Patents by Inventor David Hoch

David Hoch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10788939
    Abstract: An input device including a sensing region is disclosed. The input device includes: sensor circuitry configured to: operate, during a first timeslot, electrodes as a first cluster; and operate, during a second timeslot, the electrodes as a second cluster, where the electrodes are aligned with an axis, and where at least one of the electrodes operates as a transmitter in the first cluster and as a receiver in the second cluster; and determination circuitry configured to: determine a first set of signal values associated with a first set of electrodes in the first cluster; determine a second set of signal values associated with a second set of electrodes in the second cluster; and generate a profile for the sensing region based on the first set of signal values and the second set of signal values, where the profile reflects an input object in the sensing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Katayoun Goudarzi, John Weinerth, Derek Solven, David Hoch
  • Patent number: 10732765
    Abstract: The invention relates to a processing system. The processing system includes a sensor module performing a first measurement to obtain a combination signal using a first sensor electrode and a second sensor electrode. The first electrode is driven using a first modulated signal with a first driving voltage amplitude and simultaneously the second electrode is driven using a second modulated signal with a second driving voltage amplitude greater than the first driving voltage amplitude, while simultaneously first and second resulting signals are received from the first and second electrodes, respectively. The sensor module is further performs a second measurement to obtain a transcapacitance signal using the first and second sensor electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: David Hoch, John Weinerth
  • Patent number: 10725582
    Abstract: The invention relates to a processing system. The processing system includes a determination module configured to make a determination that a low ground mass condition associated with an input device exists in an initial combination signal obtained from a sensor module using initial sensor settings. Based on the determination, adjusted sensor settings are determined, and an adjusted combination signal is obtained, using the adjusted sensor settings and, using the adjusted combination signal, object information for one or more input objects in a sensing region of the input device is obtained. The sensor module is configured to generate, using a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode, and the adjusted sensor settings, the adjusted combination signal. The adjusted combination signal includes effects of a transcapacitive coupling between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode and effects of an absolute capacitive coupling between the second sensor electrode and the input object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Matthew Stevenson, David Hoch
  • Publication number: 20200233531
    Abstract: A processing system includes a sensor module configured to receive first and second signals from first and second sensor electrodes, respectively, and generate a combination signal. The processing system further includes a determination module configured to determine, using the first sensor electrode, an absolute capacitive coupling to an input object; determine, using the first and second sensor electrodes, a transcapacitive coupling; determine a ratio of the absolute to transcapacitive coupling; determine, using the combination signal, in absence of a predetermined low ground mass state, and when the ratio fails to exceed a predetermined threshold, first positional information regarding a location of the input object; and determine, when the ratio fails to exceed the predetermined threshold and in presence of the predetermined low ground mass state, second positional information regarding the location of the input object in the sensing region using an absolute capacitive scan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: John Weinerth, David Sobel, Derek Solven, Adam Schwartz, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Tracy Scott Dattalo, David Hoch
  • Patent number: 10712863
    Abstract: An example input device for force and proximity sensing includes a plurality of touch electrodes comprising touch transmitter electrodes and touch receiver electrodes, a force electrode layer comprising a plurality of force electrodes, and a processing system. When operating in a proximity sensing mode, the processing system drives the touch transmitter electrodes with touch transmitter signals and determines a position of an input object, within a sensing region defined by the plurality of touch electrodes, based at least in part on a transcapacitive proximity measurement acquired from the touch receiver electrodes. When operating in a force sensing mode, the processing system drives the plurality of force electrodes with force transmitter signals and determines a force of the input object based at least in part on a transcapacitive force measurement based on a change in capacitance between the plurality of force electrodes and the plurality of touch electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Hoch, Adam L. Schwartz
  • Publication number: 20200201458
    Abstract: An input device including a sensing region is disclosed. The input device includes: sensor circuitry configured to: operate, during a first timeslot, electrodes as a first cluster; and operate, during a second timeslot, the electrodes as a second cluster, where the electrodes are aligned with an axis, and where at least one of the electrodes operates as a transmitter in the first cluster and as a receiver in the second cluster; and determination circuitry configured to: determine a first set of signal values associated with a first set of electrodes in the first cluster; determine a second set of signal values associated with a second set of electrodes in the second cluster; and generate a profile for the sensing region based on the first set of signal values and the second set of signal values, where the profile reflects an input object in the sensing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Katayoun Goudarzi, John Weinerth, Derek Solven, David Hoch
  • Publication number: 20200115960
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for operably adapting a ladder wherein such adaptation provides a stable base for almost any terrain, providing for a ladder that will substantially not slip from the base in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventor: DAVID HOCH
  • Publication number: 20200110510
    Abstract: A capacitive sensing array includes a first transmitter electrode, a plurality of first receiver electrodes, a second transmitter electrode, and a plurality of second receiver electrodes disposed in a first row of the array. The first transmitter electrode is disposed in a first column of the array and is coupled to a first transmitter channel. The first receiver electrodes are disposed in a second column of the array, adjacent the first transmitter electrode, and are coupled to a respective one of a plurality of first receiver channels. The second transmitter electrode is disposed in a third column of the array and is coupled to a second transmitter channel. The second receiver electrodes are disposed in a fourth column of the array, adjacent the second transmitter electrode, and are coupled to a respective one of the first receiver channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: David HOCH, Adam L. SCHWARTZ, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Publication number: 20190339809
    Abstract: An example input device for force and proximity sensing includes a plurality of touch electrodes comprising touch transmitter electrodes and touch receiver electrodes, a force electrode layer comprising a plurality of force electrodes, and a processing system. When operating in a proximity sensing mode, the processing system drives the touch transmitter electrodes with touch transmitter signals and determines a position of an input object, within a sensing region defined by the plurality of touch electrodes, based at least in part on a transcapacitive proximity measurement acquired from the touch receiver electrodes. When operating in a force sensing mode, the processing system drives the plurality of force electrodes with force transmitter signals and determines a force of the input object based at least in part on a transcapacitive force measurement based on a change in capacitance between the plurality of force electrodes and the plurality of touch electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: David HOCH, Adam L. SCHWARTZ
  • Patent number: 10372259
    Abstract: An example input device for force and proximity sensing includes a plurality of touch electrodes including touch transmitter electrodes and touch receiver electrodes, and a force electrode layer including a plurality of force electrodes. The input device further includes a resilient material layer disposed between the plurality of touch electrodes and the force electrode layer. The input device further includes a processing system coupled to the plurality of touch electrodes and the plurality of force electrodes, the processing system configured to: drive the transmitter electrodes with touch transmitter signals and acquire a transcapacitive proximity measurement from the touch receiver electrodes; and drive the plurality of force electrodes with force transmitter signals and acquire a transcapacitive force measurement from either the touch transmitter electrodes or the touch receiver electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David Hoch, Adam L. Schwartz
  • Publication number: 20190056820
    Abstract: The invention relates to a processing system. The processing system includes a sensor module performing a first measurement to obtain a combination signal using a first sensor electrode and a second sensor electrode. The first electrode is driven using a first modulated signal with a first driving voltage amplitude and simultaneously the second electrode is driven using a second modulated signal with a second driving voltage amplitude greater than the first driving voltage amplitude, while simultaneously first and second resulting signals are received from the first and second electrodes, respectively. The sensor module is further performs a second measurement to obtain a transcapacitance signal using the first and second sensor electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: David Hoch, John Weinerth
  • Publication number: 20190056823
    Abstract: The invention relates to a processing system. The processing system includes a determination module configured to make a determination that a low ground mass condition associated with an input device exists in an initial combination signal obtained from a sensor module using initial sensor settings. Based on the determination, adjusted sensor settings are determined, and an adjusted combination signal is obtained, using the adjusted sensor settings and, using the adjusted combination signal, object information for one or more input objects in a sensing region of the input device is obtained. The sensor module is configured to generate, using a first sensor electrode, a second sensor electrode, and the adjusted sensor settings, the adjusted combination signal. The adjusted combination signal includes effects of a transcapacitive coupling between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode and effects of an absolute capacitive coupling between the second sensor electrode and the input object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 21, 2019
    Inventors: Matthew Stevenson, David Hoch
  • Patent number: 10119624
    Abstract: A clip filter for a hydraulic valve, the clip filter comprising a carrier frame; and filter elements received in the carrier frame, wherein the carrier frame is configured annular and includes a clip filter lock, wherein a first end of the carrier frame and a second end of the carrier frame are engageable with each other for closing the clip filter, wherein the first end of the carrier frame includes a lug shaped clip element and the second end of the carrier frame includes a recess that is complementary to the lug shaped clip element, and wherein a clip filter lock is configured for a maximized opening force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: ECO Holding 1 GmbH
    Inventors: David Hoch, Christian Hugel, Thomas Jacob, Oliver Senst, Detlev Schack
  • Patent number: 9965105
    Abstract: A processing system for an input device includes a sensor module and a determination module. The sensor module includes sensor circuitry and is configured to acquire a first plurality of measurements of change in capacitive coupling between each sensor electrode of a first set of sensor electrodes and a second set of sensor electrodes. The sensor module is further configured to acquire a second plurality of measurements of change in capacitive coupling between each sensor electrode of the second set of sensor electrodes and an input object. The determination module is configured to determine a first combined measurement based on the first plurality of measurements, determine a second combined measurement based on the second plurality of measurements, and determine positional information for the input object based on a low ground mass parameter. The low ground mass parameter is based on the first combined measurement and the second combined measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: David Hoch, Mihai Bulea
  • Publication number: 20170364184
    Abstract: A method of capacitive sensing may include driving a first modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode in an input device and a second modulated signal onto a second sensor electrode in the input device. The method may further include receiving, simultaneously, a first resulting signal from the first sensor electrode and a second resulting signal from the second sensor electrode. The method may further include generating, based at least in part on the first resulting signal and the second resulting signal, a combination signal. The method may further include determining, using the combination signal, when the input device is not disposed in a predetermined low ground mass state, and when a ratio of capacitive coupling exceeds a predetermined threshold, first positional information regarding a location of the input object in the sensing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: John Weinerth, David Sobel, Derek Solven, Adam Schwartz, Tracy Scott Dattalo, David Hoch, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20170356563
    Abstract: A clip filter for a hydraulic valve, the clip filter comprising a carrier frame; and filter elements received in the carrier frame, wherein the carrier frame is configured annular and includes a clip filter lock, wherein a first end of the carrier frame and a second end of the carrier frame are engageable with each other for closing the clip filter, wherein the first end of the carrier frame includes a lug shaped clip element and the second end of the carrier frame includes a recess that is complementary to the lug shaped clip element, and wherein a clip filter lock is configured for a maximized opening force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2017
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: David Hoch, Christian Hugel, Thomas Jacob, Oliver Senst, Detlev Schack
  • Patent number: 9817533
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device that includes a plurality of sensing elements that are interconnected in desired way to acquire positional information of an input object, so that the acquired positional information can be used by other system components to control a display or other useful system components. One or more of the embodiments described herein, utilizes one or more of the techniques and sensor electrode array configuration disclosed herein to reduce or minimize the number of traces and/or electrodes required to sense the position of an input object within a sensing region of the input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Mihai Bulea, Derek Solven, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, David Hoch, Tracy Scott Dattalo
  • Patent number: 9791970
    Abstract: A system for a capacitive sensing device includes transmitter electrodes configured to transmit transmitter signals, receiver electrodes configured to receive resulting signals including effects corresponding to the transmitter signals. The system further includes dual nodes corresponding to a first capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrodes and the receiver electrodes, and primary nodes corresponding to a second capacitive coupling between the transmitter electrodes and the receiver electrodes. The first capacitive coupling is less than the second capacitive coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9778798
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generate a voltage gradient across a sensor electrode by driving a negative and positive voltage on respective ends of the electrode to identify a location of an input object. Because both negative and positive voltages are used, one location on the sensor electrode will be at a reference voltage (e.g., system ground). This location is used to divide the sensor electrode into two different regions. Based on measuring a change in charge relative to a baseline, the input device identifies in which of the two regions the input object is located. The input device can then generate a new voltage gradient to shift the location of the reference voltage into the identified region thereby dividing the region into two sub-regions. By iteratively repeating this process using progressively small sub-regions, the input device can identify the location of the input object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9753570
    Abstract: A processing system comprises a sensor module and a determination module. The sensor module comprises sensing circuitry coupled to sensor electrodes of a sensor electrode pattern. The sensor module is configured to: drive a modulated signal onto a first sensor electrode of the sensor electrode pattern; receive first resulting signals from the first sensor electrode; and receive second resulting signals from a second sensor electrode of the sensor electrode pattern. The second resulting signals comprise effects corresponding to the modulated signal, and the first resulting signals and the second resulting signals are simultaneously received. The determination module configured to determine a change in capacitive coupling between an input object and the first sensor electrode based on the first resulting signals and a change in capacitive coupling between the first and second sensor electrodes based on the second resulting signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Tracy Scott Dattalo, David Hoch