Patent Publication Number: US-2017351355-A1

Title: Input device control for a display panel

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     With rapid advances in technology, electronic devices are used in virtually all facets of society today. Display technologies are also advancing, and interactive electronic displays are increasingly present inside homes, workplaces, and public spaces. Increases in the efficiency and capability of electronic devices and displays will result in further widespread use and adoption of technology in nearly every aspect of life. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Certain examples are described in the following detailed description and in reference to the drawings. 
         FIG. 1  shows an example of a device that supports input device control for a display panel. 
         FIG. 2  shows an example of control circuitry that supports input device control for a display panel. 
         FIG. 3  shows an example of logic that the control circuitry may implement. 
         FIG. 4  shows an example of device that supports input device control for a display panel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an example of a device  100  that supports input device control for a display panel. The device  100  may be any electronic device that includes a display panel, which may also be referred to as a display screen. In the specific example shown in  FIG. 1 , the device  100  is a laptop computer. However, additional examples of the device  100  include a mobile device, smartphone, tablet device, desktop or all-in-one computer, personal digital assistant, wearable electronic device, television, computer monitor, any type of flat panel display, and more. 
     The device  100  may implement an interactive display panel through which a user may control the display. For example, the device  100  may provide various mechanisms to control the display of the device  100  such as directly touching the display or through another device such as stylus, pen, or mobile device. In that regard, the device  100  may include circuitry that supports the interactive display, including multiple types of input devices through which the device  100  receives inputs for controlling the display. In  FIG. 1 , the device  100  includes a capacitive touch panel  101 , near field communication (NFC) antenna  102 , and a digitizer panel  103 , which are examples of input devices through which the device  100  may receive input data for controlling the device display. In some examples, the capacitive touch panel  101 , NFC antenna  102 , and digitizer panel  103  are implemented as part of a display panel itself. 
     The capacitive touch panel  101  may include circuitry that supports sensing a touch input. The capacitive touch panel  101  may thus include a touchscreen panel that senses when an electrical conductor (e.g., a human finger, specially coated glove, or stylus) touches the capacitive touch panel  101 . The capacitive touch panel  101  may identify capacitance variations in the electrostatic field of the capacitive touch panel  101 , such as when an electrical conductor touches the capacitive touch panel  101  itself. Accordingly, a user may control the display through touch inputs sensed through the capacitive touch panel  101 . 
     The NFC antenna  102  of the device  100  may support display interaction and control through another electronic device separate from the device  100 . The NFC antenna  102  or other NEC circuitry may receive input data through near field communications from a proximate electronic device. Thus, the NEC antenna  102  may support device-to-device communications to provide personalized displays, device control of the display panel, or more. Along similar lines, the NEC antenna  102  may support device-to-device transfer of data. While  FIG. 1  provides one example of an NEC antenna  102 , the device  100  may include any wireless communication circuitry to support display panel control through transmissions from a separate electronic device. 
     The digitizer panel  103  may sense when a particular electronic device is proximate to the display panel of the device  100 . In that regard, the digitizer panel  103  may be an active digitizer that supports device interaction with a specific input device, e.g., an active digitizing pen or stylus. In some examples, the digitizer panel  103  recognizes inputs from a particular input source (e.g., active digitizer pen) but not others (e.g., electrical conductor input from a palm resting on the display panel). The digitizer panel  103  may support input and display interaction with increased accuracy and pin-point positioning through a particular electronic device recognized by an active, digitizer for example. 
     The capacitive touch panel  101 , NEC antenna  102 , and digitizer panel  103  are just some examples of input devices that the device  100  may implement to sense input data for controlling a display panel. Any number of other input devices may be implemented by the device  100  for controlling the display panel. 
     The control circuitry  110  may control any of the input devices through which the device  100  receives input data. In some examples, the control circuitry  110  sets an active input device from among multiple input devices through which the device  100  receives input data, e.g., to control a display. The control circuitry  110  may set the other remaining input devices as inactive input devices. In doing so, the control circuitry  110  may reduce interference that different input devices may cause when operating simultaneously. For example, electric and magnetic field variances caused from NFC or other wireless transmissions may reduce the effectiveness of the capacitive touch panel  101  and the digitizer panel  103 . Noise radiating from the NFC antenna  102  or other circuitry may likewise impact the functioning of the capacitive touch panel  101  and digitizer panel  103 . Interference from multiple active input devices may cause errant input detection, which may result in, for example, a screen cursor jumping locations errantly or other errant displays. Thus, the control circuitry  110  may reduce such interference, which may result in increased accuracy and control over the display panel. 
     As described in greater detail below, the control circuitry  110  may control functioning of the capacitive touch panel  101 , NFC antenna  102 , and digitizer panel  103 , so as not to interfere with one another in controlling the display. In  FIG. 1 , the device  100  includes the modules  111 ,  112 , and  113 , which may implement particular features of the control circuitry  110  through any combination of circuitry, hardware, machine-readable instructions, and the like, The control circuitry  110  may identify an input indication to utilize a function associated with the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , or the digitizer panel  103 ; set, as an active input device for a display panel, one of the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103  according to the input indication; and set, as inactive input devices for the display panel, the other two among the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103  which are not set as the active input device. 
       FIG. 2  shows an example of control circuitry  110  that supports input device control for a display panel. In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the control circuitry  110  includes an input sensor  201 , an input controller  202 , and an input switch  203 . The input sensors  201  may sense when an input has been received from an input device, such as the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , or the digitizer panel  103 . The input controller  202  may identify the sensed inputs and control the input switch  203  as to which of the input devices to set as active and which to set as inactive. In that regard, the input controller  202  may implement any of the control logic or features described with respect to the control circuitry  110  in determining which input device to set as active and which to set as inactive. In response to receiving an instruction from the input controller  202 , the input switch  203  may toggle to the one of the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103  to set an active input device for controlling a display panel. 
     The control circuitry  110  may set an active input device from among multiple input devices in a device  100  according to an input indication. The input indication may be, for example, a sensed input that the input sensor  201  identifies from the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , or the digitizer panel  103 , As another example, the, control circuitry  110  may obtain an input indication as a user input to use or disable a particular function. In this example, the control circuitry  110  may receive a user selection to specifically activate or deactivate an NFC function, a digitizer panel function, or a capacitive touch panel function, such as through a function selection user interface, a physical switch or button on the device  100  pressed by the user, or via any other user selection mechanisms. 
     Some examples of how the control circuitry  110  may determine to set an active input device (and inactive input devices) according to the input indication are presented next. In some examples, the control circuitry  110  sets the active input device as a particular input device from which input data was sensed. In these examples, the input sensor  201  may sense when input data is being received by the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NEC antenna  102 , or the digitizer panel  103 , and the input controller  202  may set the input switch  203  according to whichever input device from which input data was sensed from. Accordingly, the control circuitry  110  may set, as the active input device, a particular input device from which input data is being received. 
     In some examples, the control circuitry  110  identifies a sensed input from a particular input device (e.g., the capacitive touch panel  101 ), and sets the particular input device as the active input device when no other input devices are receiving input data (e.g., when the NFC antenna  102  and the digitizer panel  103  are not presently receiving input data). When the input sensor  201  senses input data simultaneously from multiple input devices (e.g., at least two of the capacitive touch panel  101 , NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103 ), the control circuitry  110  may account for any number of factors to determine a particular input device to set as the active input device. 
     In setting the active input device according to the input indication, the control circuitry  110  may prioritize a presently active input device. For example, the control circuitry  110  may maintain a presently active input device when inputs are sensed simultaneously from multiple input devices. The control circuitry  110  may identify a presently active input device when the currently configured active input device (e.g., as set by the input switch  203 ) is currently receiving input data or has received input data within a time threshold (e.g., input data received within the last 10 milliseconds or other configurable timing threshold). In one illustration, the control circuitry  110  may set the capacitive touch panel  101  as the active input device and determine the capacitive touch panel  101  as presently active when a touch input through the capacitive touch panel  101  is being presently received or has been received within the timing threshold (e.g., as sensed by the input sensor  201 ). Along similar lines, the control circuitry  110  may determine that the currently configured active input device is riot presently active, such when the capacitive touch panel  101  (e.g., set as the active input device by the input switch  203 ) has not received a touch input within a time period longer than the timing threshold. 
     Thus, when the control circuitry  110  identifies a sensed input from a particular input device when another input device is configured as the active input device and presently active, the control circuitry  110  may determine not to set the particular input device as the active input device. In this way, the control circuitry  110  may prioritize the presently active input device, e.g., by maintaining the currently configured active input device to receive input data for controlling the display panel instead of setting a different input device as the active input device. Put another way, when the active input device is presently active, the control circuitry  110  may determine not to set a different input device as the active input device even when input data is sensed for the different input device (and thus the different input device remains set as an inactive input device). In doing so, the control circuitry  110  may maintain continuity in input data received through the active input device, and a user may control a display panel through a particular input device without interruption. 
     Continuing the examples of setting an active input device (and inactive input devices) according to the input indication, the control circuitry  110  may prioritize particular input devices based on a preconfigured ordering. In that regard, the control circuitry  110  may maintain a priority listing of input devices in through which input data is received to control a display panel. The priority listing may be preconfigured or otherwise set by a user indication (e.g., via a function selection user interface or physical, switch). In some, implementations, the control circuitry  110  may set a particular input device as the active input device when the control circuitry  110  senses input data for the particular input device and the particular input device has a higher priority than the currently configured active input device. 
     In one illustration, the control circuitry  110  may maintain a priority listing ordered such that the capacitive touch panel  101  has a higher priority than the NFC antenna  102  and the digitizer panel  103 . When the NFC antenna  102  or digitizer panel  103  is configured as the active input device (e.g., as set by the input switch  203 ) and the input sensor  201  senses input data received through the capacitive touch panel  101 , the input controller  202  may instruct the input switch  203  to set the capacitive touch panel  101  as the active input device instead of the NFC antenna  102  or digitizer panel  103 . Thus, sensed input data for a higher priority input device may cause the control circuitry  110  to preempt a lower priority input device as the active input device, which may ensure that input data received through the higher priority input device controls the display panel. Thus, the control circuitry  110  may set an active input device for controlling a display panel. 
       FIG. 3  shows an example of logic  300  that the control circuitry  110  may implement. The control circuitry  110  may implement the logic  300  as hardware or machine-readable instructions, for example. The control circuitry  110  may execute the logic  300  as a process or method to control the active input device for interacting with a display panel of a device  100 . 
     The control circuitry  110  may sense an input associated with a particular function of a function group including a digitizer panel function, a capacitive touch panel function, and an NFC function ( 302 ). In response, the control circuitry  110  may control an active input device for the display panel based on the sensed input ( 304 ), e.g., according to any combination of the examples described above. In controlling the active input device, the control circuitry  110  may activate the particular function ( 306 ) and disable the other functions of the function group ( 308 ). 
     As one illustration, the control circuitry  110  may sense, as the input, a digitizer input associated with the digitizer panel function. The digitizer input may include sensing that an active digitizer pen is within a threshold proximity or touching a display panel surface, which the control circuitry  110  may identify through the digitizer panel  103 . In that regard, the control circuitry  110  may sense the digitizer input as any input received through the digitizer panel  103 . In response to sensing the digitizer input, the control circuitry  110  may control the active input device for the display panel by activating the digitizer panel function and disabling both the capacitive touch panel function and the NFC function. 
     As another illustration, the control circuitry  110  may sense, as the input, a touch input associated with the capacitive touch panel function. In doing so, the control circuitry  110  may sense the touch, input as any input received through the capacitive touch panel  101 , e.g., when a finger or other electrical conductor touches the capacitive touch panel  101 . In response, the control circuitry  110  may control the active input device for the display panel by activating the capacitive touch panel function and disabling both the digitizer function and the NFC function. 
     As yet another illustration, the control circuitry  110  may sense, as the input, an NFC signal associated with the NFC function. The sensed NFC signal may be an incoming NFC transmission from a proximate electronic device or an outgoing NFC transmission from the device  100  to the proximate electronic device. The control circuitry  110  may thus sense the NFC signal as communication activity performed through the NFC antenna  102 . In response, the control circuitry  110  may control the active input device for the display panel by activating the NFC function and disabling both the digitizer panel function and the capacitive touch panel function. 
     The control circuitry  110  may activate a particular function and disable the other functions in various ways. For example, the control circuitry  110  may toggle the input switch  203  to set the input device providing the particular function as the active input device. In doing so, the input switch  203  may set the other non-activated devices as inactive input devices. As one example, the control circuitry  110  provides operating power or current for elements and circuitry implementing the particular function (e.g., the digitizer panel  103  for the digitizer panel function), but not to the elements and circuitry implementing the other functions (e.g., the capacitive touch panel  101  and NFC antenna  102  when the digitizer panel function is activated). As another example, the control circuitry  110  may activate the particular function by processing the input data received through the particular function. The control circuitry  110  may thus disable the other functions that are not activated by disregarding (e.g., not processing) input data received through the other functions. Accordingly, the input data received through the activated function may control the display panel (e.g., moving of a cursor, zooming in or out, selecting a particular icon, etc.), whereas input data received through disabled functions may provide no control of the display panel. 
       FIG. 4  shows an example of a device  400  that supports input device control for a display panel. In that regard, the device  400  may implement any of the functionality described herein, including any functionality described above for the control circuitry  110  or portion thereof. 
     The device  400  may include a processor  410 . The processor  410  may include a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, and/or any hardware device suitable for executing instructions stored on a machine-readable medium. The device  400  may include a machine-readable medium  420 , which may be non-transitory. The machine-readable medium  420  may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions, such as the control instructions  422  shown in  FIG. 4 . Thus, the machine-readable medium  420  may be, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM), an Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a storage drive, an optical disk, and the like. 
     The device  400  may execute instructions stored on the machine-readable medium  420  through the processor  410 . Executing the instructions may cause the device  400  to perform any of the features described herein. One specific example is shown in  FIG. 4  through the control instructions  422 . Executing the control instructions  422  may cause the device  400  to perform any combination of the features of the control circuitry  110  described above, for example implementing the features of the input controller  202 . In some examples, executing the control instructions  422  causes the device  400  to identify an input from among a digitizer panel  103 , a capacitive touch panel  101 , and an NFC antenna  102 ; set, as an active input device for a display panel, one of the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103  from which the input was identified; and set, as inactive input devices for the display panel, the other two among the capacitive touch panel  101 , the NFC antenna  102 , and the digitizer panel  103  not set as the active input device. 
     As described above, the control circuitry  110  may control an active input device through which input data is received for interacting with a display panel. In particular examples, the control circuitry  110  may set as an active input device a capacitive touch panel  101  to support a capacitive touch panel function, an NFC antenna  102  to support an NFC function, or a digitizer panel  103  to support a digitizer panel function, while setting other input devices as inactive. Accordingly, the control circuitry  110  may reduce interference caused when these multiple input devices operate simultaneously, allowing for a more accurate display and smoother user excellence. 
     The methods, devices, systems, and logic described above, including the control circuitry  110  or any portion thereof, may be implemented in many different ways in many different combinations of hardware, software (e.g., in the form of machine readable instructions) or both hardware and software. For example, the control circuitry  110  may include circuitry in a controller, a microprocessor, or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be implemented with discrete logic or components, or a combination of other types of analog or digital circuitry, combined on a single integrated circuit or distributed among multiple integrated circuits. A product, such as a computer program product, may include a storage medium and computer readable instructions stored on the medium, which when executed in an endpoint, computer system, or other device, cause the device to perform operations according to any of the description above. 
     The processing capability of the systems, devices, and circuitry described herein, including the control circuitry  110  or any portion thereof, may be distributed among multiple system components, such as among multiple processors and memories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems. Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separately stored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory or database, may be logically and physically organized in many different ways, and may implemented in many ways, including data structures such as linked lists, hash tables, or implicit storage mechanisms. Programs may be parts (e.g., subroutines) of a single program, separate programs, distributed across several memories and processors, or implemented in many different ways, such as in a library, such as a shared library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)). The DLL, for example, may store code that performs any of the system processing described above. While various examples have been described above, many more implementations are possible.