Advanced receive channel architecture

• US 9,007,326 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, Thomas James
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US14/100,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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

Abstract

This relates to an architecture of a receive channel circuit used during both a spectrum analysis phase and a touch panel detection phase. Various components of the receive channel can be used during both the spectrum analysis phase and the touch panel detection phase. For example, a plurality of digital signal mixers used in the receive channel circuit can be used to demodulate signals during both a spectrum analysis phase and a touch sensor panel detection phase. In addition, the number of digital mixers needed in the receive channel can be reduced by dividing groups of signals to be demodulated into multiple sets of signals and demodulating each set at different times.

Claims

1. A method of scanning a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel comprising a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines, the method comprising:

a first mode for identifying one or more scanning frequencies corresponding to low noise, the first mode comprising;

deactivating one or more of the plurality of drive lines;

sensing a first plurality of outputs from the plurality of sense lines;

demodulating the sensed first plurality of outputs using a first plurality of mixers with a demodulation frequency;

summing the first plurality of outputs;

comparing the summation at the demodulation frequency to one or more other summation values at other frequencies; and

determining the one or more scanning frequencies of the touch sensor panel based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a second mode for scanning the touch sensor panel, the second mode comprising;

stimulating the drive lines at the one or more scanning frequencies;

sensing a second plurality of outputs from the plurality of sense lines;

demodulating the sensed second plurality of outputs using a second plurality of mixers; and

forming a touch image using the sensed second plurality of outputs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the drive lines are stimulated at multiple scanning frequencies.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the touch image is formed by averaging the sensed second plurality of outputs at multiple scanning frequencies.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a number of scanning frequencies is equal to a number of second plurality of mixers.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the second plurality of mixers is the same as the first plurality of mixers.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the touch sensor panel is operating the first mode is at a same time as the second mode.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the demodulation frequency using a numerically controlled oscillator (NCO).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein demodulating the sensed first plurality of outputs includes at least one of an in-phase and quadrature signals of the demodulation frequency.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sense lines are divided into a number of sets, the number of sets equal to the number of ones in the first plurality of mixers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more scanning frequencies is the same as the demodulation frequency.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode further comprises:

storing the summation at the demodulation frequency in a register.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein comparing the summation at the demodulation frequency to one or more other summation values at other frequencies comprises selecting a frequency with a summation value less than each of the one or more other stored summation values at the other frequencies.

14. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

generating one or more voltages on a display included in the touch sensor panel during a same time as sensing the first plurality of outputs.

15. An apparatus for obtaining a plurality of values used to generate an image of touch from a touch sensor panel comprising:

a circuit configured to deactivate one or more of a plurality of drive lines of the touch sensor panel;

a sense circuit configured to sense a plurality of outputs from a plurality of sense lines of the touch sensor panel;

a plurality of mixers configured to mix the sensed plurality of outputs with a demodulation frequency;

a summation circuit operable to generate a sum representative of a summation of the plurality of outputs;

a comparator to compare the sum generated by the summation circuit at the demodulation frequency to one or more other sums at other frequencies; and

a processor configured to identify one or more low noise frequencies based on the compared results.

16. A computing system comprising the apparatus of claim 15.

17. A mobile telephone comprising the apparatus of claim 15.

18. A digital audio player comprising the apparatus of claim 15.