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: 9753587
    Abstract: In an example, a processing system includes a sensor module having sensor circuitry. The sensor module is configured to drive sensor electrodes with a capacitive sensing signal to acquire first changes of capacitance between each of the sensor electrodes and at least one input object; and drive at least one sensor electrode in a first set of the sensor electrodes with a reference signal and at least one sensor electrode in a second set of the sensor electrodes with a capacitive sensing signal to acquire second changes of capacitance between the at least one sensor electrode in the second set and the at least one input object. The processing system further includes a capacitive measurer module configured to determine a capacitive image based at least in part on the first and second changes of capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Publication number: 20170242523
    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: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: David HOCH, Adam L. SCHWARTZ
  • Patent number: 9740348
    Abstract: A capacitive input device comprises a plurality of receiver electrodes and a plurality of transmitter electrodes. The plurality of receiver sensor electrodes is oriented substantially parallel to a first axis proximate to a sensing region of the capacitive input device. The plurality of transmitter sensor electrodes is oriented substantially parallel to a second axis proximate to the sensing region and configured to be capacitively coupled with the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes. At least one of a receiver sensor electrode of the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes and a transmitter sensor electrode of the plurality of transmitter sensor electrodes is disposed in a configuration forming multiple crossings with a line that is perpendicular to the first axis, the multiple crossings occurring proximate to the sensing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: David Hoch, Massoud Badaye
  • Patent number: 9727176
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor pattern comprises a first plurality of sensor electrode elements, a second plurality of sensor electrode elements, and a third plurality of sensor electrode elements. The first plurality of sensor electrode elements is disposed in a first layer above a substrate. The second plurality of sensor electrode elements is disposed above the substrate in an additional layer. At least one of the second plurality of sensor electrode elements is physically coupled with at least two of the first plurality of sensor electrode elements. The third plurality of sensor electrode elements is disposed above the substrate in the additional layer. At least one element of the third plurality is ohmically coupled to a single element of said first plurality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9703430
    Abstract: In an example, a processing system includes: a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry, the sensor module configured to: drive, during a first time period, a first sensor electrode of a first plurality of sensor electrodes for absolute capacitive sensing, a second sensor electrode of the first plurality of sensor electrodes with a reference signal, and at least one sensor electrode of a second plurality of sensor electrodes with a guard signal, to acquire first changes of capacitance between the first sensor electrode and at least one input object in proximity with the first sensor electrode; and a determination module configured to determine positional information for the at least one input object based at least in part on changes of capacitance acquired by the sensor module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9652072
    Abstract: A display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device includes receiver electrodes disposed on a back side of a color filter glass. Transmitter electrodes of the capacitive sensing device are configured with a size and geometry that reduces the capacitive coupling between the transmitter and receiver electrodes. The transmitter electrodes may be made of one or more prongs or segments from a segmented common electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, Thomas Mackin, David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9618981
    Abstract: A capacitive input device has a sensor electrode pattern disposed on a first side of a substrate. The sensor electrode pattern comprises a plurality of sensor electrode elements disposed on the first side of a first substrate. A plurality of routing traces is disposed along a first edge of the sensor electrode pattern on the first side of the substrate and configured to communicatively couple at least some of the sensor electrodes with a processing system. A pair of guard traces is disposed in the same layer as and brackets the plurality of routing traces. A guard overlaps the routing traces, is disposed proximate the routing traces on the first side of the substrate, and ohmically couples the pair of guard traces with one another. A second insulator is disposed between the routing traces and the guard. The second insulator and the first insulator are disposed in the same layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Jim Dunphy, Robert J Bolender, Adam Schwartz, David Hoch
  • Publication number: 20160179283
    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: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventor: David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9280240
    Abstract: A processing system includes a transmitter module, a receiver module, and a determination module. The transmitter module is configured to drive a first contact, a second contact, and a third contact of a first transmitter electrode, wherein the first contact is disposed between the second contact and the third contact. This produces a first voltage gradient between the first contact and the second contact, and produces a second voltage gradient between the first contact and the third contact. The receiver module receives, with a first receiver electrode, a first resulting signal including effects of the first voltage gradient, and to receive, with a second receiver electrode, a second resulting signal comprising effects of the second voltage gradient. The determination module determines positional information for an input object located within a sensing region based on the first resulting signal and the second resulting signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: David Hoch, Mihai Bulea
  • Publication number: 20160041654
    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: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Mihai BULEA, Derek SOLVEN, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, David HOCH, Tracy Scott DATTALO
  • Publication number: 20160026330
    Abstract: A display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device includes receiver electrodes disposed on a back side of a color filter glass. Transmitter electrodes of the capacitive sensing device are configured with a size and geometry that reduces the capacitive coupling between the transmitter and receiver electrodes. The transmitter electrodes may be made of one or more prongs or segments from a segmented common electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Petr SHEPELEV, Thomas MACKIN, David HOCH
  • Publication number: 20150378467
    Abstract: In an example, a processing system includes: a sensor module comprising sensor circuitry, the sensor module configured to: drive, during a first time period, a first sensor electrode of a first plurality of sensor electrodes for absolute capacitive sensing, a second sensor electrode of the first plurality of sensor electrodes with a reference signal, and at least one sensor electrode of a second plurality of sensor electrodes with a guard signal, to acquire first changes of capacitance between the first sensor electrode and at least one input object in proximity with the first sensor electrode; and a determination module configured to determine positional information for the at least one input object based at least in part on changes of capacitance acquired by the sensor module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventor: David HOCH
  • Publication number: 20150378468
    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: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: David HOCH
  • Publication number: 20150355757
    Abstract: A capacitive input device comprises a plurality of receiver electrodes and a plurality of transmitter electrodes. The plurality of receiver sensor electrodes is oriented substantially parallel to a first axis proximate to a sensing region of the capacitive input device. The plurality of transmitter sensor electrodes is oriented substantially parallel to a second axis proximate to the sensing region and configured to be capacitively coupled with the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes. At least one of a receiver sensor electrode of the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes and a transmitter sensor electrode of the plurality of transmitter sensor electrodes is disposed in a configuration forming multiple crossings with a line that is perpendicular to the first axis, the multiple crossings occurring proximate to the sensing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: David HOCH, Massoud BADAYE
  • Publication number: 20150355746
    Abstract: In an example, a processing system includes a sensor module having sensor circuitry. The sensor module is configured to drive sensor electrodes with a capacitive sensing signal to acquire first changes of capacitance between each of the sensor electrodes and at least one input object; and drive at least one sensor electrode in a first set of the sensor electrodes with a reference signal and at least one sensor electrode in a second set of the sensor electrodes with a capacitive sensing signal to acquire second changes of capacitance between the at least one sensor electrode in the second set and the at least one input object. The processing system further includes a capacitive measurer module configured to determine a capacitive image based at least in part on the first and second changes of capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventor: David HOCH
  • Patent number: 9182861
    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: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCOPORATED
    Inventors: Mihai Bulea, Derek Solven, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, David Hoch, Tracy Scott Dattalo
  • Patent number: 9152283
    Abstract: A display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device includes receiver electrodes disposed on a back side of a color filter glass. Transmitter electrodes of the capacitive sensing device are configured with a size and geometry that reduces the capacitive coupling between the transmitter and receiver electrodes. The transmitter electrodes may be made of one or more prongs or segments from a segmented common electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, Thomas Mackin, David Hoch
  • Patent number: 9141237
    Abstract: A capacitive input device includes a plurality of receiver sensor electrodes oriented substantially parallel to a first axis proximate to a sensing region of the capacitive input device. The capacitive sensing device also includes a plurality of transmitter sensor electrodes oriented substantially parallel to a second axis proximate to the sensing region and configured to be capacitively coupled with the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes. The at least one receiver sensor electrode of the plurality of receiver sensor electrodes is disposed in a configuration forming multiple crossings with a line that is parallel to the second axis, the multiple crossings occurring proximate to the sensing region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Massoud Badaye, David Hoch
  • Publication number: 20150261377
    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: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Tracy Scott DATTALO, David HOCH
  • Patent number: 9081453
    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: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Mihai Bulea, Derek Solven, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, David Hoch, Tracy Scott Dattalo