TOUCH SENSOR COMMON MODE NOISE RECOVERY

• US 20130265242A1
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Martin Paul Grunthaner
• Inventors: Richards, Peter W., Krah, Christoph Horst, Grunthaner, Martin Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/442,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265242A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

A touch sensor panel configured to minimize the effect on touch or proximity event detection caused by a common mode noise event. The touch sensor panel includes circuitry that works to minimize the amount of time that the touch sensor panel is unable to accurately sense touch and proximity events due to a common mode noise event. The touch sensor panel can also re-acquire data that was collected during the time that the sensor panel was unable to accurately detect touch and proximity events, when a common mode noise event is detected.

Claims

1. :

A method of reducing common mode noise effects on a touch sensor panel, the method comprising;

monitoring a touch sensing circuitry for a possible saturation event; and

reducing a touch signal error if the possible saturation event is detected at the touch sensing circuitry.

2. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the possible saturation event by activating a clamping circuit at an input of the touch sensing circuitry when a magnitude of an input signal of the touch sensing circuitry is above a pre-determined threshold.

3. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the possible saturation event by comparing a difference between a plurality of inputs on an operational amplifier in the touch sensing circuitry and determining if the difference between the plurality of inputs exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

4. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the possible saturation event by comparing an output of the operational amplifier in the touch sensing circuitry, to a supply voltage of the operational amplifier and determining if the difference between the output and the supply voltage is below a pre-determined threshold.

5. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the possible saturation event by monitoring a digitized touch data prior to a demodulation of the touch data and upon exceeding a first threshold, applying a feedback switch to lower a feedback impedance of the operational amplifier and opening the feedback switch after a time has passed or the digitized touch data has dropped below a second threshold.

6. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a touch signal error by applying a clamping circuit when the touch signal exceeds a first voltage threshold and keeping the clamping circuit applied until an operational amplifier output voltage has dropped below a second voltage threshold.

7. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the touch signal error by reducing a time that the touch sensing circuitry experiences a saturation event.

8. :

The method of claim 7, further comprising reducing the time that the touch sensing circuitry experiences a saturation event by clamping an input of the touch sensing circuitry.

9. :

The method of claim 7, further comprising reducing the time that the touch sensing circuitry experiences a saturation event by adjusting a feedback resistance of the touch sensing circuitry.

10. :

The method of claim 7, further comprising reducing the touch signal error by re-acquiring a plurality of data that has been acquired during the possible saturation event.

11. :

The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the touch signal error by re-acquiring a plurality of data that has been acquired during the possible saturation event.

12. :

The method of claim 11, further comprising re-acquiring the plurality of data after detecting the possible saturation event.

13. :

The method of claim 11, further comprising re-acquiring the plurality of data after acquiring a frame of data that includes the plurality of data.

14. :

An apparatus for reducing common mode noise effects on a touch sensor panel, the apparatus comprising;

a touch sensor panel;

touch sensing circuitry coupled to the touch sensor panel and configured to detect a possible saturation event; and

a error reduction circuit coupled to the touch sensing circuitry and capable of reducing an error on a plurality of touch signals based on the detected possible saturation event.

15. :

The apparatus of claim 14, the error reduction circuit comprising a clamping circuit configured to activate when an input to the touch sensing circuitry exceeds a pre-determined threshold indicative of the possible saturation event.

16. :

The apparatus of claim 14, the touch sensing circuitry comprising a comparator circuit configured to compare a plurality of signals of the touch sensing circuit to detect the possible saturation event.

17. :

The apparatus of claim 14, the error reduction circuit capable of reducing an error on the plurality of signals by reducing a duration of the possible saturation event.

18. :

The apparatus of claim 17, the error reduction circuit capable of reducing the duration of the possible saturation event by changing a feedback resistance of the touch sensing circuitry.

19. :

The apparatus of claim 17, the error reduction circuit capable of repeating a measurement of the plurality of touch signals if the possible saturation event occurred during a measurement of the plurality of touch signals.

20. :

The apparatus of claim 14, the error reduction circuit capable of repeating a measurement of the plurality of touch signals if the possible saturation event occurred during a measurement of the plurality of touch signals.

21. :

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for reducing common mode noise effects on a touch sensor panel, that when executed by a processor causes the processor to;

detect a possible saturation event; and

reduce an error on a touch signal based on the detected possible saturation event.

22. :

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to detect a possible saturation event by detecting an output of a comparator circuit coupled to touch sensing circuitry.

23. :

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to reduce an error on a touch signal by reducing an amount of time that an operational amplifier of the touch sensing circuitry remains in saturation.

24. :

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to reduce an amount of time that an operational amplifier of the touch sensing circuitry remains in saturation by changing a net feedback resistance of the operational amplifier.

25. :

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to reduce an error on the touch signal by re-acquiring a plurality of data collected during the detected possible saturation event.

26. :

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to reduce an error on the touch signal by re-acquiring a plurality of data collected during the detected possible saturation event.