Abstract: A method for state tracking based gesture recognition engine for a sensor system has the steps of: defining a plurality of sequential states of a finite-state machine, determining a Sequence Progress Level (SPL) for each state, mapping a state probability distribution to a (single) SPL on run-time, and utilizing the mapped SPL estimate as an output value of the sensor system.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor device for approach and/or contact detection can be coupled with an electric circuit (10) and has a sensor electronics (20) and a device for potential separation (30), which with the sensor electronics (20) is coupled and by which the capacitive sensor device can be coupled with the electric circuit (10). In a method for operating a capacitive sensor device which has a sensor electronics, the sensor electronics can be coupled with an electric circuit and the sensor electronics is coupled with the electric circuit in a separable way with respect to the potential.

Abstract: A method for improving robustness of a capacitive sensor system has the following steps: a) operating the capacitive sensor system, wherein received sensor signals are filtered by a band-pass filter having a band-pass having a first center frequency; b) polling sensor data at a first rate using the sensor system; c) determining whether a polled sensor value is meeting a predetermined threshold; d) if the predetermined threshold is met: d1) polling sensor data at a second rate being higher than the first rate using the sensor system; d2) verifying that sensor data polled at the second rate are consistent; d3) if the sensor data polled at the second rate are inconsistent, then repeating at least step d2) wherein said band-pass filter is controlled to have a second center frequency.

Abstract: An input device, especially in the form of a computer keyboard provides which for a user of a computer keyboard special operator benefits result as compared to conventional keyboard systems in association with a pointing device. According to an embodiment, a computer keyboard with a keyboard that includes a multitude of manually operable keys, wherein in this keyboard an electrode arrangement is integrated, is designed in such a way and over a driver circuit exploited in such a way that by means of this electrode arrangement the detection of the spatial position or movement of a finger or a hand in an area in front of the keyboard is made possible in a electrical-field way, and by means of the driver, circuit system signals are provided that have an information content that correlates with position and/or movement of a finger or a hand of the user.

Abstract: A system has a gesture detection device with a plurality of input channels and an output channel which uses an alternating electric near field generated through at least one transmission electrode coupled with the output channel, wherein some of the input channels are coupled with receiving electrodes of the gesture detection device. The system further has a plurality of touch electrodes, wherein the touch electrodes are coupled with one of the input channels by multiplexing.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the contactless detection and recognition of gestures in a three-dimensional movement space (3D gestures), wherein in an electrical near-field which defines the three-dimensional movement space, deformations of the electrical near-field are detected which can be performed by movements of at least one object, e.g. one or two fingers in the three-dimensional movement space, at least one movement path is generated from the detected deformations of the electrical near field, which corresponds to the movement of the at least one object in the three-dimensional movement space, and wherein during the generation of the movement path in the movement path a gesture start is determined, wherein beginning with the gesture start the gesture is extracted from the movement path. The invention also relates to a system for the contactless detection and recognition of gestures in a three-dimensional movement space.

Abstract: An electrode arrangement has a matrix with rows and columns of capacitive touch sensors arranged in a single layer, wherein each touch sensor has a first electrode and an associated second electrode, wherein the first electrodes in each row of the matrix are connected and the second electrodes in each column of the matrix are connected, and wherein the electrode arrangement further has a capacitive coupling operable to feed an alternating transmission signal only to the top and bottom row of connected first electrodes and to the most left and most right column of connected second electrodes.

Abstract: A sensor arrangement for capacitive touch and non-touch detection has a transmission electrode and a predefined number of receiving electrodes coupled with an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit operates in a non-touch detection mode and in a touch detection mode, wherein the transmission electrode generates an alternating electric near field, and in the non-touch detection mode, the evaluation unit evaluates signals from the receiving electrodes to determine non-touch gestures or a three-dimensional position of an object. In the touch detection mode a surface touch detection area defined by the predefined number of electrodes is divided into a plurality of segments wherein within each segment at least two electrodes of the predefined number of electrodes contribute with a portion of their electrode surface area such that different electrode surface area ratios are formed for each of the plurality of segments.

Abstract: A method for touch detection includes identifying a high-pass filtered sequence from a plurality of sensor measurements, accumulating a number of samples from a first high-pass filtered sequence into an accumulated value, comparing the first accumulated value against a threshold of accumulated values, and, based upon a determination whether the accumulated value is greater than the threshold of accumulated values, identify whether the sensor has been approached.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a plurality of display units formed with a first substrate, a color matrix formed on the first substrate, and a common electrode formed on the color matrix, a second substrate spaced from the first substrate, a pixel electrode matrix formed on the second substrate, a liquid crystal material disposed between the common electrode and the pixel electrode matrix. The LCD includes a touch sensing member integrated onto the color matrix of the first substrate.

Abstract: A method for state tracking based gesture recognition engine for a sensor system has the steps of: defining a plurality of sequential states of a finite-state machine, determining a Sequence Progress Level (SPL) for each state, mapping a state probability distribution to a (single) SPL on run-time, and utilizing the mapped SPL estimate as an output value of the sensor system.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor includes a transmit electrode configured to provide an alternating electric field to a sensor; one or more receive electrodes for detecting variations in the alternating electric field; and an adaptive frequency adjustment unit configured to adjust an operating frequency of the alternating electric field responsive to detection of a noise measure, such as noise power.

Abstract: A digital filter has an assigned filter function with assigned filter coefficients, an input receiving input samples, another input receiving confidence values, and an output. Each input sample value is associated to an input confidence value, wherein the filter output depends on the input samples, the input confidence values as well as the filter coefficients. The filter contains multiple accumulators, wherein an output sample is produced after a predetermined number of sample values wherein associated confidence values have been input to the filter.

Abstract: A gesture detection system according to embodiments includes an input device including a touch sensitive surface and a contact-free detection system; and a controller configured to determine characteristic parameters for the position in three-dimensional space of a user input object and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the user input object.

Abstract: A sensor device has at least one first sensor element for detecting a touch and/or an approach, which is configured as a capacitive sensor element and which has a first electrode structure with a transmitting electrode and a reception electrode, wherein a first alternating electrical field emitted by the transmitting electrode may be coupled into the reception electrode,—at least one second sensor element, and—an evaluating device, which is coupled with the at least one first sensor element and with the at least one second sensor element, wherein the evaluating device is configured to evaluate a first signal tapped from the reception electrode of the first sensor element and at least one second signal provided by the second sensor element and to generate at least one detection signal dependent on the evaluation.

Abstract: An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode may have a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. A first electrode is arranged within the first conductive layer, wherein the first electrode is a receiving electrode of the electric field sensor device, and a second electrode is arranged within the second conductive layer, wherein the second electrode is a transmitting electrode of the electric field sensor device wherein the second electrode covers a larger area than the first electrode and wherein the second electrode is textured to reduce the capacitance between the first and second electrode.

Abstract: A sensor system has a first sensor device and a second capacitive sensor device for detecting a movement of the object relative to a detection surface, wherein the sensor system is configured to be operated in a first mode of operation and in a second mode of operation, wherein the sensor system is configured to be switched over from the first mode of operation into the second mode of operation, wherein the second capacitive sensor device has a number of second sensor electrodes, and wherein in the sensor system at least in the second mode of operation at least one signal path connectable with a predetermined fixed electric potential is provided, which is parallel to a parasitic capacitance of the first sensor device.

Abstract: An electrode arrangement for an electric field sensor device with a transmitting electrode and at least one receiving electrode may have a nonconductive substrate having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. A first electrode is arranged within the first conductive layer, wherein the first electrode is a receiving electrode of the electric field sensor device, and a second electrode is arranged within the second conductive layer, wherein the second electrode is a transmitting electrode of the electric field sensor device wherein the second electrode covers a larger area than the first electrode and wherein the second electrode is textured to reduce the capacitance between the first and second electrode.

Abstract: A capacitive proximity sensor has a first sensor electrode and a second sensor electrode, a signal generator for providing a first and a second electric alternating signal, a first load element which comprises a first and a second electric load, in which the first alternating signal by the first load can be fed to the first sensor electrode and the second alternating signal by the second load to the second sensor electrode, and wherein the electric loads each together with the capacitive load to be measured at the respective sensor electrode form a lowpass filter, and a signal processing device, which is coupled with the first sensor electrode and with the second sensor electrode, and which is adapted to form a first measurement value from the push-pull portion of a first electric parameter tapped at the first sensor electrode and a second electric parameter tapped at the second sensor electrode.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor device for approach and/or contact detection has at least one generator electrode, at least one measurement electrode and at least one calibration electrode, wherein the at least one calibration electrode is arranged in a predefined distance adjacent to the at least one measurement electrode, wherein the at least one measurement electrode and the at least one calibration electrode are assigned to the generator electrode, wherein the at least one generator electrode may be loaded with a generator voltage and the at least one calibration electrode may be loaded with a calibrating voltage, and wherein the at least one calibration electrode at least may be operated in a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein in each of the operating modes the calibrating voltage lies between a ground voltage and the generator voltage, and the calibrating voltage is different in each operating mode.