Touch device communication

• US 9,851,849 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph Horst, Hotelling, Steven Porter
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Ilana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hermann, Kirk
• Application Number:
  US12/960,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20120139865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,580 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• 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 system for data communication between a plurality of touch devices is disclosed. The system can include a first touch device having a first touch surface, and at least one other touch device having at least one other touch surface. The first touch device and the at least one other touch device can include a touch controller detecting communications coupling between the first touch surface and the least one other touch surface. The first touch device and the at least one other touch device can include a communication unit communicating data between the first touch device and the at least one other touch device, via the first touch surface and the at least one other touch surface, when the communications coupling is detected. The communications coupling can be detected when a coupling conduit contacts, or is proximate to, the first touch surface and at least one other touch surface.

Claims

1. A method of data communication, comprising:

during a touch mode;

sensing touch on a first touch surface of a first device during a plurality of touch frames;

detecting a communications coupling with at least one other device at the first touch surface; and

in response to the detection, transitioning to a touch communications mode; and

during the touch communications mode;

sensing touch on the first touch surface during at least one touch frame, and

communicating data at the first device during at least one communication frame, the communicating of data being from the first device to the at least one other device via the first touch surface through the communications coupling; and

during a burst communication mode, communicating data at the first device via the first touch surface to the at least one other device during at least one communication frame without executing a touch frame;

wherein during the touch mode, the first device senses touch on the first touch surface during the plurality of touch frames without executing a communication frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected communications coupling at the first touch surface is at least one capacitive coupling conduit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detected at least one capacitive coupling conduit is a touch on the first touch surface.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the detected at least one capacitive coupling conduit is an object proximate, but not in contact with, the first touch surface.

5. The method of claim 1, the detecting of the communications coupling comprising:

listening, at the first touch surface, for a signal at a predetermined frequency from the at least one other device, wherein transitioning to the touch communications mode is in response to detecting the signal at the predetermined frequency from the at least one other device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising frequency shift key (FSK) encoding the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of phase shift key (PSK) encoding and quadrature PSK (QPSK) encoding the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of amplitude modulating (AM) and quadrature amplitude modulating (QAM) the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

9. The method of claim 1, the detecting of the communications coupling comprising detecting a known signature of the at least one other device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the communications coupling comprises receiving one or more handshaking signals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first device and the at least one other device is incorporated within a computing system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing touch on the first touch surface of the first device comprises processing the sensed touch to detect a position of the sensed touch on the first touch surface and processing the position of the touch event in accordance with a display appearing on the first device at a time of sensing the sensed touch.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein transitioning to the burst communication mode is based on an amount of data to be communicated at the first device.

14. A touch device configured to communicate data, comprising:

a touch controller configured to;

during a touch mode;

sense touch on a first touch surface of the touch device during a plurality of touch frames,

detect a communications coupling with at least one other touch device at the first touch surface of the touch device,

in response to the detection, transition the touch device to a touch communications mode, and

during the touch communications mode, sense touch on the first touch surface during at least one touch frame; and

a communication unit configured to;

during the touch communications mode, communicate data at the touch device during at least one communication frame, the communicating of data being from the touch device to the at least one other touch device via the first touch surface through the communications coupling; and

during a burst communication mode, communicate data at the first device via the first touch surface to the at least one other device during at least one communication frame without executing a touch frame;

wherein during the touch mode, the touch device senses touch on the first touch surface during the plurality of touch frames without executing a communication frame.

15. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the communications coupling is detected when at least one capacitive coupling conduit contacts the first touch surface and at least one other touch surface.

16. The touch device of claim 15, wherein the at least one capacitive coupling conduit is a user contacting the first touch surface and the at least one other touch surface.

17. The touch device of claim 15, wherein the data is communicated via the conduit.

18. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the touch controller is further configured to detect the communications coupling when the first touch surface is proximate, but not in contact with, the at least one other touch surface.

19. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the touch controller is configured to listen for a signal at a predetermined frequency from the at least one other device, wherein transitioning to the touch communications mode is in response to detecting the signal at the predetermined frequency from the at least one other device.

20. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the communication unit is configured to frequency shift keyed (FSK) encode the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

21. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the communication unit is configured to phase shift keyed (PSK) encode the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

22. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the communication unit is configured to amplitude modulate (AM) the data at the first device before transmitting the data from the first device.

23. The touch device of claim 14, wherein the communication unit is configured to communicate data using at least one of quadrature PSK and quadrature AM.

24. The touch device of claim 14, wherein at least one of the touch device and the at least one other device is incorporated within a computing system.

25. The touch device of claim 14, wherein sensing touch on the first touch surface of the first device comprises processing the sensed touch to detect a position of the sensed touch on the first touch surface and processing the position of the sensed touch in accordance with a display appearing on the first device at a time of sensing the sensed touch.

26. The touch device of claim 14, wherein

transitioning to the burst communication mode is based on an amount of data to be communicated at the first device.

27. A system for data communication between a plurality of touch devices, comprising:

a first touch device having a first touch surface; and

at least one other touch device having at least one other touch surface, wherein the first touch device includes;

a touch controller configured to;

during a touch mode;

sense touch on the first touch surface during a plurality of touch frames,

detect a communications coupling between the first touch surface and the at least one other touch surface,

in response to the detection, transition the first touch device to a touch communications mode, and

during the touch communications mode, sense touch on the first touch surface during at least one touch frame, and

a communication unit configured to;

during the touch communications mode, communicate data between the first touch device and the at least one other touch device during at least one communication frame, the communicating of data being via the first touch surface and the at least one other touch surface; and

during a burst communication mode, communicate data at the first device via the first touch surface to the at least one other device during at least one communication frame without executing a touch frame;

wherein during the touch mode, the first touch device senses touch on the first touch surface during the plurality of touch frames without executing a communication frame.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for enabling data communications, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

during a touch mode;

sensing touch on a first touch surface of a first device during a plurality of touch frames;

sensing a touching or hovering object at the first touch surface of the first device during one of the plurality of touch frames;

establishing a communications coupling with a second device at the first touch surface via the touching or hovering object; and

in response to the establishment of the communications coupling, transitioning to a touch communications mode; and

during the touch communications mode;

sensing touch on the first touch surface during at least one touch frame, and

communicating data at the first device during at least one communication frame, the communicating of data being from the first device to the second device via the first touch surface through the communications coupling; and

during a burst communication mode, communicating data at the first device via the first touch surface to the at least one other device during at least one communication frame without executing a touch frame;

wherein during the touch mode, the first device senses touch on the first touch surface during the plurality of touch frames without executing a communication frame.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein establishing the communications coupling comprises establishing the communications coupling after detecting a known signature of the second device.