Multi-touch and single touch detection

• US 8,441,458 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2012
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: N-Trig Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rimon, Ori, Perski, Haim, Ben-David, Amihai, Zachut, Rafi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US13/551,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 300 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

An input device includes a touch sensitive sensor operative to detect finger touch, a controller for controlling the touch sensitive sensor, the controller operative to set at least one area of the touch sensitive sensor for sampling output with a single touch sampling method and to set at least one other area of the touch sensitive sensor for sampling output with a multi-touch sampling method, wherein the multi-touch sampling method is other than a single touch sampling method, and a detection unit of the touch sensitive sensor controllable to apply the single touch sampling method over the at least one area of the touch sensitive sensor and to apply the multi-touch sampling method over the at least one other area of same touch sensitive sensor.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a touch sensitive sensor operative to detect finger touch, wherein the touch sensitive sensor includes a first set of conductive lines and second set of conductive lines formed in a grid;

a controller for controlling the touch sensitive sensor, the controller operative to set at least one area of the touch sensitive sensor for sampling output with a single touch sampling method and to set at least one other area of the touch sensitive sensor for sampling output with a multi-touch sampling method, wherein the multi-touch sampling method is other than a single touch sampling method; and

a detection unit of the touch sensitive sensor controllable to apply the single touch sampling method over the at least one area of the touch sensitive sensor and to apply the multi-touch sampling method over the at least one other area of same touch sensitive sensor,

wherein the single touch sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to the detection unit simultaneously triggering conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines; and

wherein the multi-touch sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to the detection unit sequentially triggering conductive lines in the second set of conductive lines.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to dynamically set areas for sampling with the single touch sampling method and for sampling with the multi-touch sampling method.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the controller sets the at least one area and the at least one other area based on requirements of an application running on a host associated with the touch sensitive sensor.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is operative to apply the multi-touch sampling method over a plurality of different areas.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a refresh rate associated with the touch sensitive sensor is responsive of a size of the at least one other area where the multi-touch sampling method is applied and wherein limiting size of the area where the multi-touch sampling method is applied provides for increasing the refresh rate of the input device.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one other area sampled based on the multi-touch sampling method is sampled at a lower resolution than the at least one area sampled based on the single touch sampling method.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the conductive lines spans at least two areas where different sampling methods are applied.

8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is operative to provide for sampling output from a same conductive line over a first period based on the single touch sampling method and over a second period based on the multi-touch sampling method.

9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit is operative to switch to an alternate circuit path during the second period.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the single touch sampling method is based on detecting a difference signal between conductive lines in same set of conductive lines.

11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is operative to trigger every other conductive line in an area where the multi-touch sampling method is applied over a first sampling cycle and to trigger all lines in same area not triggered in the first sampling cycle during a subsequent sampling cycle.

12. The input device according to claim 1, wherein during a single sampling cycle, the controller is operative to sample the touch sensitive sensor based on the single touch sampling method and subsequently sample an area set for multi-touch sampling based on the multi-touch sampling method.

13. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive sensor provides for detecting stylus input in an area from the at least one area set for single touch sampling and the at least one other area set for multi-touch sampling.

14. The input device according to claim 13, wherein the input device provides for sampling touch and stylus signals on the touch sensitive sensor substantially simultaneously.

15. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the different sampling methods are associated with the detecting unit triggering or interrogating the touch sensitive sensor with different frequencies.

16. The input device according to claim 15, wherein the at least one area where the single touch sampling method is applied and the at least one other area where the multi-touch sampling methods is applied are sampled simultaneously.

17. A method for touch detection, the method comprising:

controllably setting at least one area on a touch sensitive sensor for applying a multi-touch sampling method, wherein the touch sensitive sensor includes a first set of conductive lines and second set of conductive lines together formed in a grid;

applying the multi-touch sampling method only in the at least one area set for applying the multi-touch sampling method, wherein the multi-touch sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to circuitry of the touch sensitive sensor sequentially applying a triggering signal on conductive lines of the second set of conductive lines;

applying the single touch sampling method in another area of the touch sensitive sensor other than the at least one area set for applying the multi-touch sampling method, wherein the single touch sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to circuitry of the touch sensitive sensor simultaneously applying a triggering signal on the conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines; and

detecting touch over each of the at least one area set for applying the multi-touch sampling method and the other area set for applying the single touch sampling method.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the setting is performed dynamically.

19. The method according to claim 17, comprising detecting stylus input in the at least one area set for applying the multi-touch sampling method.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein stylus output signals and finger touch output signals area sampled substantially simultaneously in the at least one area set for applying multi-touch sampling method.

21. The method according to claim 17, comprising sampling the other area where the single touch sampling method is applied over a first period and subsequently sampling the at least one area where the multi-touch sampling method is applied over a second sampling period, wherein the first and second periods are included in a single sampling cycle.

22. The method according to claim 17, comprising sampling output from the at least one area where the multi-touch sampling method is applied at a lower resolution as compared to sampled output in the areas where single touch sampling method is applied.

23. A method for touch detection, the method comprising:

controllably setting at least one area on a touch sensitive sensor for applying a first sampling method and at least one other area on the touch sensitive sensor for applying a second sampling method, wherein the touch sensitive sensor is formed with a first set of conductive lines and second set of conductive lines together formed in a grid;

wherein the first sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to simultaneously triggering conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines, and

wherein the second sampling method includes sampling output of conductive lines in the first set of conductive lines responsive to sequentially triggering conductive lines in the second set of conductive lines; and

detecting touch over each of the at least one area set for applying the first sampling method and the at least one other area set for applying the second sampling method.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the setting is performed dynamically.

25. The method according to claim 23, comprising detecting stylus input in the at least one area set for applying the second sampling method.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein stylus output signals and finger touch output signals area sampled substantially simultaneously in the at least one area set for applying the second sampling method.

27. The method according to claim 23, comprising sampling the at least one area where the first sampling method is applied over a first period and subsequently sampling the at least one other area where the second sampling method is applied over a second period, wherein the first and second sampling period are included in a single sampling cycle.

28. The method according to claim 23, comprising sampling output from the at least other area where the second sampling method is applied at a lower resolution as compared to sampled output in the at least one area where the first sampling method is applied.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one area and the at least one other area are controllably set based on requirements of an application running on a host associated with the touch sensitive sensor.