Touch sensor panel with multi-power domain chip configuration

• US 10,459,587 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph H., Sauer, Christian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US16/179,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20190073061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1343 Electrodes reflective electrodes G02F1/133553
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A touch sensing system is disclosed. The touch sensing system includes a guard signal generation chip operating in a first power domain referenced to a first voltage, the guard signal generation chip configured to generate a guard signal. A touch sensing chip operates in a second power domain, different from the first power domain, referenced to the guard signal, the touch sensing chip configured to sense touch at one or more touch electrodes included in a touch sensor panel operating in the second power domain referenced to the guard signal, and the touch sensing chip a different chip than the guard signal generation chip. A voltage regulator is configured to selectively regulate a voltage of the guard signal at the touch sensing chip.

Claims

1. A touch sensing system comprising:

a guard signal generation chip operating in a first power domain referenced to a first voltage, the guard signal generation chip configured to generate a guard signal;

a touch sensing chip operating in a second power domain, different from the first power domain, referenced to the guard signal, the touch sensing chip configured to sense touch at one or more touch electrodes included in a touch sensor panel operating in the second power domain referenced to the guard signal, and the touch sensing chip a different chip than the guard signal generation chip,

wherein;

the touch sensing chip is configured to receive a low voltage at a low voltage input node of the touch sensing chip, and a high voltage at a high voltage input node of the touch sensing chip,

the low voltage corresponds to the guard signal, and

the high voltage is generated based on at least the guard signal and is referenced to the guard signal.

2. The touch sensing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a capacitor coupled between the low voltage input node and the high voltage input node,

wherein the high voltage is generated using the capacitor.

3. The touch sensing system of claim 2, wherein generating the high voltage using the capacitor includes charging the capacitor until a respective DC voltage is built up across the capacitor.

4. The touch sensing system of claim 3, further comprising:

a switch coupled to a first terminal of the capacitor,

wherein;

the first terminal of the capacitor is also coupled to the high voltage input node of the touch sensing chip, and

generating the high voltage using the capacitor includes selectively closing the switch coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor.

5. The touch sensing system of claim 4, wherein:

the switch includes a first terminal and a second terminal,

the first terminal of the switch is coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor, and

the second terminal of the switch is coupled to a DC voltage source.

6. The touch sensing system of claim 5, wherein the DC voltage source is referenced to the first voltage.

7. The touch sensing system of claim 5, wherein the switch is configured to:

while the guard signal is in a first state, operate in a closed switch state, and

while the guard signal is in a second state, different that the first state, operate in an open switch state.

8. The touch sensing system of claim 7, wherein the first state is a low guard signal state, and the second state is a high guard signal state.

9. The touch sensing system of claim 7, wherein:

while the switch operates in the closed switch state, the DC voltage source charges the capacitor to the respective DC voltage between the first terminal of the capacitor and the second terminal of the capacitor.

10. The touch sensing system of claim 7, wherein the switch is configured to:

operate in the closed switch state in response to a control signal received by the switch, and

operate in the open switch state in response to the control signal received by the switch.

11. The touch sensing system of claim 7, wherein the switch is configured to:

autonomously operate in the closed switch state in response to the guard signal being in the first state, and

autonomously operate in the open switch state in response to the guard signal being in the second state.

12. The touch sensing system of claim 7, wherein the switch is included in the guard signal generation chip.

13. The touch sensing system of claim 12, wherein the DC voltage source is included in the guard signal generation chip.

14. The touch sensing system of claim 13, wherein the capacitor is not included in the guard signal generation chip or the touch sensing chip.

15. The touch sensing system of claim 13, wherein the capacitor is included in the touch sensing chip.

16. The touch sensing system of claim 1, further comprising a voltage regulator included in the touch sensing chip, wherein the voltage regulator regulates the high voltage received at the high voltage input node of the touch sensing chip for use by touch sensing circuitry included in the touch sensing chip.

17. The touch sensing system of claim 16, wherein the voltage regulator is referenced to the guard signal.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor panel including one or more touch electrodes;

a guard signal generation chip operating in a first power domain referenced to a first voltage, the guard signal generation chip configured to generate a guard signal;

a touch sensing chip operating in a second power domain, different from the first power domain, referenced to the guard signal, the touch sensing chip configured to sense touch at the one or more touch electrodes included in the touch sensor panel operating in the second power domain referenced to the guard signal, and the touch sensing chip a different chip than the guard signal generation chip,

wherein;

the touch sensing chip is configured to receive a low voltage at a low voltage input node of the touch sensing chip, and a high voltage at a high voltage input node of the touch sensing chip,

the low voltage corresponds to the guard signal, and

the high voltage is generated based on at least the guard signal and is referenced to the guard signal.

19. A method for operating a touch sensing system, the method comprising:

operating a guard signal generation chip in a first power domain referenced to a first voltage, the guard signal generation chip configured to generate a guard signal;

operating a touch sensing chip in a second power domain, different from the first power domain, referenced to the guard signal, the touch sensing chip configured to sense touch at one or more touch electrodes included in a touch sensor panel operating in the second power domain referenced to the guard signal, and the touch sensing chip a different chip than the guard signal generation chip,

wherein;

the touch sensing chip is configured to receive a low voltage at a low voltage input node of the touch sensing chip, and a high voltage at a high voltage input node of the touch sensing chip,

the low voltage corresponds to the guard signal, and

the high voltage is generated based on at least the guard signal and is referenced to the guard signal.