Scan sequence generator

• US 9,582,104 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph Horst, Vu, Minh-Dieu Thi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US15/045,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 345/174, 178/18.06
• 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 2203/04106 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 2203/04108 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]

Abstract

A sensor panel device that can generate and use a stimulus signal having multiple different waveforms for detecting events on or near the sensor panel is disclosed. Among other things, such a stimulus signal can be used to reject environmental noise present in the device. In some embodiments, the stimulus signal has multiple waveforms having different frequencies. Logic circuitry can generate representative values from output of the different waveforms applied to one or more sensing nodes in the sensor panel device. From the representative values, a final value can be generated that represents whether an event occurred at or near the one or more sensing nodes.

Claims

1. A method of detecting events with a touch sensor panel device comprising:

applying a first stimulation signal having multiple different frequencies to a first touch sensing node of the touch sensor panel device to detect a position of touch, near touch or hover location of an object at or near the first touch sensing node;

while applying the first stimulation signal, sensing an output of the first touch sensing node for each of the multiple different frequencies of the first stimulation signal that was applied to the first touch sensing node to thereby provide multiple outputs;

determining a final result based on all or a plurality of the multiple outputs of the first touch sensing node;

utilizing the final result to determine the position of touch, near touch or hover location on the touch sensor panel device; and

determining the multiple different frequencies of the first stimulation signal in a random manner from a group of different frequency values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a second stimulation signal having multiple different frequencies to a second touch sensing node of the touch sensor panel device;

sensing an output for each of the multiple different frequencies of the second stimulation signal that was applied to the second touch sensing node;

determining the final result based on one or more of the outputs of the second stimulation signal, and

determining the multiple different frequencies of the second stimulation signal in a random manner from the group of different frequency values.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second stimulation signal comprises a pulse train having first frequency, a pulse train having a second frequency and a pulse train having a third frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first stimulation signal comprises a pulse train having a first frequency, a pulse train having a second frequency and a pulse train having a third frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the final result comprises averaging at least two of the multiple results.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the final result comprises applying a majority rules algorithm to the multiple results.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the final result comprises taking a median value of the multiple results.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first stimulation signal comprises a first pulse train that is applied to the first touch sensing node at a time t1, a second pulse train that is applied to the first touch sensing node at a time t2 and a third pulse train that is applied to the first touch sensing node at a time t3, wherein t1 is before t2, t2 is before t3, and the time between t1 and t2 and the time between t2 and t3 are determined in a random manner from a group of time values.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the final result further comprises determining whether one or more of the multiple outputs is corrupted and eliminating any corrupted output from being used when determining the final result.

10. A sensor panel device comprising:

an event sensitive panel having at least one sense node that provides an output signal indicative of a touch or near touch event on the event sensitive panel;

output circuitry operatively connected to the at least one sense node that generates stimulus signals having multiple different frequencies selected in a random manner from a group of frequency values, the at least one sense node providing multiple outputs in response to the multiple different frequencies for at least one event to detect a position of touch or near touch of the sensor panel; and

input circuitry operatively connected to the at least one sense node to receive the multiple outputs, the input circuitry configured to measure results of the stimulus signals applied to the at least one sense node to determine the position of touch or near touch based on all or a plurality of the received multiple outputs.

11. The sensor panel device of claim 10, wherein the stimulus signals have a first, second and third frequency value.

12. The sensor panel device of claim 10, wherein the output circuitry comprises a randomizer lookup table for storing data indicative of the group of frequency values.

13. The sensor panel device of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of drive electrodes;

a plurality of sense electrodes,

the at least one sense node formed by the crossing of one of the plurality of drive electrodes with one of the plurality of sense electrodes, the at least one sense node formed by capacitive coupling of the one of the plurality of drive electrodes and the one of the plurality of sense electrodes.

14. The sensor panel device of claim 13, wherein the output circuitry comprises a randomizer lookup table storing data indicative of frequency values in the group of frequency values.

15. The sensor panel device of claim 14, wherein the randomizer lookup table further stores data indicative of time intervals between the generation of the multiple different frequencies of the stimulus signals.

16. A mobile telephone incorporating the sensor panel device of claim 10.

17. A digital audio player incorporating the sensor panel device of claim 10.

18. A method of acquiring an image of a sensor panel device having a plurality of event sensors, comprising:

applying a first stimulus signal having a first frequency to a first event sensor;

receiving a first stimulus result comprising an output of the first event sensor to which the first stimulus signal was applied;

applying a second stimulus signal having a second frequency to the first event sensor;

receiving a second stimulus result comprising an output of the first event sensor to which the second stimulus signal was applied;

applying a third stimulus signal having a third frequency to the first event sensor;

receiving a third stimulus result comprising an output of the first event sensor to which the third stimulus signal was applied;

the first, second and third frequencies different from one another and applied to the first event sensor to detect at least one of a touch, near touch, or hover event;

generating a final value of the first event sensor based on at least two of the first, second and third stimulus results; and

selecting the first, second and third frequencies in a random fashion from a group of frequency values.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting time differences between the applying of the first, second and third frequencies in a random fashion from a group of time values.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising offset compensating the first, second and third stimulus results.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the generating step further comprises applying a filter to the first, second and third stimulus results.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the filter uses an averaging algorithm.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the filter uses a median value algorithm.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the filter uses a majority rules algorithm.

25. An apparatus for detecting events on a sensor panel device having a sensor panel surface, the sensor panel device having a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of sense electrodes and capacitive sensing nodes at intersections of the plurality of drive electrodes and the plurality of sense electrodes, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to detect one or more events, each of the plurality of sensors comprising at least one of the capacitive sensing nodes;

output circuitry operatively connected to the plurality of sensors, the output circuitry configured to generate stimulus signals having predetermined waveforms, at least some of the predetermined waveforms having different frequencies, each of the plurality of sensors providing different outputs corresponding to the different frequencies to detect the one or more events, the output circuitry including circuitry for selecting the different frequencies in a random manner from a group of frequency values; and

one or more analog channels operatively connected to the plurality of sensors, the one or more analog channels configured to generate distinct values representative of one or more events based on the different outputs for each of the plurality of sensors.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the output circuitry includes circuitry for selecting a time period between generation of the predetermined waveforms of different frequencies, the time periods selected in a random manner from a group of time periods.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the output circuitry and the one or more analog channels form part of a touch subsystem for processing events.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the output circuitry comprises driver logic capable of driving the plurality of touch sensors with stimulus signals.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the plurality of sensors form one or more sensor rows located in distinct and non-overlapping areas.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the one or more analog channels comprises multiple analog channels and the plurality of sensors are arranged in rows and columns in the sensor panel, each column operatively connected to a different one of the multiple analog channels.

31. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a computing system that incorporates the apparatus, the computing system comprising:

an event subsystem operatively connected to the plurality of sensors;

an event panel processor operatively connected to the event subsystem; and

a host processor operatively connected to the event panel processor.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a cellular telephone that incorporates the computing system.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising a digital audio player that incorporates the computing system.

34. A method for detecting events on or about a touch sensitive surface, comprising:

scanning an event sensor panel of event sensors organized in rows and columns by applying a stimulus having multiple different frequencies to one of the rows or columns, the stimulus being applied to detect one or more events comprising a touching or near touching of an object on or over the touch sensitive surface;

selecting the multiple different frequencies in a random manner from a group of frequency values,

during each event sensor panel scan of the rows or columns, coupling the other of the rows or columns of the event sensor panel to one or more analog channels to generate plural output values for the multiple different frequencies representative of the one or more events; and

determining a final output value based on all or a plurality of the plural output values.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising selecting a time period between application of the multiple different frequencies of the stimulus, the time periods selected in a random manner from a group of time periods.

36. The method of claim 34, further comprising generating the one or more output values representative of one or more events within an event subsystem.

37. The method of claim 34 incorporated into a computing system.

38. The method of claim 34, incorporated into a mobile telephone.

39. The method of claim 34, incorporated into a digital audio player.

40. An apparatus for sensing an event on a touch sensitive panel, comprising:

means for generating a stimulus signal comprising multiple waveforms, at least some of the waveforms having different frequencies;

means for selecting values of the different frequencies in a random manner from a group of frequency values;

means for applying the stimulus signal to a first touch sensing node of the touch sensitive panel to detect touching of the first touch sensing node, the first touch sensing node providing multiple outputs in response to the different frequencies;

means for generating representative values of the multiple outputs of the first sensing node; and

means for generating a final value based upon all or a plurality of the representative values, the final value corresponding to whether or not an event occurred at or near the first touch sensing node.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, further comprising means for selecting time intervals between the multiple waveforms having different frequencies of the stimulus signal in a random manner from a group of time intervals.