Abstract: A force sensor having a strain gauge array including force sensing electrodes arranged in a full-bridge configuration comprising at least two of a first resistor type and at least two of a second resistor type, wherein the at least two of the first resistor type form a first force sensing node and the at least two of the second resistor type form a second force sensing node, a processing system communicatively coupled to the force sensing electrodes, the processing system being configured to receive a first signal from the first force sensing node and a second signal from the second force sensing node, wherein the first signal includes a thermal response, and the second signal includes the thermal response and an applied force, and remove the thermal response by comparing the first and second signals to obtain the applied force.

Abstract: A method may include performing a first low-power scan to detect an input object in a sensing region of an input device. The method may further include determining, using the first low-power scan, whether the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a high-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a second low-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of no interest.

Abstract: An input device may include a matrix electrode array that includes various transmitter electrodes and various receiver electrodes. The transmitter electrodes may be disposed in a first direction. The receiver electrodes may be disposed in a second direction that is substantially parallel with the first direction. The input device may further include a first set of routing traces coupled to the transmitter electrodes and disposed underneath the transmitter electrodes in the first direction. The input device may further include a second set of routing traces coupled to the receiver electrodes and disposed underneath the receiver electrodes in the second direction.

Abstract: A sensing system includes: a transmitter circuitry configured to transmit drive signals to N sensors, N being a positive integer; N receiver circuitries configured to receive in parallel N sense signals generated in response to the drive signals by N sensors, N being a positive integer; N modulation circuitries configured to modulate outputs of the N receiver circuitries; a mixer circuitry configured to mix outputs of the N modulation circuitries; an A/D converter circuitry configured to receive an output of the mixer circuitry; and a demodulation circuitry. The demodulation circuitry is configured to demodulate an output of the A/D converter circuitry to generate N digital sense values corresponding to the N sense signals.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a method for detecting a presence of an input in a capacitive sensing device that includes a sensing region and a plurality of sensor electrodes. The method includes driving a first column of transmitter sensor electrodes at a first potential and driving a second column of transmitter sensor electrodes at a second potential different than the first potential. The method includes acquiring a measurement from each row of sensor electrodes, where a first sensing node includes the first column of transmitter sensor electrodes and a third column of receiver sensor electrodes, and a second sensing node includes the second column of transmitter sensor electrodes and a fourth column of receiver sensor electrodes. The method also includes determining, using the measurements from each row of sensor electrodes, a first set of transcapacitive measurements corresponding to the plurality of sensor electrodes.

Abstract: An example a method of detecting a force applied to a side of an input device including sensor electrodes, the method including: detecting first capacitive responses corresponding to a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed near the side of the input device; detecting second capacitive responses corresponding to a second plurality of sensor electrodes disposed near a center of the input device; and determining a magnitude of the force applied to the side of the input device based on at least one of: a number of the second capacitive responses satisfying a first threshold; or magnitudes of the second capacitive responses.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining an eye gaze direction of a user through one or more non-contact capacitive sensors. For at least some embodiments, a differential capacitance associated with a users' eye may be determined through at least one of the non-contact capacitive sensors. The differential capacitance may be based on capacitance measurements associated with the users' eye performed at different times. The eye gaze direction may be based, at least in part, on the determined differential capacitance. For some embodiments, two or more non-contact capacitive sensors may be positioned along an axis. Differential capacitance measurements from the two or more non-contact capacitive sensors may determine the eye gaze direction with respect to the axis.

Abstract: An input device described herein includes at least one hybrid electrode that is used to perform both capacitive sensing to detect an input object (e.g., a finger or stylus) and force sensing to determine the force applied by the input object on the input device. During a first time period, the input device drives a modulated signal on one more capacitive sensor electrodes to perform capacitive sensing. However, during a second time period, the input device drives a DC voltage across one or more of the capacitive sensor electrodes to perform force sensing. In one example, during the first time period, the input device drives the modulated signal on transmitter electrodes and measures resulting signals on receiver electrodes. During the second time period, however, the input device may drive the DC voltage across the transmitter or receiver electrodes to measure a force applied by the input object.

Abstract: A method may include performing a first low-power scan to detect an input object in a sensing region of an input device. The method may further include determining, using the first low-power scan, whether the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a high-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of interest. The method may further include performing a second low-power scan of the sensing region when the input object is an object of no interest.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining an eye gaze direction of a user through one or more non-contact capacitive sensors. For at least some embodiments, a differential capacitance associated with a users' eye may be determined through at least one of the non-contact capacitive sensors. The differential capacitance may be based on capacitance measurements associated with the users' eye performed at different times. The eye gaze direction may be based, at least in part, on the determined differential capacitance. For some embodiments, two or more non-contact capacitive sensors may be positioned along an axis. Differential capacitance measurements from the two or more non-contact capacitive sensors may determine the eye gaze direction with respect to the axis.

Abstract: A method for capacitive sensing includes acquiring a mutual capacitive measurement including effects of sensing signals of a sensing region, and acquiring an absolute capacitive measurement including effects of the sensing signals. The method further includes performing a comparison of the mutual capacitive measurement and the absolute capacitive measurement, and detecting a presence of an input object proximate to a side surface of an input device based on the comparison. The side surface is at least substantially orthogonal to the sensing region on the input device. The method further includes reporting the presence of the input object.

Abstract: Capacitive sensing includes concurrently driving a first transmitter electrode with a first transmitter signal and a second transmitter electrode with a second transmitter signal. The first transmitter signal is based on a first digital code and the second transmitter signal is based on a second digital code. The first digital code and the second digital code each include at least one non-integer multiple. Capacitive sensing further includes receiving resulting signals using multiple receiver electrodes, the resulting signals include effects of the first transmitter signal and the second transmitter signal. Capacitive sensing further includes determining positional information based on the resulting signals.

Abstract: A sensing system includes: a transmitter circuitry configured to transmit drive signals to N sensors, N being a positive integer; N receiver circuitries configured to receive in parallel N sense signals generated in response to the drive signals by N sensors, N being a positive integer; N modulation circuitries configured to modulate outputs of the N receiver circuitries; a mixer circuitry configured to mix outputs of the N modulation circuitries; an A/D converter circuitry configured to receive an output of the mixer circuitry; and a demodulation circuitry. The demodulation circuitry is configured to demodulate an output of the A/D converter circuitry to generate N digital sense values corresponding to the N sense signals.

Abstract: An input device and related processing system and method are disclosed for acquiring capacitive measurements. The input device comprises a plurality of sensor electrodes having a repeating arrangement. The plurality of sensor electrodes comprises first sensor electrodes and second sensor electrodes, wherein each first sensor electrode is bordered by a plurality of the second sensor electrodes and forms a respective plurality of sensing nodes with respective ones of the plurality of the second sensor electrodes. The input device further comprises a processing system coupled with the plurality of sensor electrodes. The processing system is configured to sequentially acquire, for each first sensor electrode, a respective plurality of individual measurements, and determine, for each first sensor electrode and using the plurality of individual measurements, a respective plurality of transcapacitive measurements corresponding to the respective plurality of sensing nodes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally provide an input device. The input device includes a first plurality of sensor electrodes disposed substantially parallel to each other and a second plurality of sensor electrodes disposed substantially perpendicular to the first plurality of sensor electrodes. An areal extent of the first and second sensor electrodes defines a sensor region. The input devices further includes a plurality of routing traces disposed within the sensor region of the input device. A first sensor electrode included in the first plurality of sensor electrodes is coupled to a first routing trace included in the plurality of routing traces, and the first routing trace is routed through a second sensor electrode included in the first plurality of sensor electrodes.

Abstract: Provided is a touch sensing circuit configured to sense an approach of a conductive object toward a sensor capacitor through measuring a sensor response signal generated by the sensor capacitor in response to a sensing wave signal applied to the sensor capacitor. The touch sensing circuit is connectable to a conversion circuit and a touch detection circuit. The conversion circuit calculates a response signal vector for a frequency component of the sensing wave signal by converting the response signal into a frequency domain representation. The touch sensing circuit includes a baseline vector manager circuit holding a baseline vector and a vector subtraction circuit, and calculates a delta vector which is the vector difference between the baseline vector and the response signal vector received from the conversion circuit. The touch detection circuit detects an approach of a conductive object towards the sensor capacitor on the basis of the calculated delta vector.

Abstract: A force sensor having a strain gauge array including force sensing electrodes arranged in a full-bridge configuration comprising at least two of a first resistor type and at least two of a second resistor type, wherein the at least two of the first resistor type form a first force sensing node and the at least two of the second resistor type form a second force sensing node, a processing system communicatively coupled to the force sensing electrodes, the processing system being configured to receive a first signal from the first force sensing node and a second signal from the second force sensing node, wherein the first signal includes a thermal response, and the second signal includes the thermal response and an applied force, and remove the thermal response by comparing the first and second signals to obtain the applied force.

Abstract: This disclosure generally provides an input device with near-field and far-field receiver electrodes. Using resulting signals captured by these receivers, the input device generates a near-field capacitive image and a far-field capacitive image. In one embodiment, the near-field capacitive image contains information identifying a location of an input object in a first plane in free space, while the far-field capacitive image contains information identifying a location of the input object in a second plane in free space. Further, the first and second planes may be parallel planes where the first plane is closer to an input surface of the input device than the second plane. In one embodiment, the input device compares the information in the near-field and far-field images in order to determine a state of the input object.

Abstract: A touch sensing circuit operable to sense a conductor approaching a sensor capacitance by measuring a response signal obtained from the sensor capacitance according to an applied detection signal includes an A/D converter and a Fourier transform device. The A/D converter samples the response signal with a predetermined cycle, followed by conversion to a digital value and outputs as time-series response data. The Fourier transform device calculates, from the time-series response data, a result of transformation at a detection frequency representing the reciprocal of a cycle of the detection signal and outputs it. The touch sensing circuit converts the response signal to the frequency domain, calculates only components (harmonics or others as needed) of a frequency equal to that of the detection signal required for touch sensing, and supplies them for a touch coordinate calculation process in a subsequent stage.

Abstract: An input device described herein includes at least one hybrid electrode that is used to perform both capacitive sensing to detect an input object (e.g., a finger or stylus) and force sensing to determine the force applied by the input object on the input device. During a first time period, the input device drives a modulated signal on one more capacitive sensor electrodes to perform capacitive sensing. However, during a second time period, the input device drives a DC voltage across one or more of the capacitive sensor electrodes to perform force sensing. In one example, during the first time period, the input device drives the modulated signal on transmitter electrodes and measures resulting signals on receiver electrodes. During the second time period, however, the input device may drive the DC voltage across the transmitter or receiver electrodes to measure a force applied by the input object.