2016
Patent Number:
9470725
By powering an electronic component operating in an ultra-low power mode from a pre-charged measuring capacitor and measuring the time to discharge the capacitor to a trip voltage level, measurement data can be obtained. In some implementations, the capacitance of the capacitor can be obtained by adding a known current to the unknown current drawn from the capacitor and calculating the capacitance using a mathematical formula.
Method for forming a capacitive touch sensor for identifying a fingerprint
Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number:
9465491
A method of forming a capacitive sensor includes forming a capacitive touch position sensor including a first plurality electrodes sense electrodes and drive electrodes in a touch sensing area of a capacitive sensor. The first plurality of sense electrodes and drive electrodes are configured to enable detection of the presence and position of a touch in the touch sensing area. The method also includes forming a capacitive finger print sensor including a second plurality of sense…
Optical-band visibility for touch-sensor mesh designs
Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number:
9465499
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other and second lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other. The first lines extend across the display at a first angle relative to a first axis, and the second lines extend across the display at a second angle relative to the…
Curved surface sensor pattern
Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number:
9465490
A touch sensor includes a flexible substrate, a plurality of sense electrodes and a plurality of drive electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate, a plurality of electrode branches, and a central spine. Each of the plurality of sense and drive electrodes includes electrode teeth, and electrode teeth of the sense electrodes are interdigitated with electrode teeth of the drive electrodes. Each particular electrode branch includes a portion of at least one of the drive electrodes and a…
Randomized mesh design
Granted: October 11, 2016
Patent Number:
9465489
In one embodiment, an apparatus may include a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material. The mesh includes a number of mesh cells that each have a number of vertices. Each of the vertices has a substantially randomized location within an annulus centered at a seed location of the vertex. The apparatus may also include one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media coupled to the touch sensor and embodying logic that is configured when executed to control the…
Proximity detection using multiple inputs
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9459737
In one embodiment, a method includes determining, by a capacitive touch sensor of a device, a presence of an object; activating an optical sensor of the device in response to determining the presence of the object; and determining, by the optical sensor of the device, a touch or proximity input within a proximity-sensing volume.
Scaling voltage for data communication between active stylus and touch-sensor device
Granted: October 4, 2016
Patent Number:
9459709
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a data-transmitting component and a data-receiving component. The data-transmitting component is operable to: select a set of first reference values and a set of second reference values respectively indicating a lower bound and an upper bound of a range of values; respectively represent the set of first reference values and the set of second reference values as a set of first pulses and a set of second pulses; represent a set of analog values as…
Touch-sensor mesh design for display with complex-shaped sub-pixels
Granted: September 27, 2016
Patent Number:
9454252
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a touch sensor that includes a mesh of conductive material configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes multiple first lines and multiple second lines of conductive material. The first lines are substantially parallel to each other, and the second lines are substantially parallel to each other. The display includes multiple pixels that each include sub-pixels. Each of the pixels has a first pixel pitch (PPx) along a first axis and a…
Simultaneous touch sensor scanning and display refreshing for minimizing display degradation for display-embedded touch sensors
Granted: September 20, 2016
Patent Number:
9448659
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request to refresh a display for a refresh period, wherein the display is coupled to a touch sensor operable to detect touch input at the display. The method also includes refreshing a first portion of the display and activating the touch sensor at a second portion of the display different from the first portion of the display during a first portion of the refresh period. The method further includes, during a second portion of the refresh…
Noise measurement in capacitive touch sensors
Granted: September 20, 2016
Patent Number:
9448267
In certain embodiments, an apparatus comprises a charge-measurement capacitor and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to provide a pre-determined amount of charge to the charge-measurement capacitor and transfer an accumulated amount of charge on a sense electrode to the charge-measurement capacitor, the accumulated amount of charge having accumulated on the sense electrode due at least in part to noise. The circuitry is configured measure a voltage of the charge-measurement capacitor…
Touch sensor with integrated antenna
Granted: September 13, 2016
Patent Number:
9442535
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes one or more flexible substrates having flexible conductive material disposed thereon and a radiating element disposed on a first region of the flexible substrates. The radiating element includes a first portion of the flexible conductive material. The apparatus includes a touch-sensing area disposed on a second region of the flexible substrates. The touch-sensing area includes multiple electrodes that each include a respective second portion of…
Sense amplifier
Granted: September 13, 2016
Patent Number:
9444408
A sense amplifier measures a state of a memory cell coupled to a sense node. The sense amplifier receives a control signal to enable the sense amplifier. The sense amplifier generates a voltage based on an amplifier current that is based on a sense current flowing through the sense node. The sense amplifier generates a feedback current based on the voltage to compensate variations of the sense current. The sense amplifier receives a reference control signal to enable a reference circuit…
System and method for using signals resulting from signal transmission in a touch sensor
Granted: September 13, 2016
Patent Number:
9442599
In an embodiment, a system includes a controller coupled to a first set of electrodes. The first set of electrodes are substantially arranged along a first axis. The controller is configured to send a first set of signals through a transmission medium to a first set of electrodes and receive a second set of signals. The impedance of the transmission medium is different than the impedance of the first set of electrodes. The second set of signals include characteristics resulting from…
