Patents by Inventor Jeffrey A. Small
Jeffrey A. Small 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).
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Patent number: 11106310Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting a user's finger or other elements may be provided. In some embodiments, a system may include a plurality of electrode groups, and each electrode group may include a respective reference electrode for which a true signal value is a predetermined value. In some embodiments, the system may process signals received by the electrode groups by: (a) modulating the signals received from each electrode of the respective electrode group according to a modulation pattern; (b) demodulating the signals, or values derived therefrom, received from each electrode of the respective electrode group according to a demodulation pattern, thereby determining a set of demodulated values for the respective electrode group; and/or (c) using the predetermined value for the reference electrode of the respective electrode group, restoring a mean value to the signals, or values derived therefrom, received from each electrode of the respective electrode group.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2019Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: IDEX Biometrics ASAInventors: Jeffrey A. Small, David Brent Guard
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Publication number: 20210055822Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting a user's finger or other elements may be provided. In some embodiments, a system may include a plurality of electrode groups, and each electrode group may include a respective reference electrode for which a true signal value is a predetermined value. In some embodiments, the system may process signals received by the electrode groups by: (a) modulating the signals received from each electrode of the respective electrode group according to a modulation pattern; (b) demodulating the signals, or values derived therefrom, received from each electrode of the respective electrode group according to a demodulation pattern, thereby determining a set of demodulated values for the respective electrode group; and/or (c) using the predetermined value for the reference electrode of the respective electrode group, restoring a mean value to the signals, or values derived therefrom, received from each electrode of the respective electrode group.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2019Publication date: February 25, 2021Applicant: IDEX Biometrics ASAInventors: Jeffrey A. SMALL, David Brent GUARD
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Publication number: 20200226412Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting a user's finger are provided. In some embodiments, a method may include applying a first electrical signal, applying a second signal, receiving a third electrical signal using a first electrode, receiving a fourth electrical signal using the first electrode, extracting the third and fourth electrical signals using a quadrature demodulator, and compensating for a phase delay between at least the first electrical signal and the third electrical signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 11, 2019Publication date: July 16, 2020Applicant: IDEX ASAInventors: Jeffrey A. SMALL, Kenneth Jeffrey STERN
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Publication number: 20190220141Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing noise in sensors are described. In some embodiments, measurement values for selected pixels may be processed to remove signals that are common to groups of pixels. In some embodiments, offset values between pixel groups may be determined. In some embodiments, the determined offset values may be used to remove or suppress artificial discontinuities.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2018Publication date: July 18, 2019Applicant: IDEX ASAInventors: Jeffrey A. Small, Kenneth Jeffrey Stern, Imre Knausz
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Patent number: 10303919Abstract: An optical sensor for imaging an input object, such as a fingerprint, on a sensing region of a display is disclosed. The sensor includes a transparent substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An array of detector elements is positioned above the first side of the transparent substrate and an angle limiting reflector is positioned below the second side of the transparent substrate. The angle limiting reflector is configured to reflect light incident on the angle limiting reflector within a limited acceptance angle towards the array detector elements.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2018Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Marek Mienko, Patrick Smith, Arash Akhavan Fomani, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 10133419Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a processing system for a display device comprising an integrated capacitive sensing device that includes at least one input/output pad that is selectable between providing source signals to the display device and operating a sensor electrode for capacitive sensing. Other embodiments include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, an input device having an integrated display and capacitive sensing device, and a method for operating an integrated display and capacitive sensing device.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2014Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Christopher A. Ludden, Jeffrey A. Small
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Publication number: 20180225501Abstract: An optical sensor for imaging an input object, such as a fingerprint, on a sensing region of a display is disclosed. The sensor includes a transparent substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An array of detector elements is positioned above the first side of the transparent substrate and an angle limiting reflector is positioned below the second side of the transparent substrate. The angle limiting reflector is configured to reflect light incident on the angle limiting reflector within a limited acceptance angle towards the array detector elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2018Publication date: August 9, 2018Inventors: Marek Mienko, Patrick Smith, Arash Akhavan Fomani, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9934418Abstract: An optical sensor for imaging an input object, such as a fingerprint, on a sensing region of a display is disclosed. The sensor includes a transparent substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An array of detector elements is positioned above the first side of the transparent substrate and an angle limiting reflector is positioned below the second side of the transparent substrate. The angle limiting reflector is configured to reflect light incident on the angle limiting reflector within a limited acceptance angle towards the array detector elements.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2016Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Marek Mienko, Patrick Smith, Arash Akhavan Fomani, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9865189Abstract: An example processing system for a display device includes driver circuitry and a control circuit. The driver circuitry is coupled to a plurality of source line nodes in the display device, each source line node of the plurality of source line nodes coupled to a plurality of subpixel columns through a demultiplexer having a plurality of switches. The control circuit is coupled to each demultiplexer. The control circuit is configured to operate each demultiplexer in a first mode by successively activating the respective plurality of switches, and in a second mode by concurrently activating the respective plurality of switches.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2015Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Imre Knausz, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9857925Abstract: A display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system, and a method are provided for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device having a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a matrix. The described technique programmatically combines multiple sensor electrodes into a larger sensor electrode for absolute capacitive sensing. The sets of sensor electrodes that are combined may be selectively coupled based a window size and a step size associated with a number of sensor electrodes in common between the sets.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Stephen L. Morein, Jeffrey A. Small, Christopher A. Ludden, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
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Patent number: 9830032Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for providing an adaptive low-power mode. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a reference voltage with one or more reference voltage generators while a display device is in a grayscale mode. The method also includes driving subpixels in the grayscale mode with the reference voltage. The method further includes shutting down the one or more reference voltage generators and driving subpixels in a low power, binary mode with a VCOM voltage based on positive and negative supply rails.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2015Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Jeffrey A. Small, Imre Knausz
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Publication number: 20170161540Abstract: An optical sensor for imaging an input object, such as a fingerprint, on a sensing region of a display is disclosed. The sensor includes a transparent substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. An array of detector elements is positioned above the first side of the transparent substrate and an angle limiting reflector is positioned below the second side of the transparent substrate. The angle limiting reflector is configured to reflect light incident on the angle limiting reflector within a limited acceptance angle towards the array detector elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2016Publication date: June 8, 2017Inventors: Marek Mienko, Patrick Smith, Arash Akhavan Fomani, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9665214Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide devices and methods that facilitate improved sensor devices. In one embodiment, a capacitive input device is provided that includes a processing system, a plurality of sensing electrodes configured to sense objects in a sensing region, a conductor, and a shield layer comprising at least one shield electrode, where the at least one shield electrode is disposed between the plurality of sensing electrodes and the conductor. The processing system is configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode. When operating in the first mode the processing system is configured to determine position information for objects in the sensing region using the plurality of sensing electrodes. When operating in a second mode the processing system is configured to electrically float the at least one shield electrode and to determine force information for objects in the sensing region using the plurality of sensing electrodes.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2012Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom R. Vandermeijden, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9666108Abstract: A display device, a processing system, and a method are provided for updating a display device using self-refresh techniques. The described technique provides an indication to a host processor of whether a frame of display update data has been successfully compressed and stored entirely within a local frame buffer of the display. The host processor may invoke a self-refresh of the display for updating the display with a static display image, based on the received indications.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2014Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Stephen L. Morein, Jeffrey A. Small
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Publication number: 20170092171Abstract: An example processing system for a display device includes driver circuitry and a control circuit. The driver circuitry is coupled to a plurality of source line nodes in the display device, each source line node of the plurality of source line nodes coupled to a plurality of subpixel columns through a demultiplexer having a plurality of switches. The control circuit is coupled to each demultiplexer. The control circuit is configured to operate each demultiplexer in a first mode by successively activating the respective plurality of switches, and in a second mode by concurrently activating the respective plurality of switches.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2015Publication date: March 30, 2017Inventors: Imre KNAUSZ, Jeffrey A. SMALL
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Patent number: 9582099Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technique for input sensing using an input device having a display device with an integrated sensing device. Input sensing is performed over a long sensing interval to attain narrow-band filtering, and is temporarily suspended for short intervals (within the long sensing interval) to refresh the row selection logic of the display device.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2014Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventor: Jeffrey A. Small
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Publication number: 20170031428Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for providing an adaptive low-power mode. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a reference voltage with one or more reference voltage generators while a display device is in a grayscale mode. The method also includes driving subpixels in the grayscale mode with the reference voltage. The method further includes shutting down the one or more reference voltage generators and driving subpixels in a low power, binary mode with a VCOM voltage based on positive and negative supply rails.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2015Publication date: February 2, 2017Inventors: Jeffrey A. SMALL, Imre KNAUSZ
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Patent number: 9541588Abstract: The embodiments herein are generally directed to using a current-mode CBC circuit to maintain a voltage bias setting at a receiver when performing capacitive sensing. To do so, the CBC circuit may compensate for the change in voltage at a receiver by providing a current at the input of the receiver. Instead of using a passive CBC capacitor for each receiver, the input device may use a single CBC capacitor and a plurality of current mirrors to source and sink the current required to correct the input voltage at a plurality of receivers. As a result, the current-mode CBC circuit includes only one passive capacitor (or bank of capacitors) and a plurality of current mirrors which may provide space and cost benefits relative to a CBC circuit that uses a passive capacitor (or bank of capacitors) for each receiver channel.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2013Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Eric Scott Bohannon, Marshall J Bell, Jr., Kirk Hargreaves, Murat Ozbas, Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9466236Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally provide a method for processing an image. The method includes receiving a plurality of input pixel values associated with a video frame and determining that a first portion of pixel values included in the plurality of input pixel values is within a first set of excluded values. The method further includes dithering the first portion of pixel values to generate a first plurality of dithered values. Each dithered value included in the first plurality of dithered values is not within the first set of excluded values. Additionally, a first average pixel value associated with the plurality of input pixel values is substantially similar to a second average pixel value associated with both the first plurality of dithered values and a plurality of pixel values that are spatially proximate to the first plurality of dithered values.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2013Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventor: Jeffrey A. Small
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Patent number: 9436307Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device comprising a display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device, a processing system, and a method for detecting presence of an input object. In each of these embodiments, a modulation source provides modulation signals between a back plate and a system ground of the input device. Other embodiments include a display device having a capacitive sensing device, a processing system and a method for detecting presence of an input object using a capacitive sensing device, wherein the capacitive sensing device includes a matrix of discrete sensor electrodes.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2013Date of Patent: September 6, 2016Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventor: Jeffrey A. Small