Storing baseline information in EEPROM

• US 9,310,912 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Land, Brian Richards, Westerman, Wayne Carl, Hotelling, Steve Porter
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US14/273,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

Pre-stored no-touch or no-hover (no-event) sensor output values can initially be used when a sensor panel subsystem is first booted up to establish an initial baseline of sensor output values unaffected by fingers or other objects touching or hovering over the sensor panel during boot-up. This initial baseline can then be normalized so that each sensor generates the same output value for a given amount of touch or hover, providing a uniform response across the sensor panel and enabling subsequent touch or hover events to be more easily detected. After the initial normalization process is complete, the pre-stored baseline can be discarded in favor of a newly captured no-event baseline that may be more accurate than the pre-stored baseline due to temperature or other variations.

Claims

1. A method for establishing no-event baseline sensor output values for sensors in an event sensor panel, comprising:

utilizing pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values as current no-event baseline sensor output values;

performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain new sensor output values; and

replacing the current no-event baseline sensor output values with the new sensor output values upon determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing no-event baseline sensor output values by scanning the event sensor panel; and

pre-storing the captured no-event baseline sensor output values.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values in accordance with an ambient temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel by:

comparing the new sensor output values to the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values; and

determining whether the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel by determining whether the new sensor output values are below a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel by determining whether the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of each other.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising waiting until it is determined that the object is no longer touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel before performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain the new sensor output values.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing other tasks until it is determined that the object is no longer touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

9. An apparatus for establishing no-event baseline sensor output values for sensors in an event sensor panel, comprising:

non-volatile memory storing pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values; and

a panel processor coupled to the non-volatile memory and capable of

utilizing the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values as current no-event baseline sensor output values,

performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain new sensor output values, and

replacing the current no-event baseline sensor output values with the new sensor output values upon determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the panel processor further capable of adjusting the retrieved pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values in accordance with an ambient temperature.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the panel processor further capable of determining whether the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel by:

comparing the new sensor output values to the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values; and

determining whether the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the panel processor further capable of determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel if the new sensor output values are below a predetermined threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, the panel processor further capable of determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel if the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of each other.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein if it is determined that the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel, the panel processor is further capable of waiting until it is determined that the object is no longer touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel before performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain new sensor output values.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein if it is determined that the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel, the panel processor is further capable of performing other tasks while waiting until it is determined that the object is no longer touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a computing system that incorporates the apparatus, the computing system comprising:

a panel subsystem coupled to the panel processor and including one or more event detection and demodulation circuits; and

a host processor coupled to the panel processor.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a mobile telephone that incorporates the computing system.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a digital audio player that incorporates the computing system.

19. An apparatus for establishing no-event baseline sensor output values for sensors in an event sensor panel, comprising:

means for pre-storing no-event baseline sensor output values; and

means for

utilizing the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values as current no-event baseline sensor output values,

performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain new sensor output values, and

replacing the current no-event baseline sensor output values with the new sensor output values only when it is determined that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for adjusting the retrieved pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values in accordance with an ambient temperature.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining whether the object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel by:

comparing the new sensor output values to the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values; and

determining whether the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of the pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel if the new sensor output values are below a predetermined threshold.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel if the new sensor output values are within a predetermined range of each other.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code for establishing no-event baseline sensor output values for sensors in an event sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

utilizing pre-stored no-event baseline sensor output values as current no-event baseline sensor output values;

performing a scan of the event sensor panel to obtain new sensor output values; and

replacing the current no-event baseline sensor output values with the new sensor output values upon determining that no object is touching or hovering on or about the event sensor panel.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

capturing no-event baseline sensor output values by scanning the event sensor panel; and

pre-storing the captured no-event baseline sensor output values.