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).

  • Patent number: 12353265
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba
  • Publication number: 20250173022
    Abstract: Systems and methods for differential parallel touch sensing are provided. An input device includes a display with an integrated touch sensor. The touch sensor includes a plurality of sets of sensor electrodes. Each set of sensor electrodes has a positive transmitter electrode, a negative transmitter electrode, and a differential pair of receiver electrodes. The differential pair of receiver electrodes includes a positive receiver electrode coupled to the positive transmitter electrode and a negative receiver electrode coupled to the negative transmitter electrode. The differential pair of receiver electrodes is disposed between the positive transmitter electrode and the negative transmitter electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2025
    Publication date: May 29, 2025
    Inventors: Sung-Sool Lee, Guozhong Shen, Yoonhong Kim, Tom Vandermeijden, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Patent number: 12204716
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Samuel Toba, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Publication number: 20240377907
    Abstract: A system and method for capacitive sensing using an input device are provided. The input device includes a display, a touch sensor and a processing system. The touch sensor has a plurality of transmitter electrodes with a first subset of positive transmitter electrodes driven by a positive sensing signal and a second subset of negative transmitter electrodes driven by a negative sensing signal. Each positive transmitter electrode spatially alternates with a negative transmitter electrode of the second subset of negative transmitter electrodes. The touch sensor includes a plurality of receiver electrodes arranged in differential pairs. Each differential pair includes a positive receiver electrode coupled to at least one of the first subset of positive transmitter electrodes and a negative receiver electrode coupled to at least one of the second subset of negative transmitter electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Patent number: 12141000
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device, the system including a plurality of electrodes and a processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to obtain transcapacitance measurements via a subset of the plurality of electrodes; obtain absolute capacitance measurements via the subset of the plurality of electrodes; and determine the fold angle of the foldable device based on the transcapacitance measurements and the absolute capacitance measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Patent number: 12130133
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Patent number: 12072741
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device includes a plurality of electrodes and a processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen
  • Publication number: 20240281038
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device includes a plurality of electrodes and a processing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen
  • Patent number: 12039120
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden
  • Patent number: 12032786
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Publication number: 20240211075
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2024
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Patent number: 12019832
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Kirk Hargreaves, Robert Bolender
  • Publication number: 20240168524
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device, the system including a plurality of electrodes and a processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to obtain transcapacitance measurements via a subset of the plurality of electrodes; obtain absolute capacitance measurements via the subset of the plurality of electrodes; and determine the fold angle of the foldable device based on the transcapacitance measurements and the absolute capacitance measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20240167803
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device, the system including a plurality of electrodes and a processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to obtain transcapacitance measurements via a subset of the plurality of electrodes; obtain absolute capacitance measurements via the subset of the plurality of electrodes; and determine the fold angle of the foldable device based on the transcapacitance measurements and the absolute capacitance measurements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen
  • Patent number: 11976922
    Abstract: A system for determining a fold angle of a foldable device, the system including a plurality of electrodes and a processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to obtain transcapacitance measurements via a subset of the plurality of electrodes; obtain absolute capacitance measurements via the subset of the plurality of electrodes; and determine the fold angle of the foldable device based on the transcapacitance measurements and the absolute capacitance measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen
  • Patent number: 11960681
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Guozhong Shen, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Publication number: 20240011760
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20240011759
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Tom Vandermeijden
  • Publication number: 20240004498
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2022
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Tom Vandermeijden, Ching-Hsung Wang
  • Publication number: 20230418404
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventor: Tom Vandermeijden