Rendering and displaying a three-dimensional object representation

• US 9,189,880 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Small, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Broome, Said
• Application Number:
  US13/194,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A touch screen controller is configured for use in an electronic system. The electronic system comprises: the touch screen controller, a host processing system physically distinct from the touch screen controller, a display screen, and a proximity sensor element. The touch screen controller comprises proximity sensor control circuitry, a rendering module, and display refresh circuitry. The proximity sensor control circuitry is configured to operate the proximity sensor element to sense input objects in a sensing region of the electronic system. The rendering module is configured to render three-dimensional object representations for display on the display screen. The display refresh circuitry is configured to update the display screen with an image received from and processed by the host processing system and with the three-dimensional object representation rendered by the rendering module.

Claims

1. A touch screen controller for an electronic system, said electronic system comprising said touch screen controller, a host processing system physically distinct from said touch screen controller, a display screen, and a proximity sensor element, said touch screen controller comprising:

proximity sensor control circuitry implemented by said touch screen controller and configured to operate said proximity sensor element to sense input objects in a sensing region of said electronic system;

a rendering module implemented by said touch screen controller and configured to render three-dimensional object representations for display on said display screen, wherein said representations are rendered independently from a rendering of a primary image processed by said host processing system; and

display refresh circuitry implemented by said touch screen controller and configured to update said display screen said primary image processed by said host processing system and with said three-dimensional object representation rendered by said rendering module.

2. The touch screen controller of claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing said three-dimensional object representations.

3. The touch screen controller of claim 1, wherein said rendering module is further configured to render said three-dimensional object representation based on one of sensing of said input object in said sensing region and input object information of said input object.

4. The touch screen controller of claim 1, wherein said rendering module is further configured to render a perceived depth of said three-dimensional object representation based on three-dimensional object information received from said host processing system.

5. The touch screen controller of claim 1, wherein said display screen comprises a double frame-rate display screen and said three-dimensional object representation comprises a left eye image frame overlay and a right eye image frame overlay.

6. The touch screen controller of claim 1, wherein said display screen comprises a parallax masked display screen and said three-dimensional object representation comprises a two-dimensional interleaved overlay.

7. An electronic system comprising:

a host processing system;

a display screen;

a proximity sensor element; and

a touch screen controller physically distinct from said host processing system, the touch screen controller configured to;

operate said proximity sensor element to sense an input object in a sensing region of said electronic system;

render a three-dimensional object representation, wherein said representation is rendered independently from a rendering of a primary image processed by said host processing system; and

update said display screen with said primary image processed by said host processing system and with said three-dimensional object representation rendered by said touch screen controller.

8. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said touch screen controller is further configured to store a three-dimensional object representation in a memory of said touch screen controller prior to utilizing said three-dimensional object representation to update said display screen.

9. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said touch screen controller is further configured to render said three-dimensional object representation based on sensing of said input object in said sensing region.

10. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said touch screen controller is further configured to render a perceived depth of said three-dimensional object representation based on one of input object information sensed by said touch screen controller and depth information received from said host processing system.

11. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said display screen comprises a double frame-rate display screen and said three-dimensional object representation comprises a left eye image frame overlay and a right eye image frame overlay.

12. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said display screen comprises a parallax masked display screen and said three-dimensional object representation comprises a two-dimensional interleaved overlay.

13. The electronic system of claim 7, wherein said touch screen overlaps an active area of said display screen.

14. A method of operating an electronic system comprising a host processing system, a display screen, a proximity sensor element, and a touch screen controller physically distinct from said host processing system:

operating said proximity sensor element with said touch screen controller to sense an input object in a sensing region of said electronic system;

rendering a display image with said host processing system;

rendering a three-dimensional object representation with said touch screen controller, wherein said representation is rendered independently from a rendering of a primary image processed by said host processing system; and

utilizing said touch screen controller to update said display screen with said primary image and with said three-dimensional object representation.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 further comprising:

rendering said three-dimensional object representation with said touch screen controller based on sensing of said input object in said sensing region.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

storing said three-dimensional object representation in a memory of said touch screen controller prior to utilizing said three-dimensional object representation to update said display screen.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said rendering a three-dimensional object representation with said touch screen controller comprises:

rendering a perceived depth of said three-dimensional object representation based on input object information sensed by said touch screen controller.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said rendering a three-dimensional object representation with said touch screen controller comprises:

rendering said three-dimensional object representation as a left eye image frame overlay and a right eye image frame overlay.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein said rendering a three-dimensional object representation with said touch screen controller comprises:

rendering said three-dimensional object representation as a two-dimensional interleaved overlay comprising a left eye image portion and a right eye image portion.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said rendering said three-dimensional object representation as a two-dimensional interleaved overlay comprises:

rendering a perceived depth of said three-dimensional representation based on rotation of display from a portrait display mode to a landscape display mode.