Display, touch, and stylus synchronization

• US 9,946,366 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2013
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shahparnia, Shahrooz, Mullens, Christopher Tenzin, Grunthaner, Martin Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUPTA, PARUL H
• Application Number:
  US13/908,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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 touch input device configured to synchronize a stylus acquisition process with both a touch data acquisition process and a display refresh process is provided. The touch input device can include one or more processors that can synchronize the stylus data acquisition process to the touch data acquisition process by coordinating stylus scans to take place in between touch scans. The one or more processors can also virtual data banks to synchronize both the touch data acquisition and the stylus scan acquisition with the display refresh process.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing a touch data acquisition process, a stylus data acquisition process, and a display refresh process, the method comprising:

synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process;

detecting a presence of a stylus signal and initiating the stylus data acquisition process when the presence of a stylus signal is detected, wherein initiating the stylus data acquisition process interrupts the touch data acquisition process;

synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process; and

synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes beginning the touch data acquisition process at substantially the same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process includes determining whether there is sufficient time to perform a scheduled touch data scan before a next scheduled stylus data scan, and when there is insufficient time, delaying the scheduled touch data scan until the next scheduled stylus data scan has concluded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch data acquisition process includes performing a plurality of first touch data scans, wherein each of the plurality of first touch data scans includes acquiring touch data from one or more of a plurality of physical banks of a touch sensor panel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further comprises:

creating a set of virtual banks, wherein a first virtual bank in the set of virtual banks corresponds to the touch data associated with a first physical bank of data scanned after a first stylus data scan of the stylus data acquisition process; and

mapping a plurality of virtual banks in the set of virtual banks to corresponding physical banks in the touch data acquisition process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further includes re-mapping the virtual banks to physical banks in the touch data acquisition process when a phase drift between an acquisition of the set of virtual banks and the acquisition of the physical banks causes a prior mapping of the virtual banks to the physical banks to become inaccurate.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes acquiring touch data from a first physical bank of the touch data acquisition process at substantially a same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process further comprises:

interleaving a plurality of stylus detection scans with a plurality of first touch data scans, wherein the presence of the stylus signal is detected in at least one of the plurality of stylus detection scans.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process further comprises:

interleaving a plurality of stylus data scans of the stylus data acquisition process with a plurality of second touch data scans of the touch data acquisition process.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein more banks of touch sensors are scanned during one of the plurality of second touch data scans than are scanned during one of the plurality of first touch data scans.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch data acquisition process and reporting touch data are completed for each display refresh.

8. An apparatus capable of synchronizing a touch data acquisition process, a stylus data acquisition process and a display refresh process, the apparatus comprising:

a touch controller capable of sending signals to and receiving signals from a touch screen and performing the touch data acquisition process and the stylus data acquisition process;

a display controller capable of refreshing an image displayed on the touch screen; and

one or more processors capable of;

synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process;

detecting a presence of a stylus signal and initiating a stylus data acquisition process when the presence of a stylus signal is detected, wherein initiating the stylus data acquisition process interrupts the touch data acquisition process;

synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process; and

synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes beginning the touch data acquisition process at substantially the same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process includes determining if there is sufficient time to perform a scheduled touch data scan before a next scheduled stylus data scan, and when there is insufficient time, delaying the scheduled touch data scan until the next scheduled stylus data scan has concluded.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touch data acquisition process includes performing a plurality of first touch data scans, wherein each of the plurality of first touch data scans includes acquiring touch data from one or more of a plurality of physical banks of a touch sensor panel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further comprises:

creating a set of virtual banks, wherein a first virtual bank in the set of virtual banks corresponds to the touch data associated with a first physical bank of data scanned after a first stylus data scan of the stylus data acquisition process; and

mapping a plurality of virtual banks in the set of virtual banks to corresponding physical banks in the touch data acquisition process.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further includes re-mapping the virtual banks to physical banks in the touch data acquisition process when a phase drift between an acquisition of the set of virtual banks and the acquisition of the physical banks causes a prior mapping of the virtual banks to the physical banks to become inaccurate.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes acquiring touch data from a first physical bank of the touch data acquisition process at substantially a same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for synchronizing a touch data acquisition process, a stylus data acquisition process and a display refresh process, that when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

synchronize the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process;

detect a presence of a stylus signal and initiate the stylus data acquisition process when the presence of a stylus signal is detected, wherein initiating a stylus data acquisition process interrupts the touch data acquisition process;

synchronize the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process; and

synchronize reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes beginning the touch data acquisition process at substantially the same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the stylus data acquisition process includes determining whether there is sufficient time to perform a scheduled touch data scan before a next scheduled stylus data scan, and when there is insufficient time, delaying the scheduled touch data scan until the next scheduled stylus data scan has concluded.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the touch data acquisition process includes performing a plurality of first touch data scans, wherein each of the plurality of first touch data scans includes acquiring touch data from one or more of a plurality of physical banks of a touch sensor panel.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further causes one or more processors to:

create a set of virtual banks, wherein a first virtual bank in the set of virtual banks corresponds to the touch data associated with a first physical bank of data scanned after a first stylus data scan of the stylus data acquisition process; and

map a plurality of virtual banks in the set of virtual banks to corresponding physical banks in the touch data acquisition process.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein synchronizing reporting touch data from the touch data acquisition process and stylus data from the stylus data acquisition process with the display refresh process further includes re-mapping the virtual banks to physical banks in the touch data acquisition process when a phase drift between an acquisition of the set of virtual banks and the acquisition of the physical banks causes a prior mapping of the virtual banks to the physical banks to become inaccurate.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein synchronizing the touch data acquisition process to the display refresh process includes acquiring touch data from a first physical bank of the touch data acquisition process at substantially a same time as a first pulse generated by a display controller.