U.S. patent application number 16/228037 was filed with the patent office on 2020-06-25 for detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen.
The applicant listed for this patent is QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to David Johnson, Hrishikesh Panchawagh, Richard Stacy Withers.
Application Number | 20200201459 16/228037 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 71098445 |
Filed Date | 2020-06-25 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200201459 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Withers; Richard Stacy ; et
al. |
June 25, 2020 |
DETECTION OF A PROTECTIVE COVER FILM ON A CAPACITIVE TOUCH
SCREEN
Abstract
Methods, systems, and devices for detection of a protective
cover film on a capacitive touch screen are described. A device may
include a capacitive touch screen having a surface and a sensor
grid underneath the surface having a set of conductive columns and
a set of conductive rows. The device may measure a mutual
capacitance between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of
conductive rows associated with a sensor grid, and compare the
measured mutual capacitance between the subset of conductive
columns or the subset of conductive rows to a baseline mutual
capacitance associated with the set of conductive columns and the
set of conductive rows. According to the comparison, the device may
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen, and adjust an operating
characteristic of the sensor grid.
Inventors: |
Withers; Richard Stacy;
(Sunnyvale, CA) ; Johnson; David; (Cupertino,
CA) ; Panchawagh; Hrishikesh; (Cupertino,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM Incorporated |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
71098445 |
Appl. No.: |
16/228037 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/044 20130101;
G06F 3/047 20130101; G06F 3/0416 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/044 20060101
G06F003/044; G06F 3/047 20060101 G06F003/047; G06F 3/041 20060101
G06F003/041 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising: a processor, a capacitive touch screen
in electronic communication with the processor, the capacitive
touch screen comprising a surface and a sensor grid underneath the
surface having a set of conductive columns and a set of conductive
rows, memory in electronic communication with the processor, and
instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor
to cause the apparatus to: measure a mutual capacitance between a
subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with the sensor grid; compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows;
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen based at least in part on
the comparison; and adjust an operating characteristic of the
sensor grid based at least in part on the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions to adjust the
operating characteristic of the sensor grid are further executable
by the processor to cause the apparatus to: identify a set of
calibration values corresponding to the protective layer; and
adjust a sensitivity or linearity of the sensor grid based at least
in part on the set of calibration values.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: map the
measured mutual capacitance to a first lookup entry in a set of
lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup entries comprises a set
of classes of protective layers and a mutual capacitance
corresponding to each class of protective layers; and identify a
class of the protective layer based at least in part on the
mapping, wherein the instructions to adjust the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid are further based at least in
part on the class of the protective layer.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: map the
class of the protective layer to a second lookup entry in the set
of lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup entries comprises a
set of calibration values to compensate for a difference between
the measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual
capacitance; and calibrate the sensor grid based at least in part
on the set of calibration values, wherein the instructions to
adjust the operating characteristic of the sensor grid are further
based at least in part on the calibration.
5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: map the
measured mutual capacitance to a second lookup entry in the set of
lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup entries comprises a layer
thickness corresponding to the mutual capacitance of each class of
protective layers; and estimate a layer thickness of the protective
layer based at least in part on the mapping, wherein the
instructions to identify the class of the protective layer are
further based at least in part on the estimated thickness of the
protective layer.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: map the
estimated layer thickness of the protective layer to a third lookup
entry in the set of lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup
entries further comprises a set of calibration values to compensate
for a difference between the measured mutual capacitance and the
baseline mutual capacitance; and calibrate the sensor grid based at
least in part on the set of calibration values, wherein the
instructions to adjust the operating characteristic of the sensor
grid are further based at least in part on the calibration.
7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determine an
ambient temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance
between the subset of conductive columns or the subset of
conductive rows; and compare the ambient temperature associated
with the measured mutual capacitance to a baseline temperature
associated with the baseline mutual capacitance, wherein the
instructions to adjust the operating characteristic of the sensor
grid are further based at least in part on the comparison between
the ambient temperature associated with the measured mutual
capacitance and the baseline temperature associated with the
baseline mutual capacitance.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determine a
mutual capacitance offset value based at least in part on the
comparison; and map the mutual capacitance offset value to a second
lookup entry in the set of lookup entries, wherein the set of
lookup entries comprises a set of calibration values to compensate
for the mutual capacitance offset value associated with a
difference between the ambient temperature associated with the
measured mutual capacitance and the baseline temperature associated
with the baseline mutual capacitance, wherein the instructions to
adjust the operating characteristic of the sensor grid are further
based at least in part on the mutual capacitance offset value.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: calibrate
the sensor grid based at least in part on the set of calibration
values, wherein the instructions to adjust the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid are further based at least in
part on the calibration.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: determine a
presence of a second protective layer in contact with the surface
of the capacitive touch screen based at least in part on the
comparison, wherein the instructions to adjust the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid are further based at least in
part on the presence of the protective layer and the second
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the protective layer is in
contact with a first region of the surface of the capacitive touch
screen and the second protective layer is in contact with a second
region of the surface of the capacitive touch screen different from
the first region.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further
executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: measure a
touch capacitance associated with a touch-point in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen; add the touch capacitance
to the measured mutual capacitance; and compare the measured mutual
capacitance including the touch capacitance to the baseline mutual
capacitance, wherein the instructions to determine the presence of
the protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen are further based at least in part on the comparison
of the measured mutual capacitance including the touch capacitance
to the baseline mutual capacitance.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the protective layer
comprises at least one of a polyimide, a polyethylene, a
terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate polyester, a
polyurethane, or a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a combination
thereof.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseline mutual
capacitance is a manufacturing defined mutual capacitance
associated with the set of conductive columns and the set of
conductive rows.
15. A method, comprising: measuring a mutual capacitance between a
subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with a sensor grid; comparing the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows;
determining a presence of a protective layer in contact with a
surface of the capacitive touch screen based at least in part on
the comparison; and adjusting an operating characteristic of the
sensor grid based at least in part on the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid comprises: identifying a set of
calibration values corresponding to the protective layer; and
adjusting a sensitivity or linearity of the sensor grid based at
least in part on the set of calibration value.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: mapping the
measured mutual capacitance to a first lookup entry in a set of
lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup entries comprises a set
of classes of protective layers and a mutual capacitance
corresponding to each class of protective layers; and identifying a
class of the protective layer based at least in part on the
mapping, wherein adjusting the operating characteristic of the
sensor grid is further based at least in part on the class of the
protective layer.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: mapping the class
of the protective layer to a second lookup entry in the set of
lookup entries, wherein the set of lookup entries comprises a set
of calibration values to compensate for a difference between the
measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual capacitance;
and calibrating the sensor grid based at least in part on the set
of calibration values, wherein adjusting the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid is further based at least in part
on the calibration.
19. An apparatus, comprising: means for measuring a mutual
capacitance between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of
conductive rows associated with a sensor grid; means for comparing
the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of conductive
columns or the subset of conductive rows to a baseline mutual
capacitance associated with the set of conductive columns and the
set of conductive rows; means for determining a presence of a
protective layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch
screen based at least in part on the comparison; and means for
adjusting an operating characteristic of the sensor grid based at
least in part on the presence of the protective layer in contact
with the surface of the capacitive touch screen.
20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for adjusting the
operating characteristic of the sensor grid comprises: means for
identifying a set of calibration values corresponding to the
protective layer; and means for adjusting a sensitivity or
linearity of the sensor grid based at least in part on the set of
calibration values.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Some example devices, such as smartphones, may have an
interface allowing individuals to access features of the
smartphone. An example of an interface may include, but is not
limited to a resistance touch-based interface, a capacitance
touch-based interface, a surface acoustic wave-based interface, an
optical touch-based interface, an electromagnetic guidance-based
interface, among others. Although generally durable, these
interfaces are susceptible to unforeseen damage. Therefore,
increasing demand for products protecting the interface has
influenced the advances made to protective film manufacturing. In
the example above, the interface may have a protective film (e.g.,
a transparent film) installed across it to reduce damage to the
interface. While the protective film reduces damage to the
interface in case of impact, the protective film may affect the
functionality of one or more sensors positioned below the
interface. For example, a protective film may defocus ultrasonic
fingerprint sensors that may be located underneath the
interface.
SUMMARY
[0002] The described techniques relate to improved methods,
systems, devices, and apparatuses that support detection of a
protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen. A device may
determine a presence of the protective cover film by measuring a
mutual capacitance. For example, a capacitance-based interface may
include an array of conductive rows and an array of conductive
columns. A change in the mutual capacitance between neighboring
columns or neighboring rows can be measured to determine the
presence of a protective cover film on the interface. In some
examples, this change can be measured using a lookup table for
baseline capacitance values, along with other information (e.g.,
temperature). In this way, the presence of the protective cover
film can be detected without an external input (e.g., a finger
touch by an individual). By determining the presence of the
protective film, corrective measures can be applied to the
functionality of one or more sensors positioned below the interface
(e.g., an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor).
[0003] A method is described. The method may include measuring a
mutual capacitance between a subset of conductive columns or a
subset of conductive rows associated with a sensor grid, comparing
the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of conductive
columns or the subset of conductive rows to a baseline mutual
capacitance associated with the set of conductive columns and the
set of conductive rows, determining a presence of a protective
layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch screen
based on the comparison, and adjusting an operating characteristic
of the sensor grid based on the presence of the protective layer in
contact with the surface of the capacitive touch screen.
[0004] An apparatus is described. The apparatus may include a
processor, a capacitive touch screen in electronic communication
with the processor, the capacitive touch screen comprising a
surface and a sensor grid underneath the surface having a set of
conductive columns and a set of conductive rows, memory in
electronic communication with the processor, and instructions
stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the
processor to cause the apparatus to measure a mutual capacitance
between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive
rows associated with the sensor grid, compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows,
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen based on the comparison, and
adjust an operating characteristic of the sensor grid based on the
presence of the protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen.
[0005] Another apparatus is described. The apparatus may include
means for measuring a mutual capacitance between a subset of
conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows associated with a
sensor grid, comparing the measured mutual capacitance between the
subset of conductive columns or the subset of conductive rows to a
baseline mutual capacitance associated with the set of conductive
columns and the set of conductive rows, determining a presence of a
protective layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch
screen based on the comparison, and adjusting an operating
characteristic of the sensor grid based on the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen.
[0006] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code is
described. The code may include instructions executable by a
processor to measure a mutual capacitance between a subset of
conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows associated with a
sensor grid, compare the measured mutual capacitance between the
subset of conductive columns or the subset of conductive rows to a
baseline mutual capacitance associated with the set of conductive
columns and the set of conductive rows, determine a presence of a
protective layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch
screen based on the comparison, and adjust an operating
characteristic of the sensor grid based on the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen.
[0007] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, adjusting
the operating characteristic of the sensor grid may include
operations, features, means, or instructions for identifying a set
of calibration values corresponding to the protective layer, and
adjusting a sensitivity or linearity of the sensor grid based on
the set of calibration values.
[0008] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for mapping the
measured mutual capacitance to a first lookup entry in a set of
lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries includes a set of
classes of protective layers and a mutual capacitance corresponding
to each class of protective layers, and identifying a class of the
protective layer based on the mapping, where adjusting the
operating characteristic of the sensor grid may be further based on
the class of the protective layer.
[0009] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for mapping the class
of the protective layer to a second lookup entry in the set of
lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries includes a set of
calibration values to compensate for a difference between the
measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual capacitance,
and calibrating the sensor grid based on the set of calibration
values, where adjusting the operating characteristic of the sensor
grid may be further based on the calibration.
[0010] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for mapping the
measured mutual capacitance to a second lookup entry in the set of
lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries includes a layer
thickness corresponding to the mutual capacitance of each class of
protective layers, and estimating a layer thickness of the
protective layer based on the mapping, where identifying the class
of the protective layer may be further based on the estimated
thickness of the protective layer.
[0011] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for mapping the
estimated layer thickness of the protective layer to a third lookup
entry in the set of lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries
further includes a set of calibration values to compensate for a
difference between the measured mutual capacitance and the baseline
mutual capacitance, and calibrating the sensor grid based on the
set of calibration values, where adjusting the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid may be further based on the
calibration.
[0012] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for determining an
ambient temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance
between the subset of conductive columns or the subset of
conductive rows, and comparing the ambient temperature associated
with the measured mutual capacitance to a baseline temperature
associated with the baseline mutual capacitance, where adjusting
the operating characteristic of the sensor grid may be further
based on the comparison between the ambient temperature associated
with the measured mutual capacitance and the baseline temperature
associated with the baseline mutual capacitance.
[0013] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a
mutual capacitance offset value based on the comparison, and
mapping the mutual capacitance offset value to a second lookup
entry in the set of lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries
includes a set of calibration values to compensate for the mutual
capacitance offset value associated with a difference between the
ambient temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance
and the baseline temperature associated with the baseline mutual
capacitance, where adjusting the operating characteristic of the
sensor grid may be further based on the mutual capacitance offset
value.
[0014] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for calibrating the
sensor grid based on the set of calibration values, where adjusting
the operating characteristic of the sensor grid may be further
based on the calibration.
[0015] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a
presence of a second protective layer in contact with the surface
of the capacitive touch screen based on the comparison, where
adjusting the operating characteristic of the sensor grid may be
further based on the presence of the protective layer and the
second protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen.
[0016] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
protective layer may be in contact with a first region of the
surface of the capacitive touch screen and the second protective
layer may be in contact with a second region of the surface of the
capacitive touch screen different from the first region.
[0017] Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory
computer-readable medium described herein may further include
operations, features, means, or instructions for measuring a touch
capacitance associated with a touch-point in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen, adding the touch
capacitance to the measured mutual capacitance, and comparing the
measured mutual capacitance including the touch capacitance to the
baseline mutual capacitance, where determining the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen may be further based on the comparison of the measured
mutual capacitance including the touch capacitance to the baseline
mutual capacitance.
[0018] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
protective layer includes at least one of a polyimide, a
polyethylene, a terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate
polyester, a polyurethane, or a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a
combination thereof.
[0019] In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and
non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the
baseline mutual capacitance may be a manufacturing defined mutual
capacitance associated with the set of conductive columns and the
set of conductive rows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system that supports
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen
in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a block diagram including a
device that supports detection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen in accordance with aspects of the present
disclosure.
[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method that supports
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen
in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0023] FIGS. 4 and 5 show block diagrams of devices that support
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen
in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an operations manager that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 7 shows a diagram of a system including a device that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIGS. 8 through 11 show flowcharts illustrating methods that
support detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] A device, for example, such as smartphones, may have an
interface allowing individuals to access features of the
smartphone. The interface may include, but is not limited to a
resistance touch-based interface, a capacitance touch-based
interface, a surface acoustic wave-based interface, an optical
touch-based interface, an electromagnetic guidance-based interface,
among others. In some examples, the device may have one or more
protective cover films (e.g., a transparent film) installed across
it to reduce possible damage to the interface. Although the one or
more protective cover films may reduce damage to the interface,
these films may disturb the functionality of one or more sensors
positioned below the interface.
[0028] To appreciate the benefits of the present disclosure and
address the shortcoming of standing techniques, the device may
support detection of one or more protective cover films present on
an interface of the device, and adjust an operating characteristic
of the one or more sensors positioned below the interface. For
example, the device may measure a mutual capacitance between a
subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with the one or more sensors underneath the interface,
and compare the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of
conductive columns or the subset of conductive rows to a baseline
mutual capacitance (e.g., a manufacturing defined mutual
capacitance) associated with the set of conductive columns and the
set of conductive rows. As a result, the device determine a
presence of a protective layer in contact with the interface, and
adjust a sensitivity or linearity of the one or more sensors.
[0029] Therefore, the techniques described herein may provide
improvements in detection of one or more protective cover films on
the interface associated with the device. Furthermore, the
techniques described herein may provide benefits and enhancements
to the operation of the device (e.g., improved sensitivity or
linearity of the one or more sensors associated with and underneath
the interface). For example, by supporting effective techniques for
detection of one or more protective cover films, the operational
characteristics, such as power consumption, processor utilization,
and memory usage of the device may be reduced. The techniques
described herein may also provide efficiency to the device by
reducing latency associated with processes related to the detection
of one or more protective cover films.
[0030] Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the
context of a wireless communications system. Aspects of the
disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference
to a device and methods that relate to detection of a protective
cover film on a capacitive touch screen. Aspects of the disclosure
are further illustrated by and described with reference to
apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen.
[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 that supports
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen
in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The system
100 may include devices 105, a server 110, and a database 115.
Although, the system 100 illustrates two devices 105, a single
server 110, a single database 115, and a single network 120, the
present disclosure applies to any system architecture having one or
more devices 105, servers 110, databases 115, and networks 120. The
devices 105, the server 110, and the database 115 may communicate
with each other and exchange information that supports detection of
a protective cover film on an interface of the devices 105, via
network 120 using communications links 125. In some cases, a
portion or all of the techniques described herein supporting
detection of a protective cover film on an interface may be
performed on the devices 105 or the server 110, or both.
[0032] The devices 105 may be a cellular phone, a smartphone, a
personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless communication device,
a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless
phone, a display device (e.g., monitors), and/or the like that
supports various types of communication and functional features
related to detection of a protective cover film on an interface for
example, transmitting, receiving, and storing calibration data 140,
protective film data 145, among other data. The devices 105 may,
additionally or alternatively, be referred to by those skilled in
the art as a user equipment (UE), a user device, a smartphone, a
Bluetooth device, a Wi-Fi device, a mobile station, a subscriber
station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a
remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless
communications device, a remote device, an access terminal, a
mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset,
a user agent, a mobile client, a client, and/or some other suitable
terminology. In some cases, the devices 105 may also be able to
communicate directly with another device (e.g., using a
peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocol). For
example, the devices 105 may be able to receive from or transmit to
another device 105 variety of information, such as instructions or
commands (e.g., calibration data 140, protective film data
145).
[0033] The devices 105 may include an operations manager 135.
While, the system 100 illustrates only one device 105 including the
operations manager 135, it may be an optional feature for the
devices 105. In some examples, the devices 105 may have an
application that may receive information (e.g., download) from the
server 110, database 115 or another device 115, or transmit (e.g.,
upload) calibration data 140, protective film data 145, among other
data to the server 110, the database 115, or to another device 115
via using communications links 125. The operations manager 135 may
measure a mutual capacitance between a subset of conductive columns
or a subset of conductive rows associated with a sensor grid
underneath a surface of an interface having a set of conductive
columns and a set of conductive rows. The interface may include,
but is not limited to a resistance touch-based interface, a
capacitance touch-based interface, a surface acoustic wave-based
interface, an optical touch-based interface, an electromagnetic
guidance-based interface, among others. The operations manager 135
may compare the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of
conductive columns or the subset of conductive rows to a baseline
mutual capacitance associated with the set of conductive columns
and the set of conductive rows, and determine a presence of a
protective layer in contact with the surface of the interface based
at least in part on the comparison. The protective layer may
include at least one of a polyimide, a polyethylene, a
terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate polyester, a
polyurethane, or a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a combination
thereof. As a result, the operations manager 135 may adjust an
operating characteristic of the sensor grid. The operating
characteristics of the sensor grid may include, but are not limited
to, a sensitivity of the sensor grid, a range of the sensor grid, a
resolution of the sensor grid, or a linearity of the sensor grid,
or any combination thereof. Therefore, the operations manager 135
may adjust a sensitivity, a range, a resolution, an accuracy, or a
linearity of the sensor grid. In some examples, the operations
manager 135 may adjust the operating characteristics of the sensor
grid including the sensitivity of the sensor grid, the range of the
sensor grid, the resolution of the sensor grid, or the linearity of
the sensor grid, or any combination thereof via an application
running on the device 105. For example, the operations manager 135
may adjust an operating characteristics of the sensor grid using a
lookup table that includes a set of operating characteristics
values for different protective layers, as well as thickness
associated with the corresponding protective layers.
[0034] A sensitivity of the sensor grid may be defined as a minimum
input of a physical parameter (e.g., a mutual capacitance, a touch
capacitance) that creates a detectable output range. In some
examples, the sensitivity may be defined as an input parameter
change required to produce a standardized output change. That is, a
mutual capacitance change for a given change in input parameter.
The operations manager 135 may adjust a sensitivity of the sensor
grid based on the protective layer in contact with the surface of
the interface. The operations manager 135 may consult a lookup
table that includes a set of sensitivity values for different
protective layers, as well as thickness associated with the
corresponding protective layers. Therefore, the operations manager
135 may adjust the sensitivity of the sensor grid according to the
protective layer, as well as the thickness associated with the
corresponding protective layer. For example, the operations manager
135 may correlate the protective layer to a sensitivity value for
the sensor grid, and adjust the sensitivity of the sensor grid
based on the sensitivity value.
[0035] A range of the sensor grid may be defined as the maximum and
minimum values of applied parameters (e.g., mutual capacitances)
that can be measured. The operations manager 135 may adjust a range
of the sensor grid based on the protective layer in contact with
the surface of the interface. The operations manager 135 may
consult a lookup table that includes a set of range values for
different protective layers, as well as thickness associated with
the corresponding protective layers. Therefore, the operations
manager 135 may adjust the range of the sensor grid according to
the protective layer, as well as the thickness associated with the
corresponding protective layer. For example, the operations manager
135 may correlate the protective layer to a range value for the
sensor grid, and adjust the range of the sensor grid based on the
range value.
[0036] A resolution of the sensor grid may be defined as the
smallest detectable incremental change of an input parameter (e.g.,
mutual capacitance, touch capacitance) that can be detected in an
output signal. The operations manager 135 may adjust a resolution
of the sensor grid based on the protective layer in contact with
the surface of the interface. The operations manager 135 may
consult a lookup table that includes a set of resolution values for
different protective layers, as well as thickness associated with
the corresponding protective layers. Therefore, the operations
manager 135 may adjust the resolution of the sensor grid according
to the protective layer, as well as the thickness associated with
the corresponding protective layer. For example, the operations
manager 135 may correlate the protective layer to a resolution
value for the sensor grid, and adjust the resolution of the sensor
grid based on the resolution value.
[0037] A linearity of the sensor grid may be defined as an
expression of the extent to which an actual measured curve of the
sensor grid departs from the ideal curve. The operations manager
135 may adjust a linearity of the sensor grid based on the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the interface. The
operations manager 135 may consult a lookup table that includes a
set of linearity values for different protective layers, as well as
thickness associated with the corresponding protective layers.
Therefore, the operations manager 135 may adjust the linearity of
the sensor grid according to the protective layer, as well as the
thickness associated with the corresponding protective layer. For
example, the operations manager 135 may correlate the protective
layer to a linearity value for the sensor grid, and adjust the
linearity of the sensor grid based on the linearity value. That is,
the operations manager 135 may adjust the extent to which the
actual measured curve of the sensor grid departs from the ideal
curve.
[0038] The operations manager 135 may be part of a general-purpose
processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing
unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microcontroller, an
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a
field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a discrete gate or transistor
logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination
thereof) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or
transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination
thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present
disclosure, and/or the like. For example, the operations manager
135 may process data (e.g., calibration data 140, protective film
data 145) from and/or write data (e.g., calibration data 140,
protective film data 145) to a local memory of the device 105 or to
the database 115.
[0039] The server 110 may be a data server, a cloud server, a proxy
server, a web server, an application server, a communications
server, a home server, a mobile server, or any combination thereof.
The server 110 may optionally store calibration data 140,
protective film data 145. The calibration data 140 or the
protective film data 145, or both may allow the devices 105 to
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with a
surface of an interface of the devices 105 (e.g., a capacitive
touch screen), which the devices 105 may use to adjust an operating
characteristic of a sensor grid underneath the surface of the
interface having a set of conductive columns and a set of
conductive rows. The server 110 may also transmit to the devices
105 a variety of information, such as instructions or commands, for
example such as calibration data 140, protective film data 145,
among other data.
[0040] The database 115 may store a variety of information, such as
instructions or commands (e.g., calibration data 140, protective
film data 145, among other data). For example, the database 115 may
optionally store calibration data 140, protective film data 145,
among other data. The devices 105 may retrieve the stored data from
the database 115 via the network 120 using communication links 125.
In some examples, the database 115 may be a relational database
(e.g., a relational database management system (RDBMS) or a
Structured Query Language (SQL) database), a non-relational
database, a network database, an object-oriented database, among
others that stores the variety of information, such as instructions
or commands (e.g., calibration information).
[0041] The network 120 may provide encryption, access
authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and
other access, computation, modification, and/or functions. Examples
of network 120 may include any combination of cloud networks, local
area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), virtual private
networks (VPN), wireless networks (using 802.11, for example),
cellular networks (using third generation (3G), fourth generation
(4G), long-term evolved (LTE), or new radio (NR) systems (e.g.,
fifth generation (5G) for example), etc. Network 120 may include
the Internet.
[0042] The communications links 125 shown in the system 100 may
include uplink transmissions from the device 105 to the server 110
and the database 115, and/or downlink transmissions, from the
server 110 and the database 115 to the device 105. The wireless
links 125 may transmit bidirectional communications and/or
unidirectional communications. In some examples, the communication
links 125 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection, or
both. For example, the communications links 125 may include one or
more connections, including but not limited to, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
Bluetooth low-energy (BLE), cellular, Z-WAVE, 802.11, peer-to-peer,
LAN, wireless local area network (WLAN), Ethernet, FireWire, fiber
optic, and/or other connection types related to wireless
communication systems.
[0043] The techniques described herein may provide improvements in
detection of a protective cover film on a surface of an interface
(e.g., a resistance touch-based interface, a capacitance
touch-based interface, a surface acoustic wave-based interface, an
optical touch-based interface, an electromagnetic guidance-based
interface, among others). Furthermore, the techniques described
herein may provide benefits and enhancements to the operation of
the devices 105 (e.g., improved sensitivity or linearity of a
sensor grid associated with the interface). By supporting efficient
and effective techniques for detection of a protective cover film,
the operational characteristics, such as power consumption,
processor utilization (e.g., CPU processing utilization), and
memory usage of the devices 105 may be reduced. For example, by use
of one or more lookup tables, the device 105 may identify
calibration values to improve the operability of the sensor grid
associated with the device 105 in an efficient manner; for example,
rather than having to calculate the calibration values itself. The
techniques described herein may also provide efficiency to the
devices 105 by reducing latency associated with processes related
to the detection of a protective cover film.
[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a block diagram 200
including a device 105-a that supports detection of a protective
cover film on a capacitive touch screen in accordance with aspects
of the present disclosure. The device 105-a may be examples of the
corresponding devices 105 described with reference to FIG. 1. The
device 105-a may include an interface 210, which may include, but
is not limited to a capacitance touch-based interface.
Alternatively, the interface 210 may include, but is not limited
to, a resistance touch-based interface, a capacitance touch-based
interface, a surface acoustic wave-based interface, an optical
touch-based interface, an electromagnetic guidance-based interface,
among others. In some examples, the device 105-a may implement
aspects of the system 100. For example, while generally robust, the
interface 210 may be susceptible to unforeseen damage. Therefore,
increasing demand for products protecting the interface 210 has
influenced the advances made to protective film manufacturing. In
the example of FIG. 2, the interface 210 may have one or more
protective cover films 215 (e.g., a transparent film) installed
across it to reduce damage to the interface 210 of the device
105-a. Although the one or more protective cover films 215 may
reduce damage to the interface 210, the one or more protective
cover films 215 may disturb the functionality of a sensor grid 205
(e.g., having one or more sensors) positioned below the interface
210.
[0045] The sensor grid 205 may have a certain geometrical grid
pattern that may have an effect on spatial accuracy and noise
resistance of touch sensing related to the interface 210. In
capacitance touch-based interface, the sensor grid 205 may include
a set of conductive columns 220 and a set of conductive rows 225.
In some examples, the set of conductive columns 220 or the set of
conductive rows 225, or both may be formed from an electrode having
same or different characteristics. In an example, the set of
conductive columns 220 may be formed of a positive electrode, while
the set of conductive rows 225 may be formed of a negative
electrode, or vice versa. Examples of positive electrode materials
may include LiCoO.sub.2, LiNi.sub.0.8Co.sub.0.15Al.sub.0.05O.sub.2,
LiNi.sub.1/3Mn.sub.1/3Co.sub.1/3O.sub.2, and LiFePO.sub.4, while
examples of negative electrode materials may include graphite and
Li.sub.4Ti.sub.5O.sub.12.
[0046] Some examples of surface capacitance sensor grids may
include projected capacitive touch (PCT), which may include
self-capacitance and mutual capacitance. For mutual capacitance,
the sensor grid 205 may have a capacitor 230 at each intersection
of each row and column of the sets. A voltage may be applied to the
columns 220 or the rows 225 of the set. By bringing a finger or
conductive stylus near a surface of the sensor underneath the
interface 210 may change a local electric field that may reduce a
mutual capacitance across a capacitor 230 at an intersection of a
column 220 and a row 225 of the set. The capacitance change at
every individual point on the sensor grid 205 may be measured to
accurately determine a touch location by measuring a voltage in the
other axis. As such, mutual capacitance allows multi-touch
operation where multiple fingers, palms or styli can be accurately
tracked at the same time. Alternatively, for self-capacitance, the
sensor grid 205 may also have a capacitor 230 at each intersection
of each column 220 and row 225 of the sets, however, in this case
the columns 220 and rows 225 may operate independently. That is,
with self-capacitance, the sensor gird 205 may sense a current on
the capacitive load of a finger on each column 220 or row 225 of
the set. This produces a higher signal than in the mutual
capacitance sensing, but it is unable to resolve accurately more
than one finger, which results in misplaced location sensing.
[0047] The device 105-a may determine a presence of one or more
protective cover films 215 in contact with a surface of the
interface 210 based on mutual capacitance measurements or
self-capacitance measurements. For example, the device 105-a may
measure a mutual capacitance between a subset of conductive columns
220 or a subset of conductive rows 225 associated with the sensor
grid 205. Upon measuring the mutual capacitance, the device 105-a
may compare the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of
conductive columns 220 or the subset of conductive rows 225 to a
baseline mutual capacitance. The baseline mutual capacitance may be
a manufacturing defined mutual capacitance associated with the set
of conductive columns 220 and the set of conductive rows 225. For
example, a manufacturing defined mutual capacitance may be a
baseline mutual capacitance value (e.g. in Farads) of a mutual
capacitance across a capacitor 230 at an intersection of each
column 220 and each row 225 of the set. In some examples, the
device 105-a may additionally, or alternatively measure a touch
capacitance associated with a touch-point in contact with the
surface of the interface 210. In this example, the device 105-a may
add the touch capacitance to the measured mutual capacitance, and
compare the measured mutual capacitance including the touch
capacitance to the baseline mutual capacitance.
[0048] According to the comparisons, the device 105-a may determine
a presence of the one or more protective cover films 215 in contact
with the surface of the interface 210. The one or more protective
cover films 215 may include a polyimide, a polyethylene, a
terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate polyester, a
polyurethane, or a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a combination
thereof. In some examples, the device 105-a may determine a
presence of multiple protective cover films 215 based on the
measured mutual capacitance. For example, the device 105-a may
determine a presence of a first protective cover film 215, or
additionally presence of a second protective cover film 215 in
contact with and above the first protective cover film 215. Each
additional layer of protective cover film 215 may affect (e.g.,
increase) the measured mutual capacitance, while each exclusion of
the protective cover film 215 may decrease the measured mutual
capacitance. In some examples, the first protective cover film 215
may be in contact with a first region of the surface of the
interface 210 and the second protective cover film 215 may be in
contact with a second region of the surface of the interface 210
different from the first region. That is, both the first protective
cover film 215 and the second protective cover film 215 may be on a
same level (e.g. layer, plane) of the surface of the interface 210,
but occupy different regions of the surface of the interface
210.
[0049] To mitigate the impact of the protective cover film(s) 215
on the functionality of the sensor grid 210, the device 105-a may
adjust an operating characteristic, such as sensitivity or
linearity, of the sensor grid 210. For example, the device 105-a
may identify a set of calibration values corresponding to the
protective cover film(s) 215, and adjust a sensitivity or linearity
of the sensor grid 210 using the set of calibration values. In some
examples, the device 105-a may map the measured mutual capacitance
to a first lookup entry in a set of lookup entries, and identify a
class of the protective cover film(s) 215. The set of lookup
entries may include a set of classes of protective layers and a
mutual capacitance corresponding to each class of protective
layers.
[0050] The device 105-a may also map the class of the protective
layer to a second lookup entry in the set of lookup entries. In
this example, the set of lookup entries may include a set of
calibration values to compensate for a difference between the
measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual capacitance. As
such, the device 105-a may adjust (e.g., calibrate) the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid 205 based on the class of the
protective layer and corresponding set of calibration values
associated with the class. In some examples, the set of lookup
entries may be part of a lookup table stored locally on the device
105-a. For example, a lookup table may be part of a relational
database, a non-relational database, among other databases that
stores a variety of information, such as instructions or commands
(e.g., classes of protective layers, calibration information).
[0051] In an example where multiple protective cover film(s) 215
may be in contact with a first region of the surface of the
interface 210 and the second protective cover film 215 may be in
contact with a second region of the surface of the interface 210
different from the first region. That is, both the first protective
cover film 215 and the second protective cover film 215 may be on a
same level (e.g. layer, plane) of the surface of the interface 210,
but occupy different regions of the surface of the interface 210,
the device 105-a may adjust (e.g., calibrate) the operating
characteristic of the sensor grid 205 based on the class of each
corresponding protective cover film 215 and corresponding set of
calibration values associated with the class for the individual
cover film 215. For example, the first protective cover film 215
may be associated with a first class of and a first set of
calibration values associated with the first class, while the
second protective cover film 215 may be associated with a second
class of and a second set of calibration values associated with the
second class.
[0052] In some examples, the device 105-a may determine an
effective mutual capacitance associated with the multiple
protective cover film(s) 215 to perform the mapping. The device
105-a may also determine the presence of multiple protective cover
film(s) 215 based on detection of a marker (e.g., an elemental
marker), which can be used by the device 105-a to identity a
material (e.g., a polyimide, a polyethylene, a terephthalate, a
polyethylene terephthalate polyester, a polyurethane, or a pressure
sensitive adhesive) of each protective cover film(s) 215. As a
result, the device 105-a may determine presence of multiple
protective cover film(s) 215 and whether the protective cover
film(s) 215 are formed of a same or different material, for
example, based on detection of a marker.
[0053] In some examples, the device 105-a may map the measured
mutual capacitance to a second lookup entry in the set of lookup
entries. This set of lookup entries may include a layer thickness
corresponding to the mutual capacitance of each class of protective
layers, which the device 105-a may use to estimate a layer
thickness of the protective cover film(s) 215. The device 105-a may
use the estimated layer thickness to map to a third lookup entry in
the set of lookup entries, which may include a set of calibration
values to compensate for a difference between the measured mutual
capacitance and the baseline mutual capacitance. As such, the
device 105-a may additionally, or alternatively calibrate the
sensor grid 205 according to an estimated layer thickness of the
protective cover film(s) 215 and related set of calibration values
for the thickness. In some examples, the device 105-a may drive
frequencies to better map effective thickness and material of the
protective cover film(s) 215. For example, the device 105-a may
evaluate the amount of absorption, reflection, and transmission of
a signal (e.g., sound signal) at different frequencies to determine
the effective thickness and material of the protective cover
film(s) 215. An amount of absorption, reflection, and transmission
may map to a certain effective thickness and material of the
protective cover film(s) 215 in a set of lookup entries. The device
105-a may use the effective thickness and material to map to
another lookup entry in the set of lookup entries, which may
include a set of calibration values to compensate for a difference
between the measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual
capacitance.
[0054] In some examples, temperature changes may have a similar or
even greater effect on the mutual capacitance than just presence of
the protective cover film(s) 215, making temperature monitoring and
calibration compensation desirable. To mitigate the impact of
temperature changes on the functionality of the sensor grid 210,
the device 105-a may account for the temperature changes to
calibrate the sensor gird 210. For example, the device 105-a may
determine an ambient temperature associated with the measured
mutual capacitance between the subset of conductive columns 220 and
the subset of conductive rows 225, and compare the ambient
temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance to a
baseline temperature associated with the baseline mutual
capacitance. In some examples, the device 105-a may determine a
mutual capacitance offset value based on the comparison, and map
the mutual capacitance offset value to a second lookup entry in the
set of lookup entries. In this example, the set of lookup entries
may include a set of calibration values to compensate for the
mutual capacitance offset value associated with a difference
between the ambient temperature associated with the measured mutual
capacitance and the baseline temperature associated with the
baseline mutual capacitance. Therefore, the device 105-a may adjust
an operating characteristic of the sensor grid 205, for example,
such as a sensitivity or linearity of the sensor grid 205 according
to the mutual capacitance offset value and the corresponding set of
calibration values.
[0055] The techniques described herein may provide improvements in
detection of one or more protective cover film(s) 215 on a surface
of the interface 210 associated with the device 105-a. Furthermore,
the techniques described herein may provide benefits and
enhancements to the operation of the device 105-a (e.g., improved
sensitivity or linearity of a sensor grid associated with and
underneath the interface 210). For example, by supporting efficient
and effective techniques for detection of one or more protective
cover film(s) 215, the operational characteristics, such as power
consumption, processor utilization, and memory usage of the device
105-a may be reduced. The techniques described herein may also
provide efficiency to the device 105-a by reducing latency
associated with processes related to the detection of one or more
protective cover film(s) 210.
[0056] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 that supports
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen
in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some
examples, the method 300 may support autodetection of a protective
cover film on a capacitive touch screen and an autocalibration
technique. The operations of method 300 may be implemented by a
device or its components as described herein. For example, the
operations of method 300 may be performed by a device 105-b or an
operations manager 135 as described with reference to FIG. 1. In
some examples, the device 105-b may execute a set of instructions
to control the functional elements of the device 105-b, as
described with reference to FIG. 1, to perform the functions
described below. Additionally or alternatively, the device 105-b
may perform aspects of the functions described below using
special-purpose hardware. Certain operations may also be left out
of the method 300, or other operations may be added to the method
300.
[0057] At 305, the device 105-b may perform a factory calibration
with protective cover film on a surface of a capacitive touch
screen having a sensor grid underneath the surface. At 310, the
device 105-b may perform auto-detection to detect the protective
cover film on the surface using a touch screen sensor underneath
the surface of the capacitive touch screen.
[0058] At 315, the device 105-b may perform a first
auto-calibration by applying a first set of sensor tuning offset
values retrieved from memory, for example, as described in FIG. 2
with reference to a set of lookup entries.
[0059] At 320, the device 105-b may determine an image quality (IQ)
value associated with the sensor grid. For example, the device
105-b may determine the IQ value using one or more image processing
techniques. In image processing terms, with reference to FIG. 2,
self-capacitance sensors rely on projections much like tomographic
imaging, while mutual capacitance sensors are true pixel array
designs capable of forming an image directly. Therefore, the device
105-b may determine presence of a protective cover film on the
surface of capacitive touch screen based on an image associated
with the sensor grid and the surface of the capacitive touch screen
surface. For example, the device 105-b may compare a baseline image
associated with a mutual capacitance of the sensor grid without a
protective cover film on the surface of the capacitive touch
screen, and a captured image with a protective cover film on the
surface of the capacitive touch screen.
[0060] At 325, the device 105-b may perform a second
auto-calibration by applying a second set of sensor tuning offset
values retrieved from memory. For example, the device 105-b may
perform the second auto-calibration based on the IQ value being
below a threshold. Otherwise, if the IQ value is equal to or
greater than the threshold, at 330, the device 105-b may confirm
calibration and match based on matching a regular version and an
inverted version of an image of the sensor grid.
[0061] Accordingly, the method 300 may provide improvements in
detection of one or more protective cover film(s) on a surface of
capacitive touch screen associated with the device 105-b. The
method 300 may also provide benefits and enhancements to the
operation of the device 105-b (e.g., improved sensitivity or
linearity of a sensor grid associated with and underneath the
capacitive touch screen). For example, by supporting efficient and
effective techniques for detection of one or more protective cover
film(s), the operational characteristics, such as power consumption
and processor utilization, of a sensor grid associated with the
device 105-b may be reduced.
[0062] Although the method 300 is described in context of using
image processing techniques, other techniques may additionally, or
alternatively be supported by the device 105-b to support
autodetection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen and an autocalibration technique. For example, the device
105-b may support QFS-D background image techniques such as, film
signature in air image (e.g., frame, horizontal, vertical lines,
other patterns), BGE basis comparison, BG signal phase, and
differential BG images (e.g., RGD1-RGD2, among others. In another
example, the device 105-b may support QFS-D finger image techniques
such as, US finger-detection method for screen signatures, scanning
different tuned conditions and detection of a best IQ value,
autofocus techniques (e.g., factory calibration with and without
offset), determining for FP IQ signature (e.g., IQ metrics, phase),
and thermal response, among others. In further examples, the device
105-b may support autodetection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen and an autocalibration technique based on
external input (e.g., user input, markers on protective cover films
(e.g., magnetic, RFID, etc.), among others.
[0063] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram 400 of a device 405 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
device 405 may be an example of aspects of a device as described
herein. The device 405 may include a receiver 410, an operations
manager 415, and a transmitter 420. The device 405 may also include
a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with
one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
[0064] The receiver 410 may receive information such as packets,
user data, or control information associated with various
information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and
information related to detection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen, etc.). Information may be passed on to
other components of the device 405. The receiver 410 may be an
example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference
to FIG. 7. The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or a set
of antennas.
[0065] The operations manager 415 may measure a mutual capacitance
between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive
rows associated with a sensor grid, compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows,
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with the
surface of the capacitive touch screen based on the comparison, and
adjust an operating characteristic of the sensor grid based on the
presence of the protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen. The operations manager 415 may be an
example of aspects of the operations manager 710 described
herein.
[0066] The operations manager 415, or its sub-components, may be
implemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed
by a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code
executed by a processor, the functions of the operations manager
415, or its sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose
processor, a DSP, an application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), a FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or
transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination
thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present
disclosure.
[0067] The operations manager 415, or its sub-components, may be
physically located at various positions, including being
distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at
different physical locations by one or more physical components. In
some examples, the operations manager 415, or its sub-components,
may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various
aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the operations
manager 415, or its sub-components, may be combined with one or
more other hardware components, including but not limited to an
input/output (I/O) component, a transceiver, a network server,
another computing device, one or more other components described in
the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with
various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0068] The transmitter 420 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device 405. In some examples, the transmitter 420
may be collocated with a receiver 410 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 420 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 720 described with reference to FIG. 7. The transmitter
420 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.
[0069] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a device 505 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
device 505 may be an example of aspects of a device 405 or a device
115 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510,
an operations manager 515, and a transmitter 540. The device 505
may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in
communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
[0070] The receiver 510 may receive information such as packets,
user data, or control information associated with various
information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and
information related to detection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen, etc.). Information may be passed on to
other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be an
example of aspects of the transceiver 720 described with reference
to FIG. 7. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set
of antennas.
[0071] The operations manager 515 may be an example of aspects of
the operations manager 415 as described herein. The operations
manager 515 may include a measurement component 520, a comparison
component 525, a determination component 530, and an adjustment
component 535. The operations manager 515 may be an example of
aspects of the operations manager 710 described herein.
[0072] The measurement component 520 may measure a mutual
capacitance between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of
conductive rows associated with a sensor grid. The comparison
component 525 may compare the measured mutual capacitance between
the subset of conductive columns or the subset of conductive rows
to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with the set of
conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. The
determination component 530 may determine a presence of a
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen based on the comparison. The adjustment component 535
may adjust an operating characteristic of the sensor grid based on
the presence of the protective layer in contact with the surface of
the capacitive touch screen.
[0073] The transmitter 540 may transmit signals generated by other
components of the device 505. In some examples, the transmitter 540
may be collocated with a receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For
example, the transmitter 540 may be an example of aspects of the
transceiver 720 described with reference to FIG. 7. The transmitter
540 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.
[0074] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of an operations manager
605 that supports detection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen in accordance with aspects of the present
disclosure. The operations manager 605 may be an example of aspects
of an operations manager 415, an operations manager 515, or an
operations manager 710 described herein. The operations manager 605
may include a measurement component 610, a comparison component
615, a determination component 620, an adjustment component 625, an
identification component 630, and a mapping component 635. Each of
these modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one
another (e.g., via one or more buses).
[0075] The measurement component 610 may measure a mutual
capacitance between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of
conductive rows associated with a sensor grid underneath a surface
of a capacitive touch screen. In some examples, the measurement
component 610 may determine an ambient temperature associated with
the measured mutual capacitance between the subset of conductive
columns or the subset of conductive rows. In some examples, the
measurement component 610 may measure a touch capacitance
associated with a touch-point in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen. In some examples, the measurement
component 610 may add the touch capacitance to the measured mutual
capacitance.
[0076] The comparison component 615 may compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. In
some examples, the comparison component 615 may compare the ambient
temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance to a
baseline temperature associated with the baseline mutual
capacitance, where adjusting an operating characteristic of the
sensor grid may be based on the comparison between the ambient
temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance and the
baseline temperature associated with the baseline mutual
capacitance. In some examples, the comparison component 615 may
compare the measured mutual capacitance including the touch
capacitance to the baseline mutual capacitance, where determining a
presence of a protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen may be based on the comparison of the
measured mutual capacitance including the touch capacitance to the
baseline mutual capacitance. In some cases, the baseline mutual
capacitance may be a manufacturing defined mutual capacitance
associated with the set of conductive columns and the set of
conductive rows.
[0077] The determination component 620 may determine a presence of
a protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen based on the comparison. In some examples, the
determination component 620 may determine a mutual capacitance
offset value based on the comparison. In some examples, the
determination component 620 may determine a presence of a second
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen based on the comparison, where adjusting an operating
characteristic of the sensor grid is further based on the presence
of the protective layer and the second protective layer in contact
with the surface of the capacitive touch screen. In some cases, the
protective layer may be in contact with a first region of the
surface of the capacitive touch screen and the second protective
layer may be in contact with a second region of the surface of the
capacitive touch screen different from the first region. In some
cases, the protective layer includes at least one of a polyimide, a
polyethylene, a terephthalate, a polyethylene terephthalate
polyester, a polyurethane, or a pressure sensitive adhesive, or a
combination thereof.
[0078] The adjustment component 625 may adjust an operating
characteristic of the sensor grid based on the presence of the
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen. In some examples, the adjustment component 625 may
adjust a sensitivity or linearity of the sensor grid based on the
set of calibration values. In some examples, the adjustment
component 625 may calibrate the sensor grid based on the set of
calibration values, where adjusting the operating characteristic of
the sensor grid is further based on the calibration.
[0079] The identification component 630 may identify a set of
calibration values corresponding to the protective layer. In some
examples, the identification component 630 may identify a class of
the protective layer based on the mapping, where adjusting the
operating characteristic of the sensor grid is further based on the
class of the protective layer. In some examples, the identification
component 630 may estimate a layer thickness of the protective
layer based on the mapping, where identifying the class of the
protective layer is further based on the estimated thickness of the
protective layer.
[0080] The mapping component 635 may map the measured mutual
capacitance to a first lookup entry in a set of lookup entries,
where the set of lookup entries includes a set of classes of
protective layers and a mutual capacitance corresponding to each
class of protective layers. In some examples, mapping the class of
the protective layer to a second lookup entry in the set of lookup
entries, where the set of lookup entries includes a set of
calibration values to compensate for a difference between the
measured mutual capacitance and the baseline mutual capacitance. In
some examples, mapping the measured mutual capacitance to a second
lookup entry in the set of lookup entries, where the set of lookup
entries includes a layer thickness corresponding to the mutual
capacitance of each class of protective layers. In some examples,
mapping the estimated layer thickness of the protective layer to a
third lookup entry in the set of lookup entries, where the set of
lookup entries further includes a set of calibration values to
compensate for a difference between the measured mutual capacitance
and the baseline mutual capacitance. In some examples, mapping the
mutual capacitance offset value to a second lookup entry in the set
of lookup entries, where the set of lookup entries includes a set
of calibration values to compensate for the mutual capacitance
offset value associated with a difference between the ambient
temperature associated with the measured mutual capacitance and the
baseline temperature associated with the baseline mutual
capacitance, where adjusting the operating characteristic of the
sensor grid is further based on the mutual capacitance offset
value.
[0081] FIG. 7 shows a diagram of a system 700 including a device
705 that supports detection of a protective cover film on a
capacitive touch screen in accordance with aspects of the present
disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of or include the
components of device 405, device 505, or a device as described
herein. The device 705 may include components for bi-directional
voice and data communications including components for transmitting
and receiving communications, including an operations manager 710,
an I/O controller 715, a transceiver 720, an antenna 725, memory
730, a processor 740, and a display 745. These components may be in
electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 750).
[0082] The operations manager 710 may measure a mutual capacitance
between a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive
rows associated with a sensor grid, compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows,
determine a presence of a protective layer in contact with a
surface of the capacitive touch screen based on the comparison, and
adjust an operating characteristic of the sensor grid based on the
presence of the protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen.
[0083] The I/O controller 715 may manage input and output signals
for the device 705. The I/O controller 715 may also manage
peripherals not integrated into the device 705. In some cases, the
I/O controller 715 may represent a physical connection or port to
an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 715 may
utilize an operating system such as iOS.RTM., ANDROID.RTM.,
MS-DOS.RTM., MS-WINDOWS.RTM., OS/2.RTM., UNIX.RTM., LINUX.RTM., or
another known operating system. In other cases, the I/O controller
715 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a
touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller
715 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a
user may interact with the device 705 via the I/O controller 715 or
via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 715.
[0084] The transceiver 720 may communicate bi-directionally, via
one or more antennas, wired, or wireless links as described above.
For example, the transceiver 720 may represent a wireless
transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another
wireless transceiver. The transceiver 720 may also include a modem
to modulate the packets and provide the modulated packets to the
antennas for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from
the antennas. In some cases, the device 705 may include a single
antenna 725. However, in some cases the device 705 may have more
than one antenna 725, which may be capable of concurrently
transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.
[0085] The memory 730 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 730 may
store computer-readable, computer-executable code 735 including
instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform
various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 730
may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic
hardware or software operation such as the interaction with
peripheral components or devices.
[0086] The code 735 may include instructions to implement aspects
of the present disclosure, including instructions to support
detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen.
The code 735 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable
medium such as system memory or other type of memory. In some
cases, the code 735 may not be directly executable by the processor
740 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to
perform functions described herein.
[0087] The processor 740 may include an intelligent hardware
device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a
microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a
discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware
component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the
processor 740 may be configured to operate a memory array using a
memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be
integrated into the processor 740. The processor 740 may be
configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a
memory (e.g., the memory 730) to cause the device 705 to perform
various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting detection of
a protective cover film on a capacitive touch screen).
[0088] The display 745 may be a resistance touch-based interface, a
capacitance touch-based interface, a surface acoustic wave-based
interface, an optical touch-based interface, an electromagnetic
guidance-based interface, among others. In some examples, the
display 745 may have a surface and a sensor grid underneath the
surface having a set of conductive columns and a set of conductive
rows. In some examples, the display 745 may include a
liquid-crystal display (LCD), a LED display, an organic LED (OLED),
an active-matrix OLED (AMOLED), or the like. In some examples, the
display 745 and I/O component 645 may be or represent aspects of a
same component (e.g., a touchscreen) of the device 705.
[0089] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 800 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
operations of method 800 may be implemented by a device or its
components as described herein. For example, the operations of
method 800 may be performed by an operations manager as described
with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7. In some examples, a device may
execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of
the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally
or alternatively, a device may perform aspects of the functions
described below using special-purpose hardware.
[0090] At 805, the device may measure a mutual capacitance between
a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with a sensor grid. The operations of 805 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 805 may be performed by a
measurement component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0091] At 810, the device may compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. The
operations of 810 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
810 may be performed by a comparison component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0092] At 815, the device may determine a presence of a protective
layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch screen
based on the comparison. The operations of 815 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 815 may be performed by a
determination component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0093] At 820, the device may adjust an operating characteristic of
the sensor grid based on the presence of the protective layer in
contact with the surface of the capacitive touch screen. The
operations of 820 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
820 may be performed by an adjustment component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0094] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 900 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
operations of method 900 may be implemented by a device or its
components as described herein. For example, the operations of
method 900 may be performed by an operations manager as described
with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7. In some examples, a device may
execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of
the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally
or alternatively, a device may perform aspects of the functions
described below using special-purpose hardware.
[0095] At 905, the device may measure a mutual capacitance between
a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with a sensor grid. The operations of 905 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 905 may be performed by a
measurement component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0096] At 910, the device may compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. The
operations of 910 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
910 may be performed by a comparison component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0097] At 915, the device may determine a presence of a protective
layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch screen
based on the comparison. The operations of 915 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 915 may be performed by a
determination component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0098] At 920, the device may identify a set of calibration values
corresponding to the protective layer. The operations of 920 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 920 may be performed by an
identification component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0099] At 925, the device may adjust a sensitivity or linearity of
the sensor grid based on the set of calibration values. The
operations of 925 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
925 may be performed by an adjustment component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0100] FIG. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1000 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
operations of method 1000 may be implemented by a device or its
components as described herein. For example, the operations of
method 1000 may be performed by an operations manager as described
with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7. In some examples, a device may
execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of
the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally
or alternatively, a device may perform aspects of the functions
described below using special-purpose hardware.
[0101] At 1005, the device may measure a mutual capacitance between
a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with a sensor grid. The operations of 1005 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 1005 may be performed by a
measurement component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0102] At 1010, the device may compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. The
operations of 1010 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
1010 may be performed by a comparison component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0103] At 1015, the device may determine a presence of a protective
layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch screen
based on the comparison. The operations of 1015 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 1015 may be performed by a
determination component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0104] At 1020, the device may determine a presence of a second
protective layer in contact with the surface of the capacitive
touch screen based on the comparison. The operations of 1020 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 1020 may be performed by a
determination component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0105] At 1025, the device may adjust an operating characteristic
of the sensor grid based on the presence of the protective layer
and the second protective layer in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen. The operations of 1025 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 1025 may be performed by an adjustment
component as described with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0106] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1100 that
supports detection of a protective cover film on a capacitive touch
screen in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The
operations of method 1100 may be implemented by a device or its
components as described herein. For example, the operations of
method 1100 may be performed by an operations manager as described
with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7. In some examples, a device may
execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of
the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally
or alternatively, a device may perform aspects of the functions
described below using special-purpose hardware.
[0107] At 1105, the device may measure a mutual capacitance between
a subset of conductive columns or a subset of conductive rows
associated with a sensor grid. The operations of 1105 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 1105 may be performed by a
measurement component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0108] At 1110, the device may measure a touch capacitance
associated with a touch-point in contact with the surface of the
capacitive touch screen. The operations of 1110 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 1110 may be performed by a measurement
component as described with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0109] At 1115, the device may add the touch capacitance to the
measured mutual capacitance. The operations of 1115 may be
performed according to the methods described herein. In some
examples, aspects of the operations of 1115 may be performed by a
measurement component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0110] At 1120, the device may compare the measured mutual
capacitance between the subset of conductive columns or the subset
of conductive rows to a baseline mutual capacitance associated with
the set of conductive columns and the set of conductive rows. The
operations of 1120 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
1120 may be performed by a comparison component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0111] At 1125, the device may compare the measured mutual
capacitance including the touch capacitance to the baseline mutual
capacitance. The operations of 1125 may be performed according to
the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the
operations of 1125 may be performed by a comparison component as
described with reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0112] At 1130, the device may determine a presence of a protective
layer in contact with a surface of the capacitive touch screen
based on the comparisons. The operations of 1130 may be performed
according to the methods described herein. In some examples,
aspects of the operations of 1130 may be performed by a
determination component as described with reference to FIGS. 4
through 7.
[0113] At 1135, the device may adjust an operating characteristic
of the sensor grid based on the presence of the protective layer in
contact with the surface of the capacitive touch screen. The
operations of 1135 may be performed according to the methods
described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of
1135 may be performed by an adjustment component as described with
reference to FIGS. 4 through 7.
[0114] It should be noted that the methods described herein
describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the
steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other
implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of
the methods may be combined.
[0115] The description herein provides examples, and is not
limiting of the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the
claims. Changes may be made in the function and arrangement of
elements discussed without departing from the scope of the
disclosure. Various examples may omit, substitute, or add various
procedures or components as appropriate. Also, features described
with respect to some examples may be combined in other
examples.
[0116] Information and signals described herein may be represented
using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques.
For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals,
bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the
description may be represented by voltages, currents,
electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields
or particles, or any combination thereof.
[0117] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in
connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or
performed with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an
FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or
transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination
thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A
general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the
alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,
controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also
be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a
combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple
microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a
DSP core, or any other such configuration).
[0118] The functions described herein may be implemented in
hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any
combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a
processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as
one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.
Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the
disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of
software, functions described herein can be implemented using
software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring,
or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions
may also be physically located at various positions, including
being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented
at different physical locations.
[0119] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory
computer storage media and communication media including any medium
that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to
another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available
medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose
computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory
computer-readable media may include random-access memory (RAM),
read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM
(EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk
storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,
or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or
store desired program code means in the form of instructions or
data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or
special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose
processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a
computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is
transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a
coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber
line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and
microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,
DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and
microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc,
as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital
versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks
usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data
optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included
within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0120] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a
list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as
"at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list
such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means
A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also,
as used herein, the phrase "based on" shall not be construed as a
reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary
step that is described as "based on condition A" may be based on
both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the
scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein,
the phrase "based on" shall be construed in the same manner as the
phrase "based at least in part on."
[0121] The phrase "coupled between" may refer to an order of
components in relation to each other, and may refer to an
electrical coupling. In one example, a component "B" that is
electrically coupled between a component "A" and a component "C"
may refer to an order of components of "A-B-C" or "C-B-A" in an
electrical sense. In other words, electrical signals (e.g.,
voltage, charge, current) may be passed from component A to
component C by way of component B. A description of a component B
being "coupled between" component A and component C should not
necessarily be interpreted as precluding other intervening
components in the described order. For example, a component "D" may
be coupled between the described component A and component B (e.g.,
referring to an order of components of "A-D-B-C" or "C-B-D-A" as
examples), while still supporting component B being electrically
coupled between component A and component C. In other words, the
use of the phrase "coupled between" should not be construed as
necessarily referencing an exclusive sequential order. Further, a
description of component B being "coupled between" component A and
component C does not preclude a second, different coupling between
component A and component C. For example, component A and component
C may be coupled with each other in a separate coupling that is
electrically parallel with a coupling via component B. In another
example, component A and component C may be coupled via another
component "E" (e.g., component B being coupled between component A
and component C and component E being coupled between component A
and component C). In other words, the use of the phrase "coupled
between" should not be construed as an exclusive coupling between
components.
[0122] The term "layer" used herein refers to a stratum or sheet of
a geometrical structure. Each layer may have three dimensions
(e.g., height, width, and depth) and may cover some or all of a
surface. For example, a layer may be a three-dimensional structure
where two dimensions are greater than a third, such as a thin-film.
Layers may include different elements, components, and/or
materials. In some cases, one layer may be composed of two or more
sublayers. In some of the appended figures, two dimensions of a
three-dimensional layer are depicted for purposes of illustration.
Those skilled in the art will, however, recognize that the layers
are three-dimensional in nature.
[0123] In the appended figures, similar components or features may
have the same reference label. Further, various components of the
same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by
a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar
components. If just the first reference label is used in the
specification, the description is applicable to any one of the
similar components having the same first reference label
irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent
reference label.
[0124] The description set forth herein, in connection with the
appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not
represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are
within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" used herein
means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not
"preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed
description includes specific details for the purpose of providing
an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques,
however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some
instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block
diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the
described examples.
[0125] As used herein, the phrase "based on" shall not be construed
as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an
exemplary step that is described as "based on condition A" may be
based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing
from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used
herein, the phrase "based on" shall be construed in the same manner
as the phrase "based at least in part on."
[0126] The description herein is provided to enable a person
skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various
modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those
skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may
be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of
the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples
and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest
scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed
herein.
* * * * *