Rotatable Knob Interface

Abstract

A method of detecting misalignment of a rotatable interface is disclosed. The rotatable interface has a fixed base with a conductive region on a bottom surface thereof, the fixed base being attached to a display screen of an input device. The method includes providing a reference signal to a first set and a second set of electrodes of the input device that are capacitively coupled to the conductive regions, during a first time period. The method further includes providing a reference signal to the first set of electrodes, providing a sense signal to the second set of electrodes, and receiving a result signal at the second set of electrodes, during a second time period. The method further includes determining a translation of the rotatable interface relative to the display screen of the input device based at least in part on a value of the result signal during the second time period.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a rotatable knob interface. [Background technology]

[0002] An input device with a proximity sensing device may be used in various electronic systems. The proximity sensing device may include a sensing area defined by a surface, and the proximity sensing device determines the presence, position, force and / or motion of one or more input objects in the sensing area. The proximity sensing device may be used to provide an interface for an electronic system. For example, the proximity sensing device may be used as an input device for a larger computing system, such as a touchpad integrated into or peripheral to a notebook or desktop computer. Proximity sensing devices are often also used in smaller computing systems, such as touch screens integrated into mobile phones. The proximity sensing device may also be implemented as part of a multimedia entertainment system or an automobile. In such cases, it is convenient to connect a knob to the proximity sensing device. 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 features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] The sensing system includes a display panel including sensor electrodes and a processing system coupled to the sensor electrodes. The processing system is configured to activate a first subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during a first time period by driving the first subset with a reference signal and activate a second subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during the first time period by driving the second subset with a reference signal. The processing system is further configured to activate the first subset of the sensor electrodes for misalignment sensing during a second time period by driving the first subset of the sensor electrodes with a sense signal and receiving a result signal from the first subset of the sensor electrodes and drive the second subset of the sensor electrodes with the reference signal during the second time period. The sensing system further includes an electronic device disposed over the display panel. The electronic device includes a conductive region configured to couple with each of the first subset of the sensor electrodes and the second subset of the sensor electrodes. The result signal received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the second time period is affected based on a position of the conductive region relative to the display panel. The processing system is further configured to determine a misalignment of the electronic device relative to the display panel based on the result signal. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] So that the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above should be made by reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings show only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting its scope, since the present disclosure may admit of other equally effective embodiments.

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary input device having a rotatable knob interface according to one or more embodiments.

[0007] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary rotatable knob interface according to one or more embodiments.

[0008] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the example rotatable knob interface of FIG.

[0009] [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates a bottom view of a fixed base having a first set of reference electrodes and two sets of coupled electrodes of the exemplary rotatable knob interface shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates an example portion of an input device illustrating a grid of sensor electrodes arranged as two sets of sensor electrodes, according to one or more embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C illustrates a fixed base of the example rotatable knob interface of FIG. 4A disposed above the example grid of sensor electrodes of FIG. 4B in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0012] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective top view, a bottom view, and a top view of the exemplary fixed base of FIGS. 3 and 4A-4C, according to one or more embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A illustrates an exploded and folded view of the exemplary fixed base and exemplary resin bearing illustrated in FIG.

[0014] [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B illustrates the exploded and folded views, respectively, shown in FIG. 6A with the addition of the exemplary rolling wheel of FIG. 3 mounted on an exemplary flat ring-shaped bearing.

[0015] [Figure 7A]FIG. 7A illustrates a detailed bottom view of the rotating wheel of FIG. 3 according to one or more embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B illustrates a detailed top view of the rotating wheel of FIG. 7A according to one or more embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of an example fixed base and a bottom view of an example rolling wheel, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A, respectively, and the capacitive coupling therebetween, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A shows the underside of an alternative fixed base according to one or more embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B illustrates a top view of the alternative fixed base of FIG. 11A according to one or more embodiments.

[0020] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary fixed base with the addition of outlines of areas that will be attached with conductive adhesive in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary conductive structure that may be used in place of a rotating wheel and low-profile bearings according to one or more embodiments.

[0022] [Figure 12A] FIG. 12A illustrates a set of fully grounded ground pads beneath a conductive area on the underside of the bottom of the fixed base, viewed from below the display panel, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0023] [Figure 12B]FIG. 12B illustrates half of a pixel under the conductive region shown in FIG. 15A being driven with a sensing waveform for a predetermined period of time by a knob slip sensing method according to one or more embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 illustrates the device of FIG. 12B in which a subset of pixels located below a conductive region at the bottom of the rotatable knob base are driven with a sensing waveform, in accordance with an example of an alternative knob misalignment detection method in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0025] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a method for implementing a rotatable knob interface into an example input device in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0026] For ease of understanding, the same reference numbers are used, where possible, to indicate identical elements common to the figures. It is anticipated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized in other embodiments without specific mention. The drawings should not be understood as drawn to scale unless specifically noted. Also, for clarity of presentation and explanation, the drawings may be simplified and details or components may be omitted. The drawings and text serve to explain the principles discussed below, where like reference numbers represent like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] In the following description, viewpoint-based descriptions such as top / bottom, inside / outside, above / below, etc. Such descriptions are used merely to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to limit the application of the embodiments described in this application to a specific orientation.

[0028] In the following description, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in one or more embodiments," or "in some embodiments" may be used, each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, terms such as "comprising," "including," and "having," as used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

[0029] In this application, including the claims, the terms "coupled with" and its derivatives, and "connected" and its derivatives may be used. "Coupled" or "connected" may have one or more of the following meanings. "Coupled" or "connected" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, "coupled" or "connected" may also mean that two or more elements are in indirect contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other. It may also mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements that are said to be coupled or connected to each other. The terms "directly coupled" or "directly connected" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other.

[0030] The term "circuitry" as used in this application, including the claims, may refer to, be a part of, or include an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or a group of) executing one or more software or firmware programs and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or a group of) running one or more software or firmware programs, a combinatorial logic circuit, and / or any other suitable component that provides the described functionality.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 100 (e.g., an input device or system) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device 100 may be configured to provide input to an electronic system (not shown) and / or update one or more devices. The term "electronic system" (or "electronic device") as used in this document broadly refers to any system capable of electronically processing information. Non-limiting examples of electronic systems include personal computers of all sizes and shapes, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets, web browsers, e-book readers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Examples of additional electronic systems include composite input devices, such as a physical keyboard with the electronic device 100 and a separate joystick or key switches. Examples of further electronic systems include peripherals, such as data input devices (including remote controls and mice) and data output devices (including display screens and printers). Other examples include remote terminals, kiosks, and video game machines (including, e.g., video game consoles, handheld game machines). Other examples include communication devices (including mobile phones such as smartphones) and media devices (including recorders, editors, televisions, set-top boxes, music players, players such as digital photo frames, digital cameras). Additionally, the electronic system may be a host or a slave to an input device. In another embodiment, the electronic system may be part of an automobile, and the electronic device 100 represents one or more sensing devices of the automobile. For example, the electronic device 100 is part of the automobile's multimedia entertainment system. In one embodiment, the automobile may include multiple electronic devices 100, each of which may be of a different configuration.

[0032] The electronic device 100 may be implemented as a physical part of an electronic system or may be physically separate from the electronic system. The electronic device 100 may communicate with parts of the electronic system using one or more of a bus, a network, and other wired or wireless interconnection means, as appropriate. Examples of communication protocols include the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Personal System / 2 (PS / 2), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency (RF), and Infrared Data Association (IrDA) communication protocols.

[0033] Electronic device 100 may utilize any combination of sensor components and sensing technologies to detect user input. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, electronic device 100 includes one or more sensor electrodes 125 that may be activated to detect objects and / or update one or more devices. Sensor electrode 125 may be part of a capacitive sensing device. In other embodiments, sensor electrode 125 may be part of an image sensing device, a radar sensing device, or an ultrasonic sensing device, among others. In one embodiment, sensor electrode 125 is a separate sensor electrode.

[0034] In one embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes a display panel 120. In such an embodiment, the sensor electrode 125 is configured as a display electrode of the display panel 120. For example, the sensor electrode 125 is configured as a common voltage electrode, a data line, or a gate line of the display panel 120. In such an embodiment, the sensor electrode 125 is activated for input sensing and updating the display of the display panel 120. For example, the sensor electrode 125 functions as a reference voltage electrode of the display panel 120.

[0035] Some of the examples described herein include a matrix sensor input device, in which the sensor electrodes 125 are arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns, as shown in Figure 1. Additionally, as described in more detail below, the electronic device 100 includes a rotatable knob interface 150 that interacts with one or more of the sensor electrodes 125.

[0036] The sensor electrodes 125 may have a similar size and shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the sensor electrodes 125 is substantially rectangular in shape. In other embodiments, at least one sensor electrode 125 has a different shape and / or size than at least another sensor electrode 125. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 may be diamond-shaped, circular, have interdigitated fingers to increase electric field coupling, and / or have stray cutouts therein to reduce stray capacitance to nearby conductors. The orientation of the sensor electrodes 125 may also be different than that shown in FIG. 1.

[0037] The sensor electrodes 125 may be disposed on a common layer. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a common side of a substrate. The sensor electrodes 125 may be disposed on a lens or encapsulation layer of the display panel 120, or on a substrate attached to the display panel 120. In other embodiments, one or more first sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a first layer, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a second layer. For example, one or more first sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a first surface of the first substrate, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a second surface of the first substrate. In other embodiments, one or more first sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a first substrate, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are disposed on a second substrate.

[0038] Some capacitive implementations utilize a "self-capacitance" (or "absolute capacitance") sensing method based on a change in capacitive coupling between a sensor electrode and one or more input objects. In various embodiments, an input object near the sensor electrode, such as an input object 145 (e.g., a finger or stylus), changes the electric field near the sensor electrode 125 and thus changes the measured capacitive coupling. In one implementation, the absolute capacitive sensing method operates by modulating the sensor electrode 125 relative to a reference voltage (e.g., system ground) and detecting the capacitive coupling between the sensor electrode and the input object. For example, a result signal is received from the modulated one or more sensor electrodes 125. Modulating the sensor electrode 125 relative to the reference voltage includes driving the sensor electrode 125 with a sense signal. When activating the sensor electrode 125 for absolute capacitive sensing, the sense signal is referred to as an absolute capacitive sense signal. In such an embodiment, the result signal includes an absolute capacitive sense signal and / or effects corresponding to one or more environmental interference sources (e.g., other electromagnetic signals). The voltage of the absolute capacitive sense signal changes. Furthermore, the absolute capacitive sensing signal may be a periodic or non-periodic signal, including, among others, a rectangular waveform, a trapezoidal waveform, a sinusoidal waveform, or a sawtooth waveform.

[0039] Some capacitive implementations utilize a "mutual capacitance" (or "trans-capacitive") sensing method based on a change in capacitive coupling between two or more sensor electrodes 125. An input object (e.g., input object 145) near the sensor electrodes 125 changes the electric field between the sensor electrodes, thus changing the measured capacitive coupling. In one implementation, the trans-capacitive sensing method works by detecting the capacitive coupling between one or more transmitter sensor electrodes (also called "transmitter electrodes" or "transmitters") and one or more receiver sensor electrodes (also called "receiver electrodes" or "receivers"). The transmitter sensor electrodes may be modulated with respect to a reference voltage (e.g., system ground) to transmit a transmitter signal. For example, the transmitter sensor electrodes are driven with a sense signal. In such an embodiment, the sense signal is referred to as a trans-capacitive sense signal. The voltage of the trans-capacitive sense signal varies. Furthermore, the trans-capacitive sense signal may be a periodic or non-periodic signal. The trans-capacitive sense signal may have a rectangular waveform, a trapezoidal waveform, a sinusoidal waveform, or a sawtooth waveform, among others.

[0040] The receiver sensor electrodes may be held substantially constant relative to a reference voltage or may be modulated relative to the transmitter sensor electrodes to facilitate receipt of a resultant signal. The resultant signal may include one or more trans-capacitive sensing signals and / or effects corresponding to one or more sources of environmental interference (e.g., other electromagnetic signals). The sensor electrodes may be dedicated transmitters or receivers and may be configured to both transmit and receive.

[0041] The capacitive sensing device may be used to detect the presence and / or location of an input object (e.g., input object 145) proximate to and / or in contact with an input sensing area of ​​an input device. Additionally, the capacitive sensing device may be used to detect characteristics of the input object, such as a fingerprint. Additionally, as in the example of FIG. 1, in one or more embodiments, the capacitive sensing device includes a rotatable knob interface 150 electrically coupled to a sensor electrode 125. The sensor electrode 125 may be configured to detect a rotational position of the rotatable knob interface 150. For example, the rotatable knob interface 150 may have a home position and a pressed position, and the sensor electrode 125 may be used to determine when the rotatable knob interface 150 is in the home position or the pressed position based on a change in capacitive coupling between the one or more sensor electrodes 125 and one or more coupling electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0042] 1, a processing system 110 is shown as part of the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 is configured to operate the hardware of the electronic device 100.

[0043] The processing system 110 may also include electronically readable instructions, such as firmware code, software code, and / or the like. The components that make up the processing system 110 may be located together, such as near the sensor electrodes 125. The components of the processing system 110 may be physically separate from one or more components in close proximity to the sensor electrodes 125 or from one or more components at other locations. For example, the electronic device 100 may be a peripheral device coupled to a desktop computer, and the processing system 110 may include software configured to run on the desktop computer's central processing unit (CPU) and one or more integrated circuits (ICs) separate from the CPU (possibly with associated firmware). As another example, the electronic device 100 may be physically integrated into a phone, and the processing system 110 may include circuitry and firmware that is part of the phone's main processor. Furthermore, the processing system 110 may be implemented in a car, and the processing system 110 may include circuitry and firmware that is part of one or more of the car's electronic control units (ECUs). The processing system 110 is dedicated to the implementation of the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 may also perform other functions, such as operating a display screen, driving haptic actuators, etc.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1 , the processing system 110 includes a sensor driver 140. The sensor driver 140 generates a sense signal and drives the sensor electrode 125 with the sense signal. The sensor driver 140 may further be configured to receive a result signal from the sensor electrode 125. The processing system 110 may include some or all of one or more integrated circuits (ICs) and / or other circuit components. The sensor driver 140 includes circuitry configured to generate a sense signal, drive the sensor electrode with the sense signal, and / or receive a result signal from the sensor electrode 125. For example, the sensor driver 140 may include an oscillator, one or more current conveyors, and / or a digital signal generator circuit. The sensor driver 140 may further include a driver circuit portion including one or more amplifiers configured to drive the sensor electrode 125 with the sense signal. The sensor driver 140 may include a receiver circuit portion including one or more analog front ends, filters, and demodulators for receiving and processing the result signal.

[0045] In one embodiment, the sensor driver 140 may activate two or more sensor electrodes 125 simultaneously for absolute capacitive sensing such that a different result signal is received simultaneously from each of the sensor electrodes or a common result signal is received from two or more sensor electrodes. In other embodiments, some electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are activated for absolute capacitive sensing during a first time period and other electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are activated for absolute capacitive sensing during a second time period that does not overlap with the first time period.

[0046] 1, the processing system 110 includes a determination module 141. The determination module 141 may comprise circuitry, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. As described in more detail below, the determination module 141 processes the result signals received by the sensor driver 140 to determine a change in capacitive coupling of the sensor electrodes 125. For example, the determination module 141 is configured to determine a change in capacitive coupling between each modulated sensor electrode and an input object, such as input object 145, from the result signals.

[0047] In various embodiments, different combinations of drivers and modules may be used. For example, processing system 110 may include one or more drivers to operate hardware such as a display screen. Additionally, processing system 110 may include a data processing module for processing data such as sensor signals or position information, and / or a reporting module for reporting information.

[0048] The processing system 110 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC) chip or may be implemented as one or more IC chips. In some embodiments, the processing system 110 may comprise a controller or part of a controller of the electronic device 100.

[0049] Processing system 110 may also include a display driver (not shown) configured to update the display of display panel 120. In such examples, processing system 110 may be referred to as including touch and display driver integrated (TDDI) technology. In such embodiments, processing system 110 may be implemented as, or as part of, a TDDI IC chip.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processing system 110 responds directly to the user input (or lack of user input) by taking one or more actions. Examples of actions include graphic user interface (GUI) actions such as cursor movement, selection, menu navigation, and other functions, as well as changes in operational mode. In some embodiments, the processing system 110 provides information about the input (or lack of input) to some portion of the electronic device 100 (e.g., to a central processing system of the electronic system separate from the processing system 110, if such a separate central processing system exists). In some embodiments, some portion of the electronic system processes the information received from the processing system 110 to act on the user input, such as facilitating a full range of actions including mode change actions and GUI actions. Additionally, in some embodiments, the processing system 110 is configured to identify one or more input objects 145 and / or identify the location of the input object 145 in a sensing region of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the processing system 110 is configured to identify one or more rotational changes of the knob interface 150 or one or more changes in the state of the knob interface 150, or both, and map those changes to input actions.

[0051] The processing system 110 activates the sensor electrodes 125 to generate electrical signals (result signals) indicative of an input (or lack of input) in a sensing region of the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 may perform any suitable amount of processing on the electrical signals in generating the information provided to the electronic system. For example, the sensor driver 140 of the processing system 110 digitizes the analog electrical signals obtained from the sensor electrodes 125. As another example, the sensor driver 140 of the processing system 110 performs filtering or other signal conditioning. Additionally, the determination module 141 of the processing system 110 subtracts or otherwise compensates for a baseline such that the information reflects the difference between the electrical signal and the baseline. Additionally, the determination module 141 of the processing system 110 may, among other things, determine position information, recognize the input as a command, recognize handwriting, recognize fingerprint information, and / or recognize a distance to a target object.

[0052] "Location information," as used herein, broadly encompasses absolute position, relative position, velocity, acceleration, and other types of spatial information. Examples of "zero dimensional" location information include near / far or contact / no contact. Examples of "one dimensional" location information include position along an axis. Examples of "two dimensional" location information include movement in a plane. Examples of "three dimensional" location information include instantaneous or average velocity in space. Further examples include other representations of spatial information. Historical data regarding one or more types of location information may also be determined and / or stored, including, for example, historical data tracking position, movement, or instantaneous velocity over time.

[0053] While many embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the context of a fully functional device, it should be understood that the mechanisms of the present disclosure can be distributed as a program product (e.g., software) in various forms. For example, the mechanisms of the present disclosure can be implemented and distributed as a software program on an information-bearing medium readable by an electronic processor (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable and / or recordable / writable information-bearing medium readable by the processing system 110). In addition, the embodiments of the present disclosure apply equally regardless of the particular type of medium used to effect the distribution. Examples of non-transitory electronically readable media include various disks, memory sticks, memory cards, memory modules, etc. The electronically readable media may be based on flash, optical, magnetic, holographic, or any other storage technology.

[0054] In an embodiment in which the sensor electrodes 125 are configured for display update and capacitive sensing, the processing system 110 may be configured to generate voltage signals for driving the sensor electrodes 125 during a display update period in which the display of the display panel 120 is updated, and sense signals for driving the sensor electrodes 125 during an input sense period. In such an embodiment, the voltage signals generated for driving the sensor electrodes 125 during a display update period may be a substantially constant or fixed voltage. The sense signals generated for driving the sensor electrodes 125 during an input sense period may have a variable voltage. The values ​​of the voltage signals for driving the sensor electrodes 125 during a display update period may be predetermined. For example, the voltage values ​​may be provided by a manufacturer of the electronic device 100 and / or the sensor electrodes 125, or may be device specific for the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 may include circuitry for generating the voltage signals based on a clock signal, an oscillator output, and / or a corresponding value of the voltage signals.

[0055] The display of the display panel 120 is updated during display frames. During each display frame, one or more display lines of the display may be updated. A number of display update periods and non-display update periods may be provided during each display frame of the multiple display frames. During a display update period, one or more of the display electrodes of the display panel 120 may be driven to update the display of the display panel 120. During a non-display update period, one or more of the display electrodes of the display panel 120 may not be driven to update the display of the display panel 120. A non-display update period may be provided between pairs of display update periods of a display frame, at the start of a display frame, and / or at the end of a display frame.

[0056] The display panel 120 includes one or more display lines. Each display line corresponds to one or more subsets of sub-pixels of the display panel 120. The one or more subsets may be connected to a common gate line of the display panel 120. Furthermore, the sub-pixels may be updated at a common period. One or more display lines of the display panel 120 may be updated at each display update period. The display frames may occur at a display frame rate. The display frame rate may be 30 Hz, 60 Hz, 120 Hz or 240 Hz, among others. The sensor driver 140 or another driver of the processing system 110 may drive the display electrodes of the display panel 120 to update the display of the display panel.

[0057] The sensor driver 140 activates the sensor electrodes 125 for capacitive sensing during an input sensing period. The input sensing period may occur in a non-display update period and / or a display update period. For example, one or more of the input sensing periods may occur in a non-display update period that is between two display update periods of a display frame. In one embodiment, at least one input sensing period is the same length as a display update period. In one embodiment, at least one input sensing period is longer than a display update period. In yet another embodiment, at least one input sensing period is the same as a display update period.

[0058] By obtaining the result signal over successive input sensing periods, it is possible to track whether the rotatable knob interface 150 is in the home state or the pressed state as the rotatable knob interface 150 rotates.

[0059] As mentioned above, in one or more embodiments, an additional input device, such as the rotatable knob interface 150, may be provided on the display panel 120 of the electronic device 100 and may be electrically coupled to some or all of the sensor electrodes 125 located near or below it. In one or more embodiments, the additional input device may provide an alternative way for a user to provide input to the electronic device 100 other than touching or hovering near the display screen of the display panel 120 with the input device 145. In the illustrated example of FIG. 1, the rotatable knob interface 150 is mounted on the display panel 120 and may fully or partially overlap the display panel 120 (as shown in FIG. 1). As mentioned above, in one or more embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may have a fixed base (not visible in the top view of FIG. 1) on which are provided various sets of coupling electrodes configured to couple with each set of sensor electrodes 125, such as one or more sets of sensor electrodes 125 to which a sense signal is provided and one or more sets of electrodes to which a reference signal is provided. In one embodiment, the fixed base may include different conductive regions each connected to a corresponding set of coupled electrodes.

[0060] The rotatable knob interface 150 may also include a rotating wheel that is located above the fixed base and rotates relative to the fixed base. The bottom surface of the rotating wheel may be patterned with various conductive and non-conductive regions that may be configured to align with the conductive regions of the fixed base, for example. Thus, there are various electrical couplings between the conductive regions of the fixed base and the various conductive and non-conductive regions of the rotating wheel. These components may be further configured such that these electrical couplings change as the rotating wheel is rotated. By detecting the effect of the change in electrical couplings by processing the resulting signal received on the display panel, the processing system 110 determines the amount of rotation or change in rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150. In one embodiment, the conductive and non-conductive regions are provided within the peripheral region 152. In other embodiments, the various conductive and non-conductive regions may be part of one or more rings of the rotating wheel. The first ring may be referred to as the outer ring and may be configured for rough (or coarse) adjustment of the rotatable knob interface 150. The second ring may be referred to as an inner ring and may be configured for fine adjustment of the rotatable knob interface 150. The first ring is disposed outside of the second ring.

[0061] There are many possible arrangements of conductive and non-conductive regions in the peripheral region 152. Additionally, there are various possible ways of electrically interacting the rotatable wheel with the fixed base as the wheel rotates. Thus, other configurations and relative arrangements of both the conductive regions of the fixed base and the arrangement of the conductive and non-conductive regions of the rotatable wheel are possible, all within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] Rotation imparted to the rotatable knob interface 150 by the user may be detected by the electronic device 100 in a relative or absolute sense. In one or more embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may be pressed downward by the user and may therefore have two positions: a home or "unpressed" position, and a "pressed" position. The pressed position may be maintained, for example, by pressing down on the rotatable knob interface 150 against one or more biasing springs. In one or more embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may have a cover. In other embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may be pressed downward to rest in multiple positions and may therefore have multiple states between the "unpressed" position and the "fully pressed" position. In the home position, the cover is at a greater distance from the rotation wheel than in the pressed position.

[0063] The rotating wheel may be provided with a number of switches between the rotating wheel and the cover. The switches may include biasing springs. The rotatable knob interface 150 may be provided with one or more coupling electrodes 156 configured to couple to one or more sensor electrodes 125 of the input device, which are also driven by a sense signal. In the example of FIG. 1, the coupling electrode 157 is connected to an inner ring on the fixed base and aligned with a similarly shaped inner ring 153 on the rotating wheel. When the user presses down on the cover of the rotatable knob interface, such that the rotatable knob interface 150 is in the "pressed" position, the switch is closed. For example, the closing of the switch may be defined as connecting the inner ring 153 of the rotating wheel with one or more conductive regions on the peripheral area 152. This allows the fixed base coupling electrode 157 to be electrically coupled to the fixed base coupling electrode 156. The coupling electrode 156 is coupled to one or more sensor electrodes 125, which are driven by a reference signal. However, once the user stops pressing down on the cover, the knob interface's coupling electrodes 156 simply become electrically floating. In various embodiments, the direction and degree of rotation, along with the user depressing or releasing the rotatable knob interface 150, may be interpreted by the processing system 110, such as by the determination module 141, and mapped to various user input actions, signals, or commands.

[0064] The rotatable knob interface 150 can be rotated in a variety of ways. For example, the rotatable knob interface may be rotated by grasping and rotating the outer housing thereof, by grasping and rotating the top of the rotatable knob interface, or by grasping and rotating a flange protruding from the side of the rotatable knob interface. Additionally, one or more fingertips may be placed in a recessed channel in the top surface of the rotatable knob interface 150. Rotating the rotatable knob interface 150 is described in more detail below.

[0065] 1 may be mounted in a vehicle. For example, the display panel 120 may be oriented vertically or horizontally in the dashboard or center console of the vehicle.

[0066] 1, one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 are not physically blocked by the rotatable knob interface 150. During capacitive sensing, both sensor electrodes 125 inside and outside the area defined by boundary 155 (described below) may remain active. Thus, in such an embodiment, both a touch away from the rotatable knob interface 150 and a rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150 are detected and reported by the processing system 110 simultaneously.

[0067] In other embodiments, all other forms of user input other than that received via the rotatable knob interface 150 may be disabled on the electronic device. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 outside the boundary 155 are not driven during the sensing period to perform their capacitive sensing. As a result, no resulting signal is obtained or processed when the input object 145 moves into or out of its vicinity. This feature may be implemented, for example, by allowing the driver of a vehicle to interact with the electronic device 100 only via the rotatable knob interface 150 as a safety measure to prevent the driver from interacting with the display panel 120 while driving. In such alternative embodiments, the standard sensing function of one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 may be disabled during certain vehicle activities and not during other activities. For example, the standard sensing function of one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 may be disabled while the vehicle is actively moving. In this example, some of the sensor electrodes 125, e.g., electrodes that are not within a proximity range defined by the rotatable knob interface 150 so as to cause interference with signals obtained from the rotatable knob interface 150, may be normally operated to perform standard sensing, as described above. In some embodiments, one or more of the sensor electrodes 125, e.g., those near or below the rotatable knob interface 150, are disabled from performing capacitive sensing, and the remainder of the sensor electrodes 125 are activated to perform capacitive sensing. In such embodiments, the sensor electrodes 125 that are disabled may be selected based on the interference they may have on the resulting signals obtained from the sensor electrodes 125 electrically coupled to the coupled electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150. As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor electrodes 125 within the area defined by the boundary 155 may be referred to as being in a "blackout zone." During the period when the sensor electrodes 125 outside the area defined by the boundary 155 are normally activated to perform capacitive sensing, the sensor electrodes 125 within the blackout zone may not be activated to perform capacitive sensing.As described in more detail below, one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 within the blackout zone and electrically coupled to the rotatable knob interface 150 are actuated to capture rotations, depressions, and / or other movements of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0068] In embodiments where standard sensing is disabled for all of the sensor electrodes 125, predefined parameters may be used to provide input to the electronic device 100 via the rotatable knob interface 150, for example, using a predefined series of rotations and / or presses of the rotatable knob interface 150. The resulting signal, modified by the rotations and / or presses, is received by the processing system 110 during the input sensing period, which then interprets the resulting signal using, for example, the determination module 141. The resulting signal may be the same signal as the sensed signal that the sensor driver 140 drives the sensor electrodes 125 with, after being modified by the capacitive coupling of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0069] Generally, within the blackout zone (e.g., the region of the sensor electrodes 125 defined by the boundary 155), one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 are coupled to respective coupled electrodes 156-159 on the underside of the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150. In some embodiments, the coupled electrode 156 is driven with a reference signal and the coupled electrodes 157-159 are driven with a sense signal. Thus, a resultant signal is generated that is modified by the relative rotational relationship between the fixed base and the rotating wheel of the rotatable knob interface 150. The sensor electrodes within the blackout zone identified by the boundary 155 may have standard capacitive sensing disabled at all times. For example, the sensor electrodes within the blackout zone may perform capacitive sensing specifically related to the rotatable knob interface 150, and the sensor electrodes outside the blackout zone may perform capacitive sensing to detect one or more input objects 145 during normal operation.

[0070] The coupled electrodes 156-159 are shown in dashed lines because they are occluded by the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150. Additionally, the location and / or orientation of the coupled electrodes 156-159 relative to the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150 may differ from that illustrated in Figure 1. Various embodiments relating to the location and orientation of the coupled electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150 are described in more detail, for example, with reference to Figures 4A-4C.

[0071] As used herein, the term "disabled electrodes" may refer to electrodes that are not driven at all, electrodes that are driven with a guard signal, or electrodes that are driven with a constant voltage signal (e.g., a direct current (DC) voltage).

[0072] 1, as described above, the sets of sensor electrodes 125 are electrically coupled to the coupling electrodes 156-159 of the rotatable knob interface 150. Thus, during an input sensing period, a reference signal is provided by the sensor driver 140 to the first set of sensor electrodes 125 and a sensed signal is provided to the second and third sets of sensor electrodes 125. In one or more embodiments, the reference signal may be a configurable DC output provided by the processing system 110. In some embodiments, the DC signal may be a ground signal of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, a result signal is obtained from each of the second and third sets of sensor electrodes 125, the result signal being the sensed signal modified by the rotation and / or depression state of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0073] The result signal may be interpreted by the determination module 141 to determine a rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150. In one or more embodiments, the rotation may be determined in relative terms, such as a differential angular change from a previous position, or in absolute terms, such as a positive or negative angular change from a home position. In embodiments in which the rotatable knob is rotated more than 360°, the total rotation distance may also be measured. In such embodiments, one or more user commands may be mapped to absolute rotation distances. The user commands may correspond to controls of a graphical user interface (GUI) of the input device. For example, the user commands may include scrolling through a list of menu items presented by the GUI. In other embodiments, only one or both of the total angular change between a start position and an end position or a final absolute angular position may be measured. For example, the determination module 141 determines a final absolute angular position that may be associated with a menu item presented by the GUI of the input device.

[0074] 2 illustrates exemplary components of an exemplary rotatable knob interface (e.g., rotatable knob interface 150 shown in FIG. 1). With reference thereto, starting from the bottom of the exemplary device, a fixed base 231 is illustrated. In some embodiments, the fixed base 231 does not move when the exemplary knob interface is rotated. For example, the fixed base 231 may be affixed, for example by adhesive, to a surface of the display panel 120 of the electronic device 100, such as a lens or an encapsulation layer. The fixed base 231 may be affixed in a temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent manner and may be positioned thereon to align with a grid of sensor electrodes 125 provided on the electronic device 100.

[0075] A rotating wheel 230 is provided above the fixed base 231. The rotating wheel 230 rotates when the rotatable knob interface 150 is rotated, for example in response to the cover cap 215 being rotated, as described below. A vertical ring bearing 225 is provided inside the rotating wheel 230. The vertical ring bearing 225 is non-conductive and may be made of, for example, plastic or other non-conductive material. An outer region of the vertical ring bearing 225 may have a ring shape. Furthermore, the body of the vertical ring bearing 225 may have a substantially tubular shape. According to one or more embodiments, an additional substantially horizontal ring-shaped bearing is provided on which the rotating wheel 230 rests, not shown in FIG. 2 but described below with reference to FIG. 3. By using both bearings, frictional forces between the fixed base 231 and the rotating wheel 230 may be reduced.

[0076] 2, one or more switches 220 are provided on the rotating wheel 230. For example, the switches 220 may be a combination of dome switches, capacitive switches, and / or other suitable types of switches. Three switches 220 may be provided and may be equidistantly spaced on the top surface of the rotating wheel 230. In other embodiments, less than three or more than three switches may be used. As described in more detail below, in one or more embodiments, the switch 220 is used to distinguish between two or more states of the rotatable knob interface 150, namely, a pressed state in which the switch 220 is closed, and a non-pressed state in which the switch 220 remains open. In other embodiments, the switch 220 may be used to distinguish between two or more states of the rotatable knob interface 150. For example, the switch 220 may be used to distinguish between a pressed state, a non-pressed state, and one or more partially pressed states. In such an embodiment, in a partially pressed state, the switch 220 is neither open nor fully closed. The partial press, pressed, and open states may be determined based on corresponding changes in the measured capacitive coupling caused by movement of a coupling electrode (e.g., coupling electrode 157). In one embodiment, the open state corresponds to a measured change in capacitive coupling corresponding to a minimum value, the closed state corresponds to a measured change in capacitive coupling corresponding to a maximum value, and the partially pressed state corresponds to a measured change in capacitive coupling corresponding to a value between the minimum and maximum values. Multiple partial press states may be used. Each of the partial press states corresponds to a different change in the measured capacitive coupling. In one embodiment, the determination module 141 compares the change in the measured capacitive coupling to each value to determine the state of the rotatable knob interface 150. The pressed state of the rotatable knob interface 150 is independent of its internal rotation position. Thus, the rotatable knob interface 150 may be rotated while in any of the pressed, partially pressed, and unpressed states (and any position between the states of the rotatable knob interface 150) and the rotation may be sensed and measured.Similarly, the states of the switch 220 corresponding to the rotatable knob interface 150 being in a “home” or undepressed state, a pressed state, or a partially depressed state, respectively, can be detected regardless of whether the rotatable knob interface 150 is rotationally stationary or rotating.

[0077] Finally, with continued reference to FIG. 2, the rotatable knob interface 150 includes an inner cap 210 and a cover cap 215, as shown. In operation, a user physically interacts with the cover cap 215, for example, by grasping the cover cap 215 and rotating the rotating wheel 230 relative to the fixed base 231, or by pressing down on the cover cap 215 to depress the knob interface and close one or more switches 220. As shown, the inner cap 210 is attached to a lip on the inner surface of the vertical ring bearing 225 by a protrusion 211. The cover cap 215 is attached to the inner cap 210 such that turning the outer cap 215 rotates the rotating wheel 230. In other embodiments, mechanisms other than the cover cap 215 and / or the inner cap 210 can be utilized to rotate the rotating wheel 230.

[0078] 3 is an exploded view of the example rotatable knob interface 150 of FIG. 2, illustrating the top side of the various components. Referring to FIG. 3, starting from the bottom of the figure, the top surface of the fixed base 231 is shown. The top surface is provided with a conductive peripheral ring 235, which is coupled to a reference signal of an input device to which the rotatable knob interface 150 is attached (e.g., provided by the processing system 110 of the electronic device 100). As shown, the top surface also shows an inner conductive ring 232, along with two conductive pads 237, 238. These three conductive regions are configured to receive a sensed signal from one or more of the sensor electrodes 125. Details of these regions, their functions, and how they interact with an input device (e.g., the electronic device 100) on which the rotatable knob interface 150 is placed are described in more detail below.

[0079] 3, also shown is a vertical ring bearing 225 and a horizontal ring bearing 226 configured to slide above the vertical ring bearing 225. In one or more embodiments, the fixed base 231 has a smaller inner diameter than the rotating wheel 230, so that the inner circumference of the fixed base 231 has a ledge upon which the vertical ring bearing 225 may rest. The vertical ring bearing 225 is thus configured to fit inside the inner diameter of the horizontal ring bearing 226 and rest on the inner circumference of the fixed base 231. The two bearings thus provide a physical interface between the fixed base 231 and the rotating wheel 230, as discussed above, reducing friction between the two as the rotating wheel 230 is moved.

[0080] 3, three switches 220 are also shown disposed around the periphery of the top surface of the rotating wheel 230. Above the switches 220 is an inner cap 210 configured to fit inside the vertical ring bearing 225 and secured thereto by three protrusions 211. In one or more embodiments, the three protrusions 211 are also equidistantly spaced around the periphery of the inner vertical surface of the vertical ring bearing 225. As shown, the inner cap 210 has a substantially horizontal upper ring and a lower hollow cylindrical portion. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the outer diameter of the lower cylindrical portion of the inner cap 210 fits within the inner diameter of the vertical ring bearing 225 and may be clamped to the bottom surface of the vertical ring bearing 225 by the protrusions 211 that protrude slightly below the bottom surface of the vertical ring bearing 225 when the inner cap 210 is in the home or undepressed position. Finally, with reference to FIG. 3, a cover cap 215 is attached to the upper ring portion of the inner cap 210 as shown.

[0081] 4A to 4C, which will be described next, illustrate the spatial relationship between sensor electrode 125 and coupling electrodes provided on the lower surface of fixed base 231 and respectively connected to corresponding conductive regions on the upper surface of fixed base 231.

[0082] 4A illustrates a view of the underside of the fixed base 231 of the rotatable knob interface 150 superimposed on a grid 401 of the sensor electrodes 125, according to one or more embodiments. The grid 401 may correspond to the blackout zone defined by the boundary 155 of FIG. 1. Additionally, in other embodiments, the grid 401 may correspond to other configurations of the sensor electrodes 125. In this regard, the bottom or underside of the fixed base 231 includes three sets of electrodes. The first set of electrodes 430, shown shaded, is a contiguous set of electrodes configured to receive a reference signal from one or more of the sensor electrodes 125. The remaining three electrodes 410, 420, 411, grouped into two sets, are configured to receive a sensed signal from one or more of the sensor electrodes 125. The second set, including electrodes 410 and 411, is configured to sense rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150. The third set including the electrodes 420 is configured to detect a "click" or a closure of the switch 220, for example, when the rotatable knob interface is set to a pressed state. As shown, each of the combined electrodes 410, 411, 420 may at least partially overlap one or more sensor electrodes 125 of the grid 401. Meanwhile, the set of electrodes 430 may each overlap at least a portion of the sensor electrodes 125 of the grid 401, such that the set of electrodes 430 acquires a signal from a corresponding reference sensor electrode 403 (see FIG. 4B) on the grid 401 on the top surface of the exemplary input device (e.g., electronic device 100), and any effect of parasitic capacitance from adjacent sensor electrodes 125 is mitigated. The sensor electrodes 125 of the region 402 are separate from the sensor electrodes 125 of the region 403. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 of the region 402 include sensor electrodes disposed proximate to the combined electrodes 410, 411, and 420 and disposed outside the sensor electrodes of the region 403. 4A is illustrated by two features: First, there is an empty row of sensor electrodes 412 to the right of the coupling (or sensing) electrodes 410, 411, 420, providing a gap between the coupling electrodes 410, 411, 420 and the set of electrodes 430.Second, the set of electrodes 430 (solid shading) are each recessed inward relative to the reference electrodes 403 (dotted shading in FIG. 4B). The set of electrodes 430 may be recessed by about 1.5 mm to about 2 mm. However, in other embodiments, the recess of the set of electrodes 430 is less than about 1.5 mm or more than about 2 mm. This recess may help the set of electrodes 430 sense the reference electrode signal and minimize sensing parasitic coupling of nearby sense signals on the sensor electrodes 125. Furthermore, the recess may help with tolerance adjustment of the example rotatable knob interface 150 to the electronic device 100. In other embodiments, including empty rows 412 of sensor electrodes or recessing the electrodes 430 as described above sufficiently insulates the set of electrodes 430 and mitigates the effect of parasitic capacitance from adjacent sensor electrodes 125 on the set of electrodes 430.

[0083] FIG. 4B illustrates an example of the grid 401 of FIG. 4A being divided into two groups of sensor electrodes 125, according to one or more embodiments. Each group of sensor electrodes 125 may be driven with a different signal. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 in region 403 may be driven with a sense signal, while the sensor electrodes 125 in region 402 may be driven with a reference signal. In general, each of the sensor electrodes 125 may be selectively driven with a sense signal or a reference signal, such as ground or other. In one or more embodiments, the grid 401 of sensor electrodes 125 is positioned as shown in FIG. 4B to match the sensor electrodes 125 of the grid 401 with the electrodes on the underside of the fixed base 231, as shown in FIG. 4A. Thus, the sensor electrodes 125 in the region 403 of the grid 401, which is shaded in FIG. 4B, may be driven with a reference signal, and the sensor electrodes 125 outside the region 403 may be driven with a sense signal. Thus, there is an electrical pairing (e.g., electrical or capacitive coupling) between the underside of the fixed base 231 and the sensor electrodes 125 of the grid 401. This is illustrated in the superposition diagram of FIG. 4C.

[0084] 4C illustrates the underside of the fixed base 231 of FIG. 4A located above the sensor electrodes of the grid 401 of FIG. 4B, according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the coupling (or sensing) electrodes 410, 411, 420 configured for sensing on the rotatable knob interface 150 are aligned with one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 such that the coupling electrodes 410, 411, 420 are driven with a sensing signal via capacitive coupling between the coupling electrodes 410, 411, 420 and the one or more sensor electrodes 125. In one embodiment, they are driven by the same sensor electrode 125. Similarly, a set of electrodes 430 configured to couple to a reference signal of the processing system 110 are provided above the multiple sensor electrodes 125 of the region 403, respectively, such that the coupling electrodes 410, 411, 420 are driven with a reference signal by the processing system 110. In one or more embodiments, the fixed base 231 is fixed and has a fixed position relative to the input device, so that the fixed base is first aligned with the sensor electrodes 125 of the input device as shown, and then, in one or more embodiments, permanently attached to the surface of the electronic device 100.

[0085] 5, the top surface of the fixed base 231 is described. With reference thereto, a top perspective view 510 is shown illustrating the location of electrode regions corresponding to the sensor electrodes 125 in regions 402 and 403 relative to the top surface of the fixed base 231, in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in the top perspective view, and also by comparing the bottom view 520 with the top view 530, the top surface of the fixed base 231 is configured somewhat differently than its bottom surface. To fully appreciate the relative locations of the conductive pads on the top and bottom surfaces, the bottom view 520 is also shown, with the corresponding location on the top surface being shown in the top view 530, as indicated by the curved arrow 521. The top view 530 is what the fixed base 231 shown in the bottom view 520 would look like if it were flipped around a horizontal axis (so that the right and left sides of the fixed base 231 are the same in views 520 and 530, respectively). Continuing to refer to FIG. 5, a top view 530 illustrates four conductive regions: the inner conductive ring 232 (used to sense whether the switch is open or closed), the two conductive pads 237 and 238 (used to sense rotation), and the peripheral ring 235. In one or more embodiments, each of these is electrically connected by vias to a corresponding conductive region on the bottom surface of the fixed base 231. In particular, the peripheral ring 235 is electrically connected to a corresponding set of electrodes 430 and coupled to a sensor electrode 125 driven with a reference signal, as described above. The two conductive pads 237 and 238 are connected to the coupling electrodes 410 and 411, respectively, and the inner conductive ring 232 is electrically connected to the detection electrode 420. In some embodiments, both the conductive pads 237 and 238 along with the inner conductive ring 232 are configured to couple to a sensor electrode 125 driven with a sense signal, as described above.

[0086] Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the top of the fixed base 231 is provided with two small conductive pads 237, 238 around its periphery, which are close to each other and surrounded by a peripheral ring 235. The peripheral ring 235 receives a reference signal, and the two pads 237, 238 receive a sense signal, respectively. The two pads are used to sense rotation. Secondly, the inner conductive ring 232, inside the peripheral ring 235, is also configured to receive a sense signal to detect whether the switch is closed. Closing of the switch is sometimes referred to as a "click" due to the sound it makes when it closes.

[0087] 6A illustrates an exploded view 601 and folded view 603 of the example fixed base 231 and the example vertical ring bearing 225 and horizontal ring bearing 226 (e.g., plastic bearings) illustrated in FIG. 3. These elements have been described above and will not be described again here. It is noteworthy that in one or more embodiments, as shown in the folded view 603, the horizontal ring bearing 226 has a smooth surface upon which the rolling wheel 230 can rest, and the vertical ring bearing 225 has a smooth outer cylindrical structure around which the rolling wheel 230 can rotate.

[0088] 6B illustrates an exploded view 610 and a folded view 603 of the exemplary fixed base 231 and bearings 225, 226 shown in FIG. 6A, respectively, with the addition of the exemplary rotating wheel 230 of FIG. 3 mounted on the exemplary flat ring-shaped bearing 226. As shown, the height of the vertical ring bearing 225 is greater than the height of the rotating wheel 230, and the vertical ring bearing 225 protrudes above the rotating wheel 230. Visible in each of the exploded view 610 and the folded view 603 are three sets of pads 221 provided on the top surface of the rotating wheel 230 for connecting to the set of switches (not shown), which will be described in more detail below after the configuration of the bottom surface of the rotating wheel 230 is described.

[0089] 7A is a detailed bottom view of the rotating wheel 230 of FIG. 3. Referring to this, as in the case of the top surface of the fixed base, there are essentially two ring-like structures: an outer ring 701 with alternating first conductive regions 710 and non-conductive regions 720, and an inner ring with a single connected second inner ring (e.g. conductive region) 730, according to one or more embodiments. Furthermore, the ring-like region 702 located between the outer ring 701 and the inner ring 730 is also non-conductive. In one or more embodiments, the first conductive region 710 is used to detect rotation, and the inner ring 730 is used to detect "clicks."

[0090] FIG. 7B illustrates a detailed top view of the exemplary rotating wheel of FIG. 3. The view of FIG. 7B corresponds to a top view of the rotating wheel 230 shown in FIG. 6B illustrating three sets of pads 221, each of which connects to a switch. The top view of FIG. 7B is drawn transparently to show other conductive areas on the bottom and top surfaces of the fixed base 231 previously described, along with the lower conductive rings to which each set of pads 221 is respectively coupled. These include the coupling electrodes 410, 420, 411 and the set of electrodes 430 coupled to the reference signal of the processing system 110, which are on the bottom surface of the fixed base 231, here shown through a transparent body, as shown in FIG. 4A, and a portion of the peripheral ring 235 and conductive pads 237, 238, which are on the top surface of the fixed base 231.

[0091] The conductive area 710 of FIG. 7A along with the conductive pads 237, 238 and peripheral ring 235 of FIG. 7B may be made of known conductors such as, for example, copper, silver, gold, aluminum, indium tin oxide, or other conductors, or various alloys of any of them with each other, or with different elements or compounds, for example. In one embodiment, the non-conductive area 720 may be an area of ​​a printed circuit board or substrate that does not have metal deposited thereon, and thus may be made of, for example, epoxy plastic and fiberglass. In another embodiment, the non-conductive area 720 may be formed by depositing an insulating layer, such as, for example, a silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 7B, two ring-shaped conductive regions, i.e., an outer ring region (e.g., conductive ring 712) and an inner ring region 732, are provided immediately below the surface of the upper surface of the rotating wheel 230, for example. The outer ring region (e.g., conductive ring 712) is electrically connected to each of the first conductive regions 710 on the lower side of the rotating wheel 230 by vias (not shown), as shown in FIG. 7A. Similarly, the inner ring region 732 provided on the inner circumference of the upper side of the rotating wheel 230 is electrically connected to the second conductive inner ring region 730 on the lower side of the rotating wheel 230, also shown in FIG. 7A, by vias (not shown). In addition, the example depicted in FIG. 7B shows the positions of three sets of pads 221 to which three switches 220 should be connected, but the switches are not shown. Thus, when the switch 220 is closed by a user depressing the cover cap 215 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) until the switch 220 makes a clicking sound or other equivalent indication, the inner portion of each pad is electrically connected to the outer portion of each pad, thereby electrically connecting the areas corresponding to the conductive rings 712 and 732. Also referring to FIG. 7A, this may connect each first conductive area 710 to the inner ring area (e.g., second conductive area) 732. Note that in other embodiments, there may be more or fewer switches and corresponding sets of switch pads to which they connect. The pads 221 may be referred to as switch pads and may be equidistantly arranged around the rotating wheel 230 as shown. In some embodiments, the switch 220 may have more than one state and thus may have many positions other than "depressed" or "closed" and "not depressed" or "open." In such an embodiment, the switch 220 may have one or more intermediate states between "pressed" and "not pressed," and a user may depress the cover cap 215 to move between the "not pressed" or fully open state, the intermediate states, and the fully closed state. In such an embodiment, each position of the switch 220 may be sensed, for example, by the signal strength of an electrical coupling in each state of the switch.

[0093] Considering the above description of the respective upper and lower surfaces of the fixed base 231 and the rotating wheel 230, the dashed arrows 801 and 802 in FIG. 8 illustrate electrical coupling between the upper surface of the fixed base 231 and the lower surface of the rotating wheel 230. When the rotating wheel 230 is above the fixed base 231, the upper surface of the fixed base 231 faces the lower surface of the rotating wheel 230 in the assembled rotatable knob interface 150. With reference thereto, the dashed arrow 801 illustrates electrical coupling between the inner conductive ring 232 on the upper surface of the fixed base 231 and the inner ring 730 on the lower surface of the exemplary rotating wheel 230. In addition, the dashed arrow 802 illustrates electrical coupling between the peripheral ring 235 on the upper surface of the exemplary fixed base 231, including the conductive pads 237 and 238, and the various conductive regions 710 of the peripheral ring 701 on the lower surface of the exemplary rotating wheel 230. As mentioned above, the region 720 of the peripheral ring 701 on the bottom surface of the rotating wheel 230 is non-conductive. Additionally, the non-conductive partition ring 702 is non-conductive and is disposed between the outer ring 701 and the inner ring 730 .

[0094] 8, when the rotating wheel 230 is above the fixed base 231 (with a horizontal bearing therebetween), various electrical couplings may exist between the respective peripheral ring regions. The peripheral ring 235 is coupled to a reference signal driven by the processing system 110 via a set of electrodes 430. In addition, the peripheral ring 235 is capacitively coupled to one or more of the conductive regions 710 of the lower rotating wheel 230. Whether one or both of the conductive pads 237, 238 are coupled to the conductive pads 710 on the lower surface of the rotating wheel 230 depends on the relative rotational positions of the rotating wheel 230 and the fixed base 231.

[0095] To sense rotation, two conductive pads 237, 238 on the top surface of the fixed base 231 are coupled to sensor electrodes 125 that are respectively driven with a sense signal by the processing system 110. As described above with reference to FIG. 4A, the conductive pads 237 and 238 on the top surface of the fixed base 231 are electrically connected by vias to coupling electrodes 410 and 411 on the bottom surface of the fixed base 231, respectively. The coupling electrodes 410 and 411 are then coupled to corresponding sensor electrodes 125 that are driven with a sense signal, for example as shown in FIG. 4C. By driving the sensor electrodes 125 that are respectively coupled to the coupling electrodes 410 and 411 of the fixed base with a sense signal, the resulting signal received by those sensor electrodes varies as a function of the capacitive coupling of the two conductive pads 237 and 238 on the top surface of the fixed base 231, respectively, with the array of conductive areas 710 and non-conductive areas 720 on the bottom surface of the rotating wheel 230.

[0096] 9A-14, described below, illustrate various extensions or alternative features of the rotatable knob interface described above with reference to Figures 1-8. It should be noted that in one or more embodiments, some or many of the extensions and alternative features may be combined in any exemplary device.

[0097] 9A and 9B illustrate another approach for detecting click or mechanical response functions of a rollable electronic device. In this example approach, click detection can be easily performed on the fixed base of the rollable electronic device. This is in contrast to the approach described above with reference to FIG. 2, where a rolling wheel 230 includes three example switches 220 on its top surface. In the example of FIG. 2, when the switch 220 is closed, the two conductive ring regions 712 and 732 are electrically connected, as shown in FIG. 7B, and this is detected by the processing system 110. In an embodiment where the rollable electronic device does not include a central hole in the fixed base, the switches that perform click detection do not need to be capacitively wired to the rolling wheel. As a result, these switches can be provided on the fixed base. FIG. 9A shows the underside of an alternative fixed base 932 with a click detection pad 920. FIG. 9B, which depicts a top view of the alternative fixed base 932, shows a dome switch 950 that connects the ground region 933 to the click detection pad 920. Since the ground area 933 is conductive, when multiple electrodes on the surface of the input device are coupled to it, the electrodes are electrically coupled to each other. This fact is exploited in the example shift detection method described below in connection with FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13. Note that the alternative fixed base 932 increases the signal for detecting clicks and reduces the complexity of wiring the click function to the rotating wheel. FIGS. 9A and 9B also show two kidney-shaped openings 939 on either side of the fixed base 932. The openings 939 may improve signal integrity as follows. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 4B, the fixed base 932 may be provided above a group of sensor electrodes 402 on the top surface of the exemplary input device that are driven by a detection signal. In addition, the rotating wheel 230 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B may be provided above the fixed base 932. As further shown in FIG. 7A, a conductive area 710 may be provided on the underside of the rotating wheel 230. The fixed base 932 is thus “sandwiched” between the sensor electrodes 402 on the top surface of the input device and the conductive areas 710 on the underside of the rolling wheel 230 .The opening 939 in the fixed base 932 may reduce the parasitic capacitance between the conductive area 710 on the bottom side of the rotating wheel 230 and the electrode 402 of the input device. The capacitance may be calculated based on the overlap area of ​​the two target areas, the distance between the two areas, and the dielectric between the two areas. The opening 939 introduces air with a dielectric constant of 1 as a dielectric between the sensing electrode 402 and the conductive area 710. This is an alternative to plastic or, for example, FR4 (a composite material made of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder that is flame retardant), which are materials from which the exemplary fixed base 932 may be made. Since plastic and FR4 each have a much higher dielectric constant than air, the air gap provided by the opening 939 may therefore reduce the parasitic capacitance between the conductive area 710 on the bottom side of the rotating wheel and the sensing electrode 402.

[0098] In the alternative, the openings 939 may have a different shape or may not be used at all.

[0099] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of an exemplary fixed base 1031. The exemplary fixed base 1031 is similar to the fixed base 231 of FIG. 4A, but the ground area 936 is somewhat larger and has a different shape. FIG. 10 also shows a contour line 906 drawn around an area of ​​the bottom surface of the fixed base 1031 that is to be attached to a display panel (not shown) with a conductive adhesive, according to one or more embodiments. Instead of using a non-conductive adhesive to attach the fixed base to the display panel, a conductive adhesive may be used in selected areas to improve the signal by increasing the coupling of the fixed base's sense pads 410, 411, 420 and the fixed base's ground area 936 to the touch pixels of the display panel, respectively. The display panel to which the bottom surface of the fixed base 1031 may be attached may be, for example, the display panel 120 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 10, in one or more embodiments, the contour line area 906 may be attached to the display panel with a conductive adhesive, while other areas may be attached using a non-conductive adhesive. The conductive adhesive may be isotropic or anisotropic and may be any suitable conductive adhesive.

[0100] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary conductive structure 959 that may be used in place of the rotating wheel and thin bearings, according to one or more embodiments. As an alternative to the thin bearings 226 described in FIG. 6A, a conductive bearing may be used, such as a bearing made of conductive PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). In such an alternative embodiment, a rotating wheel may not be necessary, and instead, a combination bearing and rotatable element 959 may be used, as illustrated in FIG. 11. In such an alternative embodiment, a much thicker bearing may be used, for example on the order of 1-2 mm thick, which may provide a stronger signal due to the increased conductivity of the bearing. It is noted that the conductive PTFE may be formed, for example, by infusing PTFE with carbon to enhance conductivity. Thus, instead of using both the thin bearings 226 as illustrated in FIG. 6A and the exemplary rotating wheel 230 with alternating conductive and non-conductive regions 710 and 720 as illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the conductive structure 959 illustrated in FIG. 11 may be used. The exemplary conductive structure 959 has a central ring 961 from which several peripheral regions 960 protrude, as shown. In the illustrated example, there are four peripheral regions spaced at 90 degree intervals around the central ring 961. In other examples, larger or fewer peripheral regions may be used. The peripheral regions 960 have a long dimension that is tangential to the inner ring, as shown, and alternately pass over conductive pads provided on the top of the fixed base 932. For example, the alternative fixed base 932 illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B may be used. Thus, the peripheral regions 960 of the conductive structure 959 alternately couple to the sensing regions 925 (not shown in FIG. 11 but shown at the top left in FIG. 9B) and 926, along with the ground region 933 on the top of the fixed base 932. As a result, when the conductive structure 959 is rotated, there is a change in the capacitive coupling between the sensing regions 925, 926 and the ground region 933. Since the structure 959 is itself conductive, if there is no bearing between the top of the fixed base 932 and the conductive structure 959, as in this example, then capacitive coupling would result in an electrical connection.It should also be noted that, given the spacing of the peripheral region 960, the conductive region 963 of the fixed base 932 is always coupled or connected to the conductive structure 959. However, as the conductive structure 959 rotates, the capacitive coupling between the peripheral region 960 and the sensing regions 925 (not shown) and 926 changes. In one or more embodiments, these changes can be used to determine the rotational orientation of the conductive structure 959, and thus the rotational orientation of the rotatable knob interface. As previously mentioned, in one or more embodiments, the conductive structure 959 also functions as a bearing, but this time may be significantly thicker than, for example, the thin bearing 226 described above.

[0101] As previously discussed, the fixed base 932 of Fig. 11 is the same as the exemplary fixed base 932 of Figs. 9A and 9B discussed above. As shown in Fig. 9A, a click sensing pad 920 is provided on the underside of the fixed base 932. The click sensing pad 920 is connected to a switch pad 951 on the upper side of the fixed base 932. Similarly, the ground area 933 is connected to a switch pad 952 on the upper side of the fixed base 932. A dome switch (not shown), such as the dome switch 950 shown in Fig. 9B, may be connected between the switch pads 951 and 952 to sense clicks.

[0102] Next, two exemplary methods for detecting misalignment of the rotatable knob interface relative to the surface of the input device will be described with reference to Figures 12A-13. Misalignment of the knob base may indicate a fault in the rotatable knob interface. Thus, detecting such misalignment may be used to determine a fault in the rotatable knob interface.

[0103] A first exemplary method of misalignment detection is described with reference to Figures 12A and 12B. Figures 12A and 12B illustrate a set of exemplary display panel electrodes 403 disposed beneath a ground area 936 on the underside of a fixed base 1231 of an exemplary rotatable knob interface from a perspective below the display panel of an input device, according to one or more embodiments. As mentioned above, the ground area 936 is so named because the display panel electrodes above which it is disposed are driven with a reference signal during an input sensing period. However, in the first exemplary misalignment detection method, this is changed so that not all display panel electrodes beneath the ground area are driven with the reference signal for regular input sensing periods. As shown in Figure 12A, during a first predefined period, all electrodes 403 coupled to the ground area 936 are driven with the reference signal. Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, during a second predefined period, a first subset of electrodes 403, e.g., half of the electrodes 403, in a first subset region 404 (surrounded by a dashed boundary in FIG. 12B) may be driven with a sensing waveform, and the remaining electrodes of the set of electrodes 403, e.g., the electrodes in a second subset region 405, may be driven with a reference signal.

[0104] The configuration of FIG. 12A, in which all of the electrodes 403 below the ground region 936 of the fixed base 1231 are driven by a reference signal, is the normal scheme used during input sensing, e.g., sensing the rotation of a rotatable knob interface, as described above. However, the configuration of FIG. 12B occurs during a specific period outside the normal sensing scheme, e.g., not a standard input sensing period, in which half of the electrodes 403, e.g., the electrodes of the first subset region 404, are driven by a sense waveform. Because the entire ground region 936 is electrically connected, both the first subset region 404 and the second subset region 405 remain connected via the ground region 936 of the fixed base 1231, so that during the second predetermined period, the electrodes of the first subset region 404 are also grounded, although driven by a sense signal. In one embodiment, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may be used to sense the capacitance on the electrodes of the first subset region 404 driven by the sense signal. In such an embodiment, for a given electrode of the first subset region 404, the ADC readings change as a function of its ground load. In some embodiments, the greater the ground load, the lower the ADC signal. Thus, in such an embodiment, when the rotatable knob interface is in its correct place, above the first subset region 404, the electrode of the first subset region 404 will exhibit a value on the connected ADC that reflects the load to ground via the ground area 936. However, if the rotatable knob interface slips and the ground area 936 of the fixed base 1231 is no longer above one or more electrodes of the first subset region 404, a higher value will be observed on the ADC connected to that electrode. In one embodiment, this higher ADC value can be used to detect slippage or translation of the fixed base 1231 and thus the rotatable knob interface. Thus, in one embodiment, the ADC values ​​of the electrodes of the first subset region during successive second predefined time periods can be compared to determine a misalignment. Alternatively, a given reading of an electrode during a second predefined period may be compared to the ADC value of that electrode at the time of manufacture to determine whether the fixed base 1231 has shifted after the fixed base has been attached to the display panel in its intended position.As previously mentioned, because the second predefined period occurs outside of normal input sensing, it may be necessary to allocate additional time for misalignment detection within the input sensing scheme.

[0105] In other embodiments, the set of electrodes 403 may be divided into unequal subsets where the number of electrodes in the first subset region 404 is less than the number of electrodes in the second subset region 405. For example, the number of electrodes in the first subset region 404 may be a percentage of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403, such as ⅓, ¼, or other percentage value less than 1.

[0106] In a second exemplary method of misalignment detection (which is a variation of the first exemplary method), the same principle of connected ADC values ​​changing as a result of ground loading may be utilized in a different way. In the second exemplary method, electrodes in a first subset area that are below a ground area 936 may be driven with a sense signal even during normal input sensing. This is illustrated in FIG. 13. With reference to this, FIG. 13 illustrates a first subset area 406 of electrodes of a grid of electrodes 125 of a display panel. The first subset area 406 of electrodes (indicated by a dashed border in FIG. 13) is provided below the ground area 936 of the fixed base 1231. In one embodiment, a previous baseline state of the resultant signal received at the electrodes in the subset area 406 may be compared to a currently acquired resultant signal to determine whether a misalignment of the fixed base has occurred. In one or more embodiments, as in the first exemplary method, a result signal may be measured using the values ​​of the ADCs connected to the electrodes, and changes in the ADC values ​​may be used to detect misalignment of the fixed base 1231, and thus the rotatable knob interface, which may be determined from changes in the values ​​of the connected ADCs for the electrodes in the first subset region 406.

[0107] In one embodiment, for the exemplary method illustrated in FIG. 13, the set of electrodes 403 coupled to the ground region 936 may be divided into unequal subsets. The number of electrodes in the first subset region 406 that receive a sense signal during an input sense period is less than the number of electrodes in the second subset region 405. For example, the number of electrodes in the first subset region 406 may be a percentage of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403 that is less than ½. For example, it may be 1 / 10 of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403. Or, for example, it may be 20%, or 15%, or any other percentage value between 0 and ½ of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403.

[0108] In a second exemplary method of misalignment detection, since the electrodes in the first subset region 406 are always driven by a sensing signal during regular input sensing periods, a comparison may be made between two regular (e.g., consecutive) input sensing periods, without the need to add an additional period to the input sensing scheme for misalignment detection.

[0109] 14 is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 1400 for detecting misalignment of a fixed base of an electronic interface on an exemplary electronic device, such as a rotatable knob interface. The method has two stages, each corresponding to the two examples illustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B described above. As previously mentioned, detecting misalignment of the knob is one of the failure mechanisms.

[0110] Method 1400 includes blocks 1410-1440. In other embodiments, method 1400 may have more or fewer blocks. Method 1400 begins at block 1410, where a reference signal is provided during a first time period to a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes of an input device that are capacitively coupled to a single conductive area on an underside of a fixed base of a knob interface. The fixed base is provided on a surface of the input device (e.g., electronic device 100). For example, the conductive area may be ground area 936 shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B.

[0111] Method 1400 proceeds from block 1410 to block 1420 where, during a second time period, a sense signal is provided to a first set of electrodes and a reference signal is provided to a second set of electrodes. For example, the first set of electrodes may be the electrodes in region 404 of FIG. 12B and the second set of electrodes may be the electrodes in region 405 of FIG. 12B, all of which are coupled to conductive region 936 on fixed base 1231.

[0112] Method 1400 proceeds from block 1420 to block 1430 where a resultant signal is received at the first set of electrodes during a second time period. As described above, the resultant signal is the same as the signal used to drive the first set of electrodes, except that it may have been modified by the relative positions of fixed base 1231 and the input device at the time of measurement.

[0113] From block 1430, method 1400 proceeds to block 1440, where a translation of the knob interface on the surface of the input device is determined based at least in part on values ​​of the resultant signals on the first set of electrodes obtained during a second time period and a previous baseline state of the first set of electrodes. In one or more embodiments, this determination may be performed by firmware stored in a memory of the input device. Method 1400 may end at block 1440, or may be repeated as shown in FIG. 14, such that method 1400 may return from block 1440 to block 1410. In one or more embodiments, the baseline state may be pre-stored, for example at the time of manufacture, or may be, for example, a set of values ​​of the resultant signals obtained during a previous second time period of a previous step of method 1400.

[0114] Thus, the embodiments and examples described herein are presented to best explain the embodiments of the present technology and specific applications thereof, and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for purposes of illustration and example only. The description set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed.

[0115] In view of the above, the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A display panel including a sensor electrode; a processing system coupled to the sensor electrodes; an electronic device disposed above the display panel; Equipped with The processing system comprises: activating a first subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during a first time period by driving the first subset with a reference signal; activating a second subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during the first period by driving the second subset with the reference signal; activating the first subset of sensor electrodes for misalignment sensing by driving the first subset of sensor electrodes with a sensing signal and receiving a result signal from the first subset of sensor electrodes during a second time period; driving the second subset of the sensor electrodes with the reference signal during the second time period. configured to The electronic device comprises: a conductive region configured to couple to each of the first subset of sensor electrodes and the second subset of sensor electrodes; the resultant signals received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the second time period are affected based on a position of the conductive region relative to the display panel; the processing system is further configured to determine a misalignment of the electronic device relative to the display panel based on the result signal. Detection system.

2. The processing system is further configured to compare the result signals received during the second time period with a previous set of result signals received for the second subset of sensor electrodes. The detection system of claim 1 .

3. The previous set of result signals was received during a previous second period of operation by the processing system. The detection system of claim 2 .

4. The processing system is further configured to determine a distance and a direction of misalignment of the electronic device relative to the display panel. The detection system of claim 2 .

5. The electronic device is a fixed base for a rotatable knob interface. The detection system of claim 1 .

6. The fixed base is attached to the display panel. The detection system of claim 5 .

7. The first subset of the sensor electrodes is adjacent to the second subset of the sensor electrodes on the display panel. The detection system of claim 1 .

8. The processing system is further configured to activate a third and a fourth subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during the first time period by driving the third and the fourth subsets of the sensor electrodes with sense signals and receiving respective result signals from the third and the fourth subsets of the sensor electrodes. The detection system of claim 1 .

9. A display panel including a sensor electrode; a processing system coupled to the sensor electrodes; an electronic device disposed above the display panel; Equipped with the processing system comprising: activating a first subset of sensor electrodes for misalignment sensing during a predetermined time period by driving the first subset of sensor electrodes with a sense signal and receiving a result signal from the first subset of sensor electrodes; configured to activate a second subset of the sensor electrodes for input sensing during the predetermined period by driving the second subset with a reference signal; the electronic device comprising a conductive region configured to couple with each of the first subset of sensor electrodes and the second subset of sensor electrodes; the resultant signals received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the predetermined time period are affected based on a position of the conductive region relative to the display panel; The processing system is further configured to compare the result signals received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the predetermined time period with a previous set of result signals for the first subset of the sensor electrodes to detect translation of the electronic device relative to a surface of the display panel. Detection system.

10. 1. A method for detecting misalignment of a rotatable interface relative to an input device, comprising: the rotatable interface includes a fixed base; the fixed base has a conductive area on a lower surface thereof; the fixed base is attached to a display screen of the input device; The method further comprising: providing a reference signal to first and second sets of electrodes of the input device, each set capacitively coupled to the conductive region, during a first time period; providing a reference signal to the first set of electrodes and a sense signal to the second set of electrodes during a second time period; receiving a result signal at the second set of electrodes during the second time period; determining a translation of the rotatable interface relative to the display screen of the input device based at least in part on a value of the resultant signal during the second time period; The method includes:

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