SENSOR ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH A TOUCH SENSOR

• US 20080128182A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne, Elias, John G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/18.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24137 Distances to cluster centroïds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/19173 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1983 Syntactic or structural pattern recognition, e.g. symbolic string recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 : Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960725 : Charge-transfer

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising

a. a power source;

b. a sense measurement element;

c. a plurality of sensors, each sensor capable of detecting a nearby object, and each sensor having an input and an output;

d. a multiplexer arrangement coupling the power source to a sense measurement element through each of the plurality of sensors in a sequential fashion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexer arrangement couples the power source to the sense measurement element by coupling the power source to the input of the single sensor and coupling the sense measurement element to the output of the single sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each sensor comprises two switches and a capacitor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexer arrangement comprises an output controller that selectively couples a group of sensor outputs to the sense measurement element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexer arrangement comprises an input controller that selectively couples the power supply to a group of sensor inputs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexer arrangement comprises:

e. an output controller that selectively couples a first group of sensors to the sense measurement element; and

f. an input controller that selectively couples the power supply to a second group of sensors, wherein only one sensor may be a member of both the first and second groups of sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each sensor comprises two switches and a capacitor.

7. An apparatus comprising

g. a first sense measurement element;

h. a first group of sensors comprising a plurality of sensors, each sensor capable of detecting a nearby object, and each sensor having an input and an output;

i. a second group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors;

j. a third group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors and has only one sensor in common with the second group of sensors;

k. an input controller that activates the second group of sensors;

l. an output controller that couples the third group of sensors to the first sense measurement element resulting in the operational coupling of the only one sensor in common to the first sense measurement element.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the sensors use capacitance to perform sensing.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising;

m. a fourth group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors, mutually exclusive with the second group of sensors, and has only one sensor in common with the third group of sensors.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a second sense measurement element that is selectively coupled to a sensor in the fourth group of sensors at the same time that first sense measurement element is selectively coupled to a sensor in the second group of sensors.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the second group of sensors is a single sensor and the first group of sensors is a single sensor.

13. A method of sensing the position of an object with respect to an array of sensors comprising the steps of:

n. providing an array of sensors, each sensor capable of detecting a nearby object;

o. selecting a second group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors;

p. selecting a third group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors and has only one sensor in common with the second group of sensors;

q. activating the second group of sensors;

r. coupling the third group of sensors to a first sense measurement element resulting in the operational coupling of the only one sensor in common to the first sense measurement element.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the sensors use capacitance to perform sensing.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein each sensor comprises two switches and a capacitor.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of;

s. providing a fourth group of sensors that is a subset of the first group of sensors, mutually exclusive with the second group of sensors, and has only one sensor in common with the third group of sensors.

t. activating the fourth group of sensors so that a second sense measurement element is selectively coupled to a sensor in the fourth group of sensors at the same time that the first sense measurement element is selectively coupled to a sensor in the second group of sensors.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the sensors use capacitance to perform sensing.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein each sensor comprises two switches and a capacitor.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of activating the second group of sensors comprises applying power to the second group of sensors.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of applying power comprises applying a logic one level to an input.