In-cell low power modes

• US 10,025,412 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Shepelev, Petr, Sabo, David S., Eryilmaz, Erol
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad, Amr
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUI, DONNA V
• Application Number:
  US14/187,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20150103034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include a method and apparatus for capacitive sensing in input devices integrated with a display device. In one embodiment, a processing system for a display device comprising an integrated capacitive sensing device is provided that includes a display driver module, a transmitter module, and a receiver module. The display driver and transmitter modules are configured to operate in a display update mode and a sleep mode. The receiver module is configured to, while operating in a doze mode, communicate with and trigger the transmitter module to enter the active sensing mode while the display driver module remains in the sleep mode when presence of an object is detected based on the resulting signals.

Claims

1. A processing system for a display device comprising an integrated sensing device, the processing system comprising:

a display driver module configured to;

update a display of the display device with display frames in a display update mode;

enter a wait-for-sleep period in response to a first instruction; and

enter a display sleep mode in response to expiration of the wait-for-sleep period and a completion of one of the display frames;

a receiver module communicatively coupled with the display driver module and configured to;

receive resulting signals from a first plurality of sensor electrodes, the resulting signals comprising effects corresponding to a presence of an object in a sensing region associated with the first plurality of sensor electrodes; and

change from a first receiver state to a second receiver state in response to the first instruction and the expiration of the wait-for-sleep period, wherein the second receiver state corresponds to a receiver doze mode, and an output of the receiver module changes from a high voltage state to a low voltage state based on the receiver module entering the second receiver state; and

a transmitter module communicatively coupled with the receiver module and configured to;

change from a first transmitter state to a second transmitter state in response to sensing the output of the receiver module changing from the high voltage state to the low voltage state and the expiration of the wait-for-sleep period, wherein the first transmitter state corresponds to an active sensing mode, and the second transmitter state corresponds to a transmitter sleep mode; and

enter the active sensing mode from the transmitter sleep mode in response to a trigger signal from the receiver module, wherein the display driver module remains in the display sleep mode and the transmitter module is configured to drive modulated signals onto a second plurality of sensor electrodes in the active sensing mode.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is further configured to communicate with a host when a wakeup gesture is identified from the resulting signals while the transmitter module is in the active sensing mode.

3. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter module is further configured to drive a modulated signal onto a second plurality sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing while the display driver is in the display update mode.

4. The processing system of claim 3, wherein each sensor electrode of the first plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode of a plurality of common electrodes.

5. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is further configured to communicate with a host in response to an absence of an input object over a period of time determined from the resulting signals or lack thereof.

6. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is further configured to enter the receiver doze mode in response to an absence of an input object in the sensing region of the sensing device over a period of time determined from the resulting signals or lack thereof.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display driver module is further configured not to drive signals onto the sensor electrodes or update the display while in the display sleep mode.

8. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter module is further configured, while the display driver module is in the display update mode, to drive the modulated signals onto the second plurality of sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing while also operating in the active sensing mode.

9. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display driver module and the transmitter module are present within a single integrated circuit.

10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display driver module and the transmitter module are disposed in separate integrated circuits.

11. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display driver module and the receiver module are further configured to receive a second instruction from a host processor, the display driver module configured to enter the display update mode in response to the second instruction, and wherein the receiver module is configured to enter a receiver active mode in response to the second instruction.

12. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first receiver state corresponds to a receiver active mode, and the receiver module is configured to:

operate in an absolute capacitive sensing mode during the receiver doze mode; and

operate in a transcapacitive sensing mode during the receiver active mode.

13. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises:

a plurality of common electrodes, wherein each sensor electrode of the second plurality of sensor electrodes comprises at least one common electrode of the plurality of common electrodes.

14. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the display module and the receiver module are further configured to receive the instruction from a host.

15. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the receiver module is communicatively coupled with the display driver module such that the receiver module is configured to communicate directly with the display module.

16. A method for operating a display device comprising an integrated sensing device, the method comprising:

updating a display of the display device with display frames while a display module is in a display update mode;

placing the display module in a wait-for-sleep period in response to a first instruction;

placing the display module in a display sleep mode in response to an expiration of the wait-for-sleep period and a completion of one of the display frames;

determining a presence of an object from signals received from first sensor electrodes by a receiver module;

changing the receiver module from a first receiver state to a second receiver state in response to the first instruction and the expiration of the wait-for-sleep period, wherein the second receiver state corresponds to a receiver doze mode, and an output of the receiver module changes from a high voltage state to a low voltage state based on the receiver module entering the second receiver state;

placing a transmitter module in an active sensing mode in response to a trigger signal provided by the receiver module, wherein the display driver module remains in the display sleep mode;

changing the transmitter module from a first transmitter state to a second transmitter state in response to sensing the output of the receiver module changing from the high voltage state to the low voltage state, and the expiration of the wait-for-sleep period, wherein the first transmitter state corresponds to an active sensing mode, and the second transmitter state corresponds to a transmitter sleep mode; and

driving modulated signals from the transmitter module onto second sensor electrodes of the capacitive sensing device while in the active sensing mode.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

switching the display driver module from the display sleep mode to the display update mode in response to a determination made using resultant signals received by the receiver module while the transmitter module is in the active sensing mode and the receiver module is in a second capacitive sensing mode; and

updating images on the display device with the display driver module and driving transmitter signals from the transmitter module onto the second sensor electrodes for capacitive sensing while the transmitter module is in the active sensing mode.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

changing the output state of the receiver module from the second receiver state to the first receiver state in response to determining a lack of presence of an object from signals received from the first sensor electrodes by the receiver module operating in a second capacitive sensing mode.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first instruction is received from a host processor.

20. The method of claim 16 comprising:

driving the modulated signals onto one or more common electrodes while the transmitter module is in the active sensing mode.