SYSTEM FOR USING SYNCHRONIZED TIMED ORTHOGONAL MEASUREMENT PATTERNS TO ENABLE HIGH UPDATE REPORT RATES ON A LARGE CAPACITIVE TOUCH SCREEN

• US 20140240284A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cirque Corporation
• Inventors: Paulsen, Keith L.
• Application Number:
  US14/191,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240284A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/0445 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 system and method for increasing a report rate on a capacitive touch sensor to thereby provide a real-time display of the position of all the objects on a touch screen that is using synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus patterns to determine the position of objects on the touch sensor, by updating an image of the reported positions of objects on the touch sensor each time that a measurement is taken on each of the sensor electrodes instead of waiting for a complete scan of all the sensor electrodes in a sensor electrode array.

Claims

1. A method for increasing a report rate of a position of at least one object on a touch sensor, said method comprising:

providing a touch sensor including a substantially orthogonal array of X and Y electrodes disposed on two layers of a touch sensor substrate, the X and Y electrodes being capable of functioning as drive and sense electrodes;

creating an image of the at least one object on the touch sensor by applying synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus patterns to the X and the Y electrodes; and

providing an increased report rate by updating the image of the touch sensor after applying a single stimulus pattern to the touch sensor.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises providing an array of synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus patterns for the X electrodes and for the Y electrodes, and referred to as an n Stimulus Data Array and an m Stimulus Data Array, respectively.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises providing a Results Array for storing an image of the at least one object on the touch sensor.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the method further comprises providing a Previous Measurement Array for n Stimulus for storing previous measurements when applying stimulus from the n Stimulus Data Array, and providing a Previous Measurement Array for m Stimulus for storing previous measurements when applying stimulus from the m Stimulus Data Array.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the method further comprises selecting an index value i that is used to apply the synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus pattern to the touch sensor.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the method further comprises selecting the index value i using a random, pseudo random or permutation method.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the method further comprises using a random, pseudo random or permutation method to select the index value i to thereby reduce susceptibility of the touch sensor to noise.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the method further comprises using a random, pseudo random or permutation method to select the index value i to thereby increase security of the touch sensor by using a non-predictable and non-sequential selection of index values.

9. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the method further comprises subtracting the measurement results M(i)n that correspond to that index value i from the Results Array by subtracting the vector dot product of a previous measurement stored in the Previous Measurement Array for n Stimulus.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the method further comprises taking a new measurement M(i)n using a stimulus pattern that corresponds to the index value i and which is stored in the n Stimulus Data Array.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein the method further comprises adding the measurement M(i)n that corresponds to that index value i to the Results Array by adding the vector dot product of the new measurement M(i)n to the Results Array.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises storing the new measurement M(i)n in the Previous Measurement Array for n Stimulus.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the method further comprises updating the image of the at least one object on the touch sensor.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the method further comprises using a particular index value only once until all possible index values have been used one time for applying the synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus patterns to the touch sensor.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the method further comprises performing the method for the touch sensor using the X and the Y electrodes by using the Previous Measurement Array for n Stimulus and the n Stimulus Data Array and the Previous Measurement Array for m Stimulus and the m Stimulus Data Array.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 wherein the method further comprises repeating the process of applying stimulus to the X and the Y electrodes as long as the at least one object is detected by the touch sensor.

17. A method for increasing a report rate of a position of at least one object on a touch sensor, said method comprising:

providing a touch sensor including a substantially orthogonal array of X and Y electrodes disposed on two layers of a touch sensor substrate, the X and Y electrodes being capable of functioning as drive and sense electrodes;

creating an image of the at least one object on the touch sensor by applying synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus patterns to the X and the Y electrodes; and

providing an increased report rate by updating the image of the touch sensor by;

a. selecting an index value i and then subtracting a previous measurement result corresponding to the index value i from a results array;

b. taking a new measurement using a stimulus pattern that corresponds to the index value i;

c. adding the new measurement to the results array;

d. saving the new measurement value in a previous measurement results array; and

e. updating the image of the at least one object on the touch sensor.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises selecting an index value i that is used to apply the synchronized timed orthogonal measurement stimulus pattern to the touch sensor.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the method further comprises selecting the index value i using a random, pseudo random or permutation method.

20. The method as defined in claim 19 wherein the method further comprises using a random, pseudo random or permutation method to select the index value i to thereby reduce susceptibility of the touch sensor to noise.

21. The method as defined in claim 20 wherein the method further comprises using a random, pseudo random or permutation method to select the index value i to thereby increase security of the touch sensor by using a non-predictable and non-sequential selection of index values.