TOUCH SENSITIVE DEVICE WITH MULTI-SENSOR STREAM SYNCHRONIZED DATA

• US 20170060279A1
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qeexo Co. (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Qeexo Co. (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: HARRISON, CHRISTOPHER
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04106 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 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 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

Touch sensitive devices having sensor systems and sensor systems for use with touch sensitive devices are provided. A vibration sensor senses vibrations and a touch sensor senses contact with an object. Vibration data representing sensed vibration is stored in a sensor data memory and touch data indicative of contact between the object and the touch sensitive surface is stored in the sensor data memory in temporal association with the vibration data. The touch data and the temporal association with vibration data can be used to identify segments of the vibration data that are of interest.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a touch sensor system having a touch sensitive surface that senses contact between the touch sensitive surface and an object and that generates touch signals indicative of the sensed contact;

a vibration sensor system that senses vibrations that occur incident to the contact between the touch sensitive surface and the object and that generates vibration signals indicative of the sensed vibrations;

a sensor data memory; and

at least one controller adapted to receive the vibration signals and to cause data indicative of vibrations sensed during each of a plurality of sample periods to be stored in a vibration data record in the sensor data memory,

wherein the controller is further adapted to receive the touch signals and to cause data to be stored in the sensor data memory in temporal association with the vibration data record from which a processor can identify a segment of the vibration data record related to the contact based upon the touch data and the temporal association.

2. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor senses at least one of vibrations of the touch sensitive device, vibrations of a medium proximate to the touch sensitive device and acoustic vibrations.

3. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor comprises a touch sensor that senses conditions indicative of the touch.

4. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the touch data is stored in a touch data record indicates whether there is contact between the object and the touch sensitive surface during a sample period.

5. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor system is adapted to sense when the object is in a position that is proximate to but not in contact with the touch sensitive surface and generates a touch signal from which the controller further stores data in the touch data indicating the proximate presence of an object that is not in contact with the touch sensitive surface.

6. The touch sensitive device of claim 4, wherein a duration of the sample periods is changed in response to a touch signal indicating the proximate presence of an object.

7. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the temporal association comprises providing a data structure having vibration data representing sensed vibrations during a plurality of sequential sample periods having a logical association with touch data represented sensed contact with the touch sensitive surface during the each of the plurality of sequential sample periods such that the touch data can be used to identify a segment of the vibration data that may have been sensed at a time of contact between an object and the touch sensitive surface.

8. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the temporal association comprises providing a sequential data structure having vibration data representing sensed vibrations during a plurality sequential or substantially substantial periods arranged in association with touch data associated with the sequential data structure such that the touch data can be used to identify a segment of the vibration data that may have been sensed at a time of contact between an object and the touch sensitive surface.

9. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the sensor data memory is located in a sensor hub that is linked to the touch sensor system and the sensor system.

10. The touch sensitive device of claim 6, wherein the sensor hub is joined to a main bus such that the sensor system data and touch data are provided to the sensor hub without passing through the main bus.

11. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller comprises a touch sensor system driver and wherein the sensor data memory is positioned in the touch sensor system.

12. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller comprises a touch sensor system driver and wherein the sensor data memory is positioned in the touch sensor system.

13. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor hub and wherein the at least one controller comprises a driver in the sensor hub and wherein the sensor data memory is positioned in the sensor hub.

14. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the sensor data memory is at the processor and wherein the at least one controller is at least one of a touch sensor system driver, a sensor system driver and a driver in a sensor hub.

15. The touch sensitive device of claim 1, further comprising an object classification unit that analyzes the segment of the vibration data and the touch data to classify an object contacting the touch sensitive surface.

16. The sensitive device of claim 1 wherein the vibration is an acoustic vibration.

17. A sensor system for use in a touch sensitive device, comprising:

a first sensor adapted to sense a first physical condition experienced at the touch sensitive device and to generate a first sensor signal,

a sensor data memory; and

a sensor driver adapted to receive the first sensor signal and store first sensor data in the sensor data memory representing conditions sensed during each of a sequence of sample periods and further adapted to receive a signal indicative of a second physical condition experienced at the touch sensitive device and to store second sensor data in the sensor data memory in temporal association with the first sensor data such that a processor in the touch sensitive device can use one of the first data memory and the second data memory to identify data in the other of the first data memory and second data memory that may be of interest.

18. The sensor system of claim 17, further comprising a second sensor adapted to sense the second physical condition experienced at the touch sensitive device and to generate the second sensor signal.

19. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data are stored in a sensor data memory in one of the first sensor, the second sensor, a sensor hub and a processor.

20. A sensor system for use in a touch sensitive device, comprising:

means for sensing a first physical condition experienced at the touch sensitive device and for generating a first sensor signal;

means for storing sensor data; and

means for receiving the first sensor signal and storing first sensor data in the means for storing sensor data representing conditions sensed during each of a sequence of sample periods and further for receiving a signal indicative of a second physical condition experienced at the touch sensitive device and for storing second sensor data in the means for storing sensor data in temporal association with the first sensor data such that a processor in the touch sensitive device can use one of the first data memory and the second data memory to identify data in the other of the first data memory and second data memory that may be of interest.