PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9430105-B2
Application Number: US-201414194363-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Frequency independent offset cancellation scheme in touch receiver channel

Abstract:
A self-capacitance touch sensor panel including a plurality of touch electrodes and one or more sense circuits coupled to the touch electrodes. The touch sensor panel also includes at least one offset cancellation circuit coupled to at least one of the touch electrodes and configured to generate an offset cancellation signal to cancel an offset signal at the at least one touch electrode. In some examples, the offset cancellation signal can be an offset cancellation current to cancel an offset current. In some examples, the offset cancellation circuit comprises a variable resistor, and a magnitude of the offset cancellation current is based on a resistance of the variable resistor. In some examples, each touch electrode is coupled to an offset cancellation circuit. In other examples, a single offset cancellation circuit is shared by a plurality of touch electrodes.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A self-capacitance touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel comprising:
 a plurality of touch electrodes; 
 one or more sense circuits, the one or more sense circuits coupled to the plurality of touch electrodes; and 
 at least one offset cancellation circuit, the at least one offset cancellation circuit coupled to at least one touch electrode of the plurality of touch electrodes and configured to generate an offset cancellation current to cancel an offset current caused by a parasitic capacitance of the touch sensor panel at the at least one touch electrode, wherein the offset cancellation circuit includes a variable resistor coupled to the at least one touch electrode, and wherein the variable resistor is configured to be tuned until the offset cancellation current generated by the offset cancellation circuit is substantially equal in magnitude to the current caused by the parasitic capacitance. 
 
     
     
       2. The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a processor configured to set the resistance of the variable resistor such that the offset cancellation current substantially cancels out the offset current of the at least one touch electrode. 
 
     
     
       3. The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit. 
     
     
       4. The touch sensor panel of  claim 3 , wherein the stimulation source is further coupled to the sense circuit of the at least one touch electrode. 
     
     
       5. The touch sensor panel of  claim 3 , wherein the stimulation source comprises a voltage source. 
     
     
       6. The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of offset cancellation circuits, each of the plurality of touch electrodes being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of offset cancellation circuits. 
     
     
       7. The touch sensor panel of  claim 1 , wherein the offset cancellation circuit is coupled to each of the plurality of touch electrodes and is configured to generate the offset cancellation signal used to cancel offset signals of each of the respective touch electrodes. 
     
     
       8. The touch sensor panel of  claim 7 , further comprising a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and one or more sense circuits of the plurality of touch electrodes. 
     
     
       9. The touch sensor panel of  claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of variable resistors, each variable resistor coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and a respective one of the plurality of touch electrodes and used to generate a respective one of a plurality of offset cancellation currents to cancel offset currents of each of the respective touch electrodes. 
     
     
       10. A method comprising:
 tuning a variable resistor to generate an offset cancellation current using an offset cancellation circuit coupled to at least one touch electrode of a plurality of touch electrodes of a touch sensor panel, the offset cancellation current being for cancelling an offset current caused by a parasitic capacitance at the at least one touch electrode, and wherein the variable resistor is tuned until the offset cancellation current generated by the offset cancellation circuit is substantially equal in magnitude to the current caused by the parasitic capacitance. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the stimulation source is further coupled to a sense circuit of the at least one touch electrode. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the stimulation source comprises a voltage source. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , further comprising generating a plurality of offset cancellation signals using a plurality of offset cancellation circuits coupled to respective ones of the plurality of touch electrodes, the offset cancellation signals being for cancelling offset signals at the plurality of touch electrodes. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the offset cancellation circuit is coupled to each of the plurality of touch electrodes, and 
 generating comprises generating the offset cancellation signal used to cancel offset signals of each of the respective touch electrodes. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and one or more sense circuits of the plurality of touch electrodes. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein
 the touch sensor panel further comprises a plurality of variable resistors, each variable resistor coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and a respective one of the plurality of touch electrodes, and 
 generating comprises generating a plurality of offset cancellation currents using the plurality of variable resistors to cancel respective offset currents at each of the touch electrodes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This relates generally to a self-capacitive touch sensor panel in which each sense channel can be connected to a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit in order to mitigate phase and amplitude offsets that may arise in a touch signal due to various system parasitics. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Many types of input devices are available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens, and the like. Touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility of operation as well as their declining price. Touch screens can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can be positioned partially or fully behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface can cover at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. Touch screens generally allow a user to perform various functions by touching (i.e., physical contact or near-field proximity) the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus or other object at a location often dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. In general, touch screens can recognize a touch event and the position of the touch event on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch event in accordance with the UI appearing at the time of the touch event, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch event. 
     Self-capacitance touch sensor panels can be formed from a plurality of conductive electrodes of a substantially transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). Self-capacitance touch sensor panels can detect both touch events as well as proximity events in which a user or object is not touching the panel but is proximal to it. However, self-capacitance touch sensor panels can be susceptible to parasitic offset sources. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     This relates to a self-capacitance touch sensor panel in which at least one electrode of the touch sensor panel can be coupled to a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit. In some examples, each individual electrode of the touch sensor panel can be coupled to a common frequency independent offset cancellation circuit. The cancellation circuit can produce a current that can be used by each individual electrode to cancel offset currents generated by parasitic capacitances that may be coupled to the electrode. The amount of current provided to each individual electrode can be controlled via variable resistors that can be coupled to each electrode, wherein the amount of resistance that each variable resistor provides can be empirically determined. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary mutual-capacitance touch sensor panel according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary electrical circuit corresponding to a mutual-capacitance touch sensor sense line according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary self-capacitance touch sensor panel circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary electrical circuit corresponding to a self-capacitance touch sensor electrode according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary circuit representation of a self-capacitance touch sensor electrode according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary self-capacitance touch sensor electrode circuit with a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates multiple exemplary self-capacitance touch sensor electrodes with a common frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary computing system including a touch sensor panel that includes a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 9A  illustrates an exemplary mobile telephone having a touch sensor panel that includes a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 9B  illustrates an exemplary digital media player having a touch sensor panel that includes a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 9C  illustrates an exemplary personal computer having a touch sensor panel that includes a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of examples, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which it is shown by way of illustration specific examples that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other examples can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed examples. 
     Some touch screen can include self-capacitance touch sensor panels. Self-capacitance touch sensor panels can detect both touch events as well as proximity events in which a user or object is not touching the panel but is proximal to it. However, self-capacitance touch sensor panels can be susceptible to parasitic offset capacitances. Accordingly, the disclosure relates to a self-capacitance touch sensor panel that can utilize a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit to minimize an amount of signal offset caused by parasitic and ambient sources that can be seen by the touch sensor panel. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary mutual-capacitance touch sensor panel  100  according to some examples of the disclosure. Touch sensor panel  100  can include an array of touch nodes  106  that can be formed by a two-layer electrode structure separated by a dielectric material, although in some examples the electrodes can be formed on the same layer. One layer of electrodes can include a plurality of drive lines  102  positioned perpendicularly to another layer of electrodes comprising a plurality of sense lines  104 , with each of the nodes  106  having an associated mutual capacitance  114  (also referred to as coupling capacitance). It is noted that in some examples, the drive lines  102  and sense lines  104  can be positioned in non-orthogonal arrangements. The drive lines  102  and sense lines  104  can cross over each other in different planes separated from one another by a dielectric. Each point at which a drive line  102  intersects a sense line  104  can correspond to a touch node  106 . Thus, for example, a panel that contains  20  drive lines  102  and  15  sense lines  104  can have  300  touch nodes available to detect touch or proximity events. 
     Drive lines  102  (also referred to as rows, row traces, or row electrodes) can be activated by a stimulation signal provided by respective drive circuits  108 . Each of the drive circuits  108  can include an alternating current (AC) or unipolar pulsatile voltage source referred to as a stimulation signal source. To sense touch events on the touch sensor panel  100 , one or more of the drive lines  102  can be stimulated by the drive circuits  108 , and the sense circuitry  110  can detect the resulting change in the charge coupled onto the sense lines  104  in the form of a change in the amplitude of the coupled stimulation signal. The change in voltage amplitude values can be indicative of a finger or conductive object touching or in proximity to the panel. The detected voltage values can be representative of touch node output values, with changes to those output values indicating the node location(s) where the touch or proximity events occur and the amount of touch that occurs at those location(s). 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary electrical circuit  200  corresponding to a mutual-capacitance touch sensor sense line according to examples of the disclosure. Drive line  102  can be stimulated by stimulation signal  101 . Stimulation signal  101  can be capacitively coupled to sense line  104  through mutual capacitance  114  between drive line  102  and the sense line. When a finger or object  222  approaches the touch node created by the intersection of drive line  102  and sense line  104 , mutual capacitance  114  can be altered. This change in mutual capacitance  114  can be detected to indicate a touch or proximity event. The sense signal coupled onto sense line  104  can then be received by sense amplifier  224 . Sense amplifier  224  can include operational amplifier  204  and at least one of a feedback resistor  210  and a feedback capacitor  212 .  FIG. 2  is shown for the general case in which both resistive and capacitive feedback elements are utilized. The sense signal can be inputted into the inverting input (referred to as Vin) of operational amplifier  204 , and the non-inverting input of the operational amplifier can be tied to a reference voltage Vref. Operational amplifier  204  can adjust its output voltage Vo to keep Vin substantially equal to Vref, and can therefore keep Vin constant or virtually grounded so as to reject any stray capacitances or any change thereof. Therefore, the gain of sense amplifier  224  can be mostly a function of the ratio of mutual capacitance  114  and the feedback impedance, comprised of resistor  210  and capacitor  212 . The output of sense amplifier  224  Vo can be further filtered and heterodyned or homodyned by being fed into multiplier  216 , and multiplied with local oscillator  218  to produce Vdetect. One skilled in the art will recognize that the placement of filter  214  can be varied; thus, the filter can be placed after multiplier  216 , as illustrated, or two filters can be employed—one before the multiplier and one after the multiplier. In some examples, there can be no filter at all. The direct current (DC) portion of Vdetect can be used to determine if a touch or proximity event has occurred. 
     In some examples, mutual-capacitance touch sensor panels can be configured to operate as self-capacitance touch sensor panels. Touch sensor panels that employ self-capacitance to detect touch or proximity events can be used to detect the presence of a finger or object that is relatively far away from the touch sensor panel—in some examples, further away than a mutual-capacitance panel can detect.  FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary self-capacitance touch sensor panel circuit  300  according to examples of the disclosure. Self-capacitive touch sensor panel circuit  300  can contain electrodes  302 , which can be connected to sense circuitry  304  and can have a self-capacitance to ground. When an object touches or is in close proximity to electrode  302 , an additional capacitance can be formed between the electrode and ground through the object, which can increase the self-capacitance of the electrode. This change in the self-capacitance of electrode  302  can be detected by sensing circuit  304 . Objects or fingers that are relatively far away from the touch panel can cause such changes in self-capacitance, whereas mutual-capacitance touch panels can require fingers or objects to be either touching or in near proximity to the panel in order to sense a touch or proximity event. Unlike mutual-capacitance touch sensor panel  100 , each electrode  302  of circuit  300  can act as a touch node, rather than touch nodes comprising intersections of orthogonal electrodes. Thus, in a 20×15 electrode array, there can be  35  touch nodes. Although  FIG. 3  shows one sense circuit  304  coupled to each electrode  302 , in other examples fewer sense circuits  304  can be utilized and multiplexed for coupling to the electrodes  302 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary electrical circuit  400  corresponding to a self-capacitance touch sensor electrode  402  and sensing circuit  414  according to examples of the disclosure. Touch electrode  402  can have a self-capacitance  404  to ground associated with it. Touch electrode  402  can be coupled to sensing circuit  414 . Sensing circuit  414  can include operational amplifier  408 , feedback resistor  412 , feedback capacitor  410  and input voltage source  406 , although other configurations can be employed. For example, feedback resistor  412  can be replaced by a switched capacitor resistor in order to minimize any parasitic capacitance effects that may be caused by a variable feedback resistor. Touch electrode  402  can be coupled to the inverting input of operational amplifier  408 . An AC voltage source  406  (Vac) can be coupled to the non-inverting input of operational amplifier  408 . Touch sensor circuit  400  can be configured to sense changes in self-capacitance  404  induced by a finger or object touching or in proximity to touch electrode  402 . Output  420  of touch sensor circuit  400  can be used to determine the occurrence of a touch or proximity event. In some examples, output  420  can be analyzed by a processor to determine the occurrence of the touch or proximity event, or the output can be inputted into a discrete logic network to determine the occurrence of the touch or proximity event. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary circuit  500  representation of a self-capacitance touch sensor electrode  402  according to examples of the disclosure. Circuit  500  illustrates the same electrode of  FIG. 4 ; however, the circuit also contains capacitances  502  and  504 . Capacitance  502  (the touch capacitance) can represent an additional electrode-to-ground capacitance created when a user who is at least partially grounded touches (either with a finger or other object) or is in close proximity to electrode  402 . Capacitance  504  (the offset capacitance) can represent an electrode-to-ground capacitance created by parasitic sources such as a display or other electronics proximal to electrode  402 . In some examples, capacitance  504  (the offset capacitance) can be much larger than capacitance  404  (the self-capacitance associated with electrode  402 , absent any parasitic or touch-related effects). Accordingly, it is understood that although capacitances  404  and  504  are illustrated as being separate capacitances, in some examples, they may equivalently be represented by a single capacitance. 
     As described below, capacitance  504  can introduce an offset signal, in this case offset current  508 , into electrode  402 . During touch detection, capacitance  502  can be regarded as the capacitance of interest, while capacitance  504  can be regarded as an offset source. During operation of circuit  500 , when a user touches or comes into close proximity to electrode  402 , the self-capacitance of the electrode can be altered by touch capacitance  502 . The alteration of the self-capacitance of electrode  402  can result in current  506  to flow towards sense circuit  414 . The flow of current  506  can be detected by sense circuit  414 , and a touch can thus be detected. However, offset capacitances such as  504  can cause current  508  to also flow to sense circuit  414 , which can also be detected by the sense circuit. The presence of offset capacitance  504 , and thus current  508 , can therefore lead to a degradation in the dynamic range of circuit  500 , especially if the magnitude of the offset current is equal to or greater than that of the touch current  506 . 
     Mitigating or eliminating the effects of offset current  508  can increase the dynamic range of the self-capacitance panel according to examples of this disclosure. One method for mitigating or eliminating offset current  508  can be to create an opposite but equal magnitude current flow (i.e., “offset cancellation current”) that can cancel the offset current flowing into sense circuit  414 . By creating an opposite but equal (in magnitude) current flow to that of offset current  508 , the offset current can essentially be cancelled out, thus leaving only touch current  506  to be detected. Elimination or reduction of offset current  508  can result in the offset being minimized while the signal can remain constant, thus maximizing the dynamic range of the system. While the disclosure is presented in terms of offset currents and offset cancellation currents, it is understood that the disclosure is not so limited and encompasses offset and offset cancellation signals other than currents. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary self-capacitance touch sensor electrode circuit  600  with a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit  601  according to examples of the disclosure. Offset cancellation circuit  601  can include operational amplifier  602 . Operational amplifier  602  can be coupled to a stimulation source at its non-inverting input. In the example of  FIG. 6 , amplifier  602  is illustrated as being coupled to stimulation source  406  that is also used by sense circuit  414 . The disclosure, however, is not so limited and the stimulation source coupled to amplifier  602  can be, for example, a stand-alone voltage source. The inverting input of amplifier  602  can be connected to capacitor  604 . It is understood that capacitor  604  could alternatively be a resistor, and offset cancellation circuit  601  could perform similarly as described here. Feedback resistor  606  can provide a feedback path between the inverting input of amplifier  602  and output  610  of circuit  601 . Variable resistor  608  can also be coupled to output  610 , as illustrated. Variable resistor  608  can be adjusted so that current  612  generated by offset cancellation circuit  601  can equal offset current  508  produced by offset capacitance  504 . In this way, offset cancellation circuit  601  can be tuned to essentially cancel offset current  508 , thus leaving substantially only current  506  generated by touch capacitance  502  to be detected by sense circuit  414 . 
     In the absence of parasitic offset capacitances, the transfer function of circuit  600  can be characterized by the following equation:
 
V s * C sig /C fb   (1)
 
where Vs corresponds to stimulation voltage  406 , Csig corresponds to touch capacitance  502  and Cfb corresponds to feedback capacitor  410  of sense circuit  414  (assuming feedback resistor  412  is large). In the presence of offset capacitance  504 , and assuming that the offset capacitance is significantly larger than touch capacitance  502 , the transfer function can become:
 
V s * C p /C fb   (2)
 
where Cp corresponds to offset capacitance  504 . As illustrated in equation 2, when offset capacitance  504  is larger than touch capacitance  502 , the transfer function can become dominated by the offset capacitance to the extent that the touch capacitance can no longer be a factor in the transfer equation.
 
     As far as the currents produced by the various capacitances in circuit  600 , current  508  flowing in and out of offset capacitance  504  can be characterized as:
 
s*C p *V s   (3)
 
     Referencing  FIG. 6 , output current  612  of cancellation circuit  601  can be characterized as:
 
s*C y * V s * R x /R 1   (4)
 
where C y  can correspond to capacitor  604 , R x  can correspond to feedback resistor  606  and R 1  can correspond to variable resistor  608 .
 
     As discussed previously, in order to cancel offset current  508  induced by offset capacitance  504 , offset cancellation circuit  601  can produce a current that is substantially equal to the offset current. Using equations (3) and (4), a value of R 1 —the variable resistor  608 —can be chosen such that the result of equation (4) equals the result of equation (3). Setting R 1  such that equation (3) and equation (4) produce equal results can effectively cancel out the offset created by offset capacitance  504 . 
     A self-capacitance touch sensor panel according to examples of this disclosure can include a plurality of touch electrodes, each electrode placed in geometric arrangements such that a touch occurring on the panel can be detected by at least one of the touch electrodes. In some examples, each touch electrode can be coupled to its own offset cancellation circuit to cancel the effects of parasitic capacitances. However, this can sometimes be cumbersome. For example, each cancellation circuit may require its own power source, thus diminishing the battery life of the device. Providing an offset cancellation circuit that can be shared by all of the electrodes can be beneficial. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates multiple self-capacitance touch sensor electrodes with a common frequency independent offset cancellation circuit  710  according to examples of the disclosure. The touch sensor panel illustrated can include multiple self-capacitance electrode circuits, from the first electrode circuit  702  to the N th  electrode circuit  704 . Each electrode can be configured as described above in  FIG. 4 . In contrast to the example depicted in  FIG. 6  in which one electrode can have its own dedicated offset cancellation circuit, in the example of  FIG. 7 , all of the electrodes can share a common offset cancellation circuit  710  that can be configured in substantially the same way as the cancellation circuit depicted in  FIG. 6 . Because each electrode may have varying amounts of parasitic capacitance coupled to it, each electrode can be coupled to its own variable resistor to control the amount of current flowing into each respective electrode to counteract the current created by each respective parasitic capacitance. 
     As an example, electrode  702  can be coupled to dedicated variable resistor  712 , while electrode  704  can be coupled to dedicated variable resistor  714 . During a calibration of the device in which there is no touch signal, each variable resistor of each electrode can be tuned such that substantially no touch signal is present on the output of the respective sense circuits of each electrode. In this way, the parasitic offset can be effectively “tuned” out such that during normal operation, a touch signal can appear at the output of each sense electrode with relatively little offset, thus maximizing performance of the touch sensor panel as a whole. In some examples, the above-described calibration can be performed by a processor, whether included on the touch sensor panel or located elsewhere, such as in a touch sensor panel subsystem. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates exemplary computing system  800  that can include one or more of the example offset cancellation circuits described above. Computing system  800  can include one or more panel processors  802  and peripherals  804 , and panel subsystem  806 . Peripherals  804  can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) or other types of memory or storage, watchdog timers and the like. Panel subsystem  806  can include, but is not limited to, one or more sense channels  808  which can utilize operational amplifiers that can be configured to minimize saturation time, and channel scan logic  810 . Channel scan logic  810  can access RAM  812 , autonomously read data from the sense channels and provide control for the sense channels. In addition, channel scan logic  810  can control sense channels  808  to generate stimulation signals at appropriate frequencies and phases that can be selectively applied to the sense circuits coupled to electrodes  826  of touch sensor panel  824 , as described above. In some examples, panel subsystem  806 , panel processor  802  and peripherals  804  can be integrated into a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and in some examples can be integrated with touch sensor panel  824  itself. 
     Touch sensor panel  824  can include a capacitive sensing medium having a plurality of electrodes  826 , as described above, although other sensing media can also be used. Each electrode  826  can represent a capacitive touch node and can be viewed as a picture element, which can be particularly useful when touch sensor panel  824  is viewed as capturing an “image” of touch. Each electrode  826  of touch sensor panel  824  can be coupled to sense channel  808  (also referred to herein as an event detection and demodulation circuit) in panel subsystem  806 . 
     Computing system  800  can also include host processor  828  for receiving outputs from panel processor  802  and performing actions based on the outputs that can include, but are not limited to, moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or panning, adjusting control settings, opening a file or document, viewing a menu, making a selection, executing instructions, operating a peripheral device coupled to the host device, answering a telephone call, placing a telephone call, terminating a telephone call, changing the volume or audio settings, storing information related to telephone communications such as addresses, frequently dialed numbers, received calls, missed calls, logging onto a computer or a computer network, permitting authorized individuals access to restricted areas of the computer or computer network, loading a user profile associated with a user&#39;s preferred arrangement of the computer desktop, permitting access to web content, launching a particular program, encrypting or decoding a message, and/or the like. Host processor  828  can also perform additional functions that may not be related to panel processing, and can be coupled to program storage  832  and display device  830  such as an LCD display for providing a UI to a user of the device. Display device  830  together with touch sensor panel  824 , when located partially or entirely under the touch sensor panel, can form a touch screen. In some examples, display device  830  and touch sensor panel  824  can be integrated together. 
     Note that one or more of the functions described above, including the configuration of switches, can be performed by firmware stored in memory (e.g., one of the peripherals  804  in  FIG. 8 ) and executed by panel processor  802 , or stored in program storage  832  and executed by host processor  828 . The firmware can also be stored and/or transported within any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” can be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disc such a CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW, or flash memory such as compact flash cards, secured digital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks, and the like. 
     The firmware can also be propagated within any transport medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “transport medium” can be any medium that can communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The transport medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic or infrared wired or wireless propagation medium. 
       FIG. 9A  illustrates exemplary mobile telephone  936  that can include touch sensor panel  924  and display device  930 , the touch sensor panel including a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
       FIG. 9B  illustrates exemplary digital media player  940  that can include touch sensor panel  924  and display device  930 , the touch sensor panel including a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
       FIG. 9C  illustrates exemplary personal computer  944  that can include touch sensor panel (trackpad)  924  and display  930 , the touch sensor panel including a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
     Although  FIGS. 9A-C  illustrate a mobile telephone, a media player and a personal computer, respectively, the disclosure is not so restricted, and the touch sensor panel of this disclosure can be included on a tablet computer, a television, a wearable device, or any other device that can utilize a touch sensor panel that includes a frequency independent offset cancellation circuit according to examples of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, according to the above, some examples of the disclosure are directed to a self-capacitance touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel comprising a plurality of touch electrodes; one or more sense circuits, the one or more sense circuits coupled to the plurality of touch electrodes; and at least one offset cancellation circuit, the at least one offset cancellation circuit coupled to at least one touch electrode of the plurality of touch electrodes and configured to generate an offset cancellation signal to cancel an offset signal at the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the offset cancellation circuit is configured to generate an offset cancellation current to cancel an offset current that is generated by an offset source coupled to the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the offset cancellation circuit comprises a variable resistor coupled to the at least one touch electrode, and a magnitude of the offset cancellation current is based on a resistance of the variable resistor. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a processor configured to set the resistance of the variable resistor such that the offset cancellation current substantially cancels out the offset current of the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the stimulation source is further coupled to the sense circuit of the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the stimulation source comprises a voltage source. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a plurality of offset cancellation circuits, each of the plurality of touch electrodes being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of offset cancellation circuits. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the offset cancellation circuit is coupled to each of the plurality of touch electrodes and is configured to generate the offset cancellation signal used to cancel offset signals of each of the respective touch electrodes. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and each of the plurality of sense circuits of the plurality of touch electrodes. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a plurality of variable resistors, each variable resistor coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and a respective one of the plurality of touch electrodes and used to generate a respective one of a plurality of offset cancellation currents to cancel offset currents of each of the respective touch electrodes. 
     Some examples of the disclosure are directed to a method comprising generating an offset cancellation signal using an offset cancellation circuit coupled to at least one touch electrode of a plurality of touch electrodes of a touch sensor panel, the offset cancellation signal being for cancelling an offset signal at the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, generating comprises generating an offset cancellation current to cancel an offset current that is generated by an offset source coupled to the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the offset cancellation circuit comprises a variable resistor coupled to the at least one touch electrode, and a magnitude of the offset cancellation current is based on a resistance of the variable resistor. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the method further comprises setting the resistance of the variable resistor such that the offset cancellation current substantially cancels out the offset current of the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the stimulation source is further coupled to a sense circuit of the at least one touch electrode. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the stimulation source comprises a voltage source. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the method further comprises generating a plurality of offset cancellation signals using a plurality of offset cancellation circuits coupled to respective ones of the plurality of touch electrodes, the offset cancellation signals being for cancelling offset signals at the plurality of touch electrodes. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the offset cancellation circuit is coupled to each of the plurality of touch electrodes, and generating comprises generating the offset cancellation signal used to cancel offset signals of each of the respective touch electrodes. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a stimulation source coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and each of a plurality of sense circuits of the plurality of touch electrodes. Additionally or alternatively to one or more of the examples disclosed above, in some examples, the touch sensor panel further comprises a plurality of variable resistors, each variable resistor coupled to the offset cancellation circuit and a respective one of the plurality of touch electrodes, and generating comprises generating a plurality of offset cancellation currents using the plurality of variable resistors to cancel respective offset currents at each of the touch electrodes. 
     Although the disclosed examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of the disclosed examples as defined by the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20140228
Publication Date: 20160830
Grant Date: 20160830
Priority Date: 20140207
Inventors: YAO WEIJUN
SYED TAIF A.
LI YINGXUAN
AL-DAHLE AHMAD
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0418", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/044", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/047", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04101", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04112", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0445", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0443", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04182", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04182", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0443", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04101", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04112", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0446", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0445", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/047", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2203/04101", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 53774910