Single-chip multi-stimulus sensor controller
First Claim
1. A controller for a multi-touch sensor, the controller formed on a single integrated circuit, comprising:
- a transmit oscillator;
a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator;
a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor;
a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor;
a receive oscillator; and
a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-stimulus controller for a multi-touch sensor is formed on a single integrated circuit (single-chip). The multi-stimulus controller includes a transmit oscillator, a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator, a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor, a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor, a receive oscillator, and a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator.
183 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A controller for a multi-touch sensor, the controller formed on a single integrated circuit, comprising:
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a transmit oscillator; a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator; a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor; a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor; a receive oscillator; and a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of demodulating a plurality of sense signals, the method comprising:
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mixing each sense signal with a demodulation signal to obtain a set of composite measurements, each sense signal being formed of a plurality of component signals resulting from driving a sensor with a combination of simultaneous drive signals; and performing a vector operation on the set of composite results to obtain measurement data carried by the component signals. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. The method of 17, wherein the drive signals include drive signals that are the same frequency and 180 degrees out of phase.
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27. An apparatus for obtaining a plurality of measurement data in a single sense signal, the apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter that generates analog drive signals via a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and transmits the drive signals simultaneously to a sensor, wherein the sensor generates the sense signal in response to the drive signals, the sense signal including the plurality of measurement data; a receiver that receives the sense signal and converts the sense signal to a digital signal via an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that operates at a sampling rate that is less than an update rate of the DAC; and a decoder that decodes the sense signal to obtain the plurality of measurement data. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. An apparatus for transmitting a plurality of drive signals simultaneously to a sensor, the apparatus comprising:
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transmit logic that generates one or more digital signals; a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts the one or more digital signals into one or more analog signals; an analog bus that receives the one or more analog signals from the DAC; a plurality of analog multiplexers (MUXs) connected to the analog bus, each MUX selecting one of a plurality of bus signals of the analog bus for transmission to the sensor as a drive signal, wherein the bus signals include the one or more analog signals from the DAC; and a plurality of analog output buffers connected to the MUXs, that buffer the selected drive signals for transmission to the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A mobile telephone including a controller for a multi-touch sensor, the controller formed on a single integrated circuit, the controller comprising:
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a transmit oscillator; a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator; a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor; a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor; a receive oscillator; and a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator.
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38. A digital media player including a controller for a multi-touch sensor, the controller formed on a single integrated circuit, the controller comprising:
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a transmit oscillator; a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator; a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor; a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor; a receive oscillator; and a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator.
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Specification