Abstract: A touch sensitive device implementing a routine that controls the device's baseline update procedure in certain circumstances, and associated methods.

Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting temporally overlapping trace events on a touch sensitive device.

Abstract: A touch screen sensor with a conductive micropattern includes one or more features to obscure or reduce the visibility of the conductive micropattern.

Abstract: A matrix touch panel having upper and lower electrodes, the upper electrodes being composite electrodes made of a plurality of spaced micro-wires, and allowing, for example, an electric field from lower electrodes to pass between the micro-wires and thereby capacitively couple with a touching object, such as a finger.

Abstract: Techniques are described in which an image capture device captures image data from web material. The image data comprises pixel values for the cross-web field of view of the image capture device. An analysis computer includes a computer-readable medium that stores parameters for a plurality of different normalization algorithms to normalize a cross-web background signal for the image capture device to a common desired value. The computer-readable medium further stores coefficients specifying a weighting for each of the plurality of normalization algorithms. The analysis computer computes a normalized value for each of the pixels of the image data as a weighted summation of results from application of at least two of the pixel normalization algorithms using the stored parameters.

Abstract: Disclosed is a transparent touch screen construction that includes a pattern of layer stacks disposed on a substrate. The layer stacks each include a transparent conductor layer and an intermediate layer positioned between the substrate and the transparent conductor layer. The intermediate layer has a refractive index that is lower than that of the transparent conductor layer and that of the substrate. The construction of the layer stacks reduces the difference in visible light transmission between the areas of the substrate covered by the stacks and the areas of the substrate left exposed by the stacks. Also disclosed are methods for reducing the visibility of a patterned transparent conductor in a touch screen by disposing an intermediate layer pattern between a substrate and a transparent conductor pattern, the intermediate layer pattern and transparent conductor pattern being coincident.

Abstract: An untethered stylus, configured to cooperate with a location sensor, includes a coil resonant circuit configured to develop an arbitrary AC voltage in response to a varying magnetic field produced by the location sensor. The coil resonant circuit includes a first capacitor and an inductive coil. A power converter includes a switch circuit having an output coupled to a second capacitor, an input coupled to the coil resonant circuit, and a threshold voltage. The switch circuit facilitates charging of the second capacitor in response to the arbitrary AC voltage and discontinuance of second capacitor charging in response to a voltage across the first capacitor reaching the threshold voltage so as to prevent diversion of a discharging current when the arbitrary AC voltage exceeds the threshold voltage. A stable DC voltage is provided at the output of the switch circuit. The power converter is preferably devoid of a Zener diode.

Abstract: A system for the characterization of webs that permits the identification of anomalous regions on the web to be performed at a first time and place, and permits the localization and marking of actual defects to be performed at a second time and place.

Abstract: A touch sensing device includes a plurality of sensors and an emitting transducer coupled to a touch panel. The transducer induces bending waves in the touch panel. The sensors sense bending waves in the touch panel and generate a bending wave signal responsive to the sensed bending waves. A controller identifies an untouched condition signal responsive to the induced bending waves. The controller compares the untouched condition signal to the bending wave signal, and detects a touch on the touch panel based on the comparison.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods of measuring a plate capacitance, which include accumulating a first signal representative of charge over a plurality of switch-controlled plate charging cycles and accumulating a second signal representative of charge over another plurality of switch-controlled plate discharging cycles. The accumulated first and second signals can then be used to determine the capacitance on the plate. Such systems and methods can be useful in capacitive touch sensing devices such as capacitive buttons and capacitive touch panels.

Abstract: Systems and methods determine the position of a touch on a surface of a device, such as a touch-sensitive device, by using passively-induced position-dependent electrical charges. In such a method, the position of a touching implement is determined on the sensing surface of a device. The method includes charging the sensing surface during a first time period by connecting all four corners of the sensing surface to a reference voltage, and over a second time period discharging two adjacent corners of the sensing surface into an integrator capacitor while connecting the two opposite corners to ground. The first and second time periods together form a charge/discharge cycle that is repeated a plurality of times, after which an output of the integrator capacitor is measured.

Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems that measure capacitance are disclosed. Typically, an accumulator circuit couples to the capacitance and includes an accumulator and switch(es) that charge the accumulator over a series of switch-controlled charging or discharging cycles governed by a first control signal. The accumulator circuit provides an accumulator signal based on the charge on the first accumulator. A discharge circuit couples to the accumulator circuit and includes an optional variable current device, the discharge circuit partially discharging the accumulator based on a second control signal. A control circuit, which couples to the accumulator circuit and the discharge circuit, dynamically adjusts the first and/or second control signals to keep the accumulator signal in a desired range. The dynamically adjusted control signal can be used as a measure of the capacitance. Such methods and systems may be used in capacitive touch sensing devices such as capacitive buttons and capacitive touch panels.

Abstract: A conversion control system is described for spatially synchronizing data gathered from a plurality of operations performed on a web. The conversion control system applies a set of fiducial marks to a web, performs a plurality of operations on the web, generates a first and a second set of digital information for first and second operations, respectively, in accordance with respective first and second coordinate systems using the set of fiducial marks such that the each of the sets of digital information includes position data for respective first and second sets of regions on the web. The conversion control system may then register the position data of the first set of regions and the position data for the second set of regions to produce aggregate data and outputting a conversion control plan.

Abstract: An untethered stylus is configured to cooperate with a location sensing device that generates a drive signal. The stylus includes transceiver circuitry disposed in a housing, which is configured to receive the drive signal and transmit a stylus signal for reception by the location sensor. Energy circuitry is disposed in the housing and energized by the drive signal. A reference frequency generator, disposed in the housing and coupled to the transceiver circuitry and energy circuitry, is configured to generate a number of reference frequencies based on a source frequency of the drive signal, the reference frequencies indicative of a number of stylus states and synchronized to the source frequency of the drive signal. The transceiver circuitry is configured to mix the reference frequencies with the stylus signal.

Abstract: An untethered stylus is configured to cooperate with a location sensor that generates a magnetic field. The stylus include a housing having a tip and a shield. Circuitry, including a power circuit, is provided in the housing. An antenna arrangement provided at the housing includes multiple coil resonant circuits each tuned to a different frequency of the magnetic field. A first coil resonant circuit energizes the power circuit in response to the magnetic field, which provides DC power to the circuitry. One or more other coil resonant circuits are coupled between the tip and shield of the housing to define separate channels for communicatively coupling the stylus tip and the location sensor. An information signal communicated between the stylus tip and the location sensor is substantially unperturbed during provision of DC power by the first coil resonant circuit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a touch sensitive input device that uses vibrations due to touch impacts and/or frictional movement of a touch implement across a surface to determine information related to the touch, such as touch position. The present invention also provides for detecting lift-off events in such vibration sensing input devices. Lift-off detection can be accomplished by monitoring for a signal that indicates a sustained touch on the touch plate, and correlating a change in such a signal with a lift-off event. Signals indicating a sustained touch can include low frequency rumbles coupled into the touch plate via the touch implement, touch plate bending under the force of a sustained touch, and touch plate displacement under the force of a sustained touch.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for adaptive drive signal adjustment to improve reception of a stylus signal at a location sensor. A location sensing system includes an untethered stylus comprising circuitry configured to receive a drive signal and transmit a stylus signal. The circuitry is configured to be energized by the received drive signal and includes frequency-sensitive circuitry. A location sensor includes a controller and a sensing array. The location sensor is configured to generate the drive signal and receive the stylus signal. The controller is configured to adjust a parameter of the drive signal that improves receptivity of the stylus signal by the location sensor.

Abstract: Methods and algorithms for compensating for variances in the uniformity of a touch substrate in a touch sensitive device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for computing what a healthcare organization charged for a procedure, based on analysis of MedPAR data.

Abstract: A lighting configuration that is a combination of far dark field lighting and a modified dark stripe lighting is disclosed. The novel combination provides a more robust detection of flaws on, e.g. a moving web of transparent film, than either would provide alone or through a summation of their individual parts.