Capacitive Touch Sensing Channel

Abstract

To provide an electrostatic capacitance touch sensing channel including an electrostatic capacitance sensing converter based on a sigma delta modulator.SOLUTION: In an electrostatic capacitance touch sensing channel 100, one sigma delta modulator 104 includes a comparator 120, a first integrator 122 which receives an incoming signal from an input node 103 and is coupled so as to provide a first output signal, a second integrator 124 which receives the incoming signal, provides a second output signal and is coupled to the first integrator in parallel with each other, and a switching circuit 126. The switching circuit selectively couples the first integrator between the input node and a comparator so as to provide the first output signal to the comparator, or selectively couples the second integrator between the input node and the comparator so as to provide the second output signal to the comparator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 961,893, filed January 16, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] A touch sensor can be used to detect the presence and location of an object or the proximity of an object within a touch-sensitive area of ​​the touch sensor. For example, a touch sensing circuit can detect the presence and location of a touch object proximate to a touch sensor disposed relative to a display screen. There are various different types of touch sensors. The types of touch sensors can include resistive touch sensors, surface acoustic wave touch sensors, capacitive touch sensors, inductive touch sensing, etc. Different touch sensors can detect different types of objects.

[0003] Most touch sensing applications require high sensitivity to support long-distance hover recognition due to thick overlays on the touch sensor, touch sensor manipulation with gloves, or under noisy conditions such as those caused by nearby liquid crystal displays (LCDs), inductive load switching, radio emissions, etc. Additionally, touch sensors have limited radiation, which limits the excitation energy of the touch sensor to achieve a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0004] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of a capacitive touch sensing channel based on an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 2A]FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram of a noise transfer function according to one embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 4C] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 4D] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a current-to-current converter according to one embodiment. [Figure 4E] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a current-to-current converter having a low pass filter according to one embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a touch system having an array of electrodes and a plurality of capacitive touch sensing receive channels, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] According to one embodiment, a touch system having an array of electrodes, a plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels, and a processing unit. [Figure 7] 1 is a method of operating an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] The following description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, and the like, to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the technology described herein for a capacitive touch sensing channel. The capacitive touch sensing channel includes a capacitive sensing converter, which is based on a sigma-delta modulator whose structure is modified to obtain an accumulative characteristic of the sensing result, providing a sensing resolution proportional to the integration period. As described above, most touch sensing applications require high sensitivity. As described herein, the embodiments can increase immunity to external noise by using a sinusoidal demodulation window with a sinusoidal excitation, and can increase the sensing resolution by extending the integration period. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known components, elements, or methods have not been described in detail or have been presented in simple block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the technology described herein. Thus, the specific details described below are merely exemplary. Particular implementations may differ from these example details and still be considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0007] Described herein are various embodiments of techniques for capacitive sensing. The embodiments can provide a sense unit (also referred to as a touch sensor) that can be used with a capacitive sensing circuit to detect different types of objects. In one embodiment, the sense unit can be used for mutual capacitance sensing or self-capacitance sensing. In one embodiment, the capacitive sensing circuit (also referred to herein as a "capacitive sensing circuit" or "sensing circuit") can use a capacitive touch sensing channel to measure the capacitance of a sense element (e.g., a single electrode with respect to ground potential or between a receive (RX) electrode and a transmit (TX) electrode), as described in more detail herein. The sensing circuit can also be configured to detect the inductance of the sense element, such as to detect ferrous and non-ferrous metal objects in proximity to the sense unit using inductive sensing techniques. Examples of devices in which capacitive sensing can be used may include, but are not limited to, automobiles, home appliances (e.g., refrigerators, washing machines, etc.), personal computers (e.g., laptop computers, notebook computers, etc.), mobile computing devices (e.g., tablets, tablet computers, e-reader devices, etc.), mobile communication devices (e.g., smart phones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, messaging devices, pocket PCs, etc.), connection and charging devices (e.g., hubs, docking stations, adapters, chargers, etc.), audio / video / data recording and / or playback devices (e.g., cameras, voice recorders, handheld scanners, monitors, etc.), body wearable devices, and other similar electronic devices.

[0008] References in the description to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," and "various embodiments" mean that the particular features, structures, steps, acts, or characteristics described in connection with those embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Moreover, the appearances of the phrases "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," "some embodiments," and "various embodiments" in various places in the description are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.

[0009] The description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show illustrations according to exemplary embodiments. These embodiments, which may also be referred to herein as "examples," are described in sufficient detail to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice embodiments of the claimed subject matter described herein. The embodiments may be combined, or other embodiments may be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made, without departing from the concept and spirit of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter, but rather to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice, make, and / or use the subject matter.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a capacitive touch sensing channel 100 based on an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter, according to one embodiment. The capacitive touch sensing channel 100 includes a sigma-delta modulator 104 coupled to an input node 103. The sigma-delta modulator 104 may be a first-order sigma-delta modulator. The input node 103 is coupled to a touch sensor 102. In one embodiment, the touch sensor 102 includes a transmit (TX) electrode and a receive (RX) electrode, as represented as an equivalent circuit in FIG. 1. In another embodiment, the touch sensor 102 includes a single electrode. Alternatively, other types of touch sensors may be used. An output 105 of the sigma-delta modulator 104 is coupled to a counter 106, which is coupled to a demodulator 108. In one embodiment, a waveform generator 110 generates an excitation signal 107 that is applied to the touch sensor 102, such as the TX electrode. The demodulator 108 is also configured to receive the excitation signal 107 for demodulating the output 109 of the counter 106. An accumulator 112 is coupled to an output 111 of the demodulator 108, and a decimator 114 is coupled to an output 113 of the accumulator 112. The decimator 114 outputs a digital result 115, such as a digital count value, that represents the capacitance of the touch sensor 102.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the sigma-delta modulator 104 includes a comparator 120, a first integrator 122, a second integrator 124, and a switching circuit 126. The first integrator 122 is coupled to the comparator 120 and configured to receive an incoming signal from an input node 103 and a reference voltage and provide a first output signal. The second integrator 124 is coupled to the comparator 120 in parallel with the first integrator 122. The second integrator 124 is configured to receive the incoming signal at the input node 103 and provide a second output signal. The switching circuit 126 is configured to selectively couple the first integrator 122 between the input node 103 and the comparator 120 to provide the first output signal to the comparator 120, or selectively couple the second integrator 124 between the input node 103 and the comparator 120 to provide the second output signal to the comparator 120.

[0012] In operation, an incoming signal in the form of a current enters one of the first integrator 122 or the second integrator 124 and is balanced by a feedback loop formed by the single-bit digitizer output from the comparator 120, i.e., output 105. In one embodiment, this feedback is represented as −G, where G is: G≧Vex (Cxm / Cint) (Ftx / Fmod) The procedure of balancing the input signal forms a bit stream on output 105 that is input to counter 106. Counter 106 is a digital form of an integrator. Counter 106 reflects the digitized excitation signal scaled in proportion to the capacitance of touch sensor 102. The operation of counter 106 is as follows: Δt=1 / Fmod It can be expressed as follows.

[0013] The demodulator 108 multiplies the counter output with a digitized reference signal 117 that is coherent with the excitation signal 107. The demodulated digitized signal at output 111 is integrated by an accumulator 112 and the magnitude of the sensed signal is obtained at output 113. A decimator 114 forms a digital result 115 of the sensing during an integer number of excitation signal periods (Ntx). The components of the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 form a cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter that converts the capacitance of the touch sensor 102 into a digital value that represents this capacitance. As will be explained in more detail below, the cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter provides a characteristic of the accumulation of quantization errors as samples are accumulated during several periods of the excitation signal 107.

[0014] It should be noted that the channel transfer function of the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 is linear for a linear sweep of the sensed capacitance of the touch sensor 102. In a conventional sigma-delta converter, the quantization error of the sensed signal magnitude does not change if the conversion lasts relatively long and dithering allows for the reduction of the quantization error. That is, the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 measures the signal magnitude. Distortion of the signal shape can be reduced by additional filtering, but in this approach the resolution of the signal magnitude does not change as it remains constant. A single conversion of the excitation period (also referred to as the Tx period) defines the quantization step value due to the symmetry of the shape of the positive and negative half periods. This shape provides the same magnitude of quantization error at the end of each half period, but with different polarity. Eventually, the quantization error at the end of the period of the excitation signal is equal to zero. Each subsequent conversion must be considered as a separate conversion with no history from the previous conversion. Accumulating the samples of the transform during subsequent periods of the excitation signal narrows the passband of the channel but does not increase the resolution. Dithering is necessary to make the result of the transform for each period with a random portion larger than one balancing step. In this case, the subsequent accumulation of Ntx periods of the excitation signal causes a sqrt(Ntx) multiplication.

number

[0015] In contrast, the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 is based on a sigma-delta modulator 104, whose bit stream is integrated by a counter 106 and coherently demodulated by multiplying the excitation signal 107 with coherent sinusoidal data, and the bit stream is finally accumulated by an accumulator 112. The sigma-delta modulator 104 includes an additional integrator, i.e., a second integrator 124, which is parallel to the main integrator, i.e., a first integrator 122. These integrators are connected to the incoming signal and the comparator 120 using a switching circuit 126. For example, a first switch S1 and a second switch S2 connect the incoming signal to the comparator 120 through two branches. The switches S1 and S2 operate synchronously to form two branches from the touch sensor 102 to the comparator 120. One branch goes through a first integrator 122 when the excitation signal 107 is rising, and the other branch goes through a second integrator 124 when the excitation signal 107 is falling. The balancing feedback loop is connected to the active branch by a third switch S3, which operates synchronously with switches S1 and S2.

[0016] In this way, the integrators store the quantization error formed at the end of their respective active phases, and each subsequent active phase starts with the quantization conditions of the previous active phase of the other integrator, providing a characteristic of the accumulation of the quantization error as samples are accumulated during several periods of the excitation signal 107, as shown in Figures 2A-2B.

[0017] In another embodiment, the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 can demodulate the sigma-delta modulator bit stream by multiplying the bit stream with cosine wave data. In this case, the first digital integrator 106 can be removed. The cosine wave data can be multiplied by +1 and -1. Addition or subtraction of sine wave data can be used instead of multiplication. This method can provide the advantage of a wider baseband of the channel, such as a twice as wider channel passband.

[0018] 2A-2B are waveform diagrams 200 of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter, according to one embodiment. In the waveform diagram 200, the excitation signal 202 (labeled "Vtx") is a sine wave that rises and falls. The sine wave table 208 is sine wave data that is coherent with the excitation signal 202. While the excitation signal 202 is rising, the switch control signal 204 (labeled "θa (φa)") is in a first state (e.g., a low state or logic 0). While the excitation signal 202 is falling, the switch control signal 204 is in a second state (e.g., a high state or logic 1). The waveform diagram 200 illustrates an attenuator output current 210 as shown and described below with respect to FIG. 4A. The waveform diagram 200 also illustrates a balancing current signal 206 (labeled "Ibal") that increases and decreases in frequency over a period of the excitation signal 202. The balancing current signal 206 represents the current used to balance the integrator based on the feedback loop formed by the single bit digitizer output from the comparator 120, i.e., output 105. The waveform diagram 200 shows the signal 212 on the integrator, which includes the sensed magnitude quantization error 214. As described above, the signaling of Figures 2A-2B allows the integrator of the cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter to store the quantization error formed at the end of each active phase, and each subsequent active phase can start with the quantization error condition of the previous active phase of the integrator, resulting in the quantization error accumulating. The waveform diagram 200 also shows the counter output 216 and the demodulator output 218. Figure 2B shows a close-up view of the excitation signal 202, the switch control signal 204, and the balancing current signal 206. 2A-2B enables the capacitive sensing channel to be narrowband and have a resolution proportional to the period of the sensing cycle. Operation of the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 based on an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter can increase immunity to external noise by using a sinusoidal demodulation window in conjunction with a sinusoidal excitation.Conventional attempts cannot increase the resolution by extending the sensing period (also called the sensing period), but the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 allows for increased resolution by extending the sensing period. The capacitive touch sensing channel 100 can combine the characteristics of a conventional capacitive touch sensing channel using sinusoidal excitation with the characteristics of a double-slope charge-balancing converter based on a charge transfer method. However, instead of a double-slope charge-balancing converter, the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 uses an accumulative sigma-delta modulator as described herein.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram 300 of a noise transfer function according to an embodiment. The waveform diagram 300 shows noise sources for the sinusoidal synchronous demodulator 302 and for the rectangular window synchronous demodulator 304. In the case of sinusoidal excitation, the sinusoidal shape of the excitation signal produces a single tone radiation that can be placed in a frequency range without strong restrictions on radiation. Complex synthesizers can be used to reduce the harmonic content. A single lobe noise transfer function results in better noise immunity and SNR in high sensitivity mode. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the channel samples allows to find silent bands for frequency hopping, resulting in reliable operation in noisy environments. Demodulation of the channel samples can be performed by multiplying the samples with a digital form of a sinusoidal value. A processing element can be used to multiply the channel samples with a digital form of a sinusoidal value. Alternatively, an existing channel engine can be modified for the multiplication of the channel samples. The channel engine can be firmware executed by a processing unit connected to the demodulator.

[0020] The following description relates to implementations of the functional operations described above with respect to Figures 1-2. For example, the capacitive touch sensing channel 100 can include two integrators, each constructed using a current-to-current converter, as shown in the cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter of Figures 4A-4C.

[0021] 4A-4C are block diagrams of an accumulative first-order sigma-delta converter 400 (hereinafter "converter 400") according to one embodiment. Converter 400 is hereinafter referred to as converter 400 for ease of explanation. Converter 400 is an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts a current or charge from a touch sensor into a digital value. The ADC is a first-order converter because it has a first-order sigma-delta modulator 402 that measures a feedback representing a quantization error used for a continuous balanced integrator. The first-order sigma-delta modulator 402 is hereinafter referred to as sigma-delta modulator 402 for ease of explanation. A counter 404 is used to store a digital representation of the input signal. The output of counter 404 is multiplied and accumulated by a multiply-accumulate arithmetic circuit (MAC) 406 shown and described below with respect to FIG. 4C.

[0022] In one embodiment, the sigma-delta modulator 402 can include two integrators, each including an operational amplifier and an integrator capacitor. Alternatively, the sigma-delta modulator 402 can include an attenuator 408 as shown in FIG. 4A, which allows the output current to be kept within a suitable range, thereby allowing the use of a unity-value balanced source.

[0023] As shown, the sigma-delta modulator 402 includes an attenuator 408 coupled to an input node 401 and a bias voltage 403. The attenuator 408 includes a common amplifier (e.g., a transimpedance operational amplifier 410) for the first integrator and the second integrator. The sigma-delta modulator 402 also includes a first integrator capacitor 412 coupled to the first node 405 and a second integrator capacitor 414 coupled to the second node 407. The sigma-delta modulator 402 also includes a first current source 416, a second current source 418, a comparator 420, and a flip-flop 422 coupled to the output of the comparator 420 and to the input of the counter 404. The output of the flip-flop 422 is part of a balancing feedback loop 424 coupled to a switching circuit. 4A, the switching circuit includes an attenuator 408, a first switch 426 coupled to the first node 405 and the second node 407, a comparator 420, a second switch 428 coupled to the first node 405 and the second node 407, a third switch 430 coupled to the third node 409, the first node 405 and the second node 407, and a fourth switch 432 coupled to the third node 409, the first current source 416 and the second current source 418. The first switch 426, the second switch 428 and the third switch 430 are configured to operate synchronously. These switches are controllable by a first control signal 411 (labeled "θAcc (φAcc)") that is dependent on the excitation signal 413. When the excitation signal 413 is rising, the first control signal 411 is low, causing the first switch 426 and the second switch 428 to couple the incoming signal to the comparator 420 via the first node 405, which is coupled to the first integrator capacitor 412. When the excitation signal 413 is falling, the first control signal 411 is high, causing the first switch 426 and the second switch 428 to couple the incoming signal to the comparator 420 via the second node 407, which is coupled to the second integrator capacitor 414.The third switch 430 is controlled by the first control signal 411 to connect the balancing feedback loop 424 to the first node 405 when the excitation signal 413 is rising and to connect the balancing feedback loop 424 to the second node 407 when the excitation signal 413 is falling. The fourth switch 432 is controlled by the output of the flip-flop 422. The fourth switch 432 couples either the first current source 416 or the second current source 418 to the third node 409 for balancing the integrator. The balancing feedback loop 424 includes a balancing current signal 206 that controls the current source for balancing the incoming signal. The comparator 420 compares the incoming signal with the balancing feedback to a voltage reference 415. The flip-flop 422 is clocked using a clock signal 429 (labeled "Fmod"). The same clock signal is used by the counter 404. As described above, the balancing current signal fed back to control the fourth switch 432 represents the current used to balance the integrator based on the balancing feedback loop 424 formed by the single-bit digitizer output 417, which represents the output from the comparator 420 sampled by the flip-flop 422. The signaling of the balancing feedback loop 424 allows the integrator of the sigma-delta modulator 402 to store the quantization error formed at the end of its respective active phase, and each subsequent active phase is allowed to start with the quantization error condition of the integrator's previous active phase, resulting in the quantization error accumulating. The counter 404 counts the single-bit digitizer output 417 over the sensing period and outputs a digital count value 419 to the MAC 406, which will be described below with respect to FIG. 4C.

[0024] In one embodiment, the excitation signal 413 is generated by a waveform generator 434. The waveform generator 434 generates the excitation signal 413 as a sine wave (also referred to as a sine wave). The input node 401 is couplable to a touch sensor 436, the touch sensor 436 including a first electrode 438 coupled to the waveform generator 434 and a second electrode 440 coupled to the input node 401. The switching circuit is configured to form a first branch between the touch sensor 436 and the comparator 420 and a second branch between the touch sensor 436 and the comparator 420. The first branch passes through a first integrator when the excitation signal 413 is rising, and the second branch passes through a second integrator when the excitation signal 413 is falling. The switching circuit is further configured to couple the balancing feedback loop 424 to the first branch when the excitation signal 413 is rising and to couple the balancing feedback loop 424 to the second branch when the excitation signal 413 is falling. The first integrator is configured to store a quantization error formed at the end of a first active phase of the first integrator, and the second integrator is configured to accumulate the quantization error starting with the quantization error at the beginning of a second active phase of the second integrator. In one embodiment, the waveform generator 434 is controlled by control data 421 (labeled "sine wave table"). The control data can be stored in the sine wave table. The control data 421 is digital data that is coherent to the excitation signal 413. The control data 421 is also used by a digital demodulator, described below with respect to FIG. 4C.

[0025] In another embodiment, the sigma-delta modulator includes a comparator, a first integrator coupled to receive an incoming signal from an input node and provide a first output signal, a second integrator coupled in parallel to the first integrator to receive the incoming signal and provide a second output signal, and a switching circuit for selectively coupling the first integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the second output signal to the comparator. In a further embodiment, the switching circuit includes a first switch coupled to provide the incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator, and a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator. The first switch and the second switch are configured to operate synchronously.

[0026] In another embodiment, the sigma-delta modulator includes a balancing feedback loop coupled to a switching circuit, the switching circuit including a first switch coupled to provide an incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator, a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator, and a third switch coupled to provide a balancing feedback signal from the balancing feedback loop to the incoming signal provided to the first integrator or to the incoming signal provided to the second integrator. In this embodiment, the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate synchronously.

[0027] 4B, the converter 400 includes a current-to-current converter (also referred to as attenuator 408) based on a transimpedance operational amplifier 410 with a 100% feedback loop and an output stage amplifier 442. That is, the transimpedance operational amplifier 410 has a feedback loop. The attenuator 408 maintains the output current within a suitable range, which allows the use of a unity value balancing source for continuous balancing.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4C, the converter 400 is coupled to a MAC 406. The MAC 406 may be one implementation of the demodulator 108, the accumulator 112, and the decimator 114 of FIG. 1. The MAC 406 includes a multiplier circuit 444 coupled to the counter 404 and an accumulator circuit 446 coupled to the multiplier circuit 444. The multiplier circuit 444 is configured to demodulate the digital count value 419 output by the counter 404 by multiplying the digital count value 419 by the control data 421. The output of the multiplier circuit 444 is a demodulated signal 423. The control data 421 is sinusoidal data coherent with the excitation signal 413 from the waveform generator 434. The accumulator circuit 446 is configured to accumulate the demodulated signal 423 by adding the current output 425 of the multiplier circuit 444 to an accumulation value 427 already stored in a register 448. The output of the accumulation circuit is stored in register 448 as an updated accumulation value 429 , which is output from MAC 406 .

[0029] 4D is a schematic diagram of a current-to-current converter 408 according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4D, a transimpedance operational amplifier 410 can include an output stage 450 of a first set of transistors, which can be complemented by a further output stage 452 of a second set of transistors for mirroring the current generated by the output stage 450 of the transimpedance operational amplifier 410. Amplification or attenuation of the output current can be achieved by changing the number of transistors in the mirroring stage. The attenuation adjustment allows the output current to be kept within a suitable range, which allows the use of a unity-value balanced source.

[0030] 4E is a schematic diagram of a current-to-current converter with a low-pass filter 454, according to one embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4E, a low-pass filter (LPF) 454 can be added to the path of the drive signal. The LPF 454 can suppress high-frequency noise components of the incoming current. The LPF can act as an anti-aliasing filter.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a touch system 500 having an array 502 of electrodes and a plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 504 according to one embodiment. The touch system 500 includes an analog front-end (AFE) capacitive touch sensing controller coupled to the array 502. The AFE includes a waveform generator 506 coupled to a first multiplexer circuit 508 and a second multiplexer circuit 510 coupled to the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 504. The waveform generator 506 can be a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) that receives a digital input referred to as control data or sine wave data and generates an excitation signal. The DDS can generate a DDS-based sine wave. The sine wave is different from a conventional rectangular excitation signal. The excitation signal can be applied to any one of the plurality of electrodes of the array 502 via the first multiplexer circuit 508. It should be noted that the first multiplexer circuit 508 can connect the direct or inverted output of the waveform generator 506 to any of the sensor TX lines according to a polyphase pattern. Any one of the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 504 can be coupled to any one of the plurality of electrodes of the array 502 via the second multiplexer circuit 510. Each of the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 504 can include a cumulative sigma-delta converter 512 and a MAC 514. The cumulative sigma-delta converter 512 is similar to the cumulative sigma-delta converter 400 of FIGS. 4A-4C. The MAC 514 is similar to the MAC 406 of FIGS. 4A-4C. As described herein, the cumulative sigma-delta converter 512 generates samples that are multiplied by the excitation signal with coherent sinusoidal data and demodulated by the MAC 514. The waveform generator 506 produces a half-period signal to drive the accumulation of quantization error in the cumulative sigma-delta converter 512 .

[0032] In another embodiment, a system includes a touch sensor having a first electrode and a second electrode, and a capacitive touch sensing controller coupled to the touch sensor. The capacitive touch sensing controller includes a waveform generator coupled to the first electrode. The waveform generator generates an excitation signal, sinusoidal data coherent with the excitation signal, and a control signal indicative of a rise or fall of the excitation signal. A sensing channel is coupled to the second electrode at an input node. The sensing channel includes a cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for generating a digital value representative of the capacitance of the touch sensor. The cumulative sigma-delta ADC may include a comparator, a first integrator coupled to receive an incoming signal from an input node and provide a first output signal, a second integrator coupled in parallel to the first integrator to receive the incoming signal and provide a second output signal, and a switching circuit for selectively coupling the first integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the second output signal to the comparator. In a further embodiment, the cumulative sigma-delta ADC further includes a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit. The switching circuit may include a first switch coupled to provide the incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator, a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator, and a third switch coupled to provide a balancing feedback signal from the balancing feedback loop to the incoming signal provided to the first integrator or to the incoming signal provided to the second integrator. The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate in synchronization.

[0033] In another embodiment, the cumulative sigma-delta ADC includes a first-order sigma-delta modulator, the first-order sigma-delta modulator including an attenuator coupled to the input node and a bias voltage. The attenuator may include a common amplifier for the first integrator and the second integrator. The cumulative sigma-delta ADC further includes a first integrator capacitor coupled to the first node, a second integrator capacitor coupled to the second node, a first current source, a second current source, and a flip-flop coupled to the output of the comparator and to the input of the counter. The output of the flip-flop is part of a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit. In this embodiment, the switching circuit includes a first switch coupled to the attenuator, the first node, and the second node, a second switch coupled to the comparator, the first node, and the second node, a third switch coupled to the third node, the first node, and the third node, and a fourth switch coupled to the third node, the first current source, and the second current source. The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate synchronously. The fourth switch is controlled by an output of the flip-flop.

[0034] In one embodiment, the first integrator is configured to store a quantization error formed at the end of a first active phase of the first integrator, and the second integrator is configured to accumulate the quantization error, starting with the quantization error at the start of a second active phase of the second integrator.

[0035] In another embodiment, the cumulative sigma-delta ADC includes a first-order sigma-delta modulator, the first-order sigma-delta modulator including a first integrator capacitor, a second integrator capacitor, and a current-to-current converter. The current-to-current converter can include a transimpedance operational amplifier having a feedback loop and an output stage of a set of transistors coupled to the transimpedance operational amplifier. The set of transistors mirrors the current signal generated by the transimpedance operational amplifier. In a further embodiment, the current-to-current converter can further include a set of LPFs coupled between the transimpedance operational amplifier and the set of transistors. The set of LPFs filters high frequency components of the current signal. In this embodiment, the switching circuit can be configured to form a first integrator by coupling the first integrator capacitor to a first branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator, and to form a second integrator by coupling the second integrator capacitor to a second branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator. In a further embodiment, the switching circuit is configured to allow the incoming signal to pass through the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to allow the incoming signal to pass through the second branch when the excitation signal is falling. The switching circuit can be further configured to couple the balancing feedback loop to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to couple the balancing feedback loop to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling.

[0036] In another embodiment, the capacitive touch sensing channel may further include a multiply-accumulate circuit, the multiply-accumulate circuit including a register for storing an accumulated value and a multiplier circuit coupled to the counter of the modulator. The multiply-accumulate circuit includes a multiplier circuit for demodulating an output of the counter by multiplying the output of the counter with sine wave data that is coherent with the excitation signal from the waveform generator. The multiply-accumulate circuit also includes an accumulator circuit coupled to the multiplier circuit. The accumulator circuit accumulates the demodulated signal by adding a current output of the multiplier circuit to the accumulation value to obtain an updated accumulated value, and stores the updated accumulated value in the register.

[0037] 6 is a touch system 600 having an array 602 of electrodes, a plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 604, and a processing unit 618, according to one embodiment. The touch system 600 includes a waveform generator 606 coupled to a multiplexer circuit 608. The multiplexer circuit 608 may be the first multiplexer circuit 508 and the second multiplexer circuit 510 of FIG. 5. The multiplexer circuit 608 is used to couple the waveform generator 606 to any one or more electrodes of the array 602, and to couple any one or more electrodes of the array 602 to one of the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 604. The waveform generator 606 may be a DDS that receives digital inputs, referred to as control data or sine wave data, and generates an excitation signal. The control data is also sent to the capacitive touch sensing channel 604. As described herein, the excitation signal is a sine wave. It should be noted that the multiplexer circuit 608 can connect the direct or inverted output of the waveform generator 606 to any of the sensor TX lines according to a polyphase pattern. Any one of the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 604 can be coupled to any one of the plurality of electrodes of the array 602 via the multiplexer circuit 608. Each of the plurality of capacitive touch sensing channels 604 can include a cumulative sigma-delta converter 612 and a MAC 614. The cumulative sigma-delta converter 612 is similar to the cumulative sigma-delta converter 400 of FIGS. 4A-4C. The MAC 614 is similar to the MAC 406 of FIGS. 4A-4C. Since a polyphase pattern can be used, the capacitive touch sensing channel 604 can include a deconvolution circuit 616 coupled to the output of the MAC 614. As described herein, the cumulative sigma-delta converter 612 generates samples that are multiplied by the coherent sinusoidal data of the excitation signal and demodulated by the MAC 614. The deconvolution circuit 616 can perform deconvolution on the sampled data. The waveform generator 606 forms a half-period signal to drive the accumulation of quantization errors in the cumulative sigma-delta converter 612.

[0038] The touch system 600 may also include a processing unit 618 that receives the digital output from the multiple capacitive touch sensing channels 604. The processing unit 618 may be a processor, controller, hardware circuitry that may perform further processing of the digital data. In one embodiment, the processing unit 618 executes firmware that includes post-processing logic, communication logic, mutual capacitance mapping, self-capacitance vector generator, etc. The processing unit 618 may include a state machine. After processing the digital data, the processing unit 618 may output the data to the host 620. The touch system 600 may include other components such as a control circuit for controlling the multiplexer circuit 608, a sequencer for sequencing the multiple electrodes of the array 602, a baseline compensation circuit, etc.

[0039] 7 is a method of operating a cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter, according to one embodiment. Method 700 may be performed by processing logic including hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, method 700 may be performed by any processing device described herein. In one embodiment, method 700 is performed by capacitive touch sensing channel 100 of FIG. 1. In another embodiment, method 700 is performed by cumulative first-order sigma-delta converter 400 of FIGS. 4A-4E. In another embodiment, method 700 is performed by an apparatus including a capacitive touch sensing channel and a processing device coupled to the capacitive touch sensing channel.

[0040] The method 700 begins with the processing logic receiving an incoming signal from a touch sensor through a sigma-delta modulator of a capacitive sensing channel (block 702). The sigma-delta modulator includes a comparator, a first integrator, and a second integrator. The processing logic selectively couples the incoming signal to the comparator through a first integrator in a first branch when the excitation signal is rising through a switching circuit of the capacitive sensing channel (block 704). The processing logic selectively couples the incoming signal to the comparator through a second integrator in a second branch when the excitation signal is falling through the switching circuit (block 706). The processing logic generates an output signal through the comparator (block 708). The processing logic selectively couples a balancing feedback loop from the comparator output signal through the switching circuit to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling through the switching circuit (block 710). Processing logic generates a count of the output signal (block 712). Processing logic demodulates the count by multiplying it by sinusoidal data that is coherent with the excitation signal to obtain a demodulated signal (block 714). Processing logic accumulates the demodulated signal to obtain an accumulation of quantization error (block 716). Processing logic downsamples the accumulation of quantization error to obtain a digital value (block 718) and method 700 ends. The digital value is indicative of a capacitance associated with the touch sensor.

[0041] In a further embodiment, the processing logic selectively couples the incoming signal to the comparator via the first integrator by controlling the first switch and the second switch to couple the input node and the comparator to a first node coupled to the first integrator capacitor. The processing logic selectively couples the incoming signal to the comparator via the second integrator by controlling the first switch and the second switch to couple the input node and the comparator to a second node coupled to the second integrator capacitor. In a further embodiment, the processing logic selectively couples a balancing feedback loop from the output signal of the comparator to the first branch and the second branch by controlling the third switch to couple the third node to the first node or the second node, and controlling the fourth switch to couple the first current source or the second current source to the third node based on the output signal.

[0042] In the above description, some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. These quantities usually, though not necessarily, take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, primarily for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

[0043] It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar terms can be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these physical quantities. As is evident from the above discussion, unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions throughout this specification using terms such as "determining," "allocating," "dynamically allocating," "redistributing," "ignoring," "reallocating," "detecting," "executing," "polling," "registering," "monitoring," and the like, are understood to refer to the actions and processes of a computing system or similar electronic computing device that manipulate and transform data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the registers and memory of the computing system into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the memory or registers of the computing system or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0044] The term "example" or "exemplary" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as an "example" or "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word "example" or "exemplary" is intended to present a concept in a concrete manner. As used herein, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless specifically stated otherwise or clear from the context, "X includes A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive permutation. That is, "X includes A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases if X includes A, if X includes B, or if X includes both A and B. Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should be construed generally to mean "one or more" unless specifically stated otherwise or clear from the context to be intended in the singular form. Additionally, use of the terms "embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "embodiment" or "one embodiment" throughout is not intended to refer to the same embodiment or embodiments unless so stated.

[0045] The embodiments described herein may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purpose or may include a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. The term "computer-readable storage medium" should be interpreted to include a single or multiple media (e.g., centralized or distributed databases and / or associated caches and servers) that store one or more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable medium" should also be interpreted to include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a machine, and causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methods of the embodiments herein. Thus, the term "computer-readable storage medium" should be taken to include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory, optical media, magnetic media, and any medium capable of storing a set of instructions for execution by a machine and causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments herein.

[0046] The methods and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent from the description that follows. Moreover, the embodiments herein are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be understood that a variety of programming languages ​​may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments described herein.

[0047] The above description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of some embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Numerous other embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Thus, the scope of the present disclosure should be defined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which the appended claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A circuit, the circuit comprising: an input node coupled to the touch sensor; a sigma-delta modulator coupled to the input node; Including, The sigma-delta modulator comprises: A comparator; a first integrator coupled to receive an incoming signal from the input node and to provide a first output signal; a second integrator coupled in parallel to the first integrator for receiving the incoming signal and providing a second output signal; a switching circuit for selectively coupling the first integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the first output signal to the comparator, or for selectively coupling the second integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the second output signal to the comparator; Including, the circuit further includes a waveform generator that generates an excitation signal that includes a sine wave; the touch sensor includes a first electrode coupled to the waveform generator and a second electrode coupled to the input node; the switching circuit is configured to form a first branch between the touch sensor and the comparator and a second branch between the touch sensor and the comparator; the first branch passes through the first integrator when the excitation signal is rising, and the second branch passes through the second integrator when the excitation signal is falling; the switching circuitry is further configured to couple a balancing feedback loop to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to couple the balancing feedback loop to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling. circuit.

2. A circuit, the circuit comprising: an input node coupled to the touch sensor; a waveform generator that generates an excitation signal that includes a sine wave; a sigma-delta modulator coupled to the input node; Including, The sigma-delta modulator comprises: A comparator; a first integrator coupled to receive an incoming signal from the input node and to provide a first output signal; a second integrator coupled in parallel to the first integrator for receiving the incoming signal and providing a second output signal; a switching circuit for selectively coupling the first integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the first output signal to the comparator, or for selectively coupling the second integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the second output signal to the comparator; Including, The sigma-delta modulator comprises: a first integrator capacitor; a second integrator capacitor; A current-to-current converter; Including, The current-to-current converter includes: a transimpedance operational amplifier having a feedback loop; an output stage of a set of transistors coupled to the transimpedance operational amplifier for mirroring the current signal generated by the transimpedance operational amplifier; a set of low pass filters (LPFs) coupled between the transimpedance operational amplifier and the set of transistors for filtering high frequency components of the current signal; Including, the switching circuit is configured to form the first integrator by coupling the first integrator capacitor to a first branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator; the switching circuit is configured to form the second integrator by coupling the second integrator capacitor to a second branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator; the switching circuit is configured to allow the incoming signal to pass through the first branch when the excitation signal is rising; the switching circuit is configured to allow the incoming signal to pass through the second branch when the excitation signal is falling; the switching circuitry is further configured to couple a balancing feedback loop to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to couple the balancing feedback loop to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling. circuit.

3. The circuit comprises: a counter coupled to the sigma-delta modulator; a demodulator coupled to the counter; an accumulator coupled to the demodulator; a decimator coupled to the accumulator for outputting a digital signal indicative of a capacitance of the touch sensor; Further comprising: The switching circuit includes: a first switch coupled to provide the incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator; a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator; Including, The first switch and the second switch are configured to operate in synchronization.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the sigma-delta modulator includes a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit; The switching circuit includes: a first switch coupled to provide the incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator; a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator; a third switch coupled to provide a balancing feedback signal from the balancing feedback loop to the incoming signal provided to the first integrator or to the incoming signal provided to the second integrator; Including, The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate in synchronization with each other.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the sigma-delta modulator is a first-order sigma-delta modulator; The first-order sigma-delta modulator comprises: A counter; an attenuator coupled to the input node and a bias voltage, the attenuator including a common amplifier for the first integrator and the second integrator; a first integrator capacitor coupled to the first node; a second integrator capacitor coupled to the second node; A first current source; A second current source; and a flip-flop coupled to the output of the comparator and to an input of the counter; Including, the output of the flip-flop is part of a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit; The switching circuit includes: a first switch coupled to the attenuator, the first node, and the second node; a second switch coupled to the comparator, the first node, and the second node; a third switch coupled to a third node, the first node and the second node; a fourth switch coupled to the third node, the first current source, and the second current source; Including, the fourth switch is controlled by an output of the flip-flop; The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate in synchronization with each other.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the first integrator is configured to store a quantization error formed at the end of a first active phase of the first integrator; the second integrator is configured to accumulate the quantization error, starting with the quantization error at the beginning of a second active phase of the second integrator.

3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The circuit comprises: a counter coupled to the sigma-delta modulator; a multiply-accumulate circuit; a decimator coupled to the multiply accumulate circuit for outputting a digital signal indicative of the capacitance of the touch sensor; Further comprising: The multiplication and accumulation circuit comprises: a register for storing an accumulated value; a multiplication circuit coupled to the counter of the sigma-delta modulator for demodulating an output of the counter by multiplying the output of the counter with sinusoidal data that is coherent with an excitation signal from a waveform generator; an accumulator circuit coupled to the multiplier circuit for accumulating a demodulated signal by adding a current output of the multiplier circuit to the accumulation value to obtain an updated accumulation value, and storing the updated accumulation value in the register; Including, 3. The circuit according to claim 1 or 2.

8. 1. A system comprising: a touch sensor including a first electrode and a second electrode; a capacitive touch sensing controller coupled to the touch sensor; Including, The capacitive touch sensing controller includes: a waveform generator coupled to the first electrode for generating an excitation signal, sinusoidal data coherent with the excitation signal, and a control signal indicative of a rise or fall of the excitation signal; a sensing channel coupled to the second electrode at an input node, the sensing channel including a cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter for generating a digital value representative of a capacitance of the touch sensor; Including, The cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter comprises: A comparator; a first integrator coupled to receive an incoming signal from the input node and to provide a first output signal; a second integrator coupled in parallel to the first integrator for receiving the incoming signal and providing a second output signal; a switching circuit for selectively coupling the first integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the first output signal to the comparator, or for selectively coupling the second integrator between the input node and the comparator to provide the second output signal to the comparator; Including, the cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter includes a first-order sigma-delta modulator; The first-order sigma-delta modulator comprises: a first integrator capacitor; a second integrator capacitor; A current-to-current converter; Including, The current-to-current converter includes: a transimpedance operational amplifier having a feedback loop; an output stage of a set of transistors coupled to the transimpedance operational amplifier for mirroring the current signal generated by the transimpedance operational amplifier; a set of low pass filters (LPFs) coupled between the transimpedance operational amplifier and the set of transistors for filtering high frequency components of the current signal; Including, the switching circuit is configured to form the first integrator by coupling the first integrator capacitor to a first branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator; the switching circuit is configured to form the second integrator by coupling the second integrator capacitor to a second branch between the current-to-current converter and the comparator; the switching circuit is configured to allow the incoming signal to pass through the first branch when the excitation signal is rising; the switching circuit is configured to allow the incoming signal to pass through the second branch when the excitation signal is falling; the switching circuitry is further configured to couple a balancing feedback loop to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to couple the balancing feedback loop to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling. system.

9. the cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter includes a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit; The switching circuit includes: a first switch coupled to provide the incoming signal to the first integrator or the second integrator; a second switch coupled to provide the first output signal to the comparator or the second output signal to the comparator; a third switch coupled to provide a balancing feedback signal from the balancing feedback loop to the incoming signal provided to the first integrator or to the incoming signal provided to the second integrator; Including, The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate in synchronization with each other. The system of claim 8.

10. the cumulative sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter includes a first-order sigma-delta modulator; The first-order sigma-delta modulator comprises: a counter coupled to an output of the comparator for outputting the digital value; an attenuator coupled to the input node and a bias voltage, the attenuator including a common amplifier for the first integrator and the second integrator; a first integrator capacitor coupled to the first node; a second integrator capacitor coupled to the second node; A first current source; A second current source; and a flip-flop coupled to the output of the comparator and to an input of the counter; Including, the output of the flip-flop is part of a balancing feedback loop coupled to the switching circuit; The switching circuit includes: a first switch coupled to the attenuator, the first node, and the second node; a second switch coupled to the comparator, the first node, and the second node; a third switch coupled to a third node, the first node and the second node; a fourth switch coupled to the third node, the first current source, and the second current source; Including, the fourth switch is controlled by an output of the flip-flop; The first switch, the second switch, and the third switch are configured to operate in synchronization with each other. The system of claim 8.

11. the first integrator is configured to store a quantization error formed at the end of a first active phase of the first integrator; the second integrator is configured to accumulate the quantization error, starting with the quantization error at the beginning of a second active phase of the second integrator. The system of claim 8.

12. The sensing channel includes: A counter; a multiply-accumulate circuit; Further comprising: The multiplication and accumulation circuit comprises: a register for storing an accumulated value; a multiplication circuit coupled to the counter for demodulating an output of the counter by multiplying the output of the counter with sinusoidal data that is coherent with an excitation signal from a waveform generator; an accumulator circuit coupled to the multiplier circuit for accumulating a demodulated signal by adding a current output of the multiplier circuit to the accumulation value to obtain an updated accumulation value, and storing the updated accumulation value in the register; Including, The system of claim 8.

13. receiving an incoming signal from an input node coupled to a touch sensor by a sigma-delta modulator of a capacitive sensing channel, the sigma-delta modulator including a comparator, a first integrator, and a second integrator; selectively coupling, by a switching circuit of the capacitive sensing channel, the incoming signal to the comparator through a first integrator in a first branch when an excitation signal is rising; selectively coupling, with the switching circuitry, the incoming signal to the comparator through a second integrator in a second branch when the excitation signal is falling; generating an output signal by said comparator; selectively coupling, with the switching circuitry, a balancing feedback loop from the output signal of the comparator to the first branch when the excitation signal is rising and to the second branch when the excitation signal is falling; generating a count of the output signals; demodulating the counts by multiplying the counts by sinusoidal data coherent with the excitation signal to obtain a demodulated signal; accumulating the demodulated signal to obtain an accumulation of quantization errors indicative of capacitance; The method includes:

14. The step of accumulating the demodulated signal includes: generating samples of the output signal; accumulating the samples over a number of periods of the excitation signal to obtain an accumulation of the quantization error indicative of the capacitance; downsampling the accumulation of quantization error to obtain a digital value indicative of the capacitance; Including, 14. The method of claim 13.

15. selectively coupling the incoming signal through the first integrator to the comparator includes controlling a first switch and a second switch to couple the input node and the comparator to a first node coupled to a first integrator capacitor; selectively coupling the incoming signal to the comparator through the second integrator includes controlling the first switch and the second switch to couple the input node and the comparator to a second node coupled to a second integrator capacitor.

14. The method of claim 13.

16. Selectively coupling the balancing feedback loop from the output signal of the comparator to the first branch and the second branch, controlling a third switch to couple a third node to the first node or the second node; controlling a fourth switch to couple a first current source or a second current source to the third node based on the output signal; Including, 16. The method of claim 15.

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