Touch and Hover Sensing Signal Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch and hover sensing devices face challenges in accurately detecting concurrent touch and hover events due to signal masking, where incidental touch events can obscure hover events, and differentiating between objects of varying distances and sizes based on similar sensing signals.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a touch and hover sensing device that compensates for touch signals to unmask hover events, differentiates between object distances and areas, and adjusts sensor configurations to accurately detect concurrent touch and hover events by using capacitance measurements, partitioning sensors, and applying gain factors to ensure consistent sensitivity across the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the device uses a single sensing signal for both touch and hover detection, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to signal masking where touch events obscure hover events
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing signal is segmented into multiple frequency components, with different frequency ranges allocated for touch detection and hover detection. This allows the system to distinguish between touch events and hover events that occur simultaneously, preventing signal masking while maintaining a unified sensing system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic modulation of sensing signals at different frequencies to differentiate between touch and hover events. By using periodic actions with distinct frequency characteristics, the system can identify and separate concurrent touch and hover signals without requiring completely separate sensing systems.
2Measurement precision
If the device increases sensor sensitivity to detect hover events, then the measurement precision for hover events improves, but the reliability deteriorates due to increased false detection from incidental touches
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the sensing panel are assigned different sensitivity thresholds and detection criteria. Areas more prone to incidental touches have higher thresholds, while areas where hover detection is critical have lower thresholds. This localized quality adjustment allows the system to maintain high sensitivity where needed while reducing false detections in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors sensing signals and dynamically adjusts detection thresholds based on real-time signal characteristics. When a touch event is detected, the system provides feedback to adjust the hover detection threshold temporarily, preventing false hover detections during touch events while maintaining high sensitivity for genuine hover events.
3Measurement precision
If the device uses multiple sensing signals to differentiate between touch and hover events, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional signal processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing system dynamically adjusts signal parameters such as frequency, amplitude, and phase based on detected event characteristics. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to use multiple signal characteristics for accurate event differentiation while processing only the necessary information, reducing overall processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes signal parameters (frequency, modulation depth) based on the detection state and event type. By varying parameters rather than continuously processing multiple independent signals, the system achieves accurate event differentiation with reduced processing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the accuracy of touch and hover event detection, allowing for precise interaction with user interfaces and improved performance in multi-object detection scenarios, while minimizing interference from the display and compensating for sensor resistance and signal drift.
Implementation Method 1
A touch event can be determined by a measurement of a change in capacitance at the panel
Data Source
AI summary
Detecting a signal from a touch and hover sensing device, in which the signal can be indicative of concurrent touch events and/or hover events, is disclosed. A touch event can indicate an object touching the device. A hover event can indicate an object hovering over the device. The touch and hover sensing device can ensure that a desired hover event is not masked by an incidental touch event, e.g., a hand holding the device, by compensating for the touch event in the detected signal that represents both events. Conversely, when both a hover event and a touch event are desired, the touch and hover sensing device can ensure that both events are detected by adjusting the device sensors and/or the detected signal. The touch and hover sensing device can also detect concurrent hover events by identifying multiple peaks in the detected signal, each peak corresponding to a position of a hovering object.