System and method for orchestrating capacitive touch input sensors at top and side surfaces of an information handling system base chassis for computing device control based on configurational position
An information handling system operating capacitive sensor pads based on chassis orientation may comprise a touch input sensing hardware structure including top and side capacitive sensor pads formed under a base chassis exterior touch input top surface and internal to a base chassis sidewall input surface, respectively, each with a grounding layer and active shielding layer. A capacitive sensor microprocessor operably coupled to the top and side capacitive sensor pads executing machine readable code instructions to disable the side capacitive sensor pads when a chassis positional configuration sensor detects that the clamshell chassis is in an open configuration and to disable the top capacitive sensor pads when the clam shell chassis is in a closed configuration to adjust detection of a capacitive change from user interaction with the base chassis for identifying a user input of an input/output command for an input/output device.
1 . An information handling system in a clamshell chassis having plural chassis touch input sensing hardware structures to capacitively detect a user interaction as user input comprising:
a hardware processor, a data storage device, and a power management unit (PMU) to provide power to the hardware processor and data storage device disposed in a base chassis portion of the clamshell chassis;
a first chassis touch input sensing hardware structure including a top capacitive sensor pad in a top capacitive pads layer formed under a base chassis exterior touch input top surface of the base chassis with a grounding layer and a top active shielding layer between the top capacitive sensor pad and the grounding layer;
a second chassis touch input sensing hardware structure including a side capacitive sensor pad in a side capacitive pads layer formed interior to a base chassis sidewall touch input surface of the base chassis with the grounding layer and a side active shielding layer between the side capacitive sensor pad and the grounding layer, wherein the top capacitive pads layer and the side capacitive pads layer are operably coupled to a capacitive sensor microprocessor;
a chassis positional configuration sensor to detect that a display chassis of the clamshell chassis housing a digital display device is in an open configuration;
the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to disable the side capacitive sensor pad as a function of lid position to cease detecting capacitive changes from the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface and to detect a capacitive change from the user interaction with a base chassis exterior touch input top surface situated above the top capacitive sensor pad to associate the detected capacitive changes with an input/output (IO) command for an IO device situated beneath the top capacitive sensor pad in the base chassis; and
the hardware processor to execute the IO command to direct a functionality of the IO device.
2 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to operate the side active shielding layer as a grounding element to disable a plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer by reducing voltage to side active shielding pads of the side active shielding layer such that the side active shielding pads stop shielding parasitic capacitance grounding of the side capacitive pads layer to the grounding layer, thereby reducing the capacitive sensing field of the side capacitive pads layer from capacitively detecting the user interaction.
3 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to place the side active shielding layer in a high impedance state to disable a plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer by maximizing impedance and reducing voltage to side active shielding pads of the side active shielding layer such that the side active shielding pads stop shielding parasitic capacitance grounding of the side capacitive pads layer to the grounding layer, thereby reducing the capacitive sensing field of the side capacitive pads layer from capacitively detecting the user interaction.
4 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to disable a plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer by switching side active shielding pads of the side active shielding layer to a ground source such that the side active shielding pads cause parasitic capacitance grounding of the side capacitive pads layer to the grounded side active shielding layer thereby reducing the capacitive sensing field of the side capacitive pads layer from capacitively detecting the user interaction.
5 . The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the chassis positional configuration sensor to detect that the display chassis of the clamshell chassis is in a closed configuration; and the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to disable the top capacitive sensor pad to cease detecting capacitive changes from the user interaction with the base chassis exterior touch input top surface and to detect a capacitive change from the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface situated exterior to the side capacitive sensor pad to associate the detected capacitive changes with the input/output (IO) command for the IO device situated internal to the side capacitive sensor pad in the base chassis.
6 . The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the user interaction with the base chassis exterior touch input top surface is the user touching a finger at a portion of the base chassis exterior touch input top surface that is co-located with the IO device to power the IO device on or off.
7 . The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the top capacitive sensor pad is a carbon-based conductive deposit on a first chassis touch input sensing hardware structure substrate installed under the base chassis exterior touch input top surface and the side capacitive sensor pad is a carbon based conductive deposit on a second chassis touch input sensing hardware structure substrate installed interior to the base chassis sidewall input surface.
8 . A method of orchestrating operation of plural touch input sensing hardware structures of an information handling system with a clamshell chassis to detect a user interaction based on chassis orientation comprising:
detecting, via a chassis positional configuration sensor, that a display chassis is in a closed configuration relative to a base chassis of the clamshell chassis;
placing a top shielding layer internal to a top capacitive pads layer at a first chassis touch input sensing hardware structure formed under a base chassis exterior touch input top surface of the base chassis in a predefined ground state or a high impedance state, via a capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to minimize voltage at or switching to ground the top shielding layer and to reduce a capacitive sensing field of a plurality of top capacitive sensor pads of the top capacitive pads layer;
detecting user touch inputs of a user interaction via capacitive change level detected at a side capacitive pads layer having a plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of a second chassis touch input sensing hardware structure and formed interior to a base chassis sidewall input surface via a capacitive sensor microprocessor when the clamshell chassis is in the closed configuration;
associating, via the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured of a capacitive sensor driver, the detected capacitive change level from at least one side capacitive sensor pad with an input/output (IO) command for an IO device situated internal to the at least one side capacitive sensor pad; and
directing functionality of the IO device, via a hardware processor executing the IO command.
9 . The method of claim 8 further comprising: receiving input, via the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured of a capacitive sensor driver operatively coupled to the side capacitive pads layer from the plurality of side capacitive sensor pads to detect changes in capacitance levels without physical contact by the user at the base chassis sidewall touch input surface.
10 . The method of claim 8 further comprising: placing a side active shielding layer of the second chassis touch input sensing hardware structure internal to the base chassis sidewall touch input surface in a predefined ground state or a high impedance state, via a capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to minimize voltage at or switching to ground the side shielding layer when the clamshell chassis is in the open configuration, to reduce the capacitive sensing field of the plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer; and detecting user touch inputs of the user interaction via capacitive change level detected at top capacitive pads layer having the plurality of top capacitive sensor pads of the first chassis touch input sensing hardware structure formed under the base chassis exterior touch input top surface via the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured of the capacitive sensor driver firmware to place the first active shielding layer in a shield state by providing voltage to the first active shielding layer.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the IO device is a trackpad and the user interaction with the base chassis exterior touch input top surface is the user touching a finger at a portion of the base chassis exterior touch input top surface nearest the trackpad to move a cursor.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the IO device is a speaker and the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface is the user swiping a finger across a portion of the base chassis sidewall situated nearest the microphone to adjust volume of the microphone.
13 . The method of claim 8 further comprising: receiving input, via the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured of a capacitive sensor driver operatively coupled to the side capacitive pads layer and from the plurality of side capacitive sensor pads as detected changes in capacitance levels for a touchless gesture input without physical contact by the user at the base chassis sidewall touch input surface.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of top capacitive sensor pads are carbon-based conductive deposits on a first chassis touch input sensing hardware structure substrate installed under the base chassis exterior touch input top surface and the plurality of side capacitive sensor pads are carbon based conductive deposits on a second chassis touch input sensing hardware structure substrate installed interior to the base chassis sidewall input surface.
15 . An information handling system in a clamshell chassis having a chassis touch input sensing hardware structure to capacitively detect a user interaction as user input comprising:
a hardware processor, a data storage device, and a power management unit (PMU) to provide power to the hardware processor and data storage device disposed in a base chassis portion of the clamshell chassis;
a chassis touch input sensing hardware structure including a top capacitive sensor pad in a top capacitive pads layer formed under a base chassis exterior touch input top surface of the base chassis with a grounding layer and a top active shielding layer between the top capacitive sensor pad and the grounding layer and including a side capacitive sensor pad in a side capacitive pads layer formed interior to a base chassis sidewall touch input surface of the base chassis with the grounding layer and a side active shielding layer between the side capacitive sensor pad and the grounding layer, wherein the top capacitive pads layer and the side capacitive pads layer are operably coupled to a capacitive sensor microprocessor;
the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to disable the side capacitive sensor pad to cease detecting capacitive changes from the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface and to detect a first capacitive change level from the user interaction with a base chassis exterior touch input top surface situated above the top capacitive sensor pad to identify a first input/output (IO) command associated with the first capacitive change when a chassis positional configuration sensor detects that a display chassis of the clamshell chassis is in an open configuration relative to the base chassis; the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to disable the top capacitive sensor pad to cease detecting capacitive changes from the user interaction with the base chassis exterior touch input top surface and to detect a second capacitive change level from the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface situated internal to the side capacitive sensor pad to identify a second input/output (IO) command associated with the second capacitive change when the chassis positional configuration sensor detects that the display chassis of the clamshell chassis is in a closed configuration relative to the base chassis; and
the hardware processor to execute the first IO command to direct a functionality of a first IO device when the clamshell chassis is in the open configuration and to execute the second IO command to direct the functionality of the first IO device when the clamshell chassis is in the closed configuration.
16 . The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising: the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to operate the top active shielding layer as a grounding element to disable a plurality of top capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer by reducing voltage to top active shielding pads of the top active shielding layer such that the top active shielding pads stop shielding parasitic capacitance grounding of the top capacitive pads layer to the grounding layer, thereby reducing the capacitive sensing field of the top capacitive pads layer from capacitively detecting the user interaction.
17 . The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising: the capacitive sensor microprocessor configured to operate the side active shielding layer as a grounding element to disable a plurality of side capacitive sensor pads of the side capacitive pads layer by reducing voltage to side active shielding pads of the side active shielding layer such that the side active shielding pads stop shielding parasitic capacitance grounding of the side capacitive pads layer to the grounding layer, thereby reducing the capacitive sensing field of the side capacitive pads layer from capacitively detecting the user interaction.
18 . The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the user interaction with the base chassis sidewall touch input surface is the user swiping a finger across a sidewall exterior surface portion of the base chassis that is at least partially co-located with the first IO device to adjust functionality of the first IO device.
19 . The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the user interaction the base chassis exterior touch input top surface is the user swiping a finger across a top exterior surface portion of the base chassis that is at least partially co-located with the first IO device to adjust functionality of the first IO device.
20 . The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the IO device is the digital display device and the user interaction with the base chassis exterior touch input top surface is the user swiping a finger across a top exterior surface portion of the base chassis co-located with an icon for the digital display device along a hinge with the display chassis to adjust brightness of the digital display device.