Touch sensor with touch object discrimination
Granted: March 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10222912
In one embodiment, a method includes conducting a first signal to a first source electrode external to a touch sensor. The first source electrode is capacitively coupled to the touch sensor through a touch object. The method further includes measuring a mutual capacitance between the first source electrode and the first measuring electrode. The method further includes identifying, based at least in part on the measured mutual capacitance and using a controller of the touch sensor, the…
Memory emulation mechanism
Granted: February 12, 2019
Patent Number:
10204057
In an embodiment, a method comprises: obtaining a virtual bus address; translating the virtual bus address to a physical address of a portion of NVM storing first data; determining that the first portion of NVM has been allocated previously; reading the first data from the first portion of NVM; determining whether writing second data to the first portion of the NVM would change one or more bits in the first data; responsive to the determining that a write operation only changes data bits…
Reference voltage circuits in microcontroller systems
Granted: February 12, 2019
Patent Number:
10203743
A microcontroller system includes a higher power reference voltage circuit and a lower power reference voltage circuit configured to draw less power than the higher power reference voltage circuit when enabled. The system includes a power state logic controller configured to enable the lower power reference voltage circuit to provide a first regulated voltage during a power saving mode, and, on exiting the power saving mode, enable the higher power reference voltage circuit to provide a…
Generic randomized mesh design
Granted: February 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10200033
In one embodiment, an apparatus may include a first mesh of conductive material covering an area corresponding to at least a portion of the touch sensor. The first mesh includes a number of mesh cells. Each of the mesh cells has a number of vertices. Each of the vertices has a substantially randomized location within an inner portion of one of a number of polygons. The polygons collectively and contiguously covers the area corresponding to at least a portion of the touch sensor. One or…
Self-setting/resetting latch
Granted: February 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10200017
A self-setting/resetting latch circuit is disclosed that includes resistive loads for inverters used for setting and clearing the latch. In a first embodiment, the resistive loads cause the latch circuit to automatically set in response to a power supply voltage going low. In an alternate embodiment, the latch circuit is configured to be self-resetting or self-clearing when the power supply voltage goes low by reversing the set and clear terminals of the latch circuit and selecting a…
Integrated touch screen
Granted: February 5, 2019
Patent Number:
10199439
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display stack for a touch-sensitive screen. The display stack comprises a plurality of layers in which a top layer comprises a substantially transparent cover layer. The display stack is configured to display a color image. The apparatus also includes a touch sensor provided within the display stack. The touch sensor comprises a plurality of first conductive electrodes contacting a layer of a subset of the plurality of layers of the display…
Touch-screen panel with multiple controllers
Granted: January 22, 2019
Patent Number:
10185417
This document discloses, systems, methods, and articles of manufacture, related to position sensors and uses of such sensors. Multiple panels can be arranged in close proximity to one another and one or more sense or drives lines associated with each respective panel can be associated with a control circuit of the other adjacent panel.
Touch detection
Granted: January 15, 2019
Patent Number:
10180763
A method includes driving, by a first driver circuit, a current through an electrode and detecting, by a sensing system, a touch based on a change in capacitance at the electrode. The first driver circuit includes a first operational transconductance amplifier and a first current mirror. A second current mirror is coupled to the sensing system. A first switch is coupled to the first current mirror. A second switch is coupled to the first current mirror and the first operational…
Touch sensor mode transitioning
Granted: January 8, 2019
Patent Number:
10175741
In one embodiment, a touch sensor controller includes a processor and a monitoring component coupled to the processor. The monitoring component is configured to perform operations comprising receiving, from an impact sensor, an output signal. The output signal is indicative of a plurality of impacts detected by the impact sensor to a surface of a housing of a device. The monitoring component is further configured to perform operations comprising initiating, based on the output signal…
Breaking code execution based on time consumption
Granted: January 8, 2019
Patent Number:
10176076
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.
Suspension of touch sensor scan based on an expected interference
Granted: December 25, 2018
Patent Number:
10162464
In certain embodiments, a touch sensor controller estimates an area of a display screen that a display controller will update at a first time and estimates an area of a touch sensor that the touch sensor controller is expected to scan at the first time. The touch sensor controller further identifies an expected interference based on a comparison between the update of the estimated area of the display screen by the display controller at the first time and the scan of the estimated area of…
Automatic gain control for received signal strength indication
Granted: December 18, 2018
Patent Number:
10158336
In some implementations, an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit comprises: a pre-divider circuit operable to pre-divide an input signal according to a pre-divider circuit setting and output a pre-divided signal; a pre-amplifier operable to pre-amplify the pre-divided signal and output a pre-amplified signal; a post-divider circuit operable to post-divide the pre-amplified signal according to a post-divider circuit setting; an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) operable to generate a…
Touchscreen electrode arrangement
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10146382
An assembly has an array of first electrodes distributed across an active area of the touchscreen assembly such that the density of first electrodes increases in a first direction across the touchscreen. An array of second electrodes is distributed across an active area of the touchscreen assembly such that the density of second electrodes decreases in the first direction across the touchscreen.
Driven shield for shaping an electric field of a touch sensor
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10146361
In one embodiment, a method comprises generating, by a control unit, a first drive signal and a second drive signal. The method further includes emitting, by a touch sensor, a first electric field that extends in a plurality of directions in response to reception of the first drive signal. The method also includes attenuating, by a conductive shield, a portion of the first electric field that extends from the touch sensor towards the conductive shield by generating a second electric…
Position-sensing and force detection panel
Granted: December 4, 2018
Patent Number:
10146351
In one embodiment, a sensor includes a voltage driver operable to provide an alternating voltage and an integrator circuit. The sensor further includes a first variable resistance element coupled to a first output of the voltage driver and an input of the integrator circuit. The integrator circuit is operable to measure a parameter of the first variable resistance element over a period of time. The sensor further includes circuitry operable to determine, based on the measured parameter,…
Method and system for determining stylus tilt in relation to a touch-sensing device
Granted: November 20, 2018
Patent Number:
10133369
In one embodiment, a method includes determining, by a processor of a stylus, a tilt direction of the stylus based on respective first signal strengths at a plurality of receivers. The tilt direction comprises a direction of the stylus along an axis of a touch-sensing device. The method further includes generating, by the processor of the stylus, a response signal comprising information indicative of the tilt direction of the stylus.
Method and apparatus to measure self-capacitance using a single pin
Granted: November 13, 2018
Patent Number:
10126340
A method may include controlling a first switch to charge a reference capacitor to a first voltage level by applying a first voltage. The method may also include receiving a first analog signal from a touch sensor electrode at an input of an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and converting the first analog signal to a first digital value provided at an output of the ADC. In certain embodiments, the method may additionally include controlling a second switch to charge the reference…
Microcontroller including power supply monitoring
Granted: November 13, 2018
Patent Number:
10126337
A microcontroller is operable to monitor power supply levels corresponding, respectively, to a first power supply (e.g., a main power supply) and a second power supply (e.g., a battery backup power supply). In one or more modes of operation, the same brownout detector in the microcontroller alternately monitors signals corresponding, respectively, to the first and second power supply levels.
Touch sensor mesh designs
Granted: November 6, 2018
Patent Number:
10120489
In one embodiment, a touch sensor includes a substrate and a mesh of conductive material formed on the substrate and configured to extend across a display. The mesh includes first lines of conductive material that are substantially parallel to each other. The first lines extend across at least a portion of the display at a first angle relative to a first axis. The first lines are separated from each other along the first axis by a sequence of separation distances having corresponding…
Touch sensor compensation circuit
Granted: November 6, 2018
Patent Number:
10120513
An apparatus includes an integrator circuit, a compensation circuit, and a sense circuit. The compensation circuit applies a positive charge and a negative charge to the integrator circuit during a first time period and a second time period respectively. The integrator circuit integrates a signal and the positive charge to produce a first sense signal. The signal is based on a charge at an electrode of a touch sensor. The integrator circuit integrates the signal and the negative charge…
