Reconstruction of original touch image from differential touch image

• US 9,874,975 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2016
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Benbasat, Ari Y., Vieta, William Matthew, Westerman, Wayne Carl, Hotelling, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KOHLMAN, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US15/144,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

Reconstruction of an original touch image from a differential touch image is disclosed. Reconstruction can include aligning columns of the differential touch image relative to each other and aligning the image to a baseline DC value. The column and baseline alignment can be based on the differential image data indicative of no touch or hover, because such data can more clearly show the amount of alignment needed to reconstruct the original image. The reconstruction can be performed using the differential image data alone. The reconstruction can also be performed using the differential image data and common mode data indicative of the missing image column average.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing an original touch image from a differential touch image, comprising:

capturing the differential touch image at a touch sensitive device;

capturing common mode data at the device;

combining the captured differential touch image data and the common mode data;

performing a column alignment to align columns of the differential touch image to each other based on the combined data; and

performing a baseline alignment to align the column-aligned differential touch image with a baseline value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting data values based on the combined data into bins of a histogram;

identifying a highest-count bin of the histogram; and

determining an offset value based on the highest-count bin.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the baseline value is based on the determined offset value.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein values used to align columns of the differential touch image to each other are based on the determined offset value.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a second highest-count bin of the histogram;

in accordance with a determination that the first and second highest-count bins are adjacent, the determined offset value is a weighted average of the center values for the two identified bins; and

in accordance with a determination that the two identified bins are not adjacent, the determined offset value is the center value of the highest-count bin.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the captured differential touch image data and the common mode data comprises scaling the differential touch image data and the common mode data based on a number of data values in the differential image indicative of a touching or hovering object.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the scaling reduces contribution of the common mode data to the combined data as a number of data values indicating the touching or hovering object in differential touch image data increases.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the baseline value is based on the combined data.

9. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a touch panel capable of sensing a proximate object;

scan logic couplable to the touch panel and capable of performing a scan of the touch panel so as to capture a first touch image; and

a processor capable of reconstructing a second touch image from the first touch image, the reconstructing including;

capturing the differential touch image at a touch sensitive device;

capturing common mode data at the device;

combining the captured differential touch image data and the common mode data;

performing a column alignment to align columns of the differential touch image to each other based on the combined data; and

performing a baseline alignment to align the column-aligned differential touch image with a baseline value.

10. The touch sensitive device of claim 9, wherein the reconstructing further comprises:

sorting data values based on the combined data into bins of a histogram;

identifying a highest-count bin of the histogram; and

determining an offset value based on the highest-count bin.

11. The touch sensitive device of claim 10, wherein the baseline value is based on the determined offset value.

12. The touch sensitive device of claim 10, wherein values used to align columns of the differential touch image to each other are based on the determined offset value.

13. The touch sensitive device of claim 10, the reconstruction further comprising:

identifying a second highest-count bin of the histogram;

in accordance with a determination that the first and second highest-count bins are adjacent, the determined offset value is a weighted average of the center values for the two identified bins; and

in accordance with a determination that the two identified bins are not adjacent, the determined offset value is the center value of the highest-count bin.

14. The touch sensitive device of claim 9, wherein combining the captured differential touch image data and the common mode data comprises scaling the differential touch image data and the common mode data based on a number of data values in the differential image indicative of a touching or hovering object.

15. The touch sensitive device of claim 14, wherein the scaling reduces contribution of the common mode data to the combined data as an amount of data indicating a touching or hovering object in differential touch image data increases.

16. The touch sensitive device of claim 9, wherein the baseline value is based on the combined data.

17. A method for reconstructing an original touch image from a differential touch image, comprising:

capturing the differential touch image at a touch sensitive device;

capturing common mode data at the device;

performing a column alignment to align columns of the differential touch image to each other based on the captured common mode data; and

performing a baseline alignment to align the column-aligned differential touch image with a baseline value.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sorting data values based on the combined data into bins of a histogram;

identifying a highest-count bin of the histogram; and

determining an offset value based on the highest-count bin.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a second highest-count bin of the histogram;

in accordance with a determination that the first and second highest-count bins are adjacent, the determined offset value is a weighted average of the center values for the two identified bins; and

in accordance with a determination that the two identified bins are not adjacent, the determined offset value is the center value of the highest-count bin.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein combining the captured differential touch image data and the common mode data comprises scaling the differential touch image data and the common mode data based on a number of data values in the differential image indicative of a touching or hovering object.