PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-7936348-B2
Application Number: US-37814606-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Methods and apparatuses using control indicators for data processing systems

Abstract:
A control indication assembly. A first control mounted on a surface of a computer is coupled to a first sensor, to a first sensing circuit to send an electrical signal to the first control when a user-touch occurs to the first sensor, and to a first indicator to indicate an occurrence of said user-touch. A second control mounted on a surface of a display which is coupled to the computer is coupled to a second sensor, to a second sensing circuit to send an electrical signal to said second control when said user-touch occurs to the display, and to a second indicator to indicate an occurrence of the user-touch. The first and second control are configured such that the first and second indicator are synchronized to exhibit identical behaviors when the user-touch occurs to either the first control or the second control.

Claims:
1. A method for operating a data processing system, said method comprising:
 receiving a reference signal having pulses which are used to generate a presentation pattern of an indicator of the data processing system; 
 comparing said reference signal with a signal derived from a sensor which is designed to receive input from a user, said signal having pulses, wherein said comparison comprises determining if the pulses of the reference signal are larger than the pulses of said signal; and 
 controlling the presentation pattern of the indicator in response to said comparing, wherein the indicator indicates at least one state of the data processing system. 
 
     
     
       2. A method as in  claim 1  wherein said reference signal is a reference pulse width modulated (PWM) signal. 
     
     
       3. A method as in  claim 1 , wherein said comparison is based on widths of the pulses of said reference signal and widths of the pulses of said signal. 
     
     
       4. A method as in  claim 1  wherein said controlling comprises driving said indicator with said reference signal if said comparing produces a first result. 
     
     
       5. A method as in  claim 4  wherein said controlling comprises driving said indicator with said reference signal modulated with said signal if said comparing produces a second result. 
     
     
       6. A method as in  claim 1  wherein said sensor comprises a capacitive sensor and said input from said user is a finger touch. 
     
     
       7. A method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 filtering a sensor signal from said sensor to derive said signal. 
 
     
     
       8. A method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 filtering a sensor signal from said sensor to provide a filtered sensor signal and converting said filtered sensor signal to a pulse width modulation signal to provide said signal. 
 
     
     
       9. A method as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 interrupting periodically a processor and causing said processor to perform said comparing. 
 
     
     
       10. A data processing system comprising:
 an indicator having a presentation pattern; 
 a reference signal generator, the reference signal having pulses which are used to generate the presentation pattern; 
 a processor coupled to said reference signal generator and the indicator; and 
 a sensor coupled to said processor, the sensor to derive a signal having pulses, wherein said processor compares said reference signal with said signal to determine if the pulses of the reference signal are larger than the pulses of said signal, and wherein said processor controls the presentation pattern of the indicator in response to the comparison of said reference signal with said signal and wherein the indicator indicates at least one state of the data processing system. 
 
     
     
       11. A data processing system as in  claim 10  wherein said sensor senses a finger touch and said indicator emits light. 
     
     
       12. A data processing system as in  claim 10  further comprising:
 a main processor; 
 memory coupled to said main processor; 
 a bus coupled to said memory and said main processor; 
 a display coupled to said main processor; and 
 wherein said processor is coupled to said main processor through said bus. 
 
     
     
       13. A data processing system as in  claim 12  further comprising:
 a further processor coupled to said main processor; 
 a further indicator coupled to said further processor; and 
 wherein said further indicator is disposed on a first housing and said indicator is disposed on a second housing which houses said display. 
 
     
     
       14. A data processing system as in  claim 13  wherein said processor and said further processor synchronize presentations of said indicator and said further indicator during at least one mode of operation of said data processing system. 
     
     
       15. A data processing system as in  claim 14  wherein said at least one mode comprises a sleep mode. 
     
     
       16. A data processing system as in  claim 15  wherein at least one of said indicators presents a short flash of light when turning on said data processing system and then presents a lower intensity of light which is less bright than said short flash.

Description:
This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/905,632 filed on Jul. 13, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,034,814. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a computer system with control indicators. 
     A personal computer system may be thought of as a general-purpose, single-user microcomputer that is designed to be operated by a person. A small and low cost personal computer (PC) may include a monitor display connected to a computer, each of which may receive power from an ordinary outlet. In operation, the monitor accepts video signals from a graphics card within the computer over a cable assembly and displays this information on a screen. 
     A personal computer system typically employs an electromechanical control, such as a power button, to turn on and off the computer system. The monitor display connected to the computer also employs a similar electromechanical control to turn on and off the display. These controls typically work separately and independently from each other. Each of these controls may also include an indicator (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)) which emits light when the corresponding control is activated, and these indicators typically work separately and independently of each other. For example, when the power button on the display is activated, the display&#39;s LED emits light regardless of the state of the power button of the computer. Although in some case, the color of the light from the display&#39;s LED depends on whether the computer is supplying display data to the display (e.g., the computer is off or is in a low power (e.g. “sleep”) mode). 
     A personal computer system is often set up such that the power input into the display is controlled by the computer&#39;s power. For instance, when a user turns on or turns off the computer by pressing the power button on the computer tower, the display may also be likewise turned on or off without the user having to press the power button on the display. Nonetheless, currently the display may not be configured to control the power input to the computer system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses methods and apparatuses for using control indicators for data processing system. A control indication assembly of one of the embodiments of the present invention includes a first control mounted on a surface of a computer. The first control is coupled to a first sensor and to a first sensing circuit to send an electrical signal to the first control when a user-touch occurs to the first sensor. The first control is also coupled to a first indicator to indicate an occurrence of said user-touch. The control indication assembly also includes a second control mounted on a surface of a display and the display is coupled to the computer. The second control is coupled to a second sensor and to a second sensing circuit to send an electrical signal to said second control when said user-touch occurs to the display. The second control is also coupled to a second indicator to indicate an occurrence of the user-touch. The first control and the second control are configured such that the first indicator and the second indicator are synchronized to exhibit identical behaviors when the user-touch occurs to at least to either the first control or the second control 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a conventional computer system. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates an example of a computer system set up with synchronized control indicators. 
         FIG. 2-1  graphically illustrates an example of a “triggering behavior” of a control indicator. 
         FIGS. 2-2  and  2 - 3  graphically illustrate an example of a “breathing behavior” of a control indicator. 
         FIG. 2-4  illustrates a computer system with a menu preference control. 
         FIG. 2-5  illustrates an exemplary electromechanical control assembly. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary proximity-touch sensor control assembly. 
         FIG. 4-A  illustrates an example of an LED as an indicator. 
         FIG. 4-B  illustrates an example of a light pattern that the LED emits when the LED is disposed inside a light pipe. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary computer system set up with synchronizing control indicators using a proximity-touch sensor control assembly. 
         FIG. 5-1  illustrates an example of a “proximity” and “triggering” behavior of a proximity-touch sensor control indication assembly. 
         FIGS. 5-2  and  5 - 3  illustrate examples of “breathing” behaviors of a proximity-touch sensor control indication assembly. 
         FIG. 6-1  illustrates an exemplary flowchart for operating the control indicator from a power-disconnected state to run mode and to sleep mode. 
         FIG. 6-2  illustrates an exemplary flowchart for operating the control indicator from a sleep mode to a run mode and to a shutdown mode. 
         FIG. 6-3  illustrates an exemplary flowchart for operating the control indicator from a run mode to a shutdown mode. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer system which includes a display device. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of two interconnected control assemblies which may be used with the embodiment of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart which illustrates an exemplary method of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart which illustrates an exemplary method of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is another flowchart which illustrates an exemplary method of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  shows a modulator which may be used in certain embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description and drawings are illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. For example, very specific geometries and dimensions are provided for purposes of illustrating the invention. In certain instances, well known or conventional details are not described in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention in detail. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a personal computer system  100  in a desktop configuration. A computer system  100  may include a monitor or a display  102 , a desktop computer  104 , and a cable assembly  106 . The display  102  may be a cathode-ray tube and associated electronics connected to a video output of desktop computer  104 , or it may be a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display. The desktop computer  104  may be any machine that can be programmed to process data. 
     The desktop computer  104  may include a chassis  108  having a graphics card  110 , which is disposed therein. The chassis  108  may also have a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) slot  112 , a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot  114  located as shown in  FIG. 1 , and/or it may have a Universal Serial Bus (USB), and/or “Firewire” interfaces (which are based on IEEE 1394). Each of the SCSI slot  112  and PCI slot  114  and/or USB and Firewire interfaces may provide an input/output port for connection of external devices. 
     Each of the hardware devices of a conventional computer system independently controls its own power input. The desktop computer  104  draws its power supply via a computer power cable  120  and the display  102  draws its power supply via a display power cable  122 . The display power cable  122  may also be connected directly to a power socket  124  on the desktop  104  such that the desktop  104  controls the power supply for the display  102 . 
     The desktop computer  104  and the display  102  also have light indicators (not shown) to indicate their operating status, such as green light for “on” and no light for “off.” From a user&#39;s experience, the computer system  100  comprises of a series of connected devices each with its own different controls, interactions and behaviors. For instance, the light indicator on the desktop computer  104  may light up independently and at a different time from the light indicator on the display  102 . One purpose of an embodiment of this invention is to provide computer system users with an experience that the computer system  100  is a unified system rather than as a series of connected but separate devices. The following discussion describes exemplary embodiments of controls with indicators such as power controls for the display  102  and the desktop  104  which interact with each other and synchronize in their behaviors to create that unified system. However, it will be appreciated that the indicators and power controls may be used on other devices such as printers, external storage devices (such as CD drives), etc. 
       FIG. 2A  shows an exemplary design of a control system for a computer system  200 , which comprises a display  102 , connected to a desktop  104  via at least one cable. A power cable  122 A for power input for the display  102  is connected to the desktop  104  in one embodiment. An exemplary display for the display  102  is a cathode-ray tube or a flat panel display. 
     The desktop  104  may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) tower which has a control assembly  230  to control the power input for this tower or it may have other shapes (e.g., cube) or formfactors. The desktop  104  also includes a control assembly  230 . The control assembly  230  may include a typical electromechanical power button switch used for many existing computer systems or it may be a touch sensitive switch. The control assembly  230 , however, includes a feedback indicator to (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)) show the user that the computer system has been triggered. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the control assembly  230  is mounted within the computer system&#39;s CPU. Preferably, the control assembly  230  is mounted behind or near the power control button (e.g., a button  236 ). The control assembly  230  includes a button assembly  237  which includes a touch sensitive button  236  (or alternatively, a mechanical button) and an indicator  235 . The indicator  235  may be a light source or a sound indicator. Here the indicator  235  is an LED, which could be in any color or a combination of multiple colors. In this example, the LED is white which is one of the unique features of the present invention. The LED may be mounted underneath an outer surface of the button  236  and on the centerline of the button  236  as shown in  FIG. 2-5 . The button  236  and the indicator  235  are coupled to a circuit  233  which controls the indicator&#39;s presentation (e.g., the intensity of the LED) and which sends power control signals to the CPU (e.g., “power on” or “sleep” or “power off” signals to a power management unit in the CPI). These power control signals result from a user&#39;s interaction (e.g., touching) with the button  236 . If the computer is off when the user presses or touches the button  236 , then the circuit  233  sends a signal which causes the computer to turn on (effectively a “power on” signal). If the computer is on when the user presses or touches the button  236 , then the circuit  233  sends a signal which causes the computer to enter a reduced power mode (e.g., “sleep”). If the user presses or touches the button  236  for an extended period of time (e.g., more than three seconds), then the circuit  233  sends a signal which causes the computer to shut down (turn off). 
     The control assembly  230  may be triggered or activated by a user pressing the button  236 , which in turn activates the computer system if it was off when the user pressed the button  236 . When the control assembly  230  activates the computer system the user experiences a “triggering” behavior. The triggering behavior occurs when the control assembly  230  is activated, which causes an LED indicator  235  to first exhibit a short and bright flash of intensity then fade to a lower intensity level. 
       FIG. 2-1  graphically demonstrates an example of triggering behavior  250 . In  FIG. 2-1 , the x-axis  252  indicates a time line, the y-axis  254  indicates the intensity for the LED indicator  235 . As the computer system is in the shutdown mode, the intensity is at the “zero” level as shown by a line  251 . As a user-touch occurs to the button  236 , (see a touch event  256 ), the LED intensity shoots up to a maximum brightness  255  (in which case, the touch event  256  appears as a plateau rather than a spike). The LED may maintain its  255  intensity for the duration of the touch event  256 . The user then releases the mechanical button  236 , the LED&#39;s intensity then fades from a level  255  to a low glow level  253  and the computer system is now in run mode. 
     The control assembly  230  may be configured so that once the control assembly  230  is triggered by the touch event  256 , it cannot be triggered again until the user has released the button  236  and represses it (with a touch event  260 ). By activating the control assembly  230  again, the user may put the computer into a shutdown or a sleep mode. In either instance, the same triggering behavior as discussed above is again experienced by the user with the exception that after the touch  260 , the LED intensity fades from a level  255  to a “zero” intensity level  251  for shutdown mode and, in one embodiment, appears to repetitively increase and then decreases in intensity. 
     The computer system may be set up such that the activation of the control assembly  230  on the desktop  104  also activates the monitor  102 . Alternatively, the computer system may be set up in a manner that will give the user a unique experience that the desktop  104  and the monitor  102  are indeed one unified system because every time the user triggers either one of them, the user will trigger the whole system such that the indicators on both the desktop  104  and the monitor  102  appear to behave the same way. 
     The monitor  102  may include a control assembly  201  much like control assembly  230  discussed above. The control assembly  201  is mounted within the monitor  102 , preferably, at a right hand corner of the monitor. The control assembly  201  includes a button assembly, which includes a touch sensitive button  206  and an indicator  205 . The indicator  205  may also be an LED of any color or combination of colors, preferably, white. The LED indicator  205  may be mounted underneath an outer surface of the button  206  and on the centerline of the button  206  as discussed above. 
     The button  206  and the indicator  205  are coupled to a circuit  203  which controls the indicator&#39;s presentation (e.g., the intensity of the LED on the display  102 ) and which sends power control signals to the CPU (e.g., “power on” or “power off” or “sleep” signals to a power management unit in the CPU). An embodiment of the circuit  233  of the control assembly  230  and an embodiment of the circuit  203  of the control assembly  201  are further described below. 
     The power cable  122 A of the monitor  102  may be coupled to the desktop  104  such that the monitor  102  draws its power source through the desktop  104 . The control assembly  201  interfaces with the control assembly  230  via a cable  122 B, which functions as a communication line between the display  102  and the desktop  104 . The set up above enables the user to activate the computer system by triggering either the control assembly  201  or the control assembly  230 . 
     When the user activates the computer system from the control assembly  201 , the user experiences the same triggering behavior  250  on the display  102  described above for the control assembly  230  (see  FIG. 2-1 ). However, only the mechanical button being touched exhibits the triggering behavior  250  so that the user knows how and from where the computer system is activated. For example, if the user touches assembly  201  to turn on the computer system, only the assembly  201  exhibits the flash of high intensity level  255 . Once either the control assembly  201  or the control assembly  230  is triggered so as to turn on the computer system, both the LED indicator  205  and the LED indicator  235  exhibits the same low glow level  253  to show that the whole system is in run mode. Similarly, when either the control assembly  201  or the control assembly  230  is triggered so as to shut down or to put the computer system into sleep mode, both LED indicators exhibit the same “zero” intensity level  251  to show the system in shutdown mode or the intensity levels of both LEDs fluctuate to show sleep mode. 
     Another unique feature of the present invention is that the indicator  205  and the indicator  235  are configured to exhibit synchronizing “breathing” behaviors to show that the computer system is in the sleep mode. The unified system experience is enhanced by a design that synchronize the behaviors of the indicator  205  and the indicator  235 . Such a breathing behavior may be a rythymatic and repetitive patterns of sounds, movements, light or the like. 
     In one embodiment, the breathing behavior may be indicated by a rythymatic and repetitive pattern of light intensity.  FIGS. 2-2  and  2 - 3  graphically demonstrate this breathing behavior, breathing behavior  270 . The computer system may go from a run mode to a sleep mode via the activation of either the control assembly  201  or the control assembly  231  or via a software selection from a graphical user interface or automatically after a predetermined period of no activity. When in sleep mode, both the control assembly  201  and  231  synchronize in their breathing behaviors. The intensities of both of the LED indicators  205  and  235  fluctuate from a maximum sleep intensity  271  to a minimum sleep intensity  272  in a rythymatic and repetitive manner. A unique feature of this embodiment is that both LED indicators synchronize in their breathing behaviors to show the user that the whole computer system is a sleep mode. 
     In another example, the computer system may be configured with an energy-saving option. Using this option, the computer system may be set to automatically go from a run mode into a sleep mode after a predetermined amount of time that the system is in idle state. This amount of time may be set by the user to be, for instance, five minutes.  FIG. 2-3  graphically demonstrates that the intensities of the LED indicator  205  and the LED indicator  235  go directly from run mode at intensity level  253  into sleep mode with intensity fluctuating from level  271  to level  272 . Note that in this example, no touch event occurs, thus, the intensity of the LED indicators never approach the level  255  before it drops to the level  271 . 
     The computer system may also be put to sleep mode manually. For example, the user may trigger the sleep mode by selecting a preference at the monitor display  102  or by some other user interactions. The intensities exhibited by the LED indicators may be the same as those shown in  FIG. 2-3 . 
     The triggering behavior and the breathing behavior may be enabled or disabled as per a user&#39;s preference. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2-4 , from a preference menu  130  the computer system may be set to enable or disable these behaviors. 
     Electromechanical controls with LED inside have been used in the field on products and systems such as computers and stereo systems. However, the use of LED as an indicator that exhibit triggering type light behavior when a user triggers or activates a computer system is one unique and novel application of LEDs into these controls of the present invention. Thus, not only the present invention gives the user an experience that the hardware devices of a computer system are part of a unified system, it shows the user that the computer system has been activated. 
     The control assembly as discussed above may be made into a touch-sensor control assembly. A touch-sensor control assembly may rely on a purely electrical mechanism and no mechanical pressing of any button is required. This feature will enable easy activation or triggering of a computer system. 
       FIG. 3  demonstrates an exemplary embodiment of a touch-sensor control assembly  300 . The basic design here is that as a user lightly touches the area in which the touch-sensor control assembly  300  is mounted, the computer system can be triggered. The user may generate a user-touch to this area with his fingers, body parts, other objects, or by any other convenient manner. 
     The touch-sensor control assembly  300  may be a proximity sensor which can sense a user-touch about to happen within a predetermined distance before the user actually touches (physically contacts) the sensor. The proximity-touch sensor of this example serves two purposes, namely to indicate a touch condition or occurrence and to indicate the proximity of a user (utilizing the indicator  316  which may be an LED). Proximity/Touch sensing is accomplished by measuring the capacitance of a disk shaped antenna that resides within the sensor  306  behind or on the exterior panel of the appliance, such as a desktop  104  or a display  102 . A grounded object, such as a user-touch brought close to the antenna will increase the antenna capacitance. The capacitance is translated into the frequency domain by loading a free running oscillator with the antenna capacitance. A change in the antenna capacitance will result in change in frequency. A frequency then is measured by a micro controller, processed and passed to the LED, and when reaching a certain threshold, passed as a launch event to a power management unit that resides inside the CPU. 
     As will be apparent, the proximity-touch sensor control assembly has the capability of automatic re-calibration, sensing and signaling a user-touch and sensing and signaling the continuation of the user-touch on the power controls. An example of a system for implementing a proximity-touch sensor control assembly is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/886,237, filed on Jun. 20, 2001 and entitled “Proximity/Touch Detector and Calibration Circuit” (inventors: Christopher H. Krah, and Richard D. Cappels), which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     The proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300  is coupled to a control  302  having an electrical switch to trigger or activate a computer system. The assembly  300  further includes a sensor  306 , which may be a capacitive sensing field, a sensing circuit  308 , an indicator  316  and a light pipe  314 . The indicator  316  may be a sound or light indicator and in this example, an LED of any color or a combination of multiple colors, preferably, white, to add to the uniqueness of the present invention. The LED indicator  316  is located in the light pipe  314  directly underneath an outer surface  312  of the appliance. The LED indicator  316  may also be mounted such that it is at the center of the sensor  306  for optimal sensitivity. 
     The LED indicator  316  is used to give a user feedback on his interaction with the proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300  and the computer system. In one example, the LED indicator  316  flashes and fades as a user-touch occurs to the assembly  300  in the same manner as the indicators  205  and  235  (see  FIGS. 2-1 ,  2 - 2 , and  2 - 3 ). Furthermore, the intensity of the LED indicator  316  increases as the user approaches the assembly  300  thus indicating to the user that he is close to the triggering or activating area. 
     The light pipe  314  is used to guide the light illumination of the LED  316 . As indicated in  FIG. 4-A  where there is no light pipe  316 , LED&#39;s light illumination  400  has the  402  illumination pattern with the brightest intensity at point  404 . Light pipe  314  disposing about the LED  316  is used when a flatter curve of light illumination is desirable for a more uniform light illumination appearance. This practice is well known in the field and is used when guiding of light intensity is desirable. When the light pipe  314  is used, the user will see a well lit and uniform circular area as opposed to one bright point. 
     Each of the proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300  discussed above may be incorporated into the power controls of the display  102  and the desktop  104 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a power control  501  which has a first proximity-touch sensor control assembly like the assembly  300  mounted behind an outer surface of the display  102  and a second proximity-touch sensor control assembly mounted behind an outer surface of the desktop  104  (e.g., the top surface of a desktop computer system which resembles a cube). In this example, the outer surfaces of the desktop  104  and the display  102  are smooth surfaces. A mark as shown in  FIG. 5  may be printed on each of the surfaces such that the user knows the area of the proximity-touch sensing. Because there is no protruding button on the surface of these appliances, the user will also experience a unique feeling of smoothness or cohesiveness when the user glides his finger on these surfaces toward power controls. 
     Just as described in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 5  shows that a proximity-touch sensor control assembly  501  forms the power control for the display  102 . The assembly  501  is coupled through a circuit  503  to a power control unit, which includes the display  102  and the desktop  104 . The assembly  501  further includes a sensor  506 , a sensing circuit  503 , an indicator  505 , and a light pipe  507 . 
     Similarly, just as described in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 5  also shows that a proximity-touch sensor control assembly  530  forms the power control for the desktop  104 . The assembly  530  is coupled through a circuit  533  to a power control unit, which includes an electrical switch to trigger or activate both the display  102  and the desktop  104  of the computer system. The assembly  530  further includes a sensor  536 , a sensing circuit  533 , an indicator  535  and a light pipe  537 . 
     In one exemplary embodiment, the display  102  interfaces with the desktop  104  in order for a user to trigger both the display and the desktop only by touching either only control assembly  501  or only control assembly  530 . This interface may occur through the cable  122 B which carries electrical signals between the control assembly  501  and the control assembly  530  and to a power control or management unit within the desktop system  104 . In this embodiment, the display  102  is configured to draw its power from the desktop  104  through the power cable  122 A which is coupled to the desktop  104 . 
     Another unique feature of the present invention is that the computer system&#39;s power controls exhibit “proximity” behaviors. When a user-touch, such as a finger&#39;s touch, is within the sensing range, for example, two-inches, of the proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300 , the intensity of the indicator  316  increases. However, depending on the sensitivity selection of the sensor for the control assembly  300  and the user&#39;s preference, the sensing range may be smaller or larger than two-inches. 
       FIG. 5-1  graphically illustrates “proximity” and “triggering” behaviors  550  for the embodiment discussed above. In  FIG. 5-1 , the x-axis  552  indicates a timeline, the y-axis  554  indicates the intensity for the LED indicator  316 . When the computer system is in the shutdown mode, the LED&#39;s intensity is at the “zero” level as shown by the line  551 . As the user gets closer to the center of and within the sensing range of proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300 , the LED&#39;s intensity gets brighter and brighter as the user gets closer. The intensity flashes to the highest level  555  when a touch event  556  occurs and remains at that level for the duration of the touch. When the user moves away from the control assembly  300 , the LED fades down to a low glow level  553  which indicates that the computer system is in run mode  557 . 
     The computer system  500  may be configured so that only the control assembly being approached and touched exhibit the proximity and triggering behaviors (e.g., the assembly  501  on the display exhibits these behaviors and the assembly  530  does not). Each of the control assembly  300  may be configured so that once the control assembly is triggered by the user-touch  556 , it cannot be triggered again until the user has moved away from the control assembly&#39;s sensing area for a predetermined distance, for example, 0.5 inches. Then, the control assembly  300  may be triggered again as described above. 
     The control assembly  300  may also be configured so that the computer system will go from a run mode into shutdown mode or sleep mode if the control assembly  300  is once again triggered the second time. From the run mode (as shown by the line  557 ), a touch event  560  may put the system into shutdown mode at level  551 . Here, the LED indicator will get brighter and brighter as the user approaches the sensing area. The intensity will reach the maximum levels  555  and fade down to level  551  to show shutdown mode. 
     Another unique feature of the present invention is that the indicator  316  may be designed to exhibit “breathing” behavior to show that the computer system is in a sleep mode. A design that synchronizes the breathing behaviors of each of the indicator  316  that is mounted in each of the monitor  102 , and the desktop  104  enhances the unified system experience. Such a breathing behavior may be rythymatic and repetitive patterns of sounds, movements, light or the like. 
     The breathing behavior may be indicated by rythymatic and repetitive patterns of light intensity.  FIGS. 5-2  and  5 - 3  graphically demonstrate the breathing behaviors  570  of the indicator  316 . The computer system may go from run mode  553  to sleep mode  572  when the user activates either the control assembly  300  on the monitor  102  or the control assembly  300  on the desktop  104 . As illustrated in the figures above, the touch event  561  would lead the computer system to go into a transitional state  558  and then into a sleep mode. The intensity for the LED fluctuates from a maximum sleep intensity  571  to a minimum sleep intensity  572  in rythymatic and repetitive manner. 
     In another example, the computer system may be set up with an energy-saving option. Using this option, the computer system may be set to automatically go from run mode into sleep mode after a predetermined amount of time, for example, five minutes, that the system is in idle state.  FIG. 5-3  graphically illustrates that the intensity of each LED indicator  316  goes directly from run mode at intensity level  553  into sleep mode with the intensity fluctuating from level  571  to level  572 . Here, the proximity or touch event never occurs thus the intensity never approaches level  555  before it drops to level  571  for sleep mode. The intensity of the LEDs on the display and the desktop system may, in one embodiment, exhibit this same intensity fluctuating behavior. 
     The computer system may also be triggered into sleep mode manually at the monitor  102  or by some other screen interaction. The breathing behavior here will be the same as shown in  FIG. 5-2 . 
     The proximity, triggering, and breathing behaviors of the proximity-touch sensor may be enabled or disabled as per users&#39; preferences. The enabling or disabling option may be activated with a preference menu discussed above in relation to  FIG. 2-4 . 
     As apparent from the discussion of the exemplary embodiments above, one unique and novel feature of this present invention is the use of a capacitive sensing field to sense the relative proximity of a user or an object to a control assembly and have an indicator associated with this proximity which provides feedback that represents this proximity. The light feed back examples discussed above gives the user a unique feeling of recognition of a state of the computer system as well as the distance to the controls of the computer system. This feature creates a more active interaction of all the devices of the computer system. The capacitive sensing field thus may be implemented into several embodiments of the present invention together with LED indicators to exhibit proximity, triggering and breathing behaviors of the power controls of the computer system. 
     The proximity-touch sensor control assembly  300  described above may also be incorporated into a display menu control  210  ( FIG. 2 ) and/or a display menu control  510  ( FIG. 5 ) located on the monitor display  102 . This incorporation may replace the conventional right mouse click function or other screen interactions typically used to pull up a preference menu for the display. The assembly  300  may be mounted behind an outer surface of display  102 . The assembly  300  functions as a control that triggers the appearance of a preference setting for the display  102  or other preference settings. In this embodiment, as the user gets closer to the control  510 , the LED inside the assembly may get brighter to indicate to the user that he is approaching a control of the display. Once the user touches the control, the control  510  triggers the preference menu to pop up on the display. The user may the select a preferred option for the display using a key on the keyboard or the click on the mouse device. The computer system may be configured such that the preference menu disappears when the user once again triggers the central assembly  300 . Alternatively, the preference menu may be set up to automatically disappear after the user selects an option. 
       FIGS. 6-1 ,  6 - 2 , and  6 - 3  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of methods that create a unified computer system experience via interfacing the hardware controls and their behaviors to each other. In this embodiment, a power control will have the same interaction and behavior to the overall computer system whether it is located on the desktop  104  or the monitor  102 . The power control of the monitor is configured to interface with the power control of the desktop using the embodiments described herein. 
     Step  602  of  FIG. 6-1  illustrates when the computer system is unplugged the power is disconnected. The user may then connect the power cord in the desktop at step  604 , which puts the computer system to a shutdown mode  606 . From the shutdown mode  606 , the computer system may be put into a run mode  608  with step  610  in which the user touches any of the power controls either on the desktop (CPU, which may be for example, a tower or a cube, or a formfactor) or on the display. Alternatively, at step  611 , the user may put the computer system into run mode  608  by choosing a restart option from the menu bar when the system is already in run mode. 
     Once in the run mode  608 , the computer system may be put into a sleep mode  612  by any of the methods in step  614 . In step  614  the user may put the computer system into the sleep mode  612  by (1) touching any of the power controls either on the desktop or the display; (2) selecting the “sleep” option from a menu bar on the display; (3) selecting the “sleep option” from the control strip (an energy setting); (4) selecting the “sleep” option from Energy Saver Control Panel; or (5) setting a preferred amount of time for automatic shutdown after a predetermined idle period. Alternatively, at step  615 , the user may put the display into a sleep mode  616  from the display&#39;s “on” mode (when the computer system is in the run mode  608 ) with step  615 . In step  615 , the display can be put into a sleep mode by the user selecting sleep option. In step  615 , the display can also be put into a sleep mode automatically at a predetermined time. Furthermore, the display is in the sleep mode  616  for a predetermined amount of time and the computer system has already been set at an automatic energy saving option, the computer system can be put into the sleep mode  612  automatically (step  617 ). 
     Step  620  of  FIG. 6-2  illustrates that from the sleep mode  612  or the sleep mode  613 , the user, by touching any power control either on the display or on the desktop, may put the computer system back into the run mode  608 . Alternatively, the user may click any of the keyboard keys or the mouse to put the computer system into the run mode. 
     To shutdown the computer system from the run mode  608 , the user may select the “shutdown” option  622  from a display menu bar. In another example, the user may also set a preferred amount of time for automatic shutdown of the computer after a predetermined idle period in step  624 . In yet another example, as shown in step  630  of  FIG. 6-3 , the user may touch any of the power control either on the display or on the desktop and maintain the touch for at least a predetermined period of time (e.g., more than five seconds) to shutdown the system. The computer system may be configured to allow a shorter or longer amount of time that the user needs to hold the touch shutdown the system. 
     As noted above, the foregoing systems and methods to provide control assemblies and indicators may be used with computer systems.  FIG. 7  shows one example of a typical computer system which may be used with the present invention. Note that while  FIG. 7  illustrates various components of a computer system, it is not intended to represent any particular architecture or manner of interconnecting the components, as such details are not germane to the present invention. For example, the computer system may include multiple buses interconnected by bus bridges. Further, it will be appreciated that network computers and other data processing systems such as personal digital assistants may have fewer components or perhaps more components and that such systems and computers may be also used with the present invention. The computer system of  FIG. 7  may, for example, be an Apple Macintosh computer. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the computer system  1001 , which is a form of a data processing system, includes a bus  1004  which is coupled to the microprocessor  1002  and to the memory and memory controller  1003 . The bus  1004  is also coupled to I/O (input/output) controllers  1008  which are in turn coupled to I/O devices  1009 . The bus  1004  is also coupled to a display controller  1005  which is in turn coupled to a display device  1006  through a connection such as a cable  1006   a . A power management unit  1007  is also coupled to the bus  1004 . It will be appreciated that the bus  1004  interconnects the various components together to allow data and control signals to be exchanged between the various components of the system. As noted above, the bus  1004  may include one or more buses connected to each other through various bridges, controllers and/or adapters as is well known in the art. In one embodiment, the I/O controller  1008  includes a USB (universal serial bus) adapter for controlling USB peripherals. The microprocessor  1002  may be a G3 or G4 microprocessor from Motorola or IBM or may be an Intel Pentium microprocessor. The memory  1003  is typically dynamic random access memory (DRAM). It will be further appreciated that typically, a storage device, such as a magnetic hard drive and other storage devices such as CD ROM drives may also be coupled to the bus  1004  through a controller. 
     The power management unit  1007  controls power supplied to the various components of the system in the various types of power states. For example, in certain lower power states, the hard drive and other components may receive no power while the memory and microprocessor receive power. In other lower power states, all components except for the memory and memory controller  1003  may receive power. These various different power levels are controlled by the power management unit  1007  which may be implemented in a combination of software and hardware, where the software is executed in part by the microprocessor  1002  and in part by a processor within the power management unit such as a state machine executing in a logic device within the power management unit  1007 . 
     It will be apparent from this description that aspects of the present invention may be embodied, at least in part, in software. That is, the techniques carry out in a computer system or other data processing system in response to its processor, such as a microprocessor, executing sequences of instructions contained in a memory, such as memory  1003 . In various embodiments, hardwired circuitry may be used in combination with software instructions to implement the present invention. Thus, the techniques are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software, nor to any particular source for the instructions executed by the data processing system. 
     The computer system  1001  includes a control assembly  1010  which includes a switch or sensor and an indicator, and thus this control assembly  1010  is similar to the control assembly  230  of  FIG. 2A  or control assembly  530  of  FIG. 5 . The control assembly  1010  is coupled to circuitry for controlling the indicator and for receiving signals from the sensor or switch. It will be appreciated that the positioning of the components of the control assembly  1010  may be altered such that the indicator is located at a different position than the sensor or switch (e.g. they are not concentric or overlying, but rather separated by a distance). The control assembly  1011  is disposed in the display device  1006  and corresponds to similar control assemblies  201  of  FIGS. 2A and 501  of  FIG. 5 . The control assembly  1010  typically includes a sensor or switch and an indicator which is coupled to circuitry to sense the switch or sensor in the circuitry to control the presentation (e.g. the display of light or the emission of sound) from the indicator. Again, the sensor or switch and the indicator of the control assembly  1010  may be concentric or overlaying or may be separated by a distance so that they appear to the user as two distinct objects. In one preferred embodiment, however, the indicator and the sensor, which is a capacitive touch sensor, are substantially concentric and appear to the user as one object. In one embodiment, the cable  1006   a  may include both power cables such as cable  122   a  and a data and control cable such as cable  122   b  as in the case of  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 8  shows in further detail a particular embodiment which implements the control assemblies  1010  and  1011  of  FIG. 7 . To simplify  FIG. 8 , certain components of the computer system  1001  have not been shown in  FIG. 8 . It will be appreciated, however, that these components are present in the embodiment of  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  shows an implementation of a control assembly in each of the computer system  1001  and the display  1006 . In one embodiment, the control assembly  1010  may include a microcontroller or other processor  1021  which is coupled to an indicator, such as an LED, through a control signal  1025 . The control assembly  1010  further includes a finger sensor  1022  which is coupled to provide a signal, such as a sensor signal, to the microcontroller  1021 . The microcontroller  1021  provides a power control signal  1026  to a power management unit, such as the power management unit  1007 . The microcontroller  1021  receives a reference signal, such as a pulse width modulated (PWM) reference signal from a reference source  1020 . The reference source  1020  may be the power management unit  1007  or the microprocessor  1002  or some other logic in the system  1001  which generates the reference signal, such as a PWM signal. This reference signal is also provided over signal line  1027  to the microcontroller  1030  which is part of the control assembly  1011  of the display device  1006 . The control assembly for the display  1006  as shown in  FIG. 8  further includes a finger sensor  1031  and an indicator, such as an LED  1032 , which is coupled to the microcontroller  1030  through the control signal line  1033 . It will be appreciated that the relative positioning of the various components may be altered such that the microcontrollers  1021  and  1030  may not be positioned relatively closely to the LEDs  1023  and  1032  or to the finger sensors  1022  and  1031 . Thus, for example, the microcontroller  1030  may in fact be housed within the housing of the computer system  1001 . It will be appreciated that the finger sensor shown in  FIG. 8  may be a capacitive sensor such as that described in the copending patent application referred to above or it may be a simple mechanical switch. It will be appreciated that in typical embodiments as described above, the finger sensor or switch, such as sensors  1022  and  1031 , are used by the user to turn the computer system off or to turn the computer system on to or put the computer system into a sleep state in which power consumption is reduced. Further, the LED indicators  1023  and  1032  are similar to the indicators of control assemblies  201  and  230  shown in  FIG. 2A  or the indicators  505  and  535  of  FIG. 5 , and hence, the indicators  1023  and  1032 , in one embodiment, may indicate the power consumption state of the computer system and may do so in a synchronized manner. The method in which the indicators are synchronized will now be described by referring to  FIGS. 9 ,  10 ,  11 , and  12 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a method of operating the system shown in  FIG. 8 . This method begins in operation  1040  in which both microcontrollers are interrupted by an interrupt signal which is periodically provided to both microcontrollers. This interrupt, as is further shown in  FIG. 11 , causes the microcontrollers to receive and regenerate the PWM reference signal and then to compare, in one embodiment, the reference signal in operation  1041 . Operation  1041  compares the reference signal with a signal derived from the sensor, which may be a capacitive sensor which is designed to receive user input. In this one embodiment, this comparison determines whether the PWM reference signal has larger pulses than a PWM signal obtained by filtering the sensor signal and converting the filtered sensor signal to a PWM signal. If the reference PWM signal has larger pulses than the PWM signal obtained from the filtered sensor signal, then the microcontroller will pass the reference PWM signal to the LED through the control lines  1025  and  1033  for the respective LEDs  1023  and  1032 . In this manner, the reference PWM signal controls the presentation of the indicator in response to the comparison, as shown in operation  1042 . If the pulses in the PWM signal derived from the filtered sensor signal are larger than the pulses from the reference PWM signal, then the microcontroller mixes the reference signal with the PWM signal derived from the sensor signal and uses this mixed or modulated signal to drive the LED which is coupled to the associated microcontroller.  FIG. 12  shows an example of the mixing which may be performed by an algorithm executed on both microcontrollers. The mixing or modulation function may be addition or the greatest of the incoming signals or some other function, depending on the embodiment. The processing of the signals digitally gives flexibility over the mixing function for different desired visual effects or auditory effects depending on the manner of presentation. Thus the incoming PWM signals  1080 ,  1081  or  1082  may be mixed as shown in  FIG. 12  by various different functions  1083  to produce an output  1084 . 
     In an alternative embodiment of operation  1041 , an output value from the sensor (e.g., a filtered frequency) is used to determine whether a touch event has occurred and the microcontrollers then accordingly control the presentation of one or more indicators (e.g., the LEDs display a short flash and fade). The microcontrollers may in this case control the LEDs by mixing the reference PWM signal with a PWM signal derived from a stored look up table in order to generate a mixed PWM signal to drive the LEDs, or a different reference PWM signal may be supplied by the reference source  1020  and used to drive one or more LEDs or other indicators. In this case, the presentation in operation  1042  is in response to the detection of a finger touch on the sensor or some other detected event (another user command such as the selection of “sleep” from a user menu) rather than a comparison. 
       FIG. 10  shows a method for filtering a signal from a sensor, such as a capacitive finger sensor. In operation  1050 , the current frequency from the sensor is measured and then an average frequency is determined in operation  1051  by determining a running frequency. In one embodiment, the prior average is modified to create a current running average of the frequency derived from the capacitive sensor. One embodiment for deriving this frequency is described in the above-mentioned copending application, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The operation  1051  filters the frequency and thereby filters out high frequency noise while detecting larger amplitude, low to mid-frequency changes which are indicative of a user activating the touch sensor. The filtered value, which is the average frequency, may be used to determine that a touch event (e.g., a finger has touched the sensor) has occurred. It will be appreciated that the frequency from operation  1050  may be provided by finger sensors  1022  and  1031  to the microcontrollers  1021  and  1030  respectively, which can then determine the average frequency. 
     In the embodiment which uses operation  1041  of  FIG. 9 , a value from the sensor (e.g., a frequency) is converted to a pulse width modulated signal for comparison to the reference pulse width modulated signal. In turn, this comparison causes the respective microcontroller to drive its associated LED with the same pulse width modulated signal which was determined by the comparison. It is noted that when a user has not touched either finger sensor, the pulse width signal which is output on signal lines  1052  and  1053  will be the same, causing the LEDs to present the same level of brightness. Furthermore, since both microcontrollers received the same PWM reference signal, both LEDs can be made to synchronously display complex, repetitive patterns (e.g., see  FIGS. 2-3 ) when no user touch occurs. The appearance of both LEDs may be changed by merely changing the PWM reference signal from reference source  1020 . However, when a user touches one of the two sensors, its corresponding LED will appear differently than the other LED due to the mixing of the signal derived from the finger sensor which has been touched. 
       FIG. 11  shows a method which is performed by each microcontroller in order to repeat with high accuracy and low jitter the digital pulse width modulated reference signal each microcontroller receives through signal lines  1024  and  1027 . The method shown in  FIG. 11  also allows each microcontroller to modify the duty cycle when required while maintaining synchronicity with the original signal. It is noted that the reference source  1020  may, in one embodiment, generate a first PWM reference signal when the system is running (e.g. a signal which is sufficient to generate the appearance of the low glow level  553  when the system is running) and a different PWM reference signal to give the breathing appearance between the levels  571  and  572  as shown in  FIG. 5-3 . As noted above, the power management unit may generate these different PWM reference signals and supply the signals to the different control assemblies, either directly or through the buses or bus of the computer system. 
     When any signal is sampled and reproduced, it is subject to error introduced by the sampling process. Each microcontroller  1021  and  1030  is sampling and attempting to reproduce the PWM reference signal. One of the common problems associated with sampling is jitter due to too low a sampling frequency created by processor speed limitations. When the reproduce signal is used to drive a LED, such as indicators  1023  and  1032 , the jitter will result in a poor visual appearance. To avoid this problem, each microcontroller utilizes a high priority, double edged hardware interrupt with the method of  FIG. 11 . This double edged hardware interrupt reduces latency of the repeated signal to within a few microseconds. It is the regenerated PWM reference signal which is then used in the comparison of operation  1041 . This regenerative reference signal is then used to directly control the LED or is mixed with other PWM signals to drive the LEDs of the corresponding microcontrollers. The method of  FIG. 11  is double edged in the sense that the microcontroller&#39;s normal code execution is interrupted and this routine is executed when either a rising or falling edge is detected on the incoming reference PWM signal on lines  1024  or  1027 . Once the toggle on the incoming PWM signal is detected in operation  1060 , the interrupt routine is entered. First the routine determines in operation  1061  the direction of the signal change. On a rising edge, the routine immediately asserts the output in operation  1063 . This ensures that the incoming reference signal (from either lines  1024  or  1027 ) and the regenerated PWM signals are synchronized within only a few microseconds of latency. On a falling edge, the routine quickly checks the status of a flag called PWM flag in operation  1062 . This flag is set if other PWM sources require that the duty cycle be greater than that of the incoming signal. If this flag is not set, the routine immediately deasserts the output pin in operation  1064  and otherwise the routine leaves the output unchanged and exits at operation  1065 . In this manner, each microcontroller receives the reference PWM signal from the reference source  1020  and regenerates the reference signal, which can then be compared in operation  1041 . 
     The subject invention has been described with reference to numerous details set forth herein and the accompanying drawings which illustrated the invention. This description and drawings are illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. 
     In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20060316
Publication Date: 20110503
Grant Date: 20110503
Priority Date: 20010713
Inventors: GONG ANDREW
HUPPI BRIAN Q.
KRAH CHRISTOPH H.
CAPPELS RICHARD D.
KERR DUNCAN R.
CULBERT MICHAEL
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H03K2217/96079", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/3206", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/962", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/3206", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K2217/96079", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/962", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H03K17/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 25421184