Electronic system, touch sensitive processing apparatus and method thereof for switching to normal operation mode upon receiving touch gesture in power saving mode

• US 10,409,482 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eGalax_eMPIA Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: eGalax_eMPIA Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Cheng, Kai-Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Eurice, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/719,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

The present invention provides a touch sensitive processing method for switch an electronic system into a normal operation mode upon receiving a touch gesture in a power saving mode. The electronic system includes a host and a power supply module. The host is configured to execute an operating system to control the electronic system in the normal operation mode. The power supply module is configured to supply power to the host in the normal operation mode and to cut power supply to the host in the power saving mode. The touch sensitive processing method includes: detecting multiple touch events via multiple touch sensitive electrodes of a touch panel; determining whether a power-on command is formed by these touch events; and sending a power-on notification to the power supply module for supplying power to the host and switching to the normal operation mode when the power-on command is formed by these touch events.

Claims

1. An electronic system for switching to a normal operation mode upon receiving a touch gesture in a power saving mode comprising:

a host executing an operating system controlling the electronic system in the normal operation mode;

a power supply module to selectively supply power to the host in the normal operation mode and not supply power to the host in the power saving mode;

a touch sensitive processing apparatus for receiving power from the power supply module in the power saving mode, the touch sensitive processing apparatus comprising;

an electrode interface component for connecting with a plurality of touch sensitive electrodes of a touch panel detecting multiple touch events via the multiple touch sensitive electrodes;

a clock component; and

a processor determining when a predetermined touch gesture is formed by these touch events, and sending a power-on notification corresponding to the predetermined touch gesture to the power supply module to supply power to the host and switching to the normal operation mode when the predetermined touch gesture is formed by the multiple touch events; and

a clock generator providing a clock signal to both the host and the touch sensitive processing apparatus, wherein the clock signal is modified by the clock component to provide a modified clock signal to the processor in the power saving mode.

2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the clock component provides a first clock signal to the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode, and the clock generator provides a second clock signal to the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the normal operation mode, wherein the frequency of the first clock signal is lower than that of the second clock signal.

3. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein a detection rate for detecting touch events for the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode is lower than a detection rate for detecting touch events in the normal operation mode.

4. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus detects only touch gestures of a single finger in the power saving mode, and detects touch gestures of multiple fingers in the normal operation mode.

5. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes by the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode is less than the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes by the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the normal operation mode.

6. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus further includes an amplifier for amplifying signals from the touch sensitive electrodes, wherein the gain of the amplifier is smaller in the power saving mode than in the normal operation mode.

7. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a specific touch gesture defined by a user.

8. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a sequence of the multiple touch events occurred in at least one area.

9. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses fewer touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the power saving mode than the number of touch sensitive electrodes used for detection in the normal operation mode.

10. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses only touch sensitive electrodes within a specific area of the touch panel for detection in the power saving mode, and uses all of the touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the normal operation mode.

11. The electronic system of claim 9, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses at least every other touch sensitive electrode for detection in the power saving mode, and uses all of the touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the normal operation mode.

12. A touch sensitive processing apparatus for switching an electronic system into a normal operation mode upon receiving a touch gesture in a power saving mode, the electronic system including a host, a clock generator, and a power supply module, the host executing an operating system controlling the electronic system in the normal operation mode, the clock generator providing a clock signal to both the host and the touch sensitive processing apparatus, the power supply module selectively supplying power to the host in the normal operation mode and not supplying power to the host in the power saving mode, the touch sensitive processing apparatus comprising:

an electrode interface component connecting with a plurality of touch sensitive electrodes of a touch panel, detecting multiple touch events via the multiple touch sensitive electrodes;

a clock component, receiving and modifying the clock signal to provide a modified clock signal to the processor in the power saving mode; and

a processor determining when a predetermined touch gesture is formed by these touch events, and sending a power-on notification corresponding to the predetermined touch gesture to the power supply module to supply power to the host and switching to the normal operation mode when the predetermined touch gesture is formed by the multiple touch events.

13. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wherein the clock component provides a first clock signal to the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode, and the clock generator provides a second clock signal to the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the normal operation mode, wherein the frequency of the first clock signal is lower than that of the second clock signal.

14. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein a detection rate for detecting touch events for the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode is lower than a detection rate for detecting touch events in the normal operation mode.

15. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus detects only touch gestures of a single finger in the power saving mode, and detects touch gestures of multiple fingers in the normal operation mode.

16. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes by the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the power saving mode is less than the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes by the touch sensitive processing apparatus in the normal operation mode.

17. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an amplifier for amplifying signals from the touch sensitive electrodes, wherein the gain of the amplifier is smaller in the power saving mode than in the normal operation mode.

18. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a specific touch gesture defined by a user.

19. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a sequence of the multiple touch events occurred in at least one area.

20. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses fewer touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the power saving mode than the number of touch sensitive electrodes used for detection in the normal operation mode.

21. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses only touch sensitive electrodes within a specific area of the touch panel for detection in the power saving mode, and uses all of the touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the normal operation mode.

22. The touch sensitive processing apparatus of claim 20, wherein the touch sensitive processing apparatus uses at least every other touch sensitive electrode for detection in the power saving mode, and uses all of the touch sensitive electrodes for detection in the normal operation mode.

23. A touch sensitive processing method switching an electronic system into a normal operation mode upon receiving a touch gesture in a power saving mode, the electronic system including a host, a clock generator, and a power supply module, the host executing an operating system controlling the electronic system in the normal operation mode, the clock generator providing a clock signal to both the host and the touch sensitive processing apparatus, the power supply module selectively supplying power to the host in the normal operation mode and to cut power supply not supplying power to the host in the power saving mode, the touch sensitive processing method comprising:

receiving a clock signal from the clock generator and modifying the clock signal to provide a modified clock signal to the processor in the power saving mode;

detecting multiple touch events via multiple touch sensitive electrodes on a touch panel;

determining whether a predetermined touch gesture is formed by these touch events; and

sending a power-on notification to the power supply module to supply power to the host and switching to the normal operation mode when the predetermined touch gesture is formed by the multiple touch events.

24. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein a detection rate for detecting touch events in the power saving mode is lower than a detection rate for detecting touch events in the normal operation mode.

25. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein only touch gestures of a single finger are detected in the power saving mode, and touch gestures of multiple fingers are detected in the normal operation mode.

26. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes in the power saving mode is less than the highest voltage of touch sensitive signals provided to the touch sensitive electrodes in the normal operation mode.

27. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, further comprising using an amplifier to amplify signals from the touch sensitive electrodes, wherein the gain of the amplifier is smaller in the power saving mode than in the normal operation mode.

28. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a specific touch gesture defined by a user.

29. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined touch gesture is a sequence of the multiple touch events occurred in at least one area.

30. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 23, wherein fewer touch sensitive electrodes are used for detection in the power saving mode than the number of touch sensitive electrodes used for detection in the normal operation mode.

31. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 30, wherein only touch sensitive electrodes within a specific area of the touch panel are used for detection in the power saving mode, and all of the touch sensitive electrodes are used for detection in the normal operation mode.

32. The touch sensitive processing method of claim 30, wherein at least every other touch sensitive electrode is used for detection in the power saving mode, and all of the touch sensitive electrodes are used for detection in the normal operation mode.