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] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a rotatable knob interface.

Background Art

[0002] Input devices equipped with proximity detection devices can be used in various electronic systems. A proximity detection device may include a detection area defined by a surface, and the proximity detection device determines the presence, position, force, and / or movement of one or more input objects in this detection area. The proximity detection device can be used to provide an interface for an electronic system. For example, the proximity detection device can be used as an input device for larger computing systems, such as a touchpad incorporated into or peripheral to a notebook computer or a desktop computer. The proximity detection device can often also be used in smaller computing systems, such as a touch screen incorporated into a mobile phone. Additionally, the proximity detection device may 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 detection device.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] This summary is provided to introduce, in simplified form, a series of concepts that are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the subject matter of the claims, nor is it intended to limit the technical scope of the subject matter of the claims.

[0004] The detection system includes a display panel equipped with 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 detection in a first period by driving the first subset with a reference signal, and to activate a second subset of the sensor electrodes for input detection in a first 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 displacement detection in a second period by driving the first subset of the sensor electrodes with a detection signal and receiving a result signal from the first subset of the sensor electrodes, and to drive the second subset of the sensor electrodes with a reference signal in a second period. The detection system further includes an electronic device disposed on the display panel. The electronic device includes conductive regions configured to be coupled to the first subset of the sensor electrodes and the second subset of the sensor electrodes, respectively. The result signal received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes in the second period is influenced by the position of the conductive regions relative to the display panel. The processing system is further configured to determine the displacement of the electronic device relative to the display panel based on the result signal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0005] To gain a more detailed understanding of the features of this disclosure described above, please refer to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings for a more specific description of this disclosure, which has been briefly summarized above. However, please note that the accompanying drawings show only some embodiments of this disclosure, and this disclosure may permit other equally effective embodiments; therefore, they should not be considered limiting.

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

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

[0008] [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the exemplary rotatable knob interface shown in Figure 2.

[0009] [Figure 4A] Figure 4A shows a bottom view of a fixed base having a first set of reference electrodes and two sets of coupling electrodes, of an exemplary rotatable knob interface shown in Figure 3, according to one or more embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 4B] Figure 4B illustrates an exemplary portion of an input device illustrating a grid of sensor electrodes according to one or more embodiments, wherein the grid of sensor electrodes is configured as two sets of sensor electrodes.

[0011] [Figure 4C] Figure 4C illustrates a fixed base of the exemplary rotatable knob interface of Figure 4A, according to one or more embodiments, positioned above the exemplary grid of sensor electrodes of Figure 4B.

[0012] [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an oblique top view, a bottom view, and a top view of an exemplary fixing base shown in Figures 3 and 4A to 4C, according to one or more embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 6A] Figure 6A shows exploded and folded views of the exemplary fixed base and exemplary resin bearing shown in Figure 3.

[0014] [Figure 6B] Figure 6B shows the exploded and folded views of Figure 6A, respectively, with the exemplary rotating wheel from Figure 3 added on top of the exemplary flat ring 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 shows, according to one or more embodiments, a top view of an exemplary fixed base, a bottom view of an exemplary rotating wheel, and a capacitive coupling therebetween, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7A, respectively.

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

[0019] [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B shows 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 contour lines of the area attached with a conductive adhesive added, according to one or more embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an exemplary conductive structure that can be used in place of the rotating wheel and the thin bearing, according to one or more embodiments. [[ID=�9]]

[0022] [Figure 12A] FIG. 12A illustrates a set of ground pads that are provided below the conductive area at the bottom of the fixed base and are fully grounded, as viewed from below the display panel, according to one or more embodiments.

[0023] [Figure 12B]Figure 12B illustrates half of the pixels below the conductive region shown in Figure 15A, which are driven by a detection waveform for a predetermined period of time by a knob displacement detection method according to one or more embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 13] Figure 13 illustrates the apparatus of Figure 12B, in which a subset of pixels located below the conductive region at the bottom of the rotatable knob base is driven by a detection waveform, according to one or more embodiments of an alternative knob misalignment detection method.

[0025] [Figure 14] Figure 14 illustrates an example of a method for implementing a rotatable knob interface in an exemplary input device, according to one or more embodiments.

[0026] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals are used where possible to indicate identical elements common to the drawings. Elements disclosed in one embodiment are expected to be usefully utilized in another embodiment, even without specific mention. Drawings should not be understood as being drawn to dimensions unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, drawings may be simplified, and details or components may be omitted, in order to clarify representation and explanation. The drawings and text are useful in explaining the principles discussed below, where similar reference numerals represent similar elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0027] The following description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up / down, middle / outside, and above / below. Such descriptions are used solely to facilitate discussion and are not intended to limit the application of the embodiments described herein to any particular direction.

[0028] In the following description, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in one or more embodiments,” or “in several embodiments” may be used, each of which may refer to one or more identical or different embodiments. Furthermore, as used in the embodiments of this disclosure, terms such as “equipment,” “includes,” and “possess” are synonymous.

[0029] In the present application, including the claims, the terms “combined with” and its derivatives, and the terms “connected” and its derivatives may be used. “Combined” or “connected” may have one or more of the following meanings: “Combined” or “connected” may mean that two or more elements are in direct, physical or electrical contact with each other; however, “combined” or “connected” may mean that two or more elements are indirectly in contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other; or it may mean that one or more other elements are combined or connected to the elements said to be combined or connected to each other. The terms “directly combined” or “directly connected” may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other.

[0030] As used in this application, including in the claims, the term “circuit” may mean, may be part of, or include, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an electronic circuit, a (shared, dedicated, or group) processor and / or (shared, dedicated, or group) memory that runs on one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described function.

[0031] Figure 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 to update one or more devices. As used herein, the term “electronic system” (or “electronic device”) broadly refers to any system capable of electronically processing information. Non-limiting examples of electronic systems include personal computers of any size and shape, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, netbooks, tablets, web browsers, e-book readers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). An additional example of an electronic system is a composite input device, such as a physical keyboard with separate joysticks or key switches, in addition to the electronic device 100. Further examples of 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, kiosk terminals, and video game consoles (e.g., video game consoles and portable game consoles). Other examples include communication devices (including mobile phones such as smartphones) and media devices (including recorders, editors, televisions, set-top boxes, music players, digital photo frames and other players, and digital cameras). In addition, the electronic system may be a host or a slave to the input device. In other embodiments, 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 a plurality of electronic devices 100, and each electronic device 100 may have a different configuration from the others.

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

[0033] The electronic device 100 may utilize any combination of sensor components and sensing techniques to detect user input. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 100 includes one or more sensor electrodes 125 that may be driven to detect an object and / or update one or more devices. The sensor electrodes 125 may be part of a capacitive sensing device. In other embodiments, the sensor electrodes 125 may be part of, among other things, an image sensing device, a radar sensing device, or an ultrasonic sensing device. In one embodiment, the sensor electrodes 125 are separate sensor electrodes.

[0034] In one embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes a display panel 120. In this embodiment, the sensor electrode 125 is composed of the display electrode of the display panel 120. For example, the sensor electrode 125 is composed of a common voltage electrode, data line, or gate line of the display panel 120. In this embodiment, the sensor electrode 125 is operated for input detection 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 matrix sensor input devices. In such examples, as shown in Figure 1, sensor electrodes 125 are arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns. Furthermore, as will be described in 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 similar sizes and shapes. For example, as shown in Figure 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 from another at least one sensor electrode 125. For example, the sensor electrode 125 may be diamond-shaped, circular, have alternating mating fingers to increase electric field coupling, and / or have a stray cutout inside to reduce stray capacitance to nearby conductors. Also, the orientation of the sensor electrodes 125 may differ from that shown in Figure 1.

[0037] The sensor electrodes 125 may be located on a common layer. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 may be located on the common side of the substrate. The sensor electrodes 125 may be located on the lens or sealing 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 located on a first layer, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are located on a second layer. For example, one or more first sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are located on a first surface of a first substrate, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are located on a second surface of a first substrate. In other embodiments, one or more first sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are located on a first substrate, and one or more second sensor electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are located on a second substrate.

[0038] Some capacitive implementations utilize a “self-capacitance” (or “absolute capacitance”) detection method based on changes in the 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 therefore changes the capacitive coupling being measured. In one implementation, the absolute capacitance detection method operates by modulating the sensor electrode 125 with respect 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 one or more modulated sensor electrodes 125. Modulating the sensor electrode 125 with respect to a reference voltage includes driving the sensor electrode 125 with a detection signal. When the sensor electrode 125 is activated for absolute capacitance detection, the detection signal is called the absolute capacitance detection signal. In such embodiments, the result signal includes the effects corresponding to the absolute capacitance detection signal and / or one or more environmental interference sources (e.g., other electromagnetic signals). The voltage of the absolute capacitance detection signal changes. Furthermore, absolute capacitance detection signals are periodic or aperiodic signals. These signals may include rectangular, trapezoidal, sinusoidal, or sawtooth waveforms.

[0039] Some capacitive implementations utilize a “mutual capacitance” (or “transformer capacitance”) detection method based on changes in the capacitive coupling between two or more sensor electrodes 125. An input object near the sensor electrodes 125 (e.g., input object 145) changes the electric field between the sensor electrodes, and therefore changes the capacitive coupling being measured. In one implementation, the transformer capacitance detection method operates 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 by a detection signal. In such embodiments, the detection signal is called a transformer capacitance detection signal. The voltage of the transformer capacitance detection signal changes. Furthermore, the transformer capacitance detection signal can be a periodic or aperiodic signal. The transformer capacitance detection signal may have a rectangular waveform, a trapezoidal waveform, a sinusoidal waveform, or a sawtooth waveform.

[0040] The receiver sensor electrode may be held substantially constant with respect to a reference voltage, or it may be modulated with respect to the transmitter sensor electrode to facilitate reception of the resulting signal. The resulting signal may include effects corresponding to one or more transformer capacitance detection signals and / or one or more environmental interference sources (e.g., other electromagnetic signals). The sensor electrode may be a dedicated transmitter or receiver and may be configured to both transmit and receive.

[0041] A capacitive sensing device may be used to detect the presence and / or location of an input object (e.g., input object 145) that is adjacent to and / or in contact with the input sensing area of ​​an input device. Furthermore, a capacitive sensing device may be used to detect features of an input object, such as fingerprints. In addition, as shown in the example in Figure 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 the 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 changes in the capacitive coupling between one or more sensor electrodes 125 and one or more coupled electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0042] Continuing to refer to Figure 1, the 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 similar. The components constituting the processing system 110 may be grouped together, for example, near the sensor electrode 125. The components of the processing system 110 may be physically separated from one or more components in close proximity to the sensor electrode 125, or from one or more components located elsewhere. For example, the electronic device 100 may be a peripheral device coupled to a desktop computer, and the processing system 110 may comprise the central processing unit (CPU) of the desktop computer and software configured to run on one or more integrated circuits (ICs) separate from the CPU (possibly using associated firmware). As another example, the electronic device 100 may be physically integrated into a telephone, and the processing system 110 may comprise circuits and firmware that are part of the telephone's main processor. Furthermore, the processing system 110 may be implemented in an automobile, and the processing system 110 may comprise circuits and firmware that are part of one or more electronic control units (ECUs) of the automobile. 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 the display screen and driving tactile actuators.

[0044] As illustrated in Figure 1, the processing system 110 includes a sensor driver 140. The sensor driver 140 generates a detection signal and drives the sensor electrode 125 using the detection signal. Furthermore, the sensor driver 140 may be configured to receive a result signal from the sensor electrode 125. The processing system 110 includes one or more integrated circuits (ICs) and / or some or all of other circuit components. The sensor driver 140 includes a circuit configured to generate a detection signal, drive the sensor electrode with the detection signal, and / or receive a result signal from the sensor electrode 125. For example, the sensor driver 140 includes an oscillator, one or more current conveyors, and / or a digital signal generator circuit. Furthermore, the sensor driver 140 includes a driver circuit section comprising one or more amplifiers configured to drive the sensor electrode 125 with the detection signal. The sensor driver 140 includes a receiver circuit section comprising 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 capacitance detection so that different result signals are received simultaneously from each of the sensor electrodes, or a common result signal is received from two or more sensor electrodes. In another embodiment, some electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are activated for absolute capacitance detection during a first period, and the other electrodes of the sensor electrodes 125 are activated for absolute capacitance detection during a second period that does not overlap with the first period.

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

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

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

[0049] The processing system 110 may include a display driver (not shown) configured to update the display of the display panel 120. In such an example, the processing system 110 may be referred to as including touch and display driver integration (TDDI) technology. In such an embodiment, the processing system 110 may be implemented as a TDDI IC chip or as part of a TDDI IC chip.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processing system 110 directly responds to user input (or lack thereof) by performing one or more actions. Examples of actions include changing the operating mode, as well as graphical user interface (GUI) actions such as cursor movement, selection, menu navigation, and other functions. In some embodiments, the processing system 110 provides information about the input (or lack thereof) to a part of the electronic device 100 (for example, to a central processing system of an electronic system separate from the processing system 110, if such a separate central processing system exists). In some embodiments, a part 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. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the processing system 110 is configured to identify one or more input objects 145 and / or to identify the position of the input objects 145 in the sensing area 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, one or more changes in the state of the knob interface 150, or both, and to map those changes to input actions.

[0051] The processing system 110 operates the sensor electrode 125 to generate an electrical signal (result signal) indicating an input (or lack of input) in the sensing area of ​​the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 may perform any appropriate amount of processing on the electrical signal when generating information to be provided to the electronic system. For example, the sensor driver 140 of the processing system 110 digitizes the analog electrical signal obtained from the sensor electrode 125. As another example, the sensor driver 140 of the processing system 110 performs filtering or other signal adjustments. Furthermore, the determination module 141 of the processing system 110 subtracts or otherwise compensates for the baseline so that the information reflects the difference between the electrical signal and the baseline. Furthermore, the determination module 141 of the processing system 110 determines location information, recognizes input as a command, recognizes handwriting, recognizes fingerprint information, and / or recognizes the distance to the target object.

[0052] As used in this application, “location information” 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 / non-contact information. Examples of “one-dimensional” location information include position along an axis. Examples of “two-dimensional” location information include motion in a plane. Examples of “three-dimensional” location information include instantaneous or average velocity in space. Further examples include other representations of spatial information. For example, historical data relating to one or more types of location information, including historical data that tracks position, motion, or instantaneous velocity over time, may also be determined and / or stored.

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

[0054] In embodiments where the sensor electrode 125 is configured for display update and capacitive detection, the processing system 110 may be configured to generate a voltage signal for driving the sensor electrode 125 during the display update period when the display panel 120 is updated, and a detection signal for driving the sensor electrode 125 during the input detection period. In such embodiments, the voltage signal generated to drive the sensor electrode 125 during the display update period may be substantially constant or fixed. The detection signal generated to drive the sensor electrode 125 during the input detection period may have a variable voltage. The value of the voltage signal for driving the sensor electrode 125 during the display update period may be predetermined. For example, the voltage value may be provided by the manufacturer of the electronic device 100 and / or the sensor electrode 125, and may be device-specific for the electronic device 100. The processing system 110 may include a circuit that generates the voltage signal based on a clock signal, the output of an oscillator and / or a corresponding value of the voltage signal.

[0055] The display on the display panel 120 is updated during a display frame. During each display frame, one or more display lines of the display may be updated. Multiple display update periods and non-display update periods may be provided within each 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 on 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 on the display panel 120. Non-display update periods may be provided between pairs of display update periods in a display frame, at the start of a display frame, and / or at the end of a display frame.

[0056] The display panel 120 has one or more display lines. Each display line corresponds to one or more subsets of subpixels of the display panel 120. These one or more subsets may be connected to a common gate line of the display panel 120. Furthermore, these subpixels may be updated in a common period. One or more display lines of the display panel 120 may be updated in each display update period. Display frames may occur at a display frame rate. The display frame rate may be 30Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz, or 240Hz in particular. 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 electrode 125 for capacitive detection during the input detection period. The input detection period may be provided during the hide update period and / or the display update period. For example, one or more of the input detection periods may be provided during the hide update period provided between two display update periods of the display frame. In one embodiment, at least one input detection period is the same length as the display update period. In one embodiment, at least one input detection period is longer than the display update period. In yet another embodiment, at least one input detection period is the same length as the display update period.

[0058] By acquiring result signals over a continuous input detection period, 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 described above, in one or more embodiments, an additional input device, such as a 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 method for the user to provide input to the electronic device 100 other than touching the display screen of the display panel 120 using an input device 145 or hovering near it. In the illustrated example of Figure 1, the rotatable knob interface 150 is mounted on the display panel 120 and may completely or partially overlap the display panel 120 (as shown in Figure 1). As described above, in one or more embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may have a fixed base (not visible in the top view of Figure 1) on which various sets of coupling electrodes configured to couple with each set of sensor electrodes 125 are provided, such as one or more sets of sensor electrodes 125 to which detection signals are provided and one or more sets of electrodes to which reference signals are provided. In one embodiment, the fixed base may comprise different conductive regions, each connected to a corresponding set of coupling electrodes.

[0060] The rotatable knob interface 150 may also include a rotating wheel located above the fixed base and rotating relative to the fixed base. The underside of the rotating wheel may be patterned with various conductive and non-conductive regions, which may be configured to align with, for example, the conductive region of the fixed base. Thus, various electrical couplings exist between the conductive region of the fixed base and the various conductive and non-conductive regions of the rotating wheel. These components may further be configured such that these electrical couplings change as the rotating wheel rotates. By detecting the effect of the change in electrical couplings by processing the resulting signals received on the display panel, the processing system 110 determines the amount of rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150, or the amount of change in rotation. 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 called the outer ring and may be configured for rough (or coarse) adjustment of the rotatable knob interface 150. The second ring, sometimes called the inner ring, may be configured for fine-tuning the rotatable knob interface 150. The first ring is positioned outside the second ring.

[0061] Numerous possible arrangements of conductive and non-conductive regions are possible in the peripheral region 152. Furthermore, various methods can be considered for electrically interacting the rotating wheel with the stationary base when the rotating wheel rotates. Therefore, other configurations and relative arrangements are possible for both the conductive region of the stationary base and the conductive and non-conductive regions of the rotating wheel, and all of these are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0062] The rotation applied to the rotatable knob interface 150 by the user may be detected by the electronic device 100, either relatively or absolutely. In one or more embodiments, the rotatable knob interface 150 may also be pushed downward by the user, and therefore may have two positions: a home, i.e., an "unpressed" position and a "pressed" position. The pressed position may be maintained, for example, by pushing down 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 pushed downward so that it rests in multiple positions, and therefore may 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 wheel than it is at the pressed position.

[0063] The rotating wheel may have multiple switches between the rotating wheel and the cover. These switches may be equipped with biasing springs. The rotatable knob interface 150 may have one or more coupling electrodes 156 configured to couple with one or more sensor electrodes 125 of the input device, which are also driven by a detection signal. In the example in Figure 1, coupling electrode 157 is connected to an inner ring provided on the stationary base and is position-aligned with a similarly shaped inner ring 153 provided on the rotating wheel. When the user pushes down the cover of the rotatable knob interface, bringing the rotatable knob interface 150 to the "pressed" position, the switches close. For example, closing the switches may be defined as connecting the inner ring 153 of the rotating wheel to one or more conductive areas provided in the peripheral area 152. This allows the coupling electrode 157 of the stationary base to be electrically coupled to the coupling electrode 156 of the stationary base. The coupling electrode 156 is coupled to one or more sensor electrodes 125, which are driven by a reference signal. However, when the user stops pressing down the cover, the coupling electrode 156 of the knob interface simply becomes electrically floating. In various embodiments, the direction and degree of rotation, along with the user pressing or releasing the rotatable knob interface 150, can be interpreted by a processing system 110, such as a determination module 141, and mapped to various user input actions, signals, or commands.

[0064] The rotatable knob interface 150 can be rotated in various ways. For example, it may be rotated by grasping the outer housing of the rotatable knob interface, by grasping the top of the rotatable knob interface, or by grasping the flanges protruding from the sides of the rotatable knob interface. Furthermore, one or more fingertips may be placed on the recessed channel on the top surface of the rotatable knob interface 150. The rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150 will be described in more detail below.

[0065] As described above, the electronic device 100 in Figure 1 may be mounted in an automobile. For example, the display panel 120 may be oriented vertically or horizontally within the automobile's dashboard or center console.

[0066] As shown in Figure 1, one or more sensor electrodes 125 are not physically blocked by the rotatable knob interface 150. During capacitive sensing, both sensor electrodes 125 inside and outside the region defined by the boundary 155 (described later) can remain active. Therefore, in such embodiments, both touches away from the rotatable knob interface 150 and rotations of the rotatable knob interface 150 are simultaneously detected and reported by the processing system 110.

[0067] In other embodiments, all other forms of user input, except those received via the rotatable knob interface 150, may be disabled on the electronic device. For example, sensor electrodes 125 outside the boundary 155 are not driven during the sensing period to perform their capacitive sensing. As a result, even if the input object 145 moves near or away from it, no resulting signal is obtained, or if obtained, it is not processed. This functionality can be implemented, for example, as a safety measure to prevent the driver of a vehicle from interacting with the display panel 120 while driving, by allowing the driver to interact with the electronic device 100 only via the rotatable knob interface 150. In such alternative embodiments, the standard sensing function of one or more sensor electrodes 125 may be disabled during certain activities of the vehicle 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 actually moving. In this example, some of the sensor electrodes 125, for example, electrodes that are not within the proximity range defined for the rotatable knob interface 150 to cause interference with signals acquired from the rotatable knob interface 150, may be operated normally to perform standard sensing, as described above. In some embodiments, one or more of the sensor electrodes 125, for example, those near or below the rotatable knob interface 150, are disabled to perform capacitive sensing, while the rest of the sensor electrodes 125 are operated to perform capacitive sensing. In such embodiments, the sensor electrodes 125 to be disabled may be selected based on the potential interference they may have on the resulting signals obtained from the sensor electrodes 125 electrically coupled to the coupling electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150. As shown in Figure 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 operating to perform capacitive sensing, the sensor electrodes 125 within the blackout zone may not be operated to perform capacitive sensing.As will be described in more detail below, one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 located in the power outage zone and electrically coupled to the rotatable knob interface 150 are driven to capture rotation, pressing, and / or other motion of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0068] In embodiments where standard detection 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 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 detection period, and the processing system 110 then interprets the resulting signal using, for example, a decision module 141. The resulting signal may be the same signal as the detection signal that the sensor driver 140 uses to drive the sensor electrodes 125 after being modified by the capacitive coupling of the rotatable knob interface 150.

[0069] Generally, within a blackout zone (e.g., the region of sensor electrodes 125 defined by boundary 155), one or more of the sensor electrodes 125 are coupled to the respective coupling electrodes 156-159 on the underside of the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150. In some embodiments, coupling electrode 156 is driven by a reference signal, and coupling electrodes 157-159 are driven by a detection signal. Thus, a result 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. Sensor electrodes within the blackout zone specified by boundary 155 may have their standard capacitive sensing disabled at all times. For example, sensor electrodes within the blackout zone may perform capacitive sensing that is particularly relevant to the rotatable knob interface 150, while sensor electrodes outside the blackout zone may perform capacitive sensing to detect one or more input objects 145 during normal operation.

[0070] The coupling electrodes 156-159 are shown with dashed lines because they are blocked by the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150. Furthermore, the position and / or orientation of the coupling electrodes 156-159 relative to the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface 150 may differ from that shown in Figure 1. For example, various embodiments relating to the position and orientation of the coupling electrodes of the rotatable knob interface 150 will be described in more detail in relation to Figures 4A-4C.

[0071] In this application, the term "deactivated electrode" may refer to an electrode that is not driven at all, an electrode driven by a guard signal, or an electrode driven by a constant voltage signal (e.g., a direct current (DC) voltage).

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

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

[0074] Figure 2 shows exemplary components of an exemplary rotatable knob interface (e.g., the rotatable knob interface 150 shown in Figure 1). Referring to this, starting from the bottom of the exemplary device, a fixed base 231 is illustrated. In some embodiments, the fixed base 231 does not move even when the exemplary knob interface is rotated. For example, the fixed base 231 may be attached, for example, by adhesive to the surface of the display panel 120 of the electronic device 100, for example, to a lens or sealing layer. The fixed base 231 may be attached in a temporary, semi-permanent, or permanent manner and may be positioned on it to be aligned with the 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 in response to the rotation of the cover cap 215, for example, as described later, when the rotatable knob interface 150 is rotated. 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. The 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, although this is not shown in Figure 2 but will be described below with reference to Figure 3. By using both bearings, the frictional force between the fixed base 231 and the rotating wheel 230 can be reduced.

[0076] Continuing to refer to Figure 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 the switches may be equidistant from each other on the upper surface of the rotating wheel 230. In other embodiments, fewer than three or more switches may be used. As will be described in more detail below, in one or more embodiments, the switches 220 are used to distinguish between two or more states of the rotatable knob interface 150, namely, a pressed state where the switches 220 are closed and an unpressed state where the switches 220 remain open. In other embodiments, the switches 220 may be used to distinguish between two or more states of the rotatable knob interface 150. For example, the switches 220 may be used to distinguish between a pressed state, an unpressed state and one or more partially pressed states. In such embodiments, in a partially pressed state, the switches 220 are neither open nor fully closed. Partially pressed, pressed, and open states may be determined based on the corresponding measured changes in the capacitive coupling caused by the movement of the coupling electrode (e.g., coupling electrode 157). In one embodiment, the open state corresponds to the measured change in the capacitive coupling corresponding to the lowest value, the closed state corresponds to the measured change in the capacitive coupling corresponding to the highest value, and the partially pressed state corresponds to the measured change in the capacitive coupling corresponding to a value between the lowest and highest values. Multiple partial pressed states may be used. Each of the partial pressed states corresponds to a different measured change in the capacitive coupling. In one embodiment, the determination module 141 determines the state of the rotatable knob interface 150 by comparing the measured changes in the capacitive coupling with each value. The pressed state of the rotatable knob interface 150 is independent of its internal rotation position. Thus, the rotatable knob interface 150 can rotate while in any of the pressed, partially pressed, or unpressed states (and any position between the states of the rotatable knob interface 150), and its rotation can be detected and measured.Similarly, the states of the switches 220 corresponding to the rotatable knob interface 150 being in the "home" or unpressed state, pressed state, or partially pressed state can be detected regardless of whether the rotatable knob interface 150 is rotationally stationary or rotating.

[0077] Finally, continuing to refer to Figure 2, the rotatable knob interface 150 comprises an inner cap 210 and a cover cap 215, as shown. During operation, the user physically interacts with the cover cap 215, for example, by grasping the cover cap 215 and rotating the turn wheel 230 relative to the fixed base 231, or by pressing down the cover cap 215 to press down the knob interface and close one or more switches 220. As shown, the inner cap 210 is attached by projections 211 to a lip provided on the inner surface of the vertical ring bearing 225. The cover cap 215 is attached to the inner cap 210, and the turn wheel 230 rotates when the outer cap 215 is turned. In other embodiments, a mechanism other than the cover cap 215 and / or the inner cap 210 can be used to rotate the turn wheel 230.

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

[0079] Continuing to refer to Figure 3, a vertical ring bearing 225 and a horizontal ring bearing 226 configured to slide above the vertical ring bearing 225 are also illustrated. In one or more embodiments, the stationary base 231 has a smaller inner diameter than the rotating wheel 230, so there is a ledge on the inner circumference of the stationary base 231 on which the vertical ring bearing 225 may be placed. Thus, the vertical ring bearing 225 is configured to fit inside the inner diameter of the horizontal ring bearing 226 and to be placed on the inner circumference of the stationary base 231. Thus, the two bearings provide a physical interface between the stationary base 231 and the rotating wheel 230, as described above, reducing friction between them when the rotating wheel 230 is moved.

[0080] Referring further to Figure 3, three switches 220 are also shown, which are located around the upper surface of the rotating wheel 230. Above the switches 220 is an inner cap 210, which is configured to fit inside the vertical ring bearing 225 and is secured to the vertical ring bearing 225 by three projections 211. In one or more embodiments, the three projections 211 are also arranged equidistantly around 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 into the inner diameter of the vertical ring bearing 225, and the inner cap 210 can be clamped to the bottom surface of the vertical ring bearing 225 by projections 211 that slightly protrude below the bottom surface of the vertical ring bearing 225 when the inner cap 210 is in the home or unpressed position. Finally, referring to Figure 3, the cover cap 215 is attached to the upper ring portion of the inner cap 210, as shown in the figure.

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

[0082] Figure 4A illustrates 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 a power outage zone defined by the boundary 155 in Figure 1. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the grid 401 may correspond to other configurations of the sensor electrodes 125. In this regard, there are three sets of electrodes on the bottom or underside of the fixed base 231. The first set of electrodes 430, shown in shaded area, is a continuous set of electrodes configured to receive a reference signal from one or more of the sensor electrodes 125. The remaining two sets of three electrodes 410, 420, and 411, grouped together, are configured to receive detection signals from one or more of the sensor electrodes 125. The second set, including electrodes 410 and 411, is configured to detect rotation of the rotatable knob interface 150. A third set, including electrode 420, is configured to detect a "click" or the closing of switch 220 when, for example, the rotatable knob interface is set to the pressed position. As illustrated, each of the coupled electrodes 410, 411, and 420 may at least partially overlap one or more sensor electrodes 125 of grid 401. On the other hand, each set of electrodes 430 may overlap at least some of the multiple sensor electrodes 125 of grid 401 so that the set of electrodes 430 acquires a signal from the corresponding reference sensor electrode 403 (see Figure 4B) on grid 401 on the upper surface of an exemplary input device (e.g., electronic device 100) and mitigates any effects of parasitic capacitance from adjacent sensor electrodes 125. The sensor electrodes 125 of region 402 are separate from the sensor electrodes 125 of region 403. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 of region 402 include sensor electrodes located in close proximity to the coupled electrodes 410, 411, and 420 and outside the sensor electrodes of region 403. This separation is shown in Figure 4A by two features. First, there is an empty row 412 of sensor electrodes to the right of the coupling (or sensing) electrodes 410, 411, and 420, creating a gap between the coupling electrodes 410, 411, and 420 and the set of electrodes 430.Secondly, each set of electrodes 430 (shaded with solid lines) is recessed inward relative to the reference electrode 403 (shaded with dotted lines in Figure 4B). The recess of the set of electrodes 430 may be approximately 1.5 mm to 2 mm. However, in other embodiments, the recess of the set of electrodes 430 is generally less than 1.5 mm or generally greater than 2 mm. This recess helps the set of electrodes 430 to detect the reference electrode signal and may minimize the detection of parasitic coupling of nearby detection signals on the sensor electrode 125. Furthermore, the recess may be useful for tolerance adjustment of the exemplary rotatable knob interface 150 to the electronic device 100. In other embodiments, the set of electrodes 430 is adequately isolated by including an empty row 412 of sensor electrodes as described above or by recessing the electrodes 430, thereby mitigating the influence of parasitic capacitance from the adjacent sensor electrode 125 on the set of electrodes 430.

[0083] Figure 4B shows an example of the grid 401 of Figure 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 by a different signal. For example, the sensor electrodes 125 in region 403 may be driven by a detection signal, while the sensor electrodes 125 in region 402 may be driven by a reference signal. In general, each of the sensor electrodes 125 may be selectively driven by a detection signal or, for example, ground or other reference signal. In one or more embodiments, as shown in Figure 4A, the grid 401 of sensor electrodes 125 is arranged as shown in Figure 4B to align the sensor electrodes 125 of the grid 401 with the electrodes on the lower surface of the fixed base 231. Thus, the sensor electrodes 125 in region 403 of the grid 401, which is shaded in Figure 4B, may be driven by a reference signal, while the sensor electrodes 125 outside region 403 may be driven by a detection signal. Therefore, an electrical pairing (e.g., electrical coupling or capacitive coupling) exists between the lower surface of the fixed base 231 and the sensor electrode 125 of the grid 401. This is illustrated in the superimposed diagram of Figure 4C.

[0084] Figure 4C shows the underside of the fixed base 231 of Figure 4A, located above the sensor electrodes of the grid 401 of Figure 4B, according to one or more embodiments. As shown, coupled (or sensing) electrodes 410, 411, and 420 configured for sensing on the rotatable knob interface 150 are aligned with one or more sensor electrodes 125 such that the coupled electrodes 410, 411, and 420 are driven by a sensing signal via capacitive coupling between the coupled electrodes 410, 411, and 420 and one or more sensor electrodes 125. In one embodiment, these 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 each located above a plurality of sensor electrodes 125 in region 403 so as to be driven by the reference signal by the processing system 110. In one or more embodiments, the fixed base 231 is fixed and its position is fixed relative to the input device. As shown in the figure, the fixed base is first aligned with the sensor electrode 125 of the input device, and then, in one or more embodiments, permanently attached to the surface of the electronic device 100.

[0085] Next, the upper surface of the fixed base 231 will be described with reference to Figure 5. Referring to this, a top perspective view 510 is shown showing the position of the electrode regions corresponding to the sensor electrodes 125 of regions 402 and 403 on the upper surface of the fixed base 231 according to one or more embodiments. As can be seen in the top perspective view, and also by comparing the bottom view 520 and the top view 530, the upper surface of the fixed base 231 has a somewhat different configuration from its bottom surface. A bottom view 520 is also shown to fully understand the relative positions of the conductive pads on the top and bottom surfaces, and the corresponding positions on the top surface are also shown in the top view 530, as indicated by the curved arrow 521. This top view 530 is what the fixed base 231 shown in the bottom view 520 looks like when it is inverted around the horizontal axis (so that the right and left sides of the fixed base 231 are the same in Figures 520 and 530, respectively). Continuing with Figure 5, the top view 530 illustrates four conductive regions: an inner conductive ring 232 (used to detect whether the switch is open or closed), two conductive pads 237 and 238 (used to detect rotation), and a peripheral ring 235. In one or more embodiments, each of these is electrically connected by vias to the corresponding conductive region on the bottom surface of the fixed base 231. In particular, the peripheral ring 235 is electrically connected to the corresponding set of electrodes 430 as described above and coupled to the sensor electrode 125, which is driven by a reference signal. The two conductive pads 237 and 238 are connected to coupling electrodes 410 and 411, respectively, and the inner conductive ring 232 is electrically connected to the detection electrode 420. In some embodiments, as described above, both the conductive pads 237 and 238, along with the inner conductive ring 232, are configured to couple to the sensor electrode 125, which is driven by a detection signal.

[0086] Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper part of the fixed base 231 is provided with two small conductive pads 237 and 238 that are close to each other and surrounded by a peripheral ring 235 on its outer circumference. The peripheral ring 235 receives a reference signal, and the two pads 237 and 238 each receive a detection signal. These two pads are used to detect rotation. Secondly, an inner conductive ring 232 located inside the peripheral ring 235 is also configured to receive a detection signal to detect whether the switch is closed. The closing of the switch is sometimes referred to as a "click" from the sound it makes when it closes.

[0087] Figure 6A shows exploded view 601 and folded view 603 of an exemplary fixed base 231 and exemplary vertical ring bearings 225 and horizontal ring bearings 226 (e.g., plastic bearings) as shown in Figure 3. These elements have been described above and will not be explained again here. It is worth noting that in one or more embodiments, as shown in folded view 603, the horizontal ring bearing 226 has a smooth surface on which a rotating wheel 230 can be mounted, and the vertical ring bearing 225 has a smooth outer cylindrical structure on which the rotating wheel 230 can rotate.

[0088] Figure 6B shows exploded view 610 and folded view 603 of the exemplary fixed base 231 and bearings 225 and 226 shown in Figure 6A, with the addition of the exemplary rotating wheel 230 from Figure 3, which is mounted on the exemplary flat ring 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 both 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 connection to the set of switches (not shown). This will be described in more detail below after the configuration of the bottom surface of the rotating wheel 230 has been described.

[0089] Figure 7A is a detailed bottom view of the rotating wheel 230 of Figure 3. Referring to this, there are basically two ring-shaped structures, similar to the top view of the fixed base. According to one or more embodiments, there is an outer ring 701 having alternatingly arranged first conductive regions 710 and non-conductive regions 720, and an inner ring having a single connected second inner ring (e.g., conductive region) 730. Furthermore, a ring-shaped region 702 provided 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 a "click".

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

[0091] The conductive region 710 in Figure 7A, together with the conductive pads 237, 238 and peripheral ring 235 in Figure 7B, can be made of known conductors such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, indium tin oxide, or other conductors, or various alloys of any of them, or various alloys with different elements or compounds. In one embodiment, the non-conductive region 720 may be an area of ​​the printed circuit board or substrate where no metal is deposited, and therefore may be made of, for example, epoxy plastic and glass fiber. In another embodiment, the non-conductive region 720 may be formed by depositing an insulating layer, such as a silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer.

[0092] As shown in Figure 7B, two ring-shaped conductive regions, namely an outer ring region (e.g., conductive ring 712) and an inner ring region 732, are provided, for example, just below the upper surface of the rotating wheel 230. The outer ring region (e.g., conductive ring 712) is electrically connected by vias (not shown) to each of the first conductive regions 710 on the underside of the rotating wheel 230, as shown in Figure 7A. Similarly, the inner ring region 732, provided on the upper inner circumference of the rotating wheel 230, is electrically connected by vias (not shown) to the second conductive inner ring region 730 on the underside of the rotating wheel 230, also shown in Figure 7A. In addition, the illustrated example in Figure 7B shows the locations of three sets of pads 221 to which three switches 220 should be connected, but the switches themselves are not shown. Therefore, when the switch 220 is closed by the user pressing down the cover cap 215 (shown in Figures 2 and 3) until the switch 220 makes a click 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 regions corresponding to the conductive rings 712 and 732. Also, referring to Figure 7A, this may connect each first conductive region 710 to the inner ring region (e.g., second conductive region) 732. Note that in other embodiments, there may be more or fewer sets of switches and corresponding sets of switch pads to which they are connected. Pad 221 may be called a switch pad and may be equidistant around the rotating wheel 230 as shown. In some embodiments, the switch 220 may have more than two states and therefore many positions other than "pressed" or "closed" and "not pressed" or "open". In such embodiments, the switch 220 may have one or more intermediate states between "pressed" and "unpressed," and the user can press down the cover cap 215 to move between the "unpressed" or fully open state, each intermediate state, and the fully closed state. In such embodiments, each position of the switch 220 can be detected, for example, by the signal strength of the electrical coupling in each state of the switch.

[0093] Considering the above description of the upper and lower surfaces of the fixed base 231 and the rotating wheel 230, respectively, the dashed arrows 801 and 802 in Figure 8 illustrate the 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 this in mind, the dashed arrow 801 shows the 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 shows the electrical coupling between the peripheral ring 235 on the upper surface of the exemplary fixed base 231, which includes conductive pads 237 and 238, and the various conductive regions 710 of the outer peripheral ring 701 on the lower surface of the exemplary rotating wheel 230. As mentioned above, the region 720 of the outer peripheral ring 701 on the bottom surface of the rotating wheel 230 is non-conductive. Furthermore, the non-conductive partition ring 702 is non-conductive and is provided between the outer ring 701 and the inner ring 730.

[0094] As shown in Figure 8, when the rotating wheel 230 is above the stationary base 231 (with a horizontal bearing between them), various electrical couplings can exist between the respective outer ring regions. The peripheral ring 235 is coupled to a reference signal driven by the processing system 110 via a set of electrodes 430. Furthermore, the peripheral ring 235 is capacitively coupled to one or more 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 underside of the rotating wheel 230 depends on the relative rotational position of the rotating wheel 230 and the stationary base 231.

[0095] To detect rotation, two conductive pads 237 and 238 on the upper surface of the fixed base 231 are coupled to sensor electrodes 125, each driven by a detection signal by the processing system 110. As described above with reference to Figure 4A, the conductive pads 237 and 238 on the upper surface of the fixed base 231 are electrically connected by vias to coupling electrodes 410 and 411 on the lower surface of the fixed base 231, respectively. The coupling electrodes 410 and 411 are then coupled to corresponding sensor electrodes 125, which are driven by a detection signal, for example, as shown in Figure 4C. By driving the sensor electrodes 125 coupled to the coupling electrodes 410 and 411 of the fixed base, respectively, with a detection signal, the resulting signals received by these sensor electrodes change as a function of the capacitive coupling of each of the two conductive pads 237 and 238 on the upper surface of the fixed base 231 with the array of conductive and non-conductive regions 710 and non-conductive regions 720 on the lower surface of the rotating wheel 230.

[0096] Figures 9A to 914, described below, illustrate various extensions or alternative functions of the rotatable knob interface described above with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Note that in one or more embodiments, some or many of the extensions and alternative functions can be combined in any exemplary device.

[0097] Figures 9A and 9B illustrate an alternative approach for detecting the click or mechanical response function of a rotatable electronic device. In this example approach, click detection can be easily performed on the fixed base of the rotatable electronic device. This is in contrast to the approach described above with reference to Figure 2, in which the rotating wheel 230 has three exemplary switches 220 on its upper surface. In the example of Figure 2, when the switches 220 are closed, two conductive ring regions 712 and 732 are electrically connected, as shown in Figure 7B, and this is detected by the processing system 110. In embodiments in which the rotatable electronic device does not have a central hole in the fixed base, it is not necessary to capacitively wire the switches that perform click detection to the rotating wheel. As a result, these switches can be provided on the fixed base. Figure 9A shows the underside of an alternative fixed base 932 on which a click detection pad 920 is provided. Figure 9B, which shows a top view of the alternative fixed base 932, shows a dome switch 950 connecting a grounding region 933 to the click detection pad 920. Since the grounding region 933 is conductive, when multiple electrodes on the surface of the input device are coupled to it, those electrodes are electrically coupled to one another. This fact is utilized in the example of a shift detection method described later in relation to Figures 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. Figures 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 illustrated in Figures 9A and 4B, the fixed base 932 may be located above a group of sensor electrodes 402 on the upper surface of an exemplary input device driven by a detection signal. In addition, a rotating wheel 230, as illustrated in Figures 7A and 7B, may be located above the fixed base 932. A conductive region 710 may be located below the rotating wheel 230, as further illustrated in Figure 7A. Therefore, the fixed base 932 is "sandwiched" between the sensor electrode 402 on the upper surface of the input device and the conductive region 710 on the lower surface of the rotating wheel 230.The opening 939 of the fixed base 932 can reduce parasitic capacitance between the conductive region 710 on the underside of the rotating wheel 230 and the electrode 402 of the input device. The capacitance can be calculated based on the overlapping area of ​​the two target regions, the distance between the two regions, and the dielectric between the two regions. The opening 939 introduces air with a dielectric constant of 1 as the dielectric between the sensing electrode 402 and the conductive region 710. This is an alternative to plastic or, for example, FR4 (a composite material made of woven glass fiber cloth with a flame-retardant epoxy resin binder), which are materials from which the exemplary fixed base 932 may be fabricated. Since plastic and FR4 each have a dielectric constant considerably higher than air, the air gap provided by the opening 939 can therefore reduce parasitic capacitance between the conductive region 710 on the bottom side of the rotating wheel and the sensing electrode 402.

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

[0099] Figure 10 is a bottom view of an exemplary mounting base 1031. The exemplary mounting base 1031 is similar to the mounting base 231 in Figure 4A, but has a somewhat larger and different shape for the grounding area 936. Figure 10 also shows a contour line 906 drawn around a region of the underside of the mounting base 1031 that is 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 mounting base to the display panel, a conductive adhesive may be used in selected areas to improve the signal by increasing the coupling between the sensing pads 410, 411, 420 of the mounting base and the grounding area 936 of the mounting base to the touch pixels of the display panel, respectively. The display panel to which the underside of the mounting base 1031 may be attached may be, for example, the display panel 120 in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 10, in one or more embodiments, the region 906 with the contour line drawn 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 can be isotropic or anisotropic; any suitable conductive adhesive will suffice.

[0100] Figure 11 shows an exemplary conductive structure 959 that can be used in place of a rotating wheel and a thin bearing according to one or more embodiments. Instead of the thin bearing 226 described in Figure 6A, a conductive bearing, such as a bearing made of conductive PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), may be used. In such alternative embodiments, a rotating wheel may not be necessary, and instead, a combination bearing and a rotatable element 959 may be used, as illustrated in Figure 11. In such alternative embodiments, a much thicker bearing, for example on the order of 1-2 mm in thickness, can be used, and a stronger signal can be provided because the conductivity of the bearing is increased. It should be noted that conductive PTFE can be formed, for example, by injecting carbon into PTFE to enhance its conductivity. Thus, instead of using both the thin bearing 226 as shown in Figure 6A and the exemplary rotating wheel 230 having alternating conductive and non-conductive regions 710 and non-conductive regions 720 as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the conductive structure 959 illustrated in Figure 11 may be used. An exemplary conductive structure 959, as shown, has a central ring 961 from which several peripheral regions 960 protrude. In the illustrated example, there are four peripheral regions arranged 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 elongated dimensions that are tangential to the inner ring, as shown, and alternately pass over the conductive pads provided on top of the fixed base 932. For example, an alternative fixed base 932, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, may be used. Thus, the peripheral regions 960 of the conductive structure 959, together with the grounding region 933 on top of the fixed base 932, alternately couple to the sensing regions 925 (not shown in Figure 11, but shown in the upper left of Figure 9B) and 926. As a result, when the conductive structure 959 is rotated, a change occurs in the capacitive coupling between the sensing regions 925, 926 and the grounding region 933. Since the structure 959 is itself conductive, if no bearing is provided between the upper part of the fixed base 932 and the conductive structure 959, as in this example, the capacitive coupling becomes an electrical connection.It should also be noted that, considering the spacing of the peripheral regions 960, the conductive region 963 of the fixed base 932 is always coupled to or connected to the conductive structure 959. However, when the conductive structure 959 rotates, the capacitive coupling between the peripheral regions 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 consequently, the rotational orientation of the rotating knob interface. As mentioned above, in one or more embodiments, the conductive structure 959 also functions as a bearing, but this time it may be considerably thicker than, for example, the thin bearing 226 described above.

[0101] As mentioned above, the fixed base 932 in Figure 11 is the same as the exemplary fixed base 932 in Figures 9A and 9B. As shown in Figure 9A, a click detection pad 920 is provided on the underside of the fixed base 932. This click detection pad 920 is connected to a switch pad 951 located on the upper side of the fixed base 932. Similarly, a grounding area 933 is connected to a switch pad 952 located on the upper side of the fixed base 932. A dome switch (not shown), for example, the dome switch 950 shown in Figure 9B, may be connected between the switch pads 951 and 952 to detect clicks.

[0102] Next, with reference to Figures 12A-123, two examples of methods for detecting misalignment of the rotatable knob interface relative to the surface of the input device are described. Misalignment of the knob base may indicate a failure of the rotatable knob interface. Therefore, detecting such misalignment can be used to determine a failure of the rotatable knob interface.

[0103] A first exemplary method of displacement detection will be described with reference to Figures 12A and 12B. Figures 12A and 12B illustrate, from a viewpoint below the input device's display panel, a set of electrodes 403 of an exemplary display panel located below a grounding region 936 on the lower side of the fixed base 1231 of an exemplary rotatable knob interface, according to one or more embodiments. As described above, the grounding region 936 is so named because the electrodes of the display panel above which the grounding region 936 is located are driven by a reference signal during the input detection period. However, in the first exemplary displacement detection method, this is modified so that not all electrodes of the display panel below the grounding region are driven by a reference signal for regular input detection periods. As shown in Figure 12A, during a first predefined period, all electrodes 403 coupled to the grounding region 936 are driven by a reference signal. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 12B, during a second predefined period, a first subset of electrodes 403 within the first subset region 404 (enclosed by a dashed boundary in Figure 12B), for example, half of the electrodes 403, may be driven by the detection waveform, while the remaining electrodes of the set of electrodes 403, for example, the electrodes within the second subset region 405, may be driven by the reference signal.

[0104] The configuration in Figure 12A, where all electrodes 403 located below the grounding region 936 of the fixed base 1231 are driven by a reference signal, is a normal method used during input detection, for example, detection of rotation of a rotatable knob interface, as described above. However, the configuration in Figure 12B occurs outside of the normal detection method, for example, during a specific period that is not a standard input detection period, where, for example, half of the electrodes 403, the electrodes of the first subset region 404, are driven by a detection waveform. Since the entire grounding region 936 is electrically connected, both the first subset region 404 and the second subset region 405 remain connected via the grounding region 936 of the fixed base 1231, so during a second predetermined period, the electrodes of the first subset region 404 are also grounded, although they are driven by the detection signal. In one embodiment, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) may be used to detect the capacitance on the electrodes of the first subset region 404 driven by the detection signal. In such embodiments, for a given electrode in the first subset region 404, the ADC reading changes as a function of its ground load. In some embodiments, the larger the ground load, the lower the ADC signal. Thus, in such embodiments, when the rotatable knob interface is in its correct position, above the first subset region 404, the electrodes in the first subset region 404 will exhibit a value on the connected ADC that reflects the grounded load via the ground region 936. However, if the rotatable knob interface slips and the ground region 936 of the fixed base 1231 is no longer above one or more electrodes in 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 slip or translation of the fixed base 1231, and consequently the rotatable knob interface. Thus, in one embodiment, the ADC values ​​of the electrodes in the first subset region can be compared over a second predetermined period of time to determine the displacement. Alternatively, a given reading of the electrode during a second predetermined period may be compared with the ADC value of the electrode at the time of manufacture to determine whether the fixed base 1231 has shifted after the fixed base has been mounted to the display panel in its intended position.As mentioned above, since the second predetermined period occurs outside of normal input detection, it may be necessary to allocate additional time for deviation detection within the input detection scheme.

[0105] In other embodiments, the set of electrodes 403 may be divided into unequal subsets, where the number of electrodes in a first subset region 404 is less than the number of electrodes in a 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 1 / 3, 1 / 4, or any other percentage less than 1.

[0106] In a second exemplary method of displacement detection (a variation of the first exemplary method), the same principle that the connected ADC value changes as a result of the grounding load may be utilized in a different way. In the second exemplary method, electrodes in a first subset region below the grounding region 936 may be driven by a detection signal even during normal input detection. This is illustrated in Figure 13. Referring to this, Figure 13 illustrates a first subset region 406 of electrodes in the grid of electrodes 125 of the display panel. The first subset region 406 of electrodes (indicated by a dashed boundary in Figure 13) is located below the grounding region 936 of the fixed base 1231. In one embodiment, a previous baseline state of the result signal received by the electrodes in the subset region 406 may be compared with the currently acquired result signal to determine whether displacement of the fixed base has occurred. In one or more embodiments, as in the first exemplary method, the resulting signal may be measured using the value of an ADC connected to the electrode, and the change in the ADC value may be used to detect misalignment of the fixed base 1231 and, consequently, the rotatable knob interface, which may be determined from the change in the value of the connected ADC for the electrode in the first subset region 406.

[0107] In one embodiment, in the exemplary method illustrated in Figure 13, the set of electrodes 403 coupled to the ground area 936 may be divided into unequal subsets. The number of electrodes in the first subset area 406 that receive the detection signal during the input detection period is less than the number of electrodes in the second subset area 405. For example, the number of electrodes in the first subset area 406 may be a percentage less than half of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403. For example, it may be 1 / 10 of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403. Alternatively, it may be 20%, 15%, or any other percentage between 0 and 1 / 2 of the total number of electrodes in the set of electrodes 403.

[0108] In a second exemplary method of displacement detection, the electrodes within the first subset region 406 are always driven by the detection signal during regular input detection periods, so the comparison may occur between two regular (e.g., consecutive) input detection periods, and it is not necessary to add an additional period to the input detection schema for displacement detection.

[0109] Figure 14 is a process flowchart 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. This method has two stages, each corresponding to the two examples illustrated in Figures 12A and 12B described above. As previously mentioned, detection of knob misalignment 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 in block 1410, and in the first period, a reference signal is supplied to a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes of an input device capacitively coupled to a single conductive region below the fixed base of the knob interface. The fixed base is provided on the surface of the input device (e.g., electronic device 100). For example, the conductive region may be the grounding region 936 shown in Figures 12A and 12B.

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

[0112] Method 1400 proceeds from block 1420 to block 1430, in which the result signal is received by the first set of electrodes during the second period. As described above, the result 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 position of the fixed base 1231 and the input device during measurement.

[0113] Method 1400 proceeds from block 1430 to block 1440, where a translation of the knob interface on the surface of the input device is determined, at least partially based on the values ​​of the resulting signals on the first set of electrodes acquired in the second period and the previous baseline state of the first set of electrodes. In one or more embodiments, this determination may be performed by firmware stored in the memory of the input device. Method 1400 may end at block 1440 or may be repeated as shown in Figure 14, and thus Method 1400 may return from block 1440 to block 1410. In one or more embodiments, the baseline state may be stored in advance, for example during manufacturing, or may be, for example, a set of values ​​of the resulting signals obtained in a previous second period of a previous process of Method 1400.

[0114] Thus, the embodiments and examples described herein are provided to best illustrate the present technology and embodiments in its specific applications, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to prepare and use the disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. The description is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it intended to limit the disclosure to the disclosed form.

[0115] In consideration of the foregoing, the technical scope of this disclosure is determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A display panel equipped with sensor electrodes, A processing system coupled to the aforementioned sensor electrode, An electronic device positioned above the aforementioned display panel, Equipped with, The aforementioned processing system During the first period, a first subset of the sensor electrodes is activated for input detection by driving the first subset with a reference signal. During the first period, the second subset of the sensor electrodes is activated for input detection by driving the second subset with the reference signal. During the second period, the detection signal drives the first subset of the sensor electrodes, and the result signal is received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes to activate the first subset of the sensor electrodes for displacement detection. During the second period, the second subset of the sensor electrodes is driven by the reference signal. It is configured to be, The aforementioned electronic device It comprises conductive regions configured to be coupled to the first subset and the second subset of the sensor electrodes, The result signals received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the second period are influenced by the position of the conductive region relative to the display panel. The processing system is further configured to determine the 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 period with a previous set of result signals for the first subset of the sensor electrodes. The detection system according to claim 1.

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

4. The aforementioned electronic device is the fixed base of the rotatable knob interface. The detection system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned fixing base is attached to the display panel. The detection system according to claim 4.

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

7. The processing system is further configured to operate the third and fourth subsets of the sensor electrodes for input detection during the first period by driving the third and fourth subsets of the sensor electrodes with a detection signal and receiving result signals from the third and fourth subsets of the sensor electrodes. The detection system according to claim 1.

8. A display panel equipped with sensor electrodes, A processing system coupled to the aforementioned sensor electrode, An electronic device positioned above the aforementioned display panel, Equipped with, The aforementioned processing system During a predetermined period, a first subset of the sensor electrodes is driven by a detection signal, and a result signal is received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes, thereby activating the system for misalignment detection. During the predetermined period, the second subset of the sensor electrodes is configured to be activated for input detection by driving the second subset with a reference signal. The electronic device comprises conductive regions configured to couple with the first subset of the sensor electrodes and the second subset of the sensor electrodes, The result signals received from the first subset of sensor electrodes during the predetermined period are influenced by the position of the conductive region relative to the display panel. The processing system is further configured to detect the parallel movement of the electronic device relative to the surface of the display panel by comparing the result signals received from the first subset of the sensor electrodes during the predetermined period with a previous set of result signals for the first subset of the sensor electrodes. Detection system.

9. A method for detecting misalignment of a rotatable interface to an input device, The rotatable interface includes a fixed base, The aforementioned fixed base has a conductive region on its lower surface, The aforementioned fixed base is attached to the display screen of the input device, The method described above is During the first period, a reference signal is supplied to a first set and a second set of electrodes of the input device, each of which is capacitively coupled to the conductive region; During the second period, a reference signal is supplied to the first set of electrodes, and a detection signal is supplied to the second set of electrodes. During the second period, the result signal is received by the second set of electrodes, The translation of the rotatable interface of the input device relative to the display screen is determined at least partially based on the value of the result signal during the second period. A method that includes this.

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