System and method for synchronization of touch panel devices

• US 8,947,377 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Van Antwerpen, Hans, Swindle, Scott, Hogan, Aaron, Kelleher, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMPSON, LIXI CHOW
• Application Number:
  US13/238,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20120256852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A system and method for synchronization of touch-panel devices is described. In one embodiment, the system includes a first controller device configured to control operations of a first portion of a touch-panel device such that the first controller device is further configured to generate a single master timing signal. The single master timing signal is configured to synchronize operation of the first controller device and a second controller device that is configured to control operations of a second portion of a touch-panel device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising

a first controller device configured to control operations of a first portion of a touch-panel device,

wherein the first controller device is further configured to generate a single master timing signal provided by a noise detector of the first controller device,

wherein the single master timing signal is configured to synchronize operation of the first controller device and a second controller device that is configured to control operations of a second portion of a touch-panel device, and

wherein the first controller device is configured to use the single master timing signal to synchronize the operation of the first portion of the touch-panel device and to send the single master timing signal to the second controller device to synchronize the operation of the second portion to the first portion.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller device is configured to operate as a master device and the second controller device is configured to operate as a slave device in a master/slave configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller device comprises a clock source, and the single master timing signal is configured to operate independent from the clock source.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and the second controller devices comprise a common clock source and the single master timing signal is configured to operate independent from the common clock source.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller device and the second controller device are disposed on multiple substrates.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the single master timing signal comprising information of an event, wherein said event comprise at least one of a start event, a reject event and an error event.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the start event comprises instructions to begin a new phase of conversion during processing of a user using the touchpanel device.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the reject event comprises instructions to abort conversion during processing of a user using the touch-panel device and return to an initial phase of the conversion.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the error event comprises instructions to interrupt a conversion during processing of a user using the touch-panel device, the error event is a change in the single master timing signal before completion of a phase of the conversion.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller device is configured to receive the single master timing signal from an external noise detector based on an external parameter.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first controller device comprises an internal noise detector, wherein the first controller device is configured to receive the single master timing signal from the internal noise detector based on an internal parameter.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating, by at least a first controller device, a single master timing signal, wherein the single master timing signal is generated by a noise detector of the first controller device;

synchronizing, by at least the first controller device, operation of a first portion of a touch-panel device using the single master timing signal; and

synchronizing, by at least a second controller device, operation of a second portion of the touch-panel device using the single master timing signal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the synchronizing comprising synchronizing the first and the second controller devices independent of a common clock source.

14. A system, comprising:

a first controller device configured to control operations of a first portion of a touch-panel device,

wherein the first controller device is further configured to generate a single master timing signal, the single master timing signal provided by a noise detector of the first controller device,

wherein the single master timing signal is configured to synchronize the operations of the first controller device;

and

a second controller device coupled to the first controller device, wherein the second controller device is configured to control operations of a second portion of the touch-panel device, wherein the first controller device is configured to send the single master timing signal to the second controller device to synchronize the operations of the second portion to the first portion.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first controller device comprises a first clock source and the second controller device comprise a second clock source, and the single master timing signal is configured to operate independent from the first and the second clock source.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the first and the second controller devices comprise a common clock source and the single master timing signal is configured to operate independent from the common clock source.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the first controller device and the second controller device are disposed on multiple substrates.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein one of the first controller device and the second controller device is configured to receive the single master timing signal from an external noise detector based on an external parameter.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein one of the first controller device and the second controller device comprises an internal noise detector and is configured to receive the single master timing signal from the internal noise detector based on an internal parameter.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the first controller device comprises a multi-chip synchronization component configured to receive the single master timing signal to synchronize the operations of the first portion of the touch-panel device being controlled by the first controller device and the second controller device comprises a multi-chip synchronization component configured to receive the single master timing signal to synchronize the operations of the second portion of the touch-panel device being controlled by the second controller device.