Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation

• US 9,250,734 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven P., Krah, Christoph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US14/666,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• 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 2203/04104 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 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The use of one or more proximity sensors in combination with one or more touch sensors in a multi-touch panel to detect the presence of a finger, body part or other object and control or trigger one or more functions in accordance with an “image” of touch provided by the sensor outputs is disclosed. In some embodiments, one or more infrared (IR) proximity sensors can be driven with a specific stimulation frequency and emit IR light from one or more areas, which can in some embodiments correspond to one or more multi-touch sensor “pixel” locations. The reflected IR signal, if any, can be demodulated using synchronous demodulation. In some embodiments, both physical interfaces (touch and proximity sensors) can be connected to analog channels in the same electrical core.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting touch events and hover events on or about a touch-sensitive surface, comprising:

a plurality of touch sensors configured for detecting one or more touch events at the touch-sensitive surface, each touch event comprising a touching of a first object against the touch-sensitive surface;

one or more proximity sensors configured for detecting one or more hover events spaced from the touch-sensitive surface, each hover event comprising a hovering of a second object near the touch-sensitive surface; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the plurality of touch sensors and the one or more proximity sensors, the processor capable of detecting movement of the second object based on a sequence of hover events detected by the one or more proximity sensors, and performing a function when a detected touch event at least partially overlaps in time with the detected movement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further capable of:

detecting the movement of the second object by tracking the sequence of hover events detected by the one or more proximity sensors over a period of time;

and

performing the function when the touch event is detected and the tracking of the sequence of hover events results in the detection of the movement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, at least one of the proximity sensors comprising:

a transmitter configured to emit radiation; and

a receiver configured to receive reflected radiation emitted by the transmitter.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitter is an infrared radiation (IR) transmitter, the receiver is an IR receiver, and the radiation is IR radiation.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display operable with the plurality of touch sensors to form a touch screen, and wherein the function comprises movement of an image being displayed on the touch screen.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, the one or more proximity sensors located adjacent to the touch screen and configured to detect the one or more hover events above the touch screen.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the function comprises configuring one or more of the touch sensors.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is incorporated into a portable computing device.

9. A method for detecting touch events and hover events on or about a touch-sensitive surface, comprising:

detecting one or more touch events at the touch-sensitive surface, each touch event comprising a touching of a first object against the touch-sensitive surface;

detecting one or more hover events spaced from the touch-sensitive surface, each hover event comprising a hovering of a second object near the touch-sensitive surface;

detecting movement of the second object based on a sequence of detected hover events, and

performing a function when a detected touch event at least partially overlaps in time with the detected movement.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising

detecting the movement of the second object by tracking the sequence of hover events detected by the one or more proximity sensors over a period of time;

and

performing the function when the touch event is detected and the tracking of the sequence of hover events results in the detection of the movement.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting the one or more hover events by detecting radiation reflected from the hovering object.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the function includes movement of an image being displayed.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the function comprises configuring one or more touch sensors.

14. An apparatus for detecting touch events and hover events on or about a touch-sensitive surface, comprising:

means for detecting one or more touch events at the touch-sensitive surface, each touch event comprising a touching of a first object against the touch-sensitive surface;

means for detecting one or more hover events spaced from the touch-sensitive surface, each hover event comprising a hovering of a second object near the touch-sensitive surface; and

means for detecting movement of the second object based on a sequence of detected hover events, and

means for performing a function when a detected touch event at least partially overlaps in time with the detected movement.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising

means for detecting the movement of the second object by tracking the sequence of hover events detected by the one or more proximity sensors over a period of time;

and

means for performing the function when the touch event is detected and the tracking of the sequence of hover events results in the detection of the movement.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for detecting the one or more hover events by detecting radiation reflected from the hovering object.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the function includes movement of an image being displayed.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the function comprises configuring one or more touch sensors.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is incorporated into a portable computing device.