Patents by Inventor Tom Vandermeijden

Tom Vandermeijden 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).

  • Publication number: 20150015539
    Abstract: In a method of managing baselines of a capacitive sensing input device, a transcapacitive baseline, a first absolute capacitive baseline, and a second absolute capacitive baseline are acquired with a plurality of sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensing input device. A transcapacitive image, a first absolute capacitive profile, and a second absolute capacitive profile are acquired with the plurality of sensor electrodes. The transcapacitive baseline, the first absolute capacitive baseline, and the second absolute capacitive baseline are managed based on a value of at least one of the first absolute capacitive profile and the second absolute capacitive profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Nickolas FOTOPOULOS, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Tom VANDERMEIJDEN
  • Publication number: 20150015528
    Abstract: In a method of determining a hybrid capacitive image a transcapacitive image, a first absolute capacitive profile, and a second absolute capacitive profile are acquired with a plurality of sensor electrodes. An absolute capacitive image is determined as a function of the first absolute capacitive profile and the second absolute capacitive profile. A hybrid capacitive image is determined as a function of the absolute capacitive image and the transcapacitive image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20140267061
    Abstract: A processing system for an input device is configured to communicate with a host system and comprises a sensor module and a determination module. The sensor module comprises sensor circuitry and is configured to transmit transmitter signals with a plurality of transmitter electrodes and receive resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to the transmitter signals. The determination module is configured to determine, based on the resulting signals and a touch threshold, first positional information associated with a pre-touch state of an input object and second positional information associated with a touch event by the input object. The determination module is further configured to communicate data associated with the first positional information to the host system only upon occurrence of the touch event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20140267080
    Abstract: A processing system for an input device includes a sensor module, a filter module, and a determination module. The sensor module is configured to drive a plurality of transmitter electrodes with transmitter signals; receive, with a plurality of receiver electrodes, resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to the transmitter signals; and produce a first sensor image based on the resulting signals. The filter module is configured to produce a transformed sensor image by applying a spatial filter to the first sensor image. The determination module is configured to positional information and/or the validity of a baseline for the input device based on the transformed sensor image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Erol Eryilmaz
  • Publication number: 20130257792
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide devices and methods that facilitate improved input device performance. Specifically, the devices and methods provide improved resistance to the effects of errors that may be caused by the motion of detected objects on such input devices, and in particular, to the effect of aliasing errors on input devices that use capacitive techniques to generate images of sensor values. The devices and methods provide improved resistance to the effects of aliasing errors by using force values indicative of force applied to the input surface. Specifically, the devices and methods use the force value to disambiguate determined position information for objects detected in the images of sensor values. This disambiguation of position information can lead to a reduction in the effects of aliasing errors and can thus improve the accuracy and usability of the input device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Raymond Trent, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20120283972
    Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide devices and methods that facilitate improved performance. In one embodiment, an input device comprises a plurality of capacitive sensor electrodes and a processing system coupled to the electrodes and configured to operate the electrodes to sense in a sensing region. Specifically, the processing system is configured to determine information about input objects in the sensing region based on comparisons of preliminary values with corresponding baseline values. The processing system is further configured to selectively operate in a first mode and a second mode. While operating in the first mode, the processing system selectively changes a baseline value of the plurality of baseline values by a first amount in response to that baseline value being below a corresponding preliminary value. This selective changing of baseline values occurs even when the processing system determines that an input object is in the sensing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden