Electronic display adaptive touch interference scheme systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11740736-B2
Application number	US-201916436756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2019
Priority date	Jun 27, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

Techniques for implementing and/or operating an electronic device including a display pixel layer, which writes a display image during an active period and continues displaying the display image during a blanking period, and a touch sense layer, which generates a first touch image during the active period and a second touch image during the blanking period. The electronic device further includes a controller that determines a first noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during the active period based on the first touch image, determines a second noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during the blanking period based on the second touch image, and instructs the touch sense layer to not generate a third touch image during a subsequent active period in response to the first noise metric being greater than a noise threshold and the second noise metric not being greater than the noise threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display pixel layer comprising a plurality of display pixels, wherein the display pixel layer is configured to:
write a first display image during a first active period by controlling electrical energy stored in each of the plurality of display pixels based at least in part on first display image data corresponding with the first display image; and
continue presenting the first display image during a first blanking period directly after the first active period;

a touch sense layer comprising a plurality of touch sense pixels, wherein the touch sense layer is configured to:
generate a first touch image based at least in part on electromagnetic interaction with the plurality of touch sense pixels during a first touch scan period that overlaps with the first active period; and
generate a second touch image based at least in part on electromagnetic interaction with the plurality of touch sense pixels during a second touch scan period that overlaps with the first blanking period; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the display pixel layer and the touch sense layer, wherein the controller is programmed to:
determine a first noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during active periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on the first touch image determined during the first active period;
determine a second noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during blanking periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on the second touch image determined during the first blanking period; and
instruct the touch sense layer to not generate a third touch image during a second active period used to write a second display image after the first display image in response to the first noise metric being greater than a noise threshold and the second noise metric not being greater than the noise threshold.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the touch sense layer to generate the third touch image during the second active period based at least in part on electromagnetic interaction with the plurality of touch sense pixels during a third touch scan period that overlaps with the second active period only in response to the first noise metric being greater than the noise threshold and the second noise metric not being greater than the noise threshold.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein;
the display pixel layer is configured to:
write the second display image during the second active period by controlling electrical energy stored in each of the plurality of display pixels based at least in part on second display image data corresponding with the second display image; and
continue presenting the second display image during a second blanking period directly after the second active period; and

the touch sense layer is configured to:
generate the third touch image based at least in part on electromagnetic interaction with the plurality of touch sense pixels during a third touch scan period that overlaps with the second active period; and
generate a fourth touch image based at least in part on electromagnetic interaction with the plurality of touch sense pixels during a fourth touch scan period that overlaps with the second blanking period.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the controller is programmed to:
update the first noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during active periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on the third touch image in response to the third touch image being determined during the second active period;
update the second noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during blanking periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on the fourth touch image determined during the second blanking period; and
instruct the touch sense layer to not generate a fifth touch image during a third active period used to write a third display image after the second display image in response to the first noise metric being greater than the noise threshold and the second noise metric not being greater than the noise threshold.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is programmed to instruct the touch sense layer to generate the third touch image during the second active period used to write the second display image in response to the first noise metric being greater than the noise threshold.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the display pixel layer is configured to produce parasitic capacitance that affects accuracy, precision, or both of touch sensing provided by the touch sense layer.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
to determine the first noise metric, the controller is programmed to determine a standard deviation of a first plurality of touch images each determined during an active period of the display pixel layer; and
to determine the second noise metric, the controller is programmed to determine a standard deviation of a second plurality of touch images each determined during a blanking period of the display pixel layer.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein:
the first plurality of touch images comprises touch images determined during active periods of a plurality of display images; and
the second plurality of touch images comprises touch images determined during blanking periods of the plurality of display images.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising an electronic display, wherein the electronic display comprises the display pixel layer and the touch sense layer disposed over the display pixel layer.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a timing controller implemented in an electronic display.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a portable phone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld game platform, a tablet device, a computer, or any combination thereof.

12. A method for controlling operation of an electronic device implemented with a display pixel layer and a touch sense layer, comprising:
determining, using a controller, a first noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during active periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on a first touch image determined during a first active period by the touch sense layer;
determining, using the controller, a second noise metric indicative of display-to-touch noise resulting during blanking periods of the display pixel layer based at least in part on a second touch image determined during a first blanking period by the touch sense layer; and
instructing, using the controller, the touch sense layer to not generate a third touch image during a second active period used to write a display image in response to the first noise metric being greater than a noise threshold and the second noise metric not being greater than the noise threshold.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising:
updating, using the controller, the first noise metric based at least in part on the third touch image in response to the third touch image being determined during the second active period;
updating, using the controller, the second noise metric based at least in part on a fourth touch image determined during a second blanking period; and
instructing, using the controller, the touch sense layer to generate a fifth touch image during a third active period used to write a second display image after the display image in response to the first noise metric being greater than the noise

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Liang Anshi
• Yi He
• Xu Yang
• Sacchetto Paolo
• Li Jun
• Huang Jingyu
• Devincentis Marc Joseph
• Chu Yue Jack

Classifications

• G06F3/0418 Primary

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/046

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• G06F3/04184 Primary

  Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title