Dynamic demodulation waveform adjustment for tonal noise mitigation

• US 10,042,486 B1
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shahparnia, Shahrooz
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Sujit
• Application Number:
  US14/515,390
• Time in Patent Office: 1,392 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/05 Digital input using the sampling of an analogue quantity at regular intervals of time , input from a/d converter or output to d/a converter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/06 Digital input from, or digital output to, record carriers , e.g. RAID, emulated record carriers or networked record carriers

Abstract

A touch controller on a touch sensitive device configured to generate a dynamic demodulation waveform so as to minimize the effects on a signal to noise ratio caused by a tonal noise is disclosed. The demodulation waveform can be turned off for finite durations so as to minimize the probability that a transitional voltage of the tonal noise source is included in the demodulation result.

Claims

1. A touch controller comprising:

a processor capable of;

generating a demodulation waveform;

determining a characteristic of a received signal from sense circuitry configured to sense a touch sensor panel;

adjusting the demodulation waveform to generate an adjusted demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal, wherein adjusting the demodulation waveform, based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises turning off the demodulation waveform for one or more durations within each period of the adjusted demodulation waveform and turning on the demodulation waveform for a remainder of each period;

mixing the adjusted demodulation waveform with a second received signal to produce a mixed signal; and

using the mixed signal to determine a touch at the touch sensor panel.

2. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises a characteristic of a noise source.

3. The touch controller of claim 2, wherein the noise source comprises a tonal noise source.

4. The touch controller of claim 1, further comprising:

the sense circuitry coupled to the processor, wherein the sense circuitry is configured to sense a touch signal from the touch sensor panel and wherein the received signal comprises the touch signal.

5. The touch controller of claim 4, wherein the sense circuitry is configured to sense the touch signal from a sense line of a mutual capacitance touch sensor panel.

6. The touch controller of claim 4, wherein the sense circuitry is configured to sense the touch signal from a self-capacitance touch electrode of a self-capacitance touch sensor panel.

7. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the one or more durations are durations during which the demodulation waveform has signal energy lower than a signal energy at other durations.

8. The touch controller of claim 1, wherein the one or more durations coincide with one or more transitional voltages in a noise source.

9. The touch controller of claim 2, wherein:

the processor is further capable of determining a frequency of the noise source, and

adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined frequency of the noise source.

10. A method of demodulating a signal, the method comprising:

generating a demodulation waveform;

determining a characteristic of a received signal from sense circuitry configured to sense a touch sensor panel, wherein the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises a characteristic of a tonal noise source;

adjusting the demodulation waveform to generate an adjusted demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal, wherein adjusting the demodulation waveform, based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises turning off the demodulation waveform for one or more durations within each period of the adjusted demodulation waveform and turning on the demodulation waveform for a remainder of each period;

mixing the adjusted demodulation waveform with a second received signal to produce a mixed signal; and

using the mixed signal to determine a touch at the touch sensor panel.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising sensing a touch signal from the touch sensor panel, wherein the received signal comprises the touch signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein sensing the touch signal comprises sensing the touch signal from a sense line of a mutual capacitance touch sensor panel.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein sensing the touch signal comprises sensing the touch signal from a self-capacitance touch electrode of a self-capacitance touch sensor panel.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more durations are durations during which the demodulation waveform has signal energy lower than a signal energy at other durations.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more durations coincide with one or more transitional voltages in a noise source.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a frequency of the noise source, wherein adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined frequency of the noise source.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for demodulating a signal, that when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

generate a demodulation waveform;

determine a characteristic of a received signal from sense circuitry configured to sense a touch sensor panel;

adjust the demodulation waveform to generate an adjusted demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal, wherein adjusting the demodulation waveform, based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises turning off the demodulation waveform for one or more durations within each period of the adjusted demodulation waveform and turning on the demodulation waveform for a remainder of each period;

mix the adjusted demodulation waveform with a second received signal to produce a mixed signal; and

use the mixed signal to determine a touch at the touch sensor panel.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises a characteristic of a noise source.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine a frequency of the noise source, wherein adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined characteristic of the received signal comprises adjusting the demodulation waveform based on the determined frequency of the noise source.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more durations coincide with one or more transitional voltages in a noise source.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the noise source comprises a tonal noise source.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

sense a touch signal from the touch sensor panel, wherein the received signal comprises the touch signal.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more durations are durations during which the demodulation waveform has signal energy lower than a signal energy at other durations.