Cypress Semiconductor Patent Applications

Force Sensing Capacitive Hybrid Touch Sensor

Granted: April 12, 2012
Application Number: 20120086666
A method for detecting a magnitude of force applied to a capacitive sensor array may comprise receiving a plurality of capacitance measurements affected by a contact at a touch-sensing surface, and determining a magnitude of a force applied to the touch-sensing surface at a location of the contact based on the location of the contact and a capacitance measurement of the first plurality of capacitance measurements.

Utilitzing USB Resources

Granted: April 5, 2012
Application Number: 20120084470
At least one downstream interface may be configured to be simultaneously connected to both a USB 3.0 compliant device and a USB 2.0 compliant device. The interface may be used for communicating with a USB 3.0 compliant device via a downstream port and simultaneously communicating with a USB 2.0 compliant device via the downstream port.

WIRELESS LOCATING AND MONITORING SYSTEM

Granted: March 29, 2012
Application Number: 20120078441
A wireless tracking device including a positioning system for determining a location of the device and a processor connected to the positioning system. The wireless tracking device further including a wireless radio connected to the processor for transmitting the location of the device across a wireless area network. A vehicle monitoring system including a sensor, a microcontroller configured to receive a sensor input from the sensor and determine a vehicle condition data, and a wireless…

CAPACITIVE STYLUS FOR A TOUCH SCREEN

Granted: March 22, 2012
Application Number: 20120068964
A system comprising a sensing device and a capacitive sense array configured to track the position of a stylus and synchronize the capacitive sense array to the stylus transmit signal. The system is configured to track the position of both a stylus and a passive touch object. The system is further configured to track the position of the stylus using self capacitance sensing and track the position of the passive touch object using mutual capacitance sensing. The system further configured…

CAPACITANCE SENSING SYSTEMS, CIRCUITS AND METHODS THAT INCLUDE CURRENT CONVEYOR BASED OSCILLATORS

Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number: 20120049868
A capacitance sensing system may include a current conveyor circuit coupled to receive induced current from a capacitance sensing structure at a low impedance current input port; and a comparator having an input coupled to a high impedance output port of the current conveyor circuit, and an output coupled to the current conveyor circuit by a feedback path and coupled to drive the capacitance sensing structure to generate the induced current.

NOISE SUPPRESSION AND/OR REDUCTION CIRCUITS AND METHODS FOR CAPACITANCE SENSING SYSTEMS

Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number: 20120049869
A capacitance sensing system can include a noise detector coupled to a capacitance sensing network that generates a noise detect signal in response to noise; a delay circuit coupled to generate at least two different delayed sense signals in response to outputs from the capacitance sensing network; and a switch circuit that selectively outputs one of the delayed sense signals in response to the noise detect signal. Particular embodiments can include selectively discarding discrete analog…

SMART SCANNING FOR A CAPACITIVE SENSE ARRAY

Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number: 20120050216
A method and apparatus scan a plurality of scan groups in a capacitive sense array to generate signals corresponding to a mutual capacitance between the electrodes. Each of the plurality of scan groups is formed from a subset of the plurality of electrodes. A processing device identifies a scan group where the generated signal is affected by a presence of a conductive object. The processing device individually scans the subset of the plurality of sense elements in the identified scan…

Methods and Apparatus to Determine Position Error of a Calculated Position

Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number: 20120050221
A method and apparatus receive a plurality of signals that are used to calculate a position of a conductive object relative to a capacitive sensor element and determine an estimated position error through the plurality of signals, the estimated position error to offset a position error of the calculated position.

ADAPTING AUDIO SIGNALS TO A CHANGE IN DEVICE ORIENTATION

Granted: March 1, 2012
Application Number: 20120051567
Left and right stereo channels L and R are provided to a first set of two or more speakers of a speaker array. A bass signal B is applied to a second set of one or more speakers of the speaker array. The level of L and R applied to the first set of speakers is increased as the first set of speakers is rotated to become more horizontally aligned. The level of B applied to the first set of speakers is decreased as the first set of speakers is rotated to become more horizontally aligned.

SELF SHIELDING CAPACITANCE SENSING PANEL

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044198
A self-shielding capacitive sensor array may include a first plurality of sensor elements and a second plurality of sensor elements, where each of the second plurality of sensor elements intersects each of the first plurality of sensor elements, such that each of the first plurality of sensor elements may be capacitively coupled with each of the second plurality of sensor elements. The first plurality of sensor elements may be configured to shield each of the second plurality of sensor…

Capacitive Sensor Arrangement

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044197
An example capacitive sensor arrangement includes an integrated member residing within an interior region of a capacitive sensor element. The capacitive sensor element has a first resistance to a flow of current and the integrated member has a second resistance to the flow of current that is less than the first resistance.

TRACE PATTERN FOR TOUCH-SENSING APPLICATION

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044193
One embodiment of a capacitive sensor array comprises a plurality of row sensor elements including a first row sensor element, a plurality of column sensor elements including a first column sensor element, and a plurality of unit cells, wherein a first unit cell contains an intersection between the first row sensor element and the first column sensor element, and wherein a ratio between 1) a boundary length between the first row sensor element and the first column sensor element within…

Method and Apparatus for Identification of Touch Panels

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044188
A method for configuring a touchscreen controller may include identifying a model of a touchscreen by measuring a capacitance or resistance of at least one element integrated in the touchscreen, identifying the model of the touchscreen based on the measured capacitance or resistance, and configuring the touchscreen controller based on the identified model of the touchscreen.

Capacitive Touch Screen

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044187
One embodiment in accordance with the invention can include a capacitive touch screen. The capacitive touch screen includes a substantially transparent substrate and a plurality of electrodes formed on the substantially transparent substrate. The plurality of electrodes are substantially parallel in a first direction and each of the plurality of electrodes includes a layer of light altering material.

Touch Identification for Multi-Touch Technology

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120044150
A method of operating a touch-sensing surface may include determining a first plurality of contact locations including a first contact location, determining a second plurality of contact locations including a second contact location, performing a first correlation process for correlating the second contact location with the first contact location when the number of contacts is less than or equal to a first threshold number, and performing a second correlation process for correlating the…

Mutual Capacitance Sensing Circuits, Methods and Systems

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120043977
A capacitance sensing system may include a first selection circuit that couples N electrodes of a first electrode set to a capacitance sense circuit; and a second selection circuit that couples M electrodes of a second electrode set, substantially simultaneously, to a signal generator circuit as a group to induce current in the N electrodes by mutual capacitance between the M and N electrodes; wherein N is at least one, and M>N.

METHODS AND CIRCUITS FOR MEASURING MUTUAL AND SELF CAPACITANCE

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120043971
A capacitance measurement circuit for measuring self and mutual capacitances may include a first electrode capacitively coupled with a second electrode, a first plurality of switches coupled with the first electrode, and a second plurality of switches coupled with the second electrode, wherein, during a first operation stage, the first plurality of switches is configured to apply a first initial voltage to the first electrode and the second plurality of switches is configured to apply a…

Automatic Tuning of a Capacitive Sensing Device

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120043970
An apparatus, system and method for automatically tuning a capacitance sensor based on comparisons of measured capacitance values to expected values and ranges of values is described. Measured capacitance is converted to a digital value with a capacitance to digital converter. The digital value is use to adjust the range, resolution, baseline offset and thresholds of the capacitance sensor according to logic executed by a controller and stored in programs in a memory.

Toothed Slider

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120043141
An example method includes measuring a capacitance variation of a first conductive element and a capacitance variation of a second conductive element. The example method includes calculating a centroid position through the measured capacitance variation of the first conductive element and the measured capacitance variation of the second conductive element. A conductive sub-element of the first conductive element may be interleaved with a conductive sub-element of the second conductive…

TOUCH SENSING

Granted: February 23, 2012
Application Number: 20120043140
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a plurality of capacitors, each having a first electrode and a second electrode. The apparatus includes charging circuitry coupled to the first electrodes and sensing circuitry coupled to the second electrodes, the sensing circuitry configured to detect changes in capacitance across the capacitors responsive to movement of an input object relative to the apparatus. Interpolating circuitry identifies which one of the capacitors is nearest to the…