Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation

• US 9,367,158 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• 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
• Application Number:
  US14/570,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20150097780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345173-178
• 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 electronic device comprising:

a first input device configured to detect a presence of an object;

a second input device capable of switching between a normal power mode and a reduced power mode; and

a processor in communication with the first input device and the second input device and configured to switch the second input device to the reduced power mode based on a detection of the presence of the object by the first input device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first input device comprises a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of the object.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first input device comprises a keyboard.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured such that the presence of the object is detected by the first input device without the first input device receiving any operation-specific input.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the reduced power mode of the second input device comprises an off mode.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second input device comprises a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of an object.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to turn off the first input device when the presence of the object is detected by the second input device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second input device comprises a touch panel, and wherein the normal power mode of the second input device is a touch-enabled mode and the reduced power mode of the second input device is a touch-disabled mode.

9. A method of reducing power consumption by an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a first input device and a second input device, the method comprising:

detecting, by the first input device, a presence of an object; and

switching the second input device from a normal power mode to a reduced power mode in response to a detection of the presence of the object by the first input device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first input device comprises a proximity sensor and detecting the presence of the object comprises detecting the object'"'"'s proximity to the first input device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first input device comprises a touch sensor and detecting the user'"'"'s presence comprises detecting the user touching the first input device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the presence of the object is detected by the first input device without the first input device receiving any operation-specific input.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the reduced power mode of the second input device comprises an off mode.

14. A method performed by an electronic device comprising a first input device and a second input device, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of an object from data captured by either the first input device or the second input device; and

disabling the other of the first input device and the second input device in response to the detected object presence.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data captured by either the first input device or the second input device comprises either proximity data or touch data.

16. An apparatus for reducing power consumption by an electronic device, comprising:

first means for detecting a presence of an object;

second means for switching between a normal power mode and a reduced power mode; and

means for switching the second means from the normal power mode to the reduced power mode in response to a detection of the presence of the object by the first means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first means comprises a proximity sensor and detecting the presence of the object comprises detecting the object'"'"'s proximity to the first means.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first means comprises a touch sensor and detecting the presence of the object comprises detecting the object touching the first means.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the presence of the object is detected by the first means without the first means receiving any operation-specific input.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the reduced power mode of the second means comprises an off mode.