Time multiplexed touch detection and power charging

• US 9,811,204 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sauer, Christian M., Moyer, Todd K., Parnell, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ritchie, Darlene M
• Application Number:
  US14/312,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• 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: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process

Abstract

A method of scanning a touch sensor panel while the touch sensor panel is coupled to a power adapter is disclosed. The power adapter can charge a battery of a device, but can also introduce or add noise during the process of charging the battery. To prevent adverse effects to the touch sensor panel, while the device is charging, the touch controller can time multiplex touch scan periods and inductive charging periods and can discard touch scans or touch images affected by the noise. Determining whether a touch scan is a bad touch scan can include performing a touch scan across the array of touch pixels and making a determination based on the scan profile. In some examples, the profile can be quantified using different metrics such as the shape, instantaneous slope of tail ends, a full-width half-maximum, and a monotonicity of the curve of the scan profile.

Claims

1. A method of scanning a touch sensor panel, comprising:

acquiring touch data from a plurality of touch sensors during at least one of charge and charge-free periods, the charge and charge-free periods occurring while the touch sensor panel is coupled to a charger;

determining whether the touch data was acquired during at least one of the charge periods, wherein the at least one of the charge periods includes noise received from the charger;

discarding the touch data when the touch data was acquired during the at least one of the charge periods;

in accordance with the touch data including an indication of a touch on the touch sensor panel;

generating and transmitting a first notification to the charger to operate with charge periods having a first duty cycle; and

in accordance with the touch data including an indication of an absence of a touch on the touch sensor panel;

generating and transmitting a second notification to the charger to operate with charge periods having a second duty cycle, the second duty cycle greater than the first duty cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the touch data was acquired during at least one of the charge periods further includes:

comparing at least a portion of the touch data to a capacitance value from at least one of the plurality of touch sensors, wherein the at least a portion of the touch data is associated with the at least one of the plurality of touch sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensors are incorporated into a first device, the method further comprising:

sending, to a second device, external to the first device, the acquired touch data; and

receiving, from the second device, at least one of a noise-free touch image, scan period, and a number of touch scans within a scan period associated with the acquired touch data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first duty cycle is based on a touch sensing duty cycle of the touch sensor panel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the touch data was acquired during at least one of the charge periods includes:

determining a curve of a touch profile from the acquired touch data;

determining a shape of the curve; and

comparing the shape of the curve to a shape of a historical touch profile.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the curve is a Gaussian curve.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the determination of whether the touch data was acquired during at least one of the charge periods further includes:

one or more of determining a slope of the curve and using the slope in the comparison, and determining a full-width half-maximum of the curve.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a number of scans including the touch data acquired during the charge-free periods.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising dynamically changing at least one of a scan period, a scan frequency, and a number of touch scans within the scan period based on the determined number of scans acquired during the charge-free periods.

10. A touch sensor panel comprising:

sensing circuitry configured to acquire touch data from a plurality of touch sensors during at least one of the charge and charge-free periods, the charge and charge-free periods occurring while the touch sensor panel is coupled to a charger; and

a processor configured to;

determine whether the touch data was acquired during at least one of the charge periods, wherein the at least one of the charge periods includes noise generated by the charger;

discard the touch data when the touch data was acquired during the at least one of the charge periods;

in accordance with the touch data including an indication of a touch on the touch sensor panel;

generate and transmit a first notification to the charger to operate with charge periods having a first duty cycle; and

in accordance with the touch data including an indication of an absence of a touch on the touch sensor panel;

generate and transmit a second notification to the charger to operate with charge periods having a second duty cycle, the second duty cycle greater than the first duty cycle.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, wherein the touch sensor panel is configured with a duty cycle of scan periods greater than or equal to a duty cycle of charge periods of the charger when the touch sensor panel is coupled to the charger.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first duty cycle is based on a touch sensing duty cycle of the touch sensor panel.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a curve of a touch profile from the acquired touch data, determine a shape of the curve, and compare the shape of the curve to a shape of a historical touch profile.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 13, wherein the historical touch profile includes a predetermined curve.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

perform one or more operations of determining a slope of the curve used for the comparison and determining a full-width half-maximum of the curve.

16. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a number of scans including the touch data acquired during the charge-free periods.

17. The touch sensor panel of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to dynamically change at least one of a scan period, a scan frequency, and a number of touch scans within the scan period based on the determined number of scans acquired during the charge-free periods.

18. A method of charging a touch sensor panel with a charger, the method comprising:

receiving a first notification from the touch sensor panel, wherein the first notification includes an indication of a touch on the touch sensor panel;

in accordance with receiving the first notification, operating the charger with charge periods having a first duty cycle, the first duty cycle less than a duty cycle of a scan period of the touch sensor panel;

receiving a second notification from the touch sensor panel, wherein the second notification includes an indication of an absence of a touch occurring on the touch sensor panel; and

in accordance with receiving the second notification, operating the charger with charge periods having a second duty cycle, the second duty cycle greater than the first duty cycle.