Method for operating human-machine interface and human-machine interface

Abstract

A method for operating a human-machine interface and a human-machine interface are provided. In an example, a human machine interface includes a guard sensor, a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor, and a controller. The controller is configured to measure a first response of the guard sensor using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, measure a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, a sensor frequency of the human input sensor is configured based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, the first response of the human input sensor is measured using the sensor frequency, and a touch event on the human input sensor is identified based on the first response of the human input sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a human-machine interface and a human-machine interface. Background Art

[0002] Computing devices such as notebook computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), and mobile handsets have user interface devices, which are also referred to as human interface devices (HIDs). One type of user interface device is a touch sensing device, such as a touch sensor pad (also commonly referred to as a touchpad), a touch sensor slider, a touch sensor button, a touch sensor keyboard, a touch screen, and a touch panel. Capacitive sensing devices are sometimes used to replace mechanical buttons, knobs, and other similar mechanical user interface controls. Capacitive sensing devices have relatively few complex mechanical switches and buttons, and can generally provide reliable operation under harsh conditions. In addition, capacitive sensing devices are widely used in modern consumer applications, providing new user interface options in existing products. Summary of the invention

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key factors or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a method includes measuring a first response of a guard sensor of a human-machine interface using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, measuring a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, configuring a human input sensor of the human-machine interface adjacent to the guard sensor to select a sensor frequency based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, measuring the first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency, and identifying a touch event on the human input sensor based on the first response of the human input sensor.

[0005] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a system includes: a device for measuring a first response of a guard sensor of a human-machine interface using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, a device for measuring a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, a device for configuring a human input sensor of the human-machine interface adjacent to the guard sensor to select a sensor frequency based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, a device for measuring the first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency, and a device for identifying a touch event on the human input sensor based on the first response of the human input sensor.

[0006] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a human-machine interface includes a guard sensor, a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor, and a controller configured to measure a first response of the guard sensor using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, measure a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, configure a sensor frequency of the human input sensor based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, measure the first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency, and identify a touch event on the human input sensor based on the first response of the human input sensor.

[0007] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a human-machine interface includes a guard sensor, a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor, and a controller configured to detect interference events on the guard sensor using a frequency hopping technique with a set of sensing frequencies, detect touch events on the human input sensor using a single frequency technique, and configure a sensor frequency of the human input sensor for the single frequency technique based on the interference event.

[0008] In order to achieve the aforementioned and related purposes, the following description and the accompanying drawings set forth some illustrative aspects and implementations. These illustrative aspects and implementations only indicate some of the various ways in which one or more aspects may be employed. Other aspects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example human-machine interface according to some implementations.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example human-machine interface in the presence of liquid, according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example human-machine interface in the presence of a noise source, according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for operating a human-machine interface according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 5 is a diagram of a processing unit according to some implementations.

[0014] Figure 6 Exemplary implementations of computer readable media in accordance with some implementations are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same elements throughout the text. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration, a large number of specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, it is apparent that the claimed subject matter can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to facilitate description of the claimed subject matter.

[0016] It should be understood that the following description of the embodiments should not be understood as limiting. The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the embodiments or drawings described below, which are considered to be illustrative only. The drawings are considered to be schematic representations, and the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale. On the contrary, the various elements are represented so that their functions and general purposes become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0017] All numerical values ​​in the detailed description and claims herein are indicated as values ​​modified by "about" or "approximately", and take into account experimental errors and variations that would be expected by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0018] In some embodiments, the human-machine interface includes a protective sensor for detecting interference sources that may generate false positive touch events. Interference may come from liquid present on the sensing surface of the human-machine interface. Interference may also exist in the form of radio frequency (RF) interference from a nearby transmitter. If the frequencies are close, RF interference may interfere with the sensing signals used by the human-machine interface. In some embodiments, the human-machine interface uses frequency hopping technology for sensing signals used with the protective sensor to identify interference sources and single frequency technology for sensing signals used with human input sensors on the human-machine interface. Compared with using frequency hopping for human input sensors, this method saves power and reduces latency. In the event of a liquid impact event, the human-machine interface can disable the human input sensor. In the event that the RF interference source is near the human-machine interface, the frequency set used for the protective sensor can be modified. The single frequency used for the human input sensor can be selected as the frequency with the lowest noise.

[0019] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating an example human-machine interface 100 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the human-machine interface 100 includes a human input sensor 105, a guard sensor 110, and a shield electrode 115 positioned on a sensing surface 120. A controller 125 interfaces with the human input sensor 105, the guard sensor 110, and the shield electrode 115 for controlling the operation of the human-machine interface 100. The human input sensor 105 may be a touch sensing device, such as a touch pad, a touch sensor slider, a touch sensor button, a touch sensor keyboard, a touch screen, a touch panel, or a capacitive sensor of some other touch sensor type for sensing human input. The configuration of the sensing surface 120, the number, shape, and arrangement of the human input sensors 105, the number, shape, and arrangement of the guard sensors 110, and the number, shape, and arrangement of the shield electrodes 115 may vary. Other structures and / or configurations of the human-machine interface 100 are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] The controller 125 detects a touch on the human input sensor 105 indicating a user input. The user's touch affects the capacitance of the human input sensor 105. The controller 125 detects this change in capacitance to read the user input from the human-machine interface 100. The controller 125 may employ various methods for measuring capacitance, such as current to voltage phase shift measurement, resistor-capacitor charge sequencing, capacitive bridge divider, charge transfer, successive approximation, sigma-delta modulator, charge accumulation circuit, field effect, mutual capacitance, frequency shift, or other capacitance measurement techniques.

[0021] The guard sensor 110 detects interference sources, such as fluid on the sensing surface 120 or radio frequency (RF) interference sources near the human-machine interface 100 that can mimic human touch. The shield electrode 115 is used to distinguish human touch from capacitance changes caused by fluid, such as fluid droplets present on the sensing surface 120. For example, sensing can be performed using different activation states of the shield electrode 115 to distinguish touch events from liquid impact events. Input from interference sources can cause false positive detections on the guard sensor 110 or the human input sensor 105.

[0022] To facilitate liquid detection, the guard sensor 110 is typically tuned to be more sensitive than the human input sensor 105. This increased sensitivity increases the sensitivity of the guard sensor 110 to noise, such as RF sources near the human-machine interface, which can also trigger false positive touch events. The human input sensor 105 is also susceptible to noise from RF interference sources, although to a lesser extent than the guard sensor 110.

[0023] One technique to reduce noise sensitivity to RF interferers on the human input sensor 105 is frequency hopping, in which sensing is performed using multiple signals at different non-harmonic frequencies and using voting techniques to exclude false positive signals generated by RF interferers. For example, if three sensing frequencies are used and there is an RF interferer at a frequency close to one of the sensing frequencies, the false positives seen at the interfering frequency will not be seen in the responses received using signals at the other two frequencies. The unaffected frequencies will exceed the interfering frequencies, thereby eliminating false positive events. Frequency hopping techniques can also be implemented for the guard sensor 110. Disadvantages of frequency hopping techniques include increased power consumption and slower response times due to the need to measure responses at multiple sensor frequencies.

[0024] In some embodiments, the controller 125 reduces power consumption and latency by using a frequency hopping technique for the guard sensor 110 to identify the RF interference source and configuring the sensor frequency for the human input sensor 105 to avoid sensing using the sensor frequency near the interference source. In this way, the controller 125 can use only a single sensor frequency to sense touch events at the human input sensor 105, thereby reducing power consumption and latency. In some embodiments, the controller 125 can change the frequency in the set used for frequency hopping in the guard sensor 110 to exclude the frequency of the detected RF interference source.

[0025] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example human-machine interface 100 in the presence of a liquid deposit 200 on a sensing surface 120 according to some embodiments. The liquid deposit 200 strikes the guard sensor 110 and one or more of the human input sensors 105. In some embodiments, the controller 125 detects the liquid deposit 200 based on the response measured at the guard sensor 110. The controller 125 senses the response of the guard sensor 110 using a frequency hopping technique using a set of sensing signals having different frequencies. The number of sensing signals in the guard sensing set and the frequencies of the sensing signals may vary and may be changed dynamically, for example, by a user or by the controller 125. The controller 125 senses the response of the guard sensor 110 at each of the frequencies of the sensing signals in the guard sensing set and uses a majority voting technique. If the activation of the guard sensor 110 is caused by the liquid deposit 200, the response of the guard sensor 110 should be consistent over the set of sensing signals.

[0026] In some embodiments, the controller 125 distinguishes a touch event from a liquid impact event based on the magnitude of the response from the guard sensor 110. Typically, the response from a liquid impact event causes a larger capacitance change than a touch event because the liquid deposit 200 covers a larger surface area of ​​the guard sensor 110 than the touch event. A response threshold may be applied to distinguish a touch event from a liquid impact event. In some embodiments, the controller 125 may also modulate the shield electrode 115 during sensing to distinguish a touch event from a liquid impact event. Typically, due to the large grounding associated with humans, the response of the guard sensor 110 is not affected by the presence or absence of a signal applied to the shield electrode 115. Therefore, the controller 125 may compare the response from the guard sensor 110 with the shield electrode 115 enabled with the response from the guard sensor 110 with the shield electrode 115 disabled. If the response does not change significantly with the enabled state of the shield electrode 115, the event may be a touch event rather than a liquid impact event.

[0027] Upon identifying a liquid impact event from the liquid deposit 200, the controller 125 takes a protective action. In some embodiments, the protective action includes disabling a human input sensor 105 that is proximate to the guard sensor 110. In some embodiments, the human-machine interface 100 includes a plurality of sets of human input sensors 105, each with an adjacent guard sensor 110. Human input sensors 105 that are not proximate to the guard sensor 110 that detected the liquid impact event may not be disabled.

[0028] Figure 33 is a diagram showing an example human-machine interface 100 in the presence of a noise source 300 according to some embodiments. The noise source 300 may be an RF noise source, such as a radio, broadcast at or near one of the frequencies of the signal used to measure the response of the guard sensor 110 or the human input sensor 105. In some embodiments, the controller 125 identifies the noise source 300 based on one or more minority detections on the sensed signals in the guard sensing set. For example, the noise source 300 typically causes false detections of sensed signals having frequencies close to the frequency of the noise source 300. Since the frequencies of the sensed signals in the guard sensing set are selected to be non-harmonics of each other, the response of the guard sensor 110 at other frequencies should not be affected to cause false detections. In some cases, multiple noise sources may exist at different frequencies, but the number of detections will still be a minority. In a noisy environment, the number of sensed signals for the guard sensor 110 may be increased, such as from three to five. In response to identifying the interfering noise source 300, the controller 125 may take one or more corrective actions, such as excluding the compromised frequency from the sensed signals in the guard sense set, changing the frequency used in the sensed signals in the guard sense set to a different frequency, changing the number of sensed signals in the guard sense set, or configuring the sensor signal for the human input sensor 105 to a frequency other than the compromised frequency. In some embodiments, the controller 125 compares the responses of the guard sensors on all sensed signals in the guard sense set and selects the frequency with the lowest noise response as the frequency of the sensor signal for determining the response of the human input sensor 105. This approach reduces the likelihood of false detections from the human input sensor 105 due to the noise source 300.

[0029] In some embodiments, the guard sensor 110 can also be employed by the controller 125 as a proximity sensor. For example, if a user approaches the human-machine interface 100 without having to contact the sensing surface 120, the guard sensor 110 can register a capacitance that decreases due to the user's approach. In some embodiments, the controller 125 can control the sleep state of the human-machine interface 100 based on proximity detection or lack of proximity. For example, if the human-machine interface 100 is in a reduced power sleep state, the controller 125 can monitor only the guard sensor 110. When a proximity event is detected using the guard sensor 110, the controller 125 can exit the sleep state. Conversely, if the controller 125 fails to receive any user input from the human input sensor 105 within a predetermined time interval and also fails to register a proximity event using the guard sensor 110, the controller 125 can enter a sleep state.

[0030] Figure 44 is a diagram illustrating a method 400 for operating a human-machine interface 100 according to some embodiments. At block 405, the controller 125 detects an event at the guard sensor 110. The controller 125 may measure the response of the guard sensor using a frequency hopping technique in response to sensing signals in the guard sensing set (i.e., having different frequencies). At 410, the controller 125 determines whether the guard sensor event is a noise event. For example, if the event is triggered at only a few of the frequencies in the guard sensing set, it may be identified that the guard sensor event is a noise event. Figure 3 300 of the noise source. If a noise event is detected at 410, the controller 125 configures the guard sensing set at 415, such as excluding the impaired frequency from the guard sensing set, or changing one or more frequencies used in the guard sensing set, changing the number of sensing signals in the guard sensing set. At 420, the controller 125 configures the sensor frequency for the human input sensor 105. For example, the sensor frequency used to determine the response of the human input sensor 105 may be a frequency other than the impaired frequency or a frequency with the lowest noise response from the guard sensing set. The method 400 terminates at 425. If the guard sensor event detected at 405 is not the noise event at 410, the controller 125 determines at 430 whether the guard sensor event is a liquid impact event or a touch event. In some embodiments, the controller 125 may distinguish between a touch event and a liquid impact event based on the magnitude of the response of the guard sensor 110 or the sensitivity of the response to the enabled state of the shielding electrode 115. If the guard sensor event at 430 is a touch event, the event is ignored and the method 400 terminates at 425. If the guard sensor event is a liquid impact event at 430, the controller 125 disables the human input sensor 105 at 435 and the method 400 terminates at 425. The human input sensor 105 may be disabled until a later time when the guard sensor event clears.

[0031] Figure 5 5 is a diagram of an apparatus 500 for implementing a human-machine interface 100 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the apparatus 500 includes a bus 502, a processor 504, a memory 506 storing software instructions or operations, an input device 508, an output device 510, a communication interface 512, and a power source 514, such as a battery. The processor 504 implements a software application, for example, communicates with the human input sensor 105, the guard sensor 110, and the shield electrode 115 on the sensing surface 120 and implements Figure 1 The human-machine interface control application 516 of the controller 125. The apparatus 500 may include Figure 5 The components shown may include fewer components, more components, different components, and / or a different arrangement of components.

[0032] According to some embodiments, bus 502 includes a path that enables communication between components of device 500. For example, bus 502 may include a system bus, an address bus, a data bus, and / or a control bus. Bus 502 may also include a bus driver, a bus arbiter, a bus interface, a clock, etc. Processor 504 includes one or more processors, microprocessors, data processors, coprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), controllers, programmable logic devices, chipsets, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific instruction set processors (ASIPs), systems on chips (SOCs), central processing units (CPUs) (e.g., one or more cores), microcontrollers, and / or some other types of components that interpret and / or execute instructions and / or data. Processor 504 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., microprocessors, etc.), a combination of hardware and software (e.g., SoCs, ASICs, etc.), and may include one or more memories (e.g., caches, etc.), etc.

[0033] In some embodiments, the processor 504 controls all or part of the operations performed by the controller 125. The processor 504 performs one or more operations based on an operating system and / or various applications or computer programs (e.g., software). The processor 504 accesses instructions from the memory 506, other components of the device 500, and / or sources external to the device 500 (e.g., a network, another device, etc.). The processor 504 can perform operations and / or processes based on various techniques including, for example, multithreading, parallel processing, pipelining, interleaving, etc.

[0034] In some embodiments, the memory 506 includes one or more memories and / or one or more other types of storage media. For example, the memory 506 may include one or more types of memory, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), cache, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), static random access memory (SRAM), single in-line memory module (SIMM), dual in-line memory module (DIMM), flash memory and / or some other suitable types of memory. The memory 506 may include a hard disk, a disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a solid-state disk, a storage medium based on a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), a storage medium based on nanotechnology and / or some other suitable disks. The memory 506 may include a drive for reading and writing storage media from a storage medium. The memory 506 may be external to the device 500 and / or removable from the device 500, such as, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick, a dongle, a hard disk, a mass storage device, an offline storage device or some other types of storage media (e.g., a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray disk (BD), etc.). The memory 506 may store data, software, and / or instructions related to the operation of the controller 125 .

[0035] The communication interface 512 enables the device 500 to communicate with other devices, networks, systems, sensors, etc. on the network. The communication interface 512 may include one or more wireless interfaces and / or wired interfaces. For example, the communication interface 512 may include one or more transmitters and receivers or transceivers. The communication interface 512 may operate according to a protocol stack and a communication standard. In some embodiments, the communication interface 512 includes an antenna. The communication interface 512 may include various processing logic or circuits (e.g., multiplexing / demultiplexing, filtering, amplification, conversion, error correction, etc.). In some embodiments, the communication interface 512 uses a long-range wireless protocol such as a cellular protocol or a WiFi protocol, such as a BLUETOOTH protocol, or a wireless protocol such as a cellular protocol or a WiFi protocol. TM It can operate over short-distance protocols such as Ethernet or wired protocols such as Ethernet.

[0036] In some embodiments, input device 508 allows input to device 500. For example, input device 508 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a display, a touch screen, a non-touch screen, a button, a switch, an input port, a voice recognition logic, and / or some other type of suitable visual, auditory, or tactile input component. Output device 510 allows output from device 500. For example, output device 510 may include a speaker, a display, a touch screen, a non-touch screen, a projection display, a light, an output port, and / or some other type of suitable visual, auditory, or tactile output component. In some embodiments, output device 518 may be remote and may communicate with processor 504 using communication interface 512.

[0037] Figure 6 An exemplary embodiment 600 of a computer-readable medium 602 according to some embodiments is shown. One or more embodiments relate to a computer-readable medium including processor-executable instructions configured to implement one or more of the techniques presented herein. Embodiment 600 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium 602 (e.g., a CD-R, a DVD-R, a flash drive, a disk of a hard drive, etc.), on which there is encoded computer-readable data 604. The computer-readable data 604 in turn includes a set of processor-executable computer instructions 606, which, when executed by a computing device 608 including a reader 610 for reading the processor-executable computer instructions 606 and a processor 612 for executing the processor-executable computer instructions 606, are configured to facilitate operations according to one or more of the principles set forth herein. In some embodiments, the processor-executable computer instructions 606 are configured to facilitate execution of a method 614, such as at least some of the aforementioned methods, when executed. In some implementations, the processor executable computer instructions 606, when executed, are configured to facilitate implementation of a system, such as at least some of one or more of the aforementioned systems. One of ordinary skill in the art may design many such computer readable media that are configured to operate according to the techniques presented herein.

[0038] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a method includes measuring a first response of a guard sensor of a human-machine interface using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, measuring a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, configuring a human input sensor of the human-machine interface adjacent to the guard sensor to select a sensor frequency based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, measuring the first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency, and identifying a touch event on the human input sensor based on the first response of the human input sensor.

[0039] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the method includes determining the presence of an interference source based on a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor, wherein configuring the human input sensor includes configuring the human input sensor in response to determining the presence of the interference source.

[0040] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference source includes liquid impinging on the human-machine interface, and configuring the human input sensor includes disabling the human input sensor.

[0041] In an embodiment of the technology presented in this article, measuring a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor includes measuring the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor when a shielding electrode of a human-machine interface is enabled, and the method includes: using a first sensing signal to measure a third response of the guard sensor when the shielding electrode is disabled, and using a second sensing signal to measure a fourth response of the guard sensor when the shielding electrode is disabled, and determining the presence of an interference source includes distinguishing a touch event from a liquid impact event on the guard sensor based on the third response of the guard sensor and the fourth response of the guard sensor.

[0042] In an implementation of the techniques presented herein, the interference source includes a radio frequency interference source at a first frequency, and configuring the human input sensor includes selecting a second frequency as the sensor frequency.

[0043] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, the method includes changing a first sensing signal to have a third frequency different from the first frequency, and measuring a first response of the guard sensor using the first sensing signal having the third frequency.

[0044] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the method includes detecting a proximity event based on a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor.

[0045] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a human-machine interface includes a guard sensor, a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor, and a controller configured to measure a first response of the guard sensor using a first sensing signal having a first frequency, measure a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency, configure a sensor frequency of the human input sensor based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor, measure the first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency, and identify a touch event on the human input sensor based on the first response of the human input sensor.

[0046] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the controller is configured to determine the presence of an interference source based on a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor, and to configure the human input sensor in response to determining the presence of the interference source.

[0047] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference source comprises liquid impinging on the human-machine interface, and the controller is configured to disable the human input sensor in response to the interference source comprising the liquid.

[0048] In an embodiment of the technology presented in this article, the human-machine interface includes a shielding electrode, wherein the controller is configured to: measure a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor when the shielding electrode is enabled, use the first sensing signal to measure a third response of the guard sensor when the shielding electrode is disabled, use the second sensing signal to measure a fourth response of the guard sensor when the shielding electrode is disabled, and determine the presence of an interference source by distinguishing a touch event from a liquid impact event on the guard sensor based on the third response of the guard sensor and the fourth response of the guard sensor.

[0049] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference source includes a radio frequency interference source at a first frequency, and the controller is configured to select a second frequency as the sensor frequency.

[0050] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the controller is configured to change the first sensing signal to have a third frequency different from the first frequency, and to measure a first response of the guard sensor using the first sensing signal having the third frequency.

[0051] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the controller is configured to detect a proximity event based on a first response of the guard sensor using a first sensing signal having a third frequency and a second response of the guard sensor.

[0052] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a human-machine interface includes a guard sensor, a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor, and a controller configured to detect interference events on the guard sensor using a frequency hopping technique with a set of sensing frequencies, detect touch events on the human input sensor using a single frequency technique, and configure a sensor frequency of the human input sensor for the single frequency technique based on the interference event.

[0053] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference event includes a liquid impact event, and the controller is configured to disable the human input sensor in response to the interference event including the liquid impact event.

[0054] In an embodiment of the technology presented herein, a human-machine interface includes a shielding electrode, wherein a controller is configured to detect interference events when the shielding electrode is enabled, detect interference events when the shielding electrode is disabled, and distinguish touch events from liquid impact events as interference events based on detecting interference events when the shielding electrode is disabled.

[0055] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference event includes a radio frequency interference event at a first frequency in the set of sensing frequencies, and the controller is configured to exclude the first frequency from the set of sensing frequencies in response to detecting the interference event.

[0056] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, the interference event includes a radio frequency interference event at a first frequency in the set of sensing frequencies, and the controller is configured to exclude the first frequency from selection as the sensor frequency in response to detecting the interference event.

[0057] In an implementation of the technology presented herein, a controller is configured to detect a proximity event using a guard sensor.

[0058] The term "computer-readable medium" and the like may include communication media. Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions or other data in a "modulated data signal" such as a carrier wafer or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" may include a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in a manner that encodes information in the signal.

[0059] Any aspect or design described herein as an "example" or the like is not necessarily to be construed as being superior to other aspects or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present one possible aspect and / or implementation that may be related to the techniques presented herein. Such an example is not necessary for or intended to be limiting of such techniques. Various implementations of such techniques may include such examples alone or in combination with other features, and / or the examples shown may be altered and / or omitted.

[0060] Various operations of the embodiments are provided herein. In one embodiment, one or more of the operations described may constitute computer-readable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media, and if performed by a computing device, these computer-readable instructions will cause the computing device to perform the described operations. The order of some or all of the operations described in the operation should not be interpreted as implying that these operations must rely on the order. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, alternative sequencing can be achieved. In addition, it should be understood that not all operations must be present in each embodiment provided herein. In addition, it should be understood that in some embodiments, not all operations are necessary.

[0061] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing at least some of the claims.

[0062] As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X adopts A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement. That is, if X adopts A, X adopts B, or X adopts both A and B, "X adopts A or B" is satisfied in any of the aforementioned cases. In addition, unless otherwise specified or clearly directed to a singular form from the context, the articles "one" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims can generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more". In addition, unless otherwise specified, "first", "second", etc. are not intended to imply time, space, order, etc. Instead, such terms are used only as identifiers, names, etc. of features, elements, items, etc. For example, the first element and the second element generally correspond to element A and element B or two different elements or two identical elements or the same element.

[0063] In addition, although the present disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, those skilled in the art will think of equivalent changes and modifications based on the reading and understanding of this specification and the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure includes all such modifications and changes and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.) described above, unless otherwise indicated, the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond to any component that performs the specified functions of the described components (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if the disclosed structure is not structurally equivalent to the functions in the example implementations of the present disclosure shown in this article. In addition, although the specific features of the present disclosure may be disclosed only for one implementation in several implementations, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or specific application. In addition, with respect to the terms "includes", "having", "has", "with" or variations thereof used in the specific embodiments or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising".

Claims

1. A method for operating a human-machine interface, comprising: measuring a first response of a guard sensor of the human-machine interface using a first sensing signal having a first frequency; measuring a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency; configuring a human input sensor of the human-machine interface adjacent to the guard sensor to select a sensor frequency based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor; measuring a first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency; as well as A touch event on the human input sensor is identified based on a first response of the human input sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A presence of an interference source is determined based on a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor, wherein configuring the human input sensor includes configuring the human input sensor in response to determining the presence of the interference source.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The interference source includes liquid impinging on the human-machine interface; and Configuring the human input sensor includes disabling the human input sensor.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Measuring the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor includes: measuring the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor with a shield electrode of the human-machine interface enabled; and The method comprises: measuring a third response of the guard sensor using the first sensing signal with the shield electrode disabled; and measuring a fourth response of the guard sensor using the second sensing signal with the shield electrode disabled; and Determining the presence of the interference source includes distinguishing the touch event from a liquid impact event on the guard sensor based on a third response of the guard sensor and a fourth response of the guard sensor.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The interference source comprises a radio frequency interference source of the first frequency; and Configuring the human input sensor includes selecting the second frequency as the sensor frequency.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising: changing the first sensing signal to have a third frequency different from the first frequency; as well as A first response of the guard sensor is measured using the first sensing signal having the third frequency.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising: A proximity event is detected based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor.

8. A human-machine interface, comprising: Protection sensors; a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor; as well as A controller configured to: measuring a first response of the guard sensor using a first sensing signal having a first frequency; measuring a second response of the guard sensor using a second sensing signal having a second frequency; configuring a sensor frequency of the human input sensor based on a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor; measuring a first response of the human input sensor using the sensor frequency; as well as A touch event on the human input sensor is identified based on a first response of the human input sensor.

9. The human-machine interface according to claim 8, wherein: The controller is configured to: determining the presence of an interference source based on the first response of the guard sensor and the second response of the guard sensor; and The human input sensor is configured in response to determining the presence of the interference source.

10. The human-machine interface according to claim 9, wherein: The interference source includes liquid impinging on the human-machine interface; and The controller is configured to disable the human input sensor in response to the interference source comprising the liquid.

11. The human-machine interface according to claim 9, comprising: A shielding electrode, wherein: The controller is configured to: measuring a first response of the guard sensor and a second response of the guard sensor with the guard electrode enabled; measuring a third response of the guard sensor using the first sensing signal with the shield electrode disabled; measuring a fourth response of the guard sensor using the second sensing signal with the shield electrode disabled; and The presence of the interference source is determined by distinguishing the touch event from a liquid impact event on the guard sensor based on the third response of the guard sensor and the fourth response of the guard sensor.

12. The human-machine interface according to claim 9, wherein: The interference source comprises a radio frequency interference source of the first frequency; and The controller is configured to select the second frequency as the sensor frequency.

13. The human-machine interface according to claim 12, wherein: The controller is configured to: changing the first sensing signal to have a third frequency different from the first frequency; and A first response of the guard sensor is measured using the first sensing signal having the third frequency.

14. The human-machine interface according to claim 13, wherein: The controller is configured to: A proximity event is detected based on a first response of the guard sensor using the first sensing signal having the third frequency and a second response of the guard sensor.

15. A human-machine interface, comprising: Protection sensors; a human input sensor adjacent to the guard sensor; as well as A controller configured to: detecting interference events on the guard sensor using a frequency hopping technique with a set of sensing frequencies; detecting touch events on the human input sensor using a single frequency technique; as well as Based on the interference event, a sensor frequency of the human input sensor is configured for the single frequency technique.

16. The human-machine interface according to claim 15, wherein: The interference event comprises a liquid impact event; and The controller is configured to disable the human input sensor in response to the interference event including the liquid impact event.

17. The human-machine interface according to claim 15, comprising: A shielding electrode, wherein: The controller is configured to: detecting the interference event with the shielding electrode enabled; detecting the interference event with the shielding electrode disabled; and The touch event is distinguished from a liquid impact event as the interference event based on detecting the interference event with the shielding electrode disabled.

18. The human-machine interface according to claim 15, wherein: The interference event comprises a radio frequency interference event at a first frequency in the set of sensing frequencies; and The controller is configured to exclude the first frequency from the set of sensing frequencies in response to detecting the interference event.

19. The human-machine interface of claim 15, wherein: The interference event comprises a radio frequency interference event at a first frequency in the set of sensing frequencies; and The controller is configured to exclude the first frequency from being selected as the sensor frequency in response to detecting the interference event.

20. The human-machine interface according to claim 15, wherein: The controller is configured to: The guard sensor is used to detect a proximity event.

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