Channel scan architecture for multiple stimulus multi-touch sensor panels

• US 9,348,451 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Thomas James, Krah, Christoph Horst, Vu, Minh-Dieu Thi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M
• Application Number:
  US12/208,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,813 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-160, 345/162, 345165-166, 345168-169, 345172-173, 178/18.01, 178/19.01, 178/20.1, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 178/20.01, 715/761, 325/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

A channel scan architecture for detecting touch events on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. The channel scan architecture can combine drive logic, sense channels and channel scan logic on a single monolithic chip. The channel scan logic can be configured to implement a sequence of scanning processes in a panel subsystem without intervention from a panel processor. The channel scan architecture can provide scan sequence control to enable the panel processor to control the sequence in which individual scans are implemented in the panel subsystem. Type of scans that can be implemented in the panel subsystem can include a spectral analysis scan, touch scan, phantom touch scan, ambient light level scan, proximity scan and temperature scan.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a sensor panel including a plurality of touch sensors; and

a single integrated circuit including;

drive logic configured to stimulate the sensor panel,

sense channels configured to sense touch applied to the sensor panel,

panel subsystem logic configured to;

perform a scan of the touch sensors to generate touch sense data, wherein the scan of the touch sensors includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with a plurality of stimulation signals, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals includes at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and

perform a no stimulation scan of the touch sensors to generate calibration data, and

a processor configured to;

process the touch sense data to identify an occurrence or absence of a touch event at the sensor panel; and

process calibration data to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the touch sensors;

wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensors and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensors without intervention from the processor.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the scan of the touch sensors includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with multiple stimulation frequencies.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to process frequency selection data to select a clean frequency for use in the scan of the touch sensors, and

the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform a spectral analysis scan of the touch sensors to generate the frequency selection data without intervention from the processor.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the spectral analysis scan includes performing quadrature demodulation of different frequencies at sense channels associated with the touch sensors.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein

the sensor panel includes a plurality of light sensors,

the processor is configured to process light sense data to identify an ambient light level at the sensor panel, and

the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform an ambient light level scan of the light sensors to generate the light sense data without intervention from the processor.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein

the sensor panel includes a plurality of proximity sensors,

the processor is configured to process proximity sense data to identify an occurrence or absence of a proximity event at the sensor panel, and

the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform a scan of the proximity sensors to generate the proximity sense data without intervention from the processor.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein

the computing device includes a temperature sensor,

the processor is configured to process temperature data to calibrate parameters associated with the touch sensors that are susceptible to temperature-related drift, and

the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform a scan of the temperature sensor to generate the temperature data without intervention from the processor.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the panel subsystem logic performs each of a plurality of different types of scans, without intervention from the processor, in a sequence controlled by the processor.

9. An application-specific integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of first drive channels configured to stimulate a touch sensor panel;

a plurality of first sense channels configured to sense a touch event at the touch sensor panel; and

panel subsystem logic configured to control the plurality of first drive channels and the plurality of first sense channels during a scan of the touch sensor panel and during a no stimulation scan of the touch sensor panel, wherein the scan of the touch sensor panel includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with a plurality of stimulation signals, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals includes at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase and wherein the no stimulation scan of the touch sensor panel includes generating calibration data used to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the touch sensors;

wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensor panel and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensor panel without intervention from a processor.

10. The application-specific integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the scan of the touch sensor panel includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with multiple stimulation frequencies.

11. The application-specific integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform a spectral analysis scan of the touch sensor panel to generate frequency selection data.

12. The application-specific integrated circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of second drive channels configured to stimulate a proximity sensor panel;

a plurality of second sense channels configured to sense a proximity event at the proximity sensor panel; and

panel subsystem logic configured to control the plurality of second drive channels and the plurality of second sense channels during a scan of the proximity sensor panel.

13. The application-specific integrated circuit of claim 9, the application-specific integrated circuit being incorporated within a computing device.

14. A computing device comprising:

a sensor panel including a plurality of touch sensors, wherein the plurality of touch sensors are stimulated with a plurality of stimulation signals during a scan of the plurality of touch sensors, the plurality of stimulation signals including at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and wherein the plurality of touch sensors are not stimulated during a no stimulation scan of the plurality of touch sensors; and

a panel subsystem including a sense channel and decode logic,

the sense channel coupled to the plurality of touch sensors, the sense channel superposing output signals indicative of a touch input event generated by the plurality of touch sensors and generating composite sense data based on the superposed output signals during a scan of the plurality of touch sensors, and the sense channel generating, during the no stimulation scan, calibration data used to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the touch sensors, and

the decode logic configured to decode the composite sense data into sensor-specific sense data;

wherein the panel subsystem is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensors and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensors without intervention from a processor.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the panel subsystem further comprises spectral scan logic, the spectral scan logic configured to perform a spectral analysis scan of the sensor panel.

16. A method for detecting and processing touch events on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

combining drive logic and sense channels on a single monolithic chip configured for being coupled to the touch sensor panel, wherein the drive logic is configured to stimulate the touch sensor panel concurrently with a plurality of stimulation signals during a touch scanning process of the touch sensor panel, the plurality of stimulation signals including at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and wherein the drive logic is configured to not stimulate the touch sensor panel during a no stimulation scan of the touch sensor panel to generate calibration data used to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the touch sensor panel; and

controlling the drive logic and sense channels during a touch scanning process and the no stimulation scan from within the chip without intervention from an on-chip processor.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing a spectral analysis scan of the touch sensor panel from within the chip without intervention from the on-chip processor.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing a phantom touch scan of the touch sensor panel from within the chip without intervention from the on-chip processor.

19. A mobile telephone comprising:

a sensor panel including a plurality of touch sensors; and

a single integrated circuit including

drive logic configured to stimulate the sensor panel,

sense channels configured to sense touch applied to the sensor panel,

panel subsystem logic configured to;

perform a scan of the touch sensors to generate touch sense data, wherein the scan of the touch sensors includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with a plurality of stimulation signals, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals includes at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and

perform a no stimulation scan of the touch sensors to generate calibration data, and

a processor configured to;

process the touch sense data to identify an occurrence or absence of a touch event at the sensor panel; and

process calibration data to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the sensor panel;

wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensors and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensors without intervention from the processor.

20. A portable media player comprising:

a sensor panel including a plurality of touch sensors; and

a single integrated circuit including

drive logic configured to stimulate the sensor panel,

sense channels configured to sense touch applied to the sensor panel,

panel subsystem logic configured to;

perform a scan of the touch sensors to generate touch sense data, wherein the scan of the touch sensors includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with a plurality of stimulation signals, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals includes at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and

perform a no stimulation scan of the touch sensors to generate calibration data, and

a processor configured to;

process the touch sense data to identify an occurrence or absence of a touch event at the sensor panel; and

process calibration data to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the sensor panel;

wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensors and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensors without intervention from the processor.

21. A personal computer comprising:

a sensor panel including a plurality of touch sensors; and

a single integrated circuit including

drive logic configured to stimulate the sensor panel,

sense channels configured to sense touch applied to the sensor panel,

panel subsystem logic configured to;

perform a scan of the touch sensors to generate touch sense data, wherein the scan of the touch sensors includes concurrently stimulating the touch sensors with a plurality of stimulation signals, wherein the plurality of stimulation signals includes at least a first stimulation signal with a first stimulation phase and a second stimulation signal with a second stimulation phase, the first stimulation phase different from the second stimulation phase, and

perform a no stimulation scan of the touch sensors to generate calibration data, and

a processor configured to;

process the touch sense data to identify an occurrence or absence of a touch event at the sensor panel; and

process calibration data to adjust the baseline noise level associated with the sensor panel;

wherein the panel subsystem logic is configured to perform the scan of the touch sensors and the no stimulation scan of the touch sensors without intervention from the processor.