Patent · US Active

Sensor device and method with at surface object sensing and away from surface object sensing

US8330474B2 · kind B2 · utility

13Cited by
12References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 10, 2009
Grant dateDec 11, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 25, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2203/04101
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods, systems and devices are described for determining positional information for objects using a sensing device. The various embodiments provide improved user interface functionality by facilitating user input with both objects that are at the surfaced and objects that are away from the surface. The sensor device includes a processing system and a sensor array of sensing electrodes adapted to capacitively sense objects in a sensing region. First, the processing system is configured to determine positional information for objects at the surface in a first portion of the sensing region. Secondly, the processing system is configured to determine positional information for objects that are away from the surface and in a second portion of the sensing region, where the first portion of the sensing region is between the surface and the second portion of the sensing region.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.