Low power scan for device wake up and unlock

• US 9,851,853 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: O'Connor, Sean Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEUPANE, KRISHNA P.
• Application Number:
  US14/472,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20150346903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/18 Timing circuits for raster scan displays specially adapted for television H04N ; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12

Abstract

A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting the sequence and gestures in the microcontroller before waking up the processor, the battery life can be extended. In some examples, the microcontroller can determine if the sequence and gestures are due to water splashes, water film, and/or noise. In such examples, the microcontroller can reject the touch without waking up the processor, and further extending the battery life of the device.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel comprising:

a touch screen;

a touch controller configured to;

capture a touch image from the touch screen when the touch sensor panel is in an idle state;

determine a distance between a centroid of a touch of the touch image to a center of the touch screen;

compare the distance to a pre-determined distance value;

determine if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch; and

transmit a wake notification to a processor of the touch sensor panel if the touch controller determines the distance is less than the pre-determined distance value and the touch does not exhibit the one or more characteristics of a false touch;

wherein;

the processor is configured to;

remain powered down while the touch sensor panel is in the idle state and the touch controller is capturing the touch image,

remain powered down while the touch sensor panel is in the idle state and the touch controller is determining if the touch exhibits the one or more characteristics of a false touch, and

remain powered down if the touch controller determines that the distance is greater than the pre-determined distance value or the touch controller determines the touch exhibits at least one of the one or more characteristics of a false touch,

the touch sensor panel transitions to the active state in response to the processor receiving the wake notification from the touch controller; and

the processor consumes a greater amount of power than the touch controller when the touch sensor panel is in the active state.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined distance value is equal to a size of one touch pixel.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 2, wherein the size of one touch pixel is equal to 5 mm.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch includes determining a radii of the touch.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 4, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch further includes calibrating the radii to a 10 mm diameter.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 4, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch further includes comparing the radii to an upper radius value and a lower radius value.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 6, wherein the upper radius value is equal to 5 mm.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch includes determining at least one of a shape and a volume of the touch.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 8, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch includes rejecting the touch when the shape or volume of the touch is representative of a shape or volume excluding an ellipsoid.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch includes generating at least one scatter plot.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, wherein the at least one scatter plot is representative of a position of the centroid, a radii, or a relative shape of the touch.

12. The touch sensor panel of claim 10, wherein the touch controller is further configured to reject the touch when one or more touch values associated with the touch is located outside one or more bounds of the scatter plot.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 12, wherein the one or more bounds is determined by a calibration procedure.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch includes:

determining a time associated with the touch;

determining a difference between the time and a timestamp; and

rejecting the touch when the difference is greater than a pre-determined difference value.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the false touch is generated by water.

16. A method for switching a device from an idle state to an active state, the method comprising:

capturing a touch image from a touch screen using a controller, while maintaining a processor powered down while the device is in the idle state, wherein the processor consumes a greater amount of power than the touch controller when the device is in the active state;

determining a distance between a centroid of a touch of the touch image to a center of the touch screen;

comparing the distance to a pre-determined distance value;

determining if the touch exhibits one or more characteristics of a false touch using the controller, while keeping the processor powered down while the device is in the idle state;

transmitting, with the controller, a wake notification to the processor if the controller determines the distance is less than the pre-determined distance value and the touch does not exhibit the one or more characteristics of a false touch;

maintaining the processor powered down while the device is in the idle state and the controller is capturing the touch image;

maintaining the processor powered down while the device is in the idle state and the controller determines that the touch exhibits the one or more characteristics of the false touch;

maintaining the processor powered down while the device is in the idle state if the controller determines that the distance is greater than the pre-determined distance value or the controller determines the touch exhibits at least one of the one or more characteristics of a false touch; and

transitioning the device to the active state in response to the processor receiving the wake notification from the controller.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a radii of the touch; and

comparing the radii to an upper radius value and a lower radius value.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining at least one of a shape and a volume of the touch; and

comparing the shape to an ellipsoid.