Power management for touch controller

• US 10,222,854 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph H., Wilson, Thomas James
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frank, Emily J
• Application Number:
  US15/260,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Power management for a touch controller is disclosed. The touch controller can include a transmit section for transmitting stimulation signals to an associated touch sensor panel to drive the panel, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the transmit section to reduce power during the transmission. The touch controller can also include a receive section for receiving touch signals resulting from the driving of the panel, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the receive section to reduce power during the receipt of the touch signals. The touch controller can also include a demodulation section for demodulating the received touch signals to obtain touch event results, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the demodulation section to reduce power during the demodulation of the touch signals. The touch controller can also selectively reduce power below present low levels during idle periods. The touch controller can be incorporated into a touch sensitive device.

Claims

1. A method for selectively lowering power consumption of a touch controller device comprising:

determining an operating condition of the touch controller device;

determining a first value of the operating condition of the touch controller device and a second value of the operating condition of the touch controller device, wherein the first value of the operating condition corresponds to a first amount of power consumed for the touch controller device and the second value of the operating condition corresponds to a second amount of power consumed for the touch controller device, the first amount of power being less than the second amount of power; and

selecting one or more components of the touch controller device, and, for each selected one or more components, selecting from a plurality of component values, wherein a first selected component value is associated with a first selected component of the touch controller device, wherein the first selected component and the first selected component value are based on the determined operating condition of the touch controller device;

adjusting the first selected component with the first selected component value so as to correspond to the first amount of power; and

wherein the operating condition comprises a touch signal noise level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises powering down the first selected component of the touch controller device with a bypass command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises reducing an integration time of the first selected component of the device with a time adjustment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting comprises modifying a stimulation pattern to the first selected component of the touch controller device.

5. A touch controller comprising:

a plurality of sections configured to process a touch signal, each section having adjustable power including a first amount of power and a second amount of power, the first amount of power being lower than the second amount of power;

a memory configured to store a plurality of power adjustments corresponding to the plurality of sections; and

power management logic configured to detect an operating condition of the touch controller, select one or more of the plurality of power adjustments, and apply the selected one or more power adjustments to associated one or more sections in order to process the touch signal so as to correspond to the first amount power, wherein the one or more of the plurality of power adjustments selected is based on the detected operating condition of the touch controller, and

wherein the operating condition comprises a touch signal noise level.

6. The touch controller of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of sections is a receive section configured to receive the touch signal, the receive section receiving a power adjustment from the power management logic to adjust current to one or more components in the receive section.

7. The touch controller of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of sections is a receive section configured to receive the touch signal, the receive section receiving a power adjustment from the power management logic to power down one or more components in the receive section.

8. The touch controller of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of sections is a demodulation section configured to demodulate the touch signal, the demodulation section receiving a power adjustment from the power management logic to reduce operating time of a component of the demodulation section.

9. The touch controller of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of sections is a demodulation section configured to demodulate the touch signal, the demodulation section receiving a power adjustment from the power management logic to select data to provide to a component of the demodulation section for demodulating the touch signal.

10. The touch controller of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of sections is a transmit section configured to provide stimulation signals for generating the touch signal, the transmit section receiving a power adjustment from the power management logic to adjust a slew rate of a component of the transmit section.

11. The touch controller of claim 5, where the memory is configured to store a lookup table comprising entries, each entry including at least one of the operating conditions of the touch controller and the corresponding power adjustments.

12. The touch controller of claim 5 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, or a personal computer.

13. A method for selectively adjusting power consumption of a touch controller device comprising:

determining an operating mode of the touch controller device wherein the operating mode has an operating condition comprising a touch signal noise level;

selecting a power requirement of the touch controller device between a first power requirement and a second power requirement depending on the operating condition of the touch controller device, the first power requirement being lower than the second power requirement;

replacing the second power requirement of the touch controller device in the determined operating mode with the first power requirement; and

maintaining the touch controller device at the first power requirements until the determined operating mode ends.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the operating mode comprises determining whether the operating mode is an active mode, a ready mode, or an auto-scan mode.

15. A touch controller comprising:

a plurality of operating modes, wherein each operating mode has an operating condition comprising a touch signal noise level, and wherein each operating mode comprising an active period and an idle period; and

power management logic configured to replace a power consumption level for the idle period, based on the operating condition, from a second power consumption level to a first power consumption level, the first power consumption level being lower than the second power consumption level.

16. The touch controller of claim 15, wherein the plurality of operating modes includes at least one of an active mode configured to actively scan for touch events during the active period and to wait during the idle period, a ready mode configured to actively scan for touch events during the active period and to become inactive during the idle period, or an auto-scan mode configured to briefly scan for touch events during the active period and to become inactive for long periods during the idle period.

17. The touch controller of claim 15, wherein the power management logic is configured for replacing the power consumption level in which some components are active from the second power consumption level to the first power consumption level in which the active components are made inactive, and further configured for replacing the power consumption level from the second power consumption level during which the idle period is a first length to the first power consumption level during which the idle period is a second length.

18. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a touch sensor panel configured to sense a touch or near touch and to generate touch signals based on the sensed touch or near touch; and

a touch controller configured to manage power consumption of the touch sensitive device, the touch controller comprising

a memory configured to store power consumption data, and

power management logic configured to selectively apply the power consumption data to the device corresponding to a first power or a second power, the first power being lower than the second power,

wherein the power consumption data is selectively applied to the touch sensitive device during processing of the touch signals to apply the power consumption data corresponding to the first power according to an operating condition of the device wherein the operating condition comprises a touch signal noise level.

19. The touch sensitive device of claim 18, wherein the power consumption data is selectively applied to the touch sensitive device during an idle period.