US 11,698,697 B2
Multichannel capacitive sensor device
Chaouki Rouaissia, Neuchâtel (CH); and Pascal Monney, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Semtech Corporation, Camarillo, CA (US)
Filed by Semtech Corporation, Camarillo, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/688,300.
Claims priority of application No. 21169081 (EP), filed on Apr. 19, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0334672 A1, Oct. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 3/041 (2006.01); G06F 3/044 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/0418 (2013.01) [G06F 3/044 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04107 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04108 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A capacitive sensor device comprising a capacitance-measuring circuit, a plurality of sense inputs and a reference input, each sense input being connectable to a sense electrode, the capacitive sensor device being configured, in a first measurement mode, for driving the reference input to be equipotential with one of the sense inputs that is measured by the capacitance-measuring circuit and determine a value of the capacitance seen by the sense input that is measured unaffected by any capacitance between the sense input that is measured and the reference input, and, in a second measurement mode, for measuring the capacitance seen at the reference input with the capacitance-measuring circuit while holding one sense input to ground and driving other sense inputs to be equipotential with the reference input, determining a value of the reference capacitor connected between the reference input and the sense input that is held to ground unaffected by any capacitance between the reference input and sense inputs that are driven to be equipotential to the reference input.