Patents by Inventor Stephen L. Morein

Stephen L. Morein 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).

  • Patent number: 9836173
    Abstract: An example method of performing capacitive sensing and display updating in an integrated capacitive sensing device and display device includes driving a plurality of sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensing device for input sensing during a blanking period. The method further includes driving a plurality of source lines using a plurality of source drivers during the blanking period to update a first display line of the display device. The method further includes driving the plurality of source lines using the plurality of source drivers during a display update period to update one or more additional display lines of the display device. The method further includes adjusting an operational mode of the plurality of source drivers during the blanking period to equalize display pixel settling between the blanking period and the display update period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Prashant Shamarao, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein
  • Publication number: 20170285793
    Abstract: An example method of performing capacitive sensing and display updating in an integrated capacitive sensing device and display device includes driving a plurality of sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensing device for input sensing during a blanking period. The method further includes driving a plurality of source lines using a plurality of source drivers during the blanking period to update a first display line of the display device. The method further includes driving the plurality of source lines using the plurality of source drivers during a display update period to update one or more additional display lines of the display device. The method further includes adjusting an operational mode of the plurality of source drivers during the blanking period to equalize display pixel settling between the blanking period and the display update period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Prashant SHAMARAO, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Stephen L. MOREIN
  • Patent number: 9778790
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device, 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. In one embodiment, an input device includes a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a planar matrix array. Each sensor electrode is coupled to unique routing trace and has an identical geometric plan form that is symmetrical about a center of area of the sensor electrode. The geometric plan form of each sensor electrode includes core and a plurality of protrusions extending outward from the core. The protrusions are configured to overlap with protrusions extending outward from each adjacent sensor electrode of the matrix array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, Christopher A. Ludden, Jeffrey Lukanc, Stephen L. Morein, Greg P. Semeraro, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 9778713
    Abstract: This disclosure generally provides an input device that includes a reference voltage modulator that modulates reference voltage rails when performing capacitive sensing. In one embodiment, reference voltage rails are coupled to a DC power source which provides power to operate a panel that includes a display screen integrated with a touch sensing region. Before performing capacitive sensing, the input device may isolate the DC power source from the reference voltage rails and use the reference voltage rails to modulate the rails—e.g., VDD and VGND. The input device may include a receiver that simultaneously acquires resulting signals from a plurality of display and/or sensor electrodes when modulating the reference voltage rails. The resulting signals can then be processed to determine if an input object is interacting with the input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein, Kasra Khazeni
  • Publication number: 20170262095
    Abstract: An example processing system for an integrated display and capacitive sensing device, where the display includes light-emitting diode (LED) pixels, is described. 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; 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; and 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: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Stephen L. MOREIN
  • Patent number: 9760212
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device, 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. In one embodiment, an input device includes a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a planar matrix array. Each sensor electrode is coupled to unique routing trace and has an identical geometric plan form that is symmetrical about a center of area of the sensor electrode. The geometric plan form of each sensor electrode includes core and a plurality of protrusions extending outward from the core. The protrusions are configured to overlap with protrusions extending outward from each adjacent sensor electrode of the matrix array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORTED
    Inventors: Petr Shepelev, Christopher A. Ludden, Jeffrey Lukanc, Stephen L. Morein, Greg P. Semeraro, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 9720541
    Abstract: The disclosure generally describes input devices with associated processing system configured to perform display updating and capacitive sensing. The processing system includes first and second pluralities of display driver pads coupled with a plurality of source lines, and a plurality of sensor pads disposed between the first and second pluralities of display driver pads and coupled with a plurality of sensor electrodes through a plurality of conductive routing traces. The plurality of sensor electrodes includes at least one common electrode of a display device, the common electrode configured to be driven for display updating and capacitive sensing. The processing system is configured to drive the plurality of source lines for display updating, and to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Damien Berget, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein
  • Patent number: 9715297
    Abstract: A display and touch driver architecture is described that includes a plurality of source drivers and a processing system. The processing system operates receivers within the source drivers to selectively receive sensing data from the receivers and determines positional information based on the sensing data. The processing system may selectively operate different source drivers in low power modes and/or for capacitive sensing based on the determined positional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Damien Berget, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein
  • Patent number: 9715304
    Abstract: This disclosure generally describes an input device, a display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device, and an assembly for an input device. The input device comprises a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in a first layer, and a processing system configured to detect presence of input objects in a sensing region defined proximate to the plurality of sensor electrodes. The input device further comprises a plurality of routing traces disposed in a second layer and coupled with the processing system, and a plurality of vias arranged in a regular pattern within an areal extent of the sensing region, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of vias couple the plurality of sensor electrodes with the plurality of routing traces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Damien Berget, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein
  • Publication number: 20170192581
    Abstract: An example method of performing capacitive sensing and display updating in an integrated capacitive sensing device and display device includes driving a plurality of display electrodes with one or more display voltages from one or more supplies during a first time period, the one or more voltages configured to drive the display pixels. The method further includes initiating a long horizontal blanking interval during a second time period. The method further includes driving a plurality of sensor electrodes with one or more sensing voltages from the one or more supplies during the second time period to perform capacitive sensing. The method further includes activating first circuitry during one of the first time period or the second time period to draw current to equalize power drawn from the one or more supplies during the first and second time periods within a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Prashant Shamarao, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Stephen L. Morein
  • Publication number: 20170192554
    Abstract: Techniques for removing display-based corrupting components from a capacitive sensing signal are provided. A routing carrying display related signals (e.g., a source signal for sub-pixel updating) may induce corrupting current into a routing for carrying capacitive sensing signals. This corrupting current may reduce the ability to determine presence of an input object via the sensing signal. Therefore, the corrupting signal is effectively removed by driving the display elements with a dot inversion technique and by performing capacitive sensing for a sensor electrode during a time in which an even number of display rows are driven for display updates. Dot inversion causes the corrupting current to alternate polarity. Thus, driving sensor electrodes in a period of time in which an even number of rows is driven means that an equal number of positive and negative polarity corrupting currents are induced into the sensing signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Kasra Khazeni, Stephen L. Morein
  • Publication number: 20170187551
    Abstract: This disclosure generally provides a processing system that includes a first controller coupled with a second controller via a first communication link. The first controller is configured to transmit display data and configuration data to the second controller via the first communication link. The second controller is configured to drive, using the display data, one or more coupled display electrodes for performing display updating. The second controller is further configured to operate one or more coupled sensor electrodes using the configuration data to acquire capacitive sensing data, and to transmit the capacitive sensing data to the first controller via the first communication link.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lukanc, Shriram Kulkarni, Stephen L. Morein
  • Patent number: 9666108
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Stephen L. Morein, Jeffrey A. Small
  • Patent number: 9582128
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure generally provide a processing system for a display device including an integrated capacitive sensing device. The processing system includes a sensor module configured to be coupled to a plurality of sensor electrodes. Each sensor electrode includes at least one display electrode. The sensor module drives the plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing during a first period. The processing system further includes a display driver configured to drive display signals onto the display electrodes during a second period. The display signals are based on a reference voltage, and the first period and the second period are at least partially overlapping. The processing system further includes a power supply configured to provide the reference voltage to the display driver. The power supply includes a resonator circuit having an inductor connected in parallel with a capacitor and configured to modulate the reference voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Stephen L. Morein, Petr Shepelev, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 9582846
    Abstract: A graphics processing architecture in one example performs vertex manipulation operations and pixel manipulation operations by transmitting vertex data to a general purpose register block, and performing vertex operations on the vertex data by a processor unless the general purpose register block does not have enough available space therein to store incoming vertex data; and continues pixel calculation operations that are to be or are currently being performed by the processor based on instructions maintained in an instruction store until enough registers within the general purpose register block become available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: ATI TECHNOLOGIES ULC
    Inventors: Stephen L. Morein, Laurent Lefebvre, Andrew E. Gruber, Andi Skende
  • Patent number: 9552089
    Abstract: An electrode matrix that is used for capacitive sensing may be integrated into a display panel of an input device. In one embodiment, source drivers may be mounted on the display panel which drive the display signals and capacitive sensing signals into the display panel. In one embodiment, the capacitive sensing signals may be routed on traces or lines that are interleaved on the same layer as the source lines used for setting a voltage on the pixels in the display panel during display updating. Using the interleaved traces, the source drivers may drive the capacitive sensing signals in parallel to a plurality of the electrodes in the matrix in a predefined pattern that spans one or more sensing cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lukanc, Stephen L. Morein, Christopher A. Ludden, Greg P. Semeraro, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Petr Shepelev, Thomas Mackin
  • Patent number: 9542023
    Abstract: An electrode matrix that is used for capacitive sensing may be integrated into a display panel of an input device. In one embodiment, source drivers may be mounted on the display panel which drive the display signals and capacitive sensing signals into the display panel. In one embodiment, the capacitive sensing signals may be routed on wires or lines that are interleaved on the same layer as the source lines used for setting a voltage on the pixels in the display panel during display updating. Using the interleaved wires, the source drivers may drive the capacitive sensing signals in parallel to a plurality of the electrodes in the matrix in a predefined pattern that spans one or more touch cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lukanc, Stephen L. Morein, Christopher A. Ludden, Greg P. Semeraro, Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Petr Shepelev
  • Publication number: 20170003785
    Abstract: A display and touch driver architecture is described that includes a plurality of source drivers and a processing system. The processing system operates receivers within the source drivers to selectively receive sensing data from the receivers and determines positional information based on the sensing data. The processing system may selectively operate different source drivers in low power modes and/or for capacitive sensing based on the determined positional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Damien BERGET, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Stephen L. MOREIN
  • Publication number: 20170006223
    Abstract: This disclosure generally provides a fingerprint sensor that derives a fingerprint by measuring capacitive sensing signals while modulating a reference voltage rail used to power the fingerprint sensor. In one embodiment, the fingerprint sensor is integrated into an electronic device which may include other components such as a display, I/O devices, speakers, and the like. To power these components, the electronic device may include a DC power supply which outputs reference voltages. When transmitting the reference voltages to the fingerprint sensor, the electronic device may modulate the voltages using a modulating signal. Because the reference voltages are used to power the components in the fingerprint sensor, modulating the rail voltages also causes the components coupled to the reference voltages to also modulate. While this modulation occurs, the fingerprint sensor measures resulting signals using a plurality of sensor electrodes which are then processed to derive a fingerprint.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Kirk HARGREAVES, Patrick SMITH, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Stephen L. MOREIN
  • Publication number: 20170003791
    Abstract: This disclosure generally describes an input device, a display device having an integrated capacitive sensing device, and an assembly for an input device. The input device comprises a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in a first layer, and a processing system configured to detect presence of input objects in a sensing region defined proximate to the plurality of sensor electrodes. The input device further comprises a plurality of routing traces disposed in a second layer and coupled with the processing system, and a plurality of vias arranged in a regular pattern within an areal extent of the sensing region, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of vias couple the plurality of sensor electrodes with the plurality of routing traces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Damien BERGET, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Stephen L. MOREIN