Integrated multi-touch surface having varying sensor granularity

• US 9,772,667 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Elias, John Greer, Hotelling, Steve Porter, Kerr, Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANCHA, JONATHAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/818,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20080309631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,758 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

This relates to an event sensing device that includes an event sensing panel and is able to dynamically change the granularity of the panel according to present needs. Thus, the granularity of the panel can differ at different times of operation. Furthermore, the granularity of specific areas of the panel can also be dynamically changed, so that different areas feature different granularities at a given time. This also relates to panels that feature different inherent granularities in different portions thereof. These panels can be designed, for example, by placing more stimulus and/or data lines in different portions of the panel, thus ensuring different densities of pixels in the different portions. Optionally, these embodiments can also include the dynamic granularity changing features noted above.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the power of a touch enabled device comprising a touch enabled display, the touch enabled display comprising a plurality of data lines, a plurality of stimulus lines, and a plurality of touch pixels placed along the display at a predetermined initial granularity at a first time, the method comprising:

dynamically selecting a first portion of the display which has a first level granularity at a second time;

dynamically changing the granularity of touch pixels to the first level at a display hardware level by activating the plurality of stimulus lines,

wherein the granularity of touch pixels in a second portion, different than the first portion, of the display is at the predetermined initial granularity, different from the first level granularity, during the second time; and

dynamically selecting a third portion, different from the first and second portions of the display, which has a level of granularity different from the predetermined initial granularity at a third time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first level is lower than the predetermined initial granularity;

the plurality of data lines are connected to respective sensor circuits;

a first set of sensor circuits comprising one or more of the respective sensor circuits is associated with the selected first portion of the display; and

dynamically changing includes dynamically reducing the granularity of the touch pixels to the first level by removing power from one or more sensor circuits from the first set of sensor circuits.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the sensor circuits of the first set of sensor circuits remains powered.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a first set of stimulus lines comprising one or more of the plurality of stimulus lines is associated with the selected first portion of the display, and dynamically reducing the granularity includes

removing power from the one or more sensor circuits from the first set of sensor circuits only when one or more of the first set of stimulus lines is being stimulated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically changing the granularity includes deactivating one or more of the plurality of data lines in the selected first portion of the display during the second time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected first portion of the display has a width equal to an entire width of the display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically changing a granularity of the selected third portion to a third level during the second time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected first portion of the display has a width equal to an entire width of the display, the method further comprises:

dynamically changing a granularity of the selected third portion of the display to the first level during the second time.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

associating a first set of sensor circuits comprising one or more of the respective sensor circuits to the selected first portion of the display;

associating a second set of sensor circuits comprising one or more of the respective sensor circuits to the selected third portion of the display;

associating a first set of stimulus lines comprising one or more of the plurality of stimulus lines to the selected first portion of the display;

associating a second set of stimulus lines comprising one or more of the plurality of stimulus lines to the selected third portion of the display; and

dynamically changing the granularity in the selected first portion comprising at least one of;

deactivating one or more of the data lines in the first portion only when one or more of the first set of stimulus lines is stimulated, and

removing power from one or more sensor circuits from the first set of sensor circuits, only when one or more of the first set of stimulus lines is stimulated; and

dynamically changing the granularity in the selected third portion comprising at least one of;

deactivating one or more of the data lines in the third portion only when one or more of the second set of stimulus lines is stimulated, and

removing power from one or more sensor circuits from the second set of sensor circuits, only when one or more of the second set of stimulus lines is being stimulated.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving granularity requirements from an application, and

wherein the first portion of the display is selected according to the granularity requirements of the application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the application causes the display to display a one or more objects, and the method further comprises:

determining whether an object is a visual control element,

wherein the first portion of the display corresponds to the visual control element, and the granularity requirements of the application include a requirement that a portion of the display corresponding to the visual control element requiring the first level granularity.

12. A touch enabled device, comprising:

a touch display, the touch display comprising;

a plurality of stimulus lines,

a plurality of data lines, and

a plurality of touch pixels placed along the display,

the touch display having a predetermined initial granularity at a first time;

a plurality of sensor circuits, each sensor circuit being connected to a respective data line;

a CPU connected to the plurality of touch pixels; and

a memory comprising a software executable at the CPU, the software being configured to cause the CPU to;

dynamically select a first portion of the display which requires a first level granularity at a second time, dynamically change the granularity of touch pixels to the first level at display hardware level by activating the plurality of stimulus lines, wherein the granularity of touch pixels in a second portion, different than the first portion, of the display is at the predetermined initial granularity, different from the first level granularity, during the second time, and

dynamically select a third portion, different from the first and second portions of the display, which has a level of granularity different from the predetermined initial granularity at a third time.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the device further includes a device controller and the CPU dynamically reduces the granularity by communicating with the device controller.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the CPU dynamically reduces the granularity of touch pixels by dynamically deactivating one or more sensor circuits from the plurality of sensor circuits, the one or more sensor circuits being associated with the selected portion of the display.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensor circuits are dynamically deactivated only when one or more stimulus lines associated with the selected portion of the display are stimulated.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of sensor circuits are connected to the plurality of data lines through a plurality of switches and the switches are configured to, in the event that a sensor circuit connected to the switch is deactivated, connect a data line connected to the switch to another active sensor circuit.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the other active sensor circuit is in proximity to the deactivated sensor circuit.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is a mobile telephone.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the device is an audio player.

20. The device of claim 12,

wherein the software is further configured to cause the CPU to receive granularity requirements from an application, and

wherein the first portion of the display is selected according to the granularity requirements of the application.

21. A portable telephone, comprising:

a touch display, the touch display comprising;

a plurality of stimulus lines,

a plurality of data lines, and

a plurality of touch pixels placed along the display,

the touch display having a predetermined initial granularity at a first time;

a plurality of sensor circuits, each sensor circuit being connected to a respective data line;

a CPU connected to the plurality of touch pixels; and

a memory comprising a software executable at the CPU, the software being configured to cause the CPU to;

dynamically select a first portion of the display which requires a first level granularity at a second time, dynamically change the granularity of touch pixels to the first level at display hardware level by activating the plurality of stimulus lines,

wherein the granularity of touch pixels in a second portion, different than the first portion, of the display is at the predetermined initial granularity, different from the first level granularity, during the second time and

dynamically select a third portion, different from the first and second portions of the display, which as a level of granularity different form the predetermined initial granularity at a third time.

22. The portable telephone of claim 21,

wherein the software is further configured to cause the CPU to receive granularity requirements from an application, and

wherein the first portion of the display is selected according to the granularity requirements of the application.

23. An audio player, comprising:

a touch display, the touch display comprising;

a plurality of stimulus lines,

a plurality of data lines, and

a plurality of touch pixels placed along the display,

the touch display having a predetermined initial granularity at a first time;

a plurality of sensor circuits, each sensor circuit connected to a respective data line;

a CPU connected to the plurality of touch pixels; and

a memory comprising a software executable at the CPU, the software being configured to cause the CPU to;

dynamically select a first portion of the display which requires a first level granularity at a second time,

dynamically change the granularity of touch pixels to the first level at display hardware level by activating the plurality of stimulus lines,

wherein the granularity of touch pixels in a second portion, different than the first portion, of the display is at the predetermined initial granularity, different from the first level granularity, during the second time, and

dynamically select a third portion, different from the first and second portions of the display, which has a level of granularity different from the predetermined initial granularity at a third time.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the device is a mobile telephone.

25. The audio player of claim 23,

wherein the software is further configured to cause the CPU to receive granularity requirements from an application, and

wherein the first portion of the display is selected according to the granularity requirements of the application.