TOUCH, PEN AND FORCE SENSOR OPERATION WITH VARIABLE REFRESH DISPLAYS

• US 20160092010A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tripathi, Brijesh, AGARWAL, Manu, Tann, Christopher, Grunthaner, Martin Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,880,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

Synchronization of display functions and various touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions for devices including a variable refresh rate (VRR) display is disclosed. In some examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display frames. In other examples, touch, stylus and/or force sensing functions can be synchronized with display sub-frames and a display refresh rate can be adjusted by extended blanking of the display for one or more display sub-frames. Pre-warning synchronization signals can be generated to prepare one or more scan controllers to implement the appropriate scan events during and after extended blanking periods. Latency between the scan results and the corresponding image on the display can be corrected in software and/or firmware by time-stamping scan results or by dropping scan results from uncompleted scans.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

one or more sensors proximate to the display; and

one or more processing circuits capable of;

performing one or more sensing operations for the one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for the display during a plurality of display frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for one or more display frames.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing circuits comprises a display controller and a touch controller, the display controller capable of generating a pre-warning synchronization signal to prepare the touch controller for blanking of the display for the one or more display frames.

3. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

one or more sensors proximate to the display; and

one or more processing circuits capable of;

performing one or more sensing operations for the one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for the display during a plurality of display sub-frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display sub-frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for the duration of one or more display sub-frames between display frames.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further capable of resetting the display operations for the display sub-frame following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further capable of resetting the one or more sensing operations for the display sub-frame following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further capable of discarding results of one or more incomplete sensing operations during the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing circuits are further capable of continuing the display operations and sensing operations following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensing operations include timing information, the timing information used to align the results with the corresponding display information.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a sensing operation is divided into a plurality of sub-scans occurring during a plurality of sub-frames, such that the sensing operation can be performed during a display frame.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more processing circuits comprises a host controller and a touch controller, the host controller capable of generating a pre-warning synchronization signal to prepare the touch controller for sensing operations during and following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

11. A method executed by one or more processing circuits, the method comprising:

performing one or more sensing operations for one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for a display during a plurality of display frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for one or more display frames.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating a pre-warning synchronization signal to prepare for one or more sensing operations during the blanking of the display for the one or more display frames.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pre-warning synchronization signal is generated based on interface protocol between a host processor and a display controller.

14. A method executed by one or more processing circuits, the method comprising:

performing one or more sensing operations for one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for a display during a plurality of display sub-frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display sub-frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for a duration of one or more display sub-frames between display frames.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising resetting the display operations for the display sub-frame following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising resetting the one or more sensing operations for the display sub-frame following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising discarding results of one or more incomplete sensing operations during the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising continuing the display operations and sensing operations following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein results of the one or more sensing operations include timing information, the timing information used to align the results with the corresponding display information.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising vertical blanking the display at the end of each display sub-frame.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein a sensing operation is divided into a plurality of sub-scans occurring during a plurality of sub-frames, such that the sensing operation can be performed during a display frame.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a pre-warning synchronization signal to prepare a touch controller for sensing operations during and following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a pre-warning synchronization signal to prepare a force controller for sensing operations during and following the blanking of the display for the one or more display sub-frames.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, can perform a method, the method comprising:

performing one or more sensing operations for one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for a display during a plurality of display frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for one or more display frames.

25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, can perform a method, the method comprising:

performing one or more sensing operations for one or more sensors during a plurality of scanning frames;

performing one or more display operations for a display during a plurality of display sub-frames, the plurality of scanning frames synchronized with the plurality of display sub-frames; and

adjusting a frame refresh rate of the display by blanking the display for the duration of one or more display sub-frames between display frames.