Multi-touch auto scanning

• US 9,383,843 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph H., Vu, Minh-Dieu Thi, Wilson, Thomas James
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US14/455,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 autonomously scanning a sensor panel device is disclosed. A sensor panel processor can be disabled after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. If one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. The sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.

Claims

1. Auto-scan logic circuitry couplable to a touch panel, the auto-scan logic circuitry comprising:

a sniff timer configured for initiating a scan sequence after a sniff time;

a calibration timer configured for initiating a calibration upon expiration of a calibration time; and

auto-scan control configured for controlling an activation and resetting of the sniff timer and the calibration timer.

2. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:

a low frequency oscillator configured for clocking the sniff timer and calibration timer.

3. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 2, further comprising:

a clock manager configured for controlling the low frequency oscillator.

4. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 2, wherein only the sniff timer and the low frequency oscillator are active during the sniff time.

5. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:

a high frequency oscillator configured for enabling a fast lock after waking up from a lower power management state to scan the touch panel.

6. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 5, further comprising:

a clock manager configured for shutting down the high frequency oscillator and initiating the sniff timer when entering an auto scan mode, and enabling the high frequency oscillator and initiating a scan after the sniff time.

7. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:

a power management timer configured for counting up a time equal to the sniff time less a delay time.

8. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 7, wherein the delay time comprises an amount of time needed for preparing for a scan of the touch panel.

9. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, the auto-scan control further configured for resetting the sniff timer each time the sniff timer initiates an auto-scan sequence.

10. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, wherein the calibration comprises waking up a high frequency oscillator and activating a system clock and a processor to perform a scan of the touch panel.

11. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, wherein the auto-scan control comprises:

a row address state machine and a channel timing state machine configured for controlling scanning of the touch panel.

12. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 1, further comprising:

a comparator configured for comparing a subtracted result of subtracting a touch image acquired after the sniff time by a baseline touch image to a predetermined threshold value.

13. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 12, wherein the auto-scan control is further configured for maintaining an auto-scan mode if the subtracted result is below the threshold value until an expiration of the calibration time or an external interrupt occurs.

14. Auto-scan logic circuitry couplable to a touch panel, the auto-scan logic circuitry comprising:

means for initiating a scan sequence after a sniff time;

means for initiating a calibration upon expiration of a calibration time; and

means for controlling an activation and resetting of a sniff timer and a calibration timer.

15. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 14, further comprising:

first means for clocking the sniff timer and calibration timer.

16. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 15, further comprising:

means for controlling the first means.

17. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 14, further comprising:

second means for allowing fast lock after waking up from a lower power management state to scan the touch panel.

18. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 17, further comprising:

means for shutting down the second means and initiating the sniff timer when entering an auto scan mode, and enabling the second means and initiating a scan after the sniff time.

19. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 14, further comprising:

means for counting up a time equal to the sniff time less a delay time.

20. The auto-scan logic circuitry of claim 14, further comprising:

means for comparing a subtracted result of subtracting a touch image acquired after the sniff time by a baseline touch image to a predetermined threshold value.