Patents by Inventor Tom Vandermeijden
Tom Vandermeijden 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: 11960681Abstract: A method of capacitive sensing includes obtaining a capacitive touch profile from multiple receiver electrodes disposed in a sensing region of an input device and obtaining an active pen profile, different from the capacitive touch profile, from the multiple receiver electrodes. The method also includes adjusting, using the capacitive touch profile, the active pen profile to obtain a corrected active pen profile and determining a position of an active pen in the sensing region, using the corrected active pen profile.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2022Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen, Ching-Hsung Wang
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Publication number: 20240011760Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle and an open or closed state of a foldable device includes: a plurality of electrodes, including a first set of electrodes for performing absolute capacitance sensing and a second set of electrodes for performing transcapacitance sensing, wherein each of the second set of electrodes is farther from a fold line of the foldable device than each of the first set of electrodes; and a processing system, configured to: obtain absolute capacitance measurements via the first set of electrodes; obtain at least one transcapacitance measurement via at least one receiver electrode of the second set of electrodes; determine the fold angle of the foldable device based on the absolute capacitance measurements; and determine whether the foldable device is in an open state or a closed state based on the at least one transcapacitance measurement.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2022Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20240011759Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device includes a plurality of electrodes and a processing system. The plurality of electrodes includes at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode, wherein the at least one second electrode is farther from a fold line of the foldable device than the at least one first electrode. The processing system is configured to: obtain at least one first absolute capacitance measurement via the at least one first electrode and at least one second absolute capacitance measurement via the at least one second electrode; and determine a fold angle of the foldable device based on the at least one first absolute capacitance measurement and the at least one second absolute capacitance measurement.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 8, 2022Publication date: January 11, 2024Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20240004498Abstract: A method is provided. The method comprises: providing, by a control system of an input device, one or more first beacon signals to an input object; based, at least in part, on force data from the input object, detecting, by the control system, noise interference associated with providing at least one of the one or more first beacon signals to the input object; based, at least in part, on detecting the noise interference, altering, by the control system, a timing schedule for providing one or more subsequent beacon signals; and providing, by the control system, the one or more subsequent beacon signals to the input object based, at least in part, on the timing schedule.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2022Publication date: January 4, 2024Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Ching-Hsung Wang
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Publication number: 20230418404Abstract: A processing system includes sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. The sensor circuitry is configured to, using the sensor electrodes, obtain capacitive measurements of a sensing region, and obtain a resistance measurement of the sensing region. The processing circuitry is coupled to the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of an input object using the capacitive measurements of the sensing region and determine a force value based on the resistance measurement and the location of the input object. Determining the force value mitigates a temperature variation of the sensing region affecting the resistance measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to report the force value.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Patent number: 11853496Abstract: A processing system includes sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. The sensor circuitry is configured to, using the sensor electrodes, obtain capacitive measurements of a sensing region, and obtain a resistance measurement of the sensing region. The processing circuitry is coupled to the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of an input object using the capacitive measurements of the sensing region and determine a force value based on the resistance measurement and the location of the input object. Determining the force value mitigates a temperature variation of the sensing region affecting the resistance measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to report the force value.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20230315187Abstract: A method for determining a state of a foldable device is provided. The foldable device comprises: a first set of electrodes located in a first portion of the foldable device; a second set of electrodes located in a second portion of the foldable device; a display device configured to display information to a user; and a processing system configured to: drive the first set of electrodes to generate a plurality of sensing signals that are detectable by the second set of electrodes; obtain a plurality of resulting signals associated with the plurality of sensing signals via the second set of electrodes; determine a state of the foldable device based on the plurality of resulting signals; and change one or more settings of the display device based on the determined state.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2023Publication date: October 5, 2023Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba
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Patent number: 11714473Abstract: A method for determining a state of a foldable device is provided. The foldable device comprises: a first set of electrodes located in a first portion of the foldable device; a second set of electrodes located in a second portion of the foldable device; a display device configured to display information to a user; and a processing system configured to: drive the first set of electrodes to generate a plurality of sensing signals that are detectable by the second set of electrodes; obtain a plurality of resulting signals associated with the plurality of sensing signals via the second set of electrodes; determine a state of the foldable device based on the plurality of resulting signals; and change one or more settings of the display device based on the determined state.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2021Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba
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Publication number: 20230045039Abstract: A processing system includes sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. The sensor circuitry is configured to, using the sensor electrodes, obtain capacitive measurements of a sensing region, and obtain a resistance measurement of the sensing region. The processing circuitry is coupled to the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of an input object using the capacitive measurements of the sensing region and determine a force value based on the resistance measurement and the location of the input object. Determining the force value mitigates a temperature variation of the sensing region affecting the resistance measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to report the force value.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20230027365Abstract: A method of capacitive sensing includes obtaining a capacitive touch profile from multiple receiver electrodes disposed in a sensing region of an input device and obtaining an active pen profile, different from the capacitive touch profile, from the multiple receiver electrodes. The method also includes adjusting, using the capacitive touch profile, the active pen profile to obtain a corrected active pen profile and determining a position of an active pen in the sensing region, using the corrected active pen profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2022Publication date: January 26, 2023Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen, Ching-Hsung Wang
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Publication number: 20230004206Abstract: A method for determining a state of a foldable device is provided. The foldable device comprises: a first set of electrodes located in a first portion of the foldable device; a second set of electrodes located in a second portion of the foldable device; a display device configured to display information to a user; and a processing system configured to: drive the first set of electrodes to generate a plurality of sensing signals that are detectable by the second set of electrodes; obtain a plurality of resulting signals associated with the plurality of sensing signals via the second set of electrodes; determine a state of the foldable device based on the plurality of resulting signals; and change one or more settings of the display device based on the determined state.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2021Publication date: January 5, 2023Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba
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Publication number: 20220404940Abstract: A capacitive input device includes sensing electrodes configured to form a capacitive coupling with auxiliary device electrodes of an attached auxiliary device. The auxiliary device electrodes transmit data signals to the sensing electrodes via the capacitive coupling. The capacitive input device also includes processing circuitry configured to decode the data signals received via the capacitive coupling to obtain decoded data.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2022Publication date: December 22, 2022Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba, Ching-Hsung Wang
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Patent number: 11520423Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device and associated processing system for sensing force applied by input objects. The input device comprises a display device comprising a plurality of layers formed as a display stack, the display stack including a top surface. The input device further comprises one or more strain gauges disposed within the display stack and configured to detect force applied to the top surface, and a processing system configured to perform display updating using the display device and to perform force sensing using the one or more strain gauges.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Tom Vandermeijden, Tetsuo Tanemura
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Publication number: 20220357812Abstract: Low ground mass mitigation for pens includes sensing circuitry configured to transmit, during a first frame, a beacon signal on a first subset of sensing electrodes, the first subset being along a first axis of an input device, transmit, during a second frame, the beacon signal on a second subset of the sensing electrodes, the second subset being along the first axis and different from the first subset, and receive a pen signal transmitted responsive to the beacon signal. The processing circuitry is configured to detect a location of a capacitive pen using the pen signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2022Publication date: November 10, 2022Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Kirk Hargreaves, Robert Bolender
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Patent number: 11494023Abstract: A processing system includes sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. The sensor circuitry is configured to, using the sensor electrodes, obtain capacitive measurements of a sensing region, and obtain a resistance measurement of the sensing region. The processing circuitry is coupled to the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of an input object using the capacitive measurements of the sensing region; and determine a force value based on the resistance measurement and the location of the input object. Determining the force value mitigates a temperature variation of the sensing region affecting the resistance measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to report the force value.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2021Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20210240324Abstract: A processing system includes sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. The sensor circuitry is configured to, using the sensor electrodes, obtain capacitive measurements of a sensing region, and obtain a resistance measurement of the sensing region. The processing circuitry is coupled to the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of an input object using the capacitive measurements of the sensing region; and determine a force value based on the resistance measurement and the location of the input object. Determining the force value mitigates a temperature variation of the sensing region affecting the resistance measurement. The processing circuitry is further configured to report the force value.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2021Publication date: August 5, 2021Applicant: Synaptics IncorporatedInventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Patent number: 11009988Abstract: A processing system including processing circuitry and sensor circuitry configured to obtain first resistance measurements of a plurality of sensor electrodes that compose a surface of an input device. The processing circuitry measures, in a first time interval, first values of electrical resistances of the electrodes. The processing circuitry calculates, from the first values, a first rate of change in the resistances, and measures, in a subsequent second time interval, second values of the electrical resistances. The processing circuitry calculates, from the second values, a second rate of change in the electrical resistances, as well as calculates, over the second time interval and based on the first rate of change, projected values of electrical resistances. The processing circuitry filters the projected values from the second values of the electrical resistances. The processing circuitry calculates, and reports, final values for the force over the second time interval using the filtered measurement.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2019Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignee: Synaptics IncorporatedInventor: Tom Vandermeijden
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Publication number: 20200379591Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device and associated processing system for sensing force applied by input objects. The input device comprises a display device comprising a plurality of layers formed as a display stack, the display stack including a top surface. The input device further comprises one or more strain gauges disposed within the display stack and configured to detect force applied to the top surface, and a processing system configured to perform display updating using the display device and to perform force sensing using the one or more strain gauges.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2020Publication date: December 3, 2020Inventors: Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS, Tom VANDERMEIJDEN, Tetsuo TANEMURA
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Patent number: 10795509Abstract: Embodiments described herein include an input device and associated processing system for sensing force applied by input objects. The input device comprises a display device comprising a plurality of layers formed as a display stack, the display stack including a top surface. The input device further comprises one or more strain gauges disposed within the display stack and configured to detect force applied to the top surface, and a processing system configured to perform display updating using the display device and to perform force sensing using the one or more strain gauges.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2016Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventors: Joseph Kurth Reynolds, Tom Vandermeijden, Tetsuo Tanemura
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Patent number: 10572081Abstract: A method and associated processing system and input device are disclosed, the method comprising acquiring capacitive measurements using individual electrodes of a plurality of first sensor electrodes and a plurality of second sensor electrodes. The first sensor electrodes are formed of a first material having a positive gauge factor, and the second sensor electrodes are formed of a second material having a negative gauge factor. The method further comprises selectively forming one or more bridge circuits using the first sensor electrodes and the second sensor electrodes; and acquiring force measurements using the one or more bridge circuits.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2017Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATEDInventor: Tom Vandermeijden