Customizing operation of a touch screen

• US 9,489,036 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2016
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mann, Eytan, Geller, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLS-BURNS, CHINEYERE D
• Application Number:
  US15/043,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20160162010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• 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 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A method for customizing operation of a digitizer system operated with an electronic device is described, the electronic device including software applications. The method includes operating the digitizer system in a first mode of operation, the first mode of operation defined by a plurality of operating parameters, receiving instructions for adjusting one or more operating parameters of the digitizer system, wherein the instructions are defined by a software application, the software application operative to receive input from the digitizer system, and updating operation of the digitizer system responsive to the instructions defined by the software applications.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a digitizer system in a first mode of operation, the first mode of operation defined by a plurality of operating parameters, wherein the digitizer system is operated with an electronic device;

receiving instructions for suspending or activating a defined processing routine performed by the digitizer system for processing data sampled by the digitizer system, wherein the instructions are defined by the electronic device, the electronic device operative to receive input from the digitizer system; and

updating operation of the digitizer system based on the instructions, wherein the instructions are defined based on data accumulated by the electronic device over an extended duration of time, the data characterizing how a user typically operates the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system includes a digitizer sensor formed from a plurality of conductive lines spread over a sensing surface and wherein the digitizer system is configured to alter a routine for triggering the conductive lines of the digitizer sensor based on the instructions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is configured to alter a refresh rate of the digitizer system based on the instructions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing routine is selected from a group including:

gesture detection, smoothing algorithms and palm detection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is configured to alter a predefined number of simultaneous fingertip touches that is supported for detection based on the instructions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is configured to suspend hover detection of one or more of stylus or fingertip based on the instructions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is configured to alter number of bits used for sampling analog output based on the instructions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is configured to alter resolution of the digitizer system based on the instructions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions change during an operating session of the electronic device and wherein operation of the digitizer system is updated based on the changes.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions are defined by a power management application.

11. A device comprising:

a host computer;

a digitizer system comprising a digitizer sensor and a digitizer controller, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to;

operate in a first mode of operation defined by a plurality of operating parameters;

receive instructions from the host computer to suspend or activate a defined processing routine for processing data sampled and to define the instructions based on data accumulated by the host computer over an extended duration of time, the data characterizing how a user typically operates the host computer; and

update operation based on the instructions defined; and

an interface circuit configured to communicate the instructions to the digitizer system.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer sensor is formed from a plurality of conductive lines spread over a sensing surface and wherein the digitizer controller is configured to alter a routine for triggering the conductive lines of the digitizer sensor based on the instructions.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to alter its refresh rate based on the instructions.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the processing routine is selected from a group including:

gesture detection, smoothing algorithms and palm detection.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to alter a predefined number of simultaneous fingertip touches that is supported for detection based on the instructions.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to suspend hover detection of one or more of stylus or fingertip based on the instructions.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to alter number of bits used for sampling analog output based on the instructions.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the digitizer controller is configured to alter resolution of the digitizer system based on the instructions.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions change during an operating session of the host computer and wherein operation of the digitizer system is updated based on the changes.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions are defined by a power management application.