Patents by Inventor Joseph Kurth Reynolds

Joseph Kurth Reynolds 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: 20200110510
    Abstract: A capacitive sensing array includes a first transmitter electrode, a plurality of first receiver electrodes, a second transmitter electrode, and a plurality of second receiver electrodes disposed in a first row of the array. The first transmitter electrode is disposed in a first column of the array and is coupled to a first transmitter channel. The first receiver electrodes are disposed in a second column of the array, adjacent the first transmitter electrode, and are coupled to a respective one of a plurality of first receiver channels. The second transmitter electrode is disposed in a third column of the array and is coupled to a second transmitter channel. The second receiver electrodes are disposed in a fourth column of the array, adjacent the second transmitter electrode, and are coupled to a respective one of the first receiver channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: David HOCH, Adam L. SCHWARTZ, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Patent number: 10564775
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and apparatus that is configured to reduce the effects of interference that is undesirably provided to a transmitter signal that is delivered from a transmitter signal generating device to a sensor processor to determine if an input object is disposed within a touch sensing region of a touch sensing device. In one embodiment, the sensor processor includes a receiver channel that has circuitry that is configured to separately receive a transmitter signal delivered from a display processor and a sensor processor reference signal that is based on a display processor reference signal to reliably sense the presence of an object. Embodiments of the invention described herein thus provide an improved apparatus and method for reliably sensing the presence of an object by a touch sensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Adam Schwartz, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10540035
    Abstract: An input device can be capacitive coupled to earth ground and noise sources which can interfere with the ability of the input device to detect an input object. To mitigate the effects from these capacitive couplings, the input device drives a modulated capacitive sensing signal onto a plurality of sensor electrodes in parallel. The sensor electrodes are coupled to respective analog front ends (AFEs) which generate an output signal for each of the sensor electrodes. The input device combines the output signals for the sensor electrodes to generate a normalization value. For example, the output signals may be digital values which are summed by the input device to generate the normalization value. The input device then divides each of the output signals by the normalization value to result in a normalized signal corresponding to each of the sensor electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kasra Khazeni, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10444862
    Abstract: In an example, an input device includes a substrate and an elastomeric material. The substrate includes a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed thereon. The elastomeric material is mechanically coupled to the substrate and overlaps the plurality of sensor electrodes. The elastomeric material includes an inner portion disposed such that an area of contact between the inner portion and at least some of the plurality of sensor electrodes changes in response to at least one of a lateral force or a vertical force applied to the elastomeric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Richard Schediwy, Douglas M. Krumpelman, Mihai Bulea, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20190302951
    Abstract: A method may include determining a display control signal for a display pixel in a display device. The method may further include determining a capacitive sensing control signal that corresponds to a capacitive scan for a sensing region. The capacitive scan may detect a location of an input object in a sensing region using various sensing elements disposed in the display device. The method may further include generating a multiplexed signal that includes the display control signal and the capacitive sensing control signal. The multiplexed signal may cause, using a demultiplexer disposed in the display device, the display device to perform the capacitive scan and update the display pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10394391
    Abstract: In an example, a processing system for an integrated display device and capacitive sensing device includes driver circuitry and a driver module. The driver circuitry is configured for coupling to a plurality of source lines and a plurality of sensor electrodes, where each of the plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode configured for display updating and capacitive sensing. The driver module is coupled to the driver circuitry and configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing during a first non-display update period that occurs between first and second display line update periods of a display frame, where the non-display update period is at least as long as one of the first and second display line update periods. The driver module is further configured to operate each of the plurality of source lines to reduce display artifacts during the non-display update period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein, Prashant Shamarao
  • Patent number: 10275070
    Abstract: This disclosure generally provides input devices, processing systems and methods for touch sensing that maintain substantially equal capacitive sensing frame reporting rates when operated at different display refresh rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Chih-Hong Fu, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20190122613
    Abstract: A host device divides original data into first to Nth stream data for N being an integer of two or more, generates first to Nth compressed stream data by sequentially compressing the first to Nth stream data with a variable length compression, divides the first to Nth compressed stream data into fixed-length blocks, and sequentially transmits the fixed-length blocks to the display driver. The display driver includes a memory storing therein the fixed-length blocks and a decompression circuitry reading out the fixed-length blocks from the memory. The decompression circuitry includes first to Nth processing circuits. The first to Nth processing circuits each perform a predetermined process on the fixed-length blocks received to generate processed data. The host device sorts the fixed-length blocks so that the fixed-length blocks are supplied in the order in which the first to Nth processing circuits require the fixed-length blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Hirobumi FURIHATA, Damien BERGET, Takashi NOSE, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Patent number: 10254860
    Abstract: A touch sensor device is provided that uses a flexible circuit substrate to provide an improved input device. Specifically, the present invention uses a touch sensor controller affixed to the flexible circuit substrate, which is coupled to a sensor component to provide a flexible, reliable and cost effective touch sensor suitable for a wide variety of applications. In one embodiment the touch sensor uses a flexible circuit substrate that provides relatively high temperature resistance. This allows the touch sensor controller to be affixed using reliable techniques, such as various types of soldering. The sensor component can comprise a relatively low-temperature-resistant substrate that can provide a cost effective solution. Taken together, this embodiment of the touch sensor provides reliability and flexibility at relatively low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Shawn P. Day
  • Patent number: 10216302
    Abstract: Display devices with improved routing between connectors and source drivers disposed on a substrate such as glass. Various features improve different characteristics of the routings between the connectors and source drivers. For example, a t-shaped connector is provided to ensure voltage provided to the source drivers is approximately equal. Routings may be tapered (i.e., altered in width) to reduce the amount of area consumption in locations where doing so is desirable but to decrease resistance in areas having more space. Routings may also include stacked power supply and ground traces to provide benefits such as improved decoupling capacitance. Other features are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Stephen L. Morein, Tai-Chien Liu, Shriram Kulkarni, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10209845
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device with display screens that periodically update (refresh) the screen by selectively driving electrodes corresponding to pixels in a display line. In addition to updating the display, the input device may perform capacitive sensing using the display screen as a touch area. To do this, the input device uses common electrodes for both updating the display and performing capacitive sensing, and interleaves periods of capacitive sensing between periods of updating the display lines (and pixels) based on a display frame. To avoid noise and mitigate interference during capacitive sensing, the input device may change the capacitive frame rate relative to the display frame rate based on measurements of interference. The changed capacitive frame rate may result in re-timed periods of capacitive sensing based on each display frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, David Sabo, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20190050108
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and apparatus that is configured to reduce the effects of interference that is undesirably provided to a transmitter signal that is delivered from a transmitter signal generating device to a sensor processor to determine if an input object is disposed within a touch sensing region of a touch sensing device. In one embodiment, the sensor processor includes a receiver channel that has circuitry that is configured to separately receive a transmitter signal delivered from a display processor and a sensor processor reference signal that is based on a display processor reference signal to reliably sense the presence of an object. Embodiments of the invention described herein thus provide an improved apparatus and method for reliably sensing the presence of an object by a touch sensing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Adam SCHWARTZ, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Publication number: 20190050075
    Abstract: An example method of capacitive sensing includes: transmitting a first waveform over a first time period; transmitting a second waveform over a second time period, wherein the second waveform is independent of the first waveform, and wherein at least a portion of the second time period does not overlap the first time period; receiving, from sensor electrodes, a first resulting signal in response to capacitive coupling of the first waveform and a second resulting signal in response to capacitive coupling of the second waveform; and processing the second resulting signal over at least a portion of the first time period, and the second time period, to obtain independent capacitive measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventor: Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Publication number: 20190033971
    Abstract: A method may include obtaining, using a first set of resulting signals from various proximity sensor electrodes, positional information regarding a location of an input object in a sensing region. The method may include obtaining, using a second set of resulting signals from various force sensor electrodes, force information regarding an input force that is applied to an input surface. The method may include loading, using a loading actuator and in response to the positional information or the force information, energy in a spring element coupled to a buckling element. The spring element may apply a compression force to the buckling element based on the energy in the spring element. The method may include generating, using a buckling actuator and in response to the positional information or the force information, a haptic event by applying a force to the buckling element to trigger the haptic event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Doug Krumpelman
  • Patent number: 10191597
    Abstract: This disclosure generally provides an input device modulates a reference voltage used to provide power to a plurality of power supplies and acquires, while modulating the reference voltage, first resulting signals from a plurality of sensor electrodes simultaneously at a central receiver. In input device also acquires second resulting signals from the sensor electrodes at a plurality of local receivers and mitigates an effect a grounding condition has on the second resulting signal using the first resulting signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kasra Khazeni, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20190028138
    Abstract: An example method of capacitive sensing includes: receiving at least one code division multiplexed (CDM) signal transmitted from different transmitters using different codes over a plurality of signal bursts, wherein a length of each of the different codes is equal to or greater than a number of the different transmitters; filtering the at least one CDM signal using an impulse response filter, wherein the filtering comprises: accumulating the at least one CDM signal over the plurality of signal bursts to obtain measurements of the at least one CDM signal; and for the measurements of the at least one CDM signal, applying different filter weights to the resulting signals over a number of the plurality of signal bursts that is greater than the length of the different codes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventor: Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Patent number: 10181872
    Abstract: An example method of capacitive sensing includes: receiving at least one code division multiplexed (CDM) signal transmitted from different transmitters using different codes over a plurality of signal bursts, wherein a length of each of the different codes is equal to or greater than a number of the different transmitters; filtering the at least one CDM signal using an impulse response filter, wherein the filtering comprises: accumulating the at least one CDM signal over the plurality of signal bursts to obtain measurements of the at least one CDM signal; and for the measurements of the at least one CDM signal, applying different filter weights to the resulting signals over a number of the plurality of signal bursts that is greater than the length of the different codes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10176761
    Abstract: A host device divides original data into first to Nth stream data for N being an integer of two or more, generates first to Nth compressed stream data by sequentially compressing the first to Nth stream data with a variable length compression, divides the first to Nth compressed stream data into fixed-length blocks, and sequentially transmits the fixed-length blocks to the display driver. The display driver includes a memory storing therein the fixed-length blocks and a decompression circuitry reading out the fixed-length blocks from the memory. The decompression circuitry includes first to Nth processing circuits. The first to Nth processing circuits each perform a predetermined process on the fixed-length blocks received to generate processed data. The host device sorts the fixed-length blocks so that the fixed-length blocks are supplied in the order in which the first to Nth processing circuits require the fixed-length blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Hirobumi Furihata, Damien Berget, Takashi Nose, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Publication number: 20180356919
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide an input device with display screens that periodically update (refresh) the screen by selectively driving electrodes corresponding to pixels in a display line. In addition to updating the display, the input device may perform capacitive sensing using the display screen as a touch area. To do this, the input device uses common electrodes for both updating the display and performing capacitive sensing, and interleaves periods of capacitive sensing between periods of updating the display lines (and pixels) based on a display frame. To avoid noise and mitigate interference during capacitive sensing, the input device may change the capacitive frame rate relative to the display frame rate based on measurements of interference. The changed capacitive frame rate may result in re-timed periods of capacitive sensing based on each display frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Petr SHEPELEV, David SABO, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Patent number: 10146388
    Abstract: A processing system for an integrated display and capacitive sensing device, where the display includes light-emitting diode (LED) pixels. The processing system includes isolated supply domains having inputs that receive an anode voltage and a cathode voltage, first outputs that supply modulated anode voltages, and second outputs that modulated cathode voltages, where the modulated anode voltages and the modulated cathode voltages are constant with respect to each other and modulated with respect to an external reference voltage. The processing system additionally includes a multiplexer circuit having inputs coupled the isolated supply domains, the anode voltage, and the cathode voltage, and having outputs coupled to the LED pixels. Further, the processing system includes control logic configured to control the multiplexer circuit to selectively supply the anode voltage and the cathode voltage, or the modulated anode voltages and the modulated cathode voltages, to the LED pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein