Reducing touch sensor panel power consumption

• US 9,304,575 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, SungChang, Lee, Chia-Yeh
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US14/090,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20150145803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/174, 345/178, 345/179, 345/172
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Reducing power consumption in a touch screen. In some examples, a first level of touch accuracy can be determined, and a first portion of the touch screen can be operated in a first mode corresponding to the first level of touch accuracy. In some examples, a second level of touch accuracy can be determined, and a second portion of the touch screen can be operated in a second mode corresponding to the second level of touch accuracy. The first and/or second levels of touch accuracy can be determined based on an application running on a device including the touch screen and/or a user interface displayed on the touch screen. In some examples, in the first and/or second modes, the respective portions of the touch screen can transition between a touch sensing phase and a display phase at different transition frequencies and/or can sense touch at different ratios of touch sensors.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

concurrently operating a first portion of a touch screen in a first mode and a second portion of the touch screen in a second mode, the first mode corresponding to a first level of touch accuracy and the second mode corresponding to a second level of touch accuracy, wherein;

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase, the display phase having a first duration of time, and

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase, the display phase having a second duration of time, different from the first duration of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase at a first transition frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the second level of touch accuracy being different than the first level of touch accuracy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase at a first transition frequency, and

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase at a second transition frequency, different from the first transition frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors,

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises sensing touch at a third set of touch sensors, the second portion of the touch screen comprising the third set of touch sensors and a fourth set of touch sensors, and

a first ratio of a first number of touch sensors in the first set to a second number of touch sensors in the second set is different than a second ratio of a third number of touch sensors in the third set to a fourth number of touch sensors in the fourth set.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least an application running on a device including the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least a user interface (UI) for display on the touch screen.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and a display phase at the first transition frequency, and

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase at a second transition frequency, different from the first transition frequency.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors,

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises sensing touch at a third set of touch sensors, the second portion of the touch screen comprising the third set of touch sensors and a fourth set of touch sensors, and

a first ratio of a first number of touch sensors in the first set to a second number of touch sensors in the second set is different than a second ratio of a third number of touch sensors in the third set to a fourth number of touch sensors in the fourth set.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a device, cause the device to perform a method comprising:

concurrently operating a first portion of a touch screen in a first mode and a second portion of the touch screen in a second mode, the first mode corresponding to a first level of touch accuracy and the second mode corresponding to a second level of touch accuracy, wherein;

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase, the display phase having a first duration of time; and

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase, the display phase, the display phase having a second duration of time, different from the first duration of time.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase at a first transition frequency.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

the second level of touch accuracy being different than the first level of touch accuracy.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase at a first transition frequency, and

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase at a second transition frequency, different from the first transition frequency.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors,

operating the second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises sensing touch at a third set of touch sensors, the second portion of the touch screen comprising the third set of touch sensors and a fourth set of touch sensors, and

a first ratio of a first number of touch sensors in the first set to a second number of touch sensors in the second set is different than a second ratio of a third number of touch sensors in the third set to a fourth number of touch sensors in the fourth set.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least an application running on a device including the touch screen.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least a user interface (UI) for display on the touch screen.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor to execute instructions;

a touch screen; and

a memory coupled with the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising;

concurrently operating a first portion of the touch screen in a first mode and a second portion of the touch screen in a second mode, the first mode corresponding to a first level of touch accuracy and the second mode corresponding to a second level of touch accuracy, wherein;

operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase, the display phase having a first duration of time; and

operating a second portion of the touch screen in the second mode comprises transitioning the second portion of the touch screen between the touch sensing phase and the display phase, the display phase having a second duration of time, different from the first duration of time.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises transitioning the first portion of the touch screen between a touch sensing phase and a display phase at a first transition frequency.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein operating the first portion of the touch screen in the first mode comprises sensing touch at a first set of touch sensors, the first portion of the touch screen comprising the first set of touch sensors and a second set of touch sensors.

22. The device of claim 19, the method further comprising:

the second level of touch accuracy being different than the first level of touch accuracy.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least an application running on a device including the touch screen.

24. The device of claim 19, wherein the first level of touch accuracy is determined based on at least a user interface (UI) for display on the touch screen.