Low power scan for device wake up and unlock

• US 10,095,345 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bokma, Louis W., O'Connor, Sean Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Bibbins, Latanya
• Application Number:
  US14/292,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20150346895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device for user interaction. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification or a wake signal to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting a sequence and one or more gestures in the microcontroller before powering on or waking up the processor, the amount of power consumed can be reduced and the battery life extended.

Claims

1. A method for switching a device from an idle state to an active state, the device including a touch panel, a microcontroller, and a processor, the method comprising:

in the idle state;

powering on the microcontroller;

determining if a first set of changes in capacitance associated with one or more sensing nodes, included in a plurality of sensing nodes, match a first pre-determined criteria over a sequence of measurements using the microcontroller;

determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match a second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements using the microcontroller; and

after determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match both the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, discarding the first set of changes in capacitance;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and do not match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, generating and transmitting a signal from the microcontroller to the processor;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance do not match the first pre-determined criteria, discarding the first set of changes in capacitance;

wherein;

the processor is a hardware component separate from the microcontroller,

the first pre-determined criteria are between first and second threshold values, the first and second threshold values being different from each other, and

the second pre-determined criteria are between third and fourth threshold values, the third and fourth threshold values being different from each other and different from the first and second threshold values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of touch values corresponding to the first set of changes in capacitance;

summing a first number of first touch values, the first touch values being a subset of the plurality of touch values;

determining if the summation of the first number of first touch values is greater than a fifth threshold value;

summing a second number of second touch values, the second touch values being a subset of the plurality of touch values;

determining if the summation of the second number of second touch values is greater than a sixth threshold value; and

discarding the plurality of touch values and maintaining the device in the idle state when the summation of the first number of first touch values is greater than the fifth threshold value and the summation of the second number of second touch values is greater than the sixth threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a fifth threshold value;

determining if the first set of changes in capacitance are associated with one or more touch nodes located in a center of the device; and

when the first set of changes in capacitance are associated with one or more touch nodes located in the center of the device, determining if a sum of touch values corresponding to the first set of changes in capacitance is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a fifth threshold value;

counting a number of a plurality of touch values associated with the first set of changes in capacitance that is greater than or equal to the fifth threshold value;

determining if the counted number is less than 20% of a number of the plurality of sensing nodes included in the device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

summing the plurality of touch values;

determining a density based on the summation; and

determining if the density is greater than a density of a finger and less than a density of a palm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality of touch values for a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames including a first frame, a second frame, a third frame, and a fourth frame;

storing the plurality of touch values for each frame;

determining if the first set of changes in capacitance is in the first frame; and

determining a first absence of a change in capacitance in the second frame, the second frame following the first frame.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining if a second set of changes in capacitance matches the first pre-determined criteria in the third frame, the third frame following the second frame; and

determining a second absence of change in capacitance in the fourth frame, the fourth frame following the third frame.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the plurality of touch values for a plurality of frames, the plurality of frames including a first frame and a second frame;

storing the plurality of touch values for each frame;

determining if the first set of changes in capacitance are in the first frame; and

determining if a second set of changes in capacitance in the second frame are same as the first set of changes of capacitance in the first frame, the second frame following the first frame.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

segmenting the plurality of sensing nodes into multiple regions, wherein the determination of whether the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria is performed in each region.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

counting a number of regions associated with the determined match, wherein generating and transmitting the signal to the processor is based on the count.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a plurality sets of changes of capacitance for a plurality of frames;

determining a touch pattern from the plurality of frames; and

determining if the touch pattern matches a line.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising powering on the processor in response to the signal, wherein the processor is off in the idle state.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating a subset of the plurality of sensing nodes, the subset located in a center of the device; and

deactivating all other sensing nodes included in the plurality of sensing nodes.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pre-determined criteria are touch area criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first threshold value corresponds to a first number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above a touch detection threshold, and

the second threshold value corresponds to a second number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above the touch detection threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria comprises determining whether a predetermined number of touch nodes have a corresponding change in capacitance between the third threshold and the second threshold.

17. A device configured to switch from an idle state to an active state, the device comprising:

a touch panel;

a processor configured to sense a touch during the active state; and

a microcontroller configured to;

power on in the idle state,

sense a touch during the idle state by determining if a first set of changes in capacitance associated with one or more sensing nodes, included in a plurality of sensing nodes, match a first pre-determined criteria over a sequence of measurements,

determine if the first set of changes in capacitance match a second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, and

after determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match both the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, discard the first set of changes in capacitance;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and do not match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, generate and transmit a signal from the microcontroller to the processor;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance do not match the first pre-determined criteria, discard the first set of changes in capacitance;

wherein;

the processor is a hardware component separate from the microcontroller, the first pre-determined criteria are between first and second threshold values, the first and second threshold values being different from each other, and

the second pre-determined criteria are between third and fourth threshold values, the third and fourth threshold values being different from each other and different from the first and second threshold values.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of sensing nodes is segmented into multiple regions, each region having a center different from other regions.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to power on in response to the signal.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the microcontroller is an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

21. The device of claim 17, further comprising:

a first plurality of sensing nodes configured to be activated during the idle state and the active state and located in a center region of the device; and

a second plurality of sensing nodes configured to be activated during the active state and deactivated during the idle state and located in a border area of the device.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the first pre-determined criteria are touch area criteria.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein:

the first threshold value corresponds to a first number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above a touch detection threshold, and

the second threshold value corresponds to a second number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above the touch detection threshold.

24. The device of claim 17, wherein determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria comprises determining whether a predetermined number of touch nodes have a corresponding change in capacitance between the third threshold and the second threshold.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, the instructions further comprising:

powering on the processor in response to the signal.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device causes the computing device to process user input, wherein the computing device includes a touch panel, a microcontroller, and a processor, the instructions comprising:

in the idle state;

powering on the microcontroller;

determining if a first set of changes in capacitance associated with one or more sensing nodes, included in a plurality of sensing nodes, match a first pre-determined criteria over a sequence of measurements using the microcontroller;

determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match a second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements using the microcontroller; and

after determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match both the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, discarding the first set of changes in capacitance;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance match the first pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements and do not match the second pre-determined criteria over the sequence of measurements, generating and transmitting a signal from the microcontroller to the processor;

in accordance with a determination that the first set of changes in capacitance do not match the first pre-determined criteria, discarding the first set of changes in capacitance;

wherein;

the processor is a hardware component separate from the microcontroller,

the first pre-determined criteria are between first and second threshold values, the first and second threshold values being different from each other, and

the second pre-determined criteria are between third and fourth threshold values, the third and fourth threshold values being different from each other and different from the first and second threshold values.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the first pre-determined criteria are touch area criteria.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein:

the first threshold value corresponds to a first number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above a touch detection threshold, and

the second threshold value corresponds to a second number of sensing nodes having a change in capacitance above the touch detection threshold.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein determining if the first set of changes in capacitance match the second pre-determined criteria comprises determining whether a predetermined number of touch nodes have a corresponding change in capacitance between the third threshold and the second threshold.