Low power dissipation touch plane interface circuit

• US 7,327,354 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2004
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Display Vectors LLC (Jeffrey M. Gross)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Dotson, Gary Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N
• Application Number:
  US10/832,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20040196269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1807, 178 1901- 1904, 178 2001- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A method of determining a type of touch plane operator input device comprises sensing the impedance across first and second terminals of a touch plane operator input device to distinguish the touch plane operator input device as being one of at least two different types of touch plane operator input devices. A method of processing an input from a touch plane operator input device comprises determining a first location of a first touch on the touch plane operator input device; determining a second location of a second touch on the touch plane operator input device; comparing the first and second locations to obtain an indication of an amount of difference between the first and second locations; and determining whether the indication of the amount of difference exceeds a predetermined amount. These steps are performed by discrete logic circuitry that provides an event notification to a microprocessor when the indication of the amount of difference exceeds the predetermined amount. An interface circuit for a touch plane operator input device comprises a digital signal processor that includes a data processing path along which data from a touch plane operator input device passes while being processed by the digital signal processor. The interface circuit is capable of processing data from first and second different types of touch plane operator input devices. The data path is a common data processing path that is the same for input data for both of the first and second types of touch plane operator input devices.

Claims

1. A system that automatically configures a touch screen interface for one of a plurality of touch screen types, comprising:

a first component that utilizes touch screen power signals to automatically determine a type of touch screen coupled to the interface, the first component comprising an analog-to-digital converter, an analog switch matrix, and at least one register; and

a second component that configures the interface by writing values associated with the touch screen type to memory accessible to the interface, the second component comprising a microprocessor.

2. The system of claim 1, the first component further determines whether a touch screen is coupled to the interface.

3. The system of claim 1, the second component writes the configuration to one or more registers, including a Detect, a Discharge, an Xsample, and a Y sample register.

4. The system of claim 1, the first component further utilizes the values associated with the touch screen type to determine whether the touch screen is operating properly.

5. The system of claim 1, the first component further utilizes the values associated with the touch screen type to determine when the touch screen is pressed.

6. The system of claim 1, the first component determines the type of touch screen based on at least one of an impedance and a capacitance.

7. The system of claim 1, the touch screen type is one of a 4-wire, 5-wire, 7-wire, and 8-wire touch screen.

8. The system of claim 1 is employed in connection with a device during boot-up to automatically configure the device to use the touch screen.

9. The system of claim 1, the first component further comprises an inverter.

10. The system of claim 1, the analog-to-digital converter employs one of a successive approximation and a delta sigma technique.

11. The system of claim 1, the at least one register stores information that is utilized to control the switch matrix.

12. The system of claim 1 is implemented in a system-on-chip integrated circuit.

13. The system of claim 1, the touch screen comprises at least two resistive layers.

14. A method for automatically configuring a touch screen interface for a touch screen coupled to a device, comprising:

sensing a touch screen is coupled to the interface;

performing an analysis using information associated with a plurality of terminals of the touch screen;

utilizing the analysis to determine a type of touch screen; and

automatically configuring the interface for the type of touch screen.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising obtaining at least one of an impedance and capacitance associated with the plurality of terminals to facilitate determining the touch screen type.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising setting the type of touch screen to one of a 4-wire, 5-wire, 7-wire, and 8-wire type.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising sampling one or more voltages associated with the touch screen, computing a maximum, a minimum and an average voltage, and storing the computed voltages.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising utilizing the stored voltages to determine a position of a touch on the touch screen.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising utilizing the stored voltages to detect a movement of a touch on the touch screen and sending a notification indicative of the movement to a microprocessor when the movement exceeds a threshold.

20. A system that automatically configures a touch screen interface, comprising:

means for sensing that a touch screen is coupled to the interface;

means for determining a type of touch screen; and

means for configuring the interface for the touch screen type.