Patents by Inventor Christoph Horst Krah
Christoph Horst Krah has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20120182251Abstract: A touch sensitive display capable of compensating for crosstalk in the display is disclosed. Crosstalk in display components can be reduced, eliminated, or otherwise compensated for by reducing or eliminating parasitic capacitances that cause the crosstalk. To do so, gate voltages to the display components, such as thin film transistors (TFTs), that introduce the parasitic capacitances can be reduced or otherwise adjusted. In one approach, the gate voltage can be set at multiple different low levels to generate respective sets of touch signals having different amounts of crosstalk. The different crosstalk amounts can then be used to determine and compensate for the crosstalk in the touch signals. In another approach, gate voltage can be modulated between multiple different low levels to push crosstalk out of band with the generated touch signals. The out-of-band crosstalk can then be used to compensate for the crosstalk in the touch signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2011Publication date: July 19, 2012Inventor: Christoph Horst KRAH
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Publication number: 20120162129Abstract: A system and method for autonomously scanning a sensor panel device is disclosed. A sensor panel processor can be disabled after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. If one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. The sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2012Publication date: June 28, 2012Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Minh-Dieu Thi Vu, Thomas James Wilson
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Publication number: 20120157167Abstract: A system and method for autonomously scanning a sensor panel device, is disclosed. A sensor panel processor can be disabled after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. If one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, then the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. The sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2011Publication date: June 21, 2012Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Minh-Dieu Thi Vu, Thomas James Wilson
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Publication number: 20120139846Abstract: A touch controller having noise reduction circuitry is disclosed. The touch controller can include a transmit section for generating stimulation signals to drive a touch display to sense a touch or hover event. The touch controller can also include a receive section for processing touch signals from the touch display indicative of the touch or hover event. The touch controller can reduce noise introduced into the stimulation signals and propagated through the touch display into the touch signals, thereby interfering with touch and hover sensing. To reduce the noise, the transmit section's noise reduction circuitry can isolate and subtract the noise from the stimulation signals. In addition or alternatively, the receive section's noise reduction circuitry can isolate and subtract the noise from the touch signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2010Publication date: June 7, 2012Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Ali Motamed
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Publication number: 20120139865Abstract: A system for data communication between a plurality of touch devices is disclosed. The system can include a first touch device having a first touch surface, and at least one other touch device having at least one other touch surface. The first touch device and the at least one other touch device can include a touch controller detecting communications coupling between the first touch surface and the least one other touch surface. The first touch device and the at least one other touch device can include a communication unit communicating data between the first touch device and the at least one other touch device, via the first touch surface and the at least one other touch surface, when the communications coupling is detected. The communications coupling can be detected when a coupling conduit contacts, or is proximate to, the first touch surface and at least one other touch surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2010Publication date: June 7, 2012Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steven Porter HOTELLING
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Publication number: 20120113064Abstract: A touch sensitive device having circuitry to compensate for crosstalk from the device display to the device touch sensor panel is disclosed. The crosstalk compensation circuitry can include a downsampler and a crosstalk compensator. The downsampler can downsample a display image to a manageable size for transmission and processing and can then send the downsampled image to the crosstalk compensator so as to provide information about the display operation that can be used to estimate the expected amount of crosstalk caused by the display. The crosstalk compensator can estimate the amount of crosstalk based on the downsampled image and can then compensate a touch image captured by the touch sensor panel for the estimated amount, the touch image being indicative of a touch or hover event at the panel.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2010Publication date: May 10, 2012Inventors: Kevin J. WHITE, Marduke Yousefpor, Christoph Horst Krah, Steven Porter Hotelling
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Publication number: 20120098778Abstract: A device that can autonomously scan a sensor panel is disclosed. Autonomous scanning can be performed by implementing channel scan logic. In one embodiment, channel scan logic carries out many of the functions that a processor would normally undertake, including generating timing sequences and obtaining result data; comparing scan result data against a threshold value (e.g., in an auto-scan mode); generating row count; selecting one or more scanning frequency bands; power management control; and performing an auto-scan routine in a low power mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2012Publication date: April 26, 2012Inventors: Minh-Dieu Thi VU, Thomas James Wilson, Christoph Horst Krah
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Patent number: 8125456Abstract: A system and method for autonomously scanning a sensor panel device, such as a multi-touch panel, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system and method disables a sensor panel processor after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. Accordingly, if one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, then the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. Furthermore, the sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Minh-Dieu Thi Vu, Thomas James Wilson
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Patent number: 8120591Abstract: The identification of low noise stimulation frequencies for detecting and localizing touch events on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a separate sense line in a touch sensor panel and can have multiple mixers, each mixer using a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency, phase and delay. With no stimulation signal applied to any drive lines in the touch sensor panel, pairs of mixers can demodulate the sum of the output of all sense channels using the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals of a particular frequency. The demodulated outputs of each mixer pair can be used to calculate the magnitude of the noise at that particular frequency, wherein the lower the magnitude, the lower the noise at that frequency. Several low noise frequencies can be selected for use in a subsequent touch sensor panel scan function.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2010Date of Patent: February 21, 2012Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
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Publication number: 20120019467Abstract: A multi-stimulus controller for a multi-touch sensor is formed on a single integrated circuit (single-chip). The multi-stimulus controller includes a transmit oscillator, a transmit signal section that generates a plurality of drive signals based on a frequency of the transmit oscillator, a plurality of transmit channels that transmit the drive signals simultaneously to drive the multi-touch sensor, a receive channel that receives a sense signal resulting from the driving of the multi-touch sensor, a receive oscillator, and a demodulation section that demodulates the received sense signal based on a frequency of the receive oscillator to obtain sensing results, the demodulation section including a demodulator and a vector operator.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2011Publication date: January 26, 2012Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Christoph Horst Krah, Marduke Yousefpor, Thomas James Wilson
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Patent number: 8094128Abstract: A device that can autonomously scan a sensor panel is disclosed. Autonomous scanning can be performed by implementing channel scan logic. In one embodiment, channel scan logic carries out many of the functions that a processor would normally undertake, including generating timing sequences and obtaining result data; comparing scan result data against a threshold value (e.g., in an auto-scan mode); generating row count; selecting one or more scanning frequency bands; power management control; and performing an auto-scan routine in a low power mode.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: January 10, 2012Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Minh-Dieu Thi Vu, Thomas James Wilson, Christoph Horst Krah
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Publication number: 20110273402Abstract: An apparatus for generating an image of touch on or about a touch-sensitive surface comprising a touch panel is disclosed. The touch panel can include a plurality of touch sensors configured for detecting one or more touch events occurring at distinct locations at about the same time. Each touch event can comprise a touching of an object against the touch-sensitive surface. A plurality of receive channels can be coupled to the touch panel for generating values representative of detected touch events. The receive channels can include a charge redistribution successive approximation register digital-to-analog converter (SAR ADC) configured to convert an analog waveform into a digital representation via a binary search and outputting the digital representation to an output register. The SAR ADC architecture can be such that it the dynamic input range can be scaled and offset adjusted.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2011Publication date: November 10, 2011Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Christoph Horst KRAH
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Patent number: 8035622Abstract: An apparatus for generating an image of touch on or about a touch-sensitive surface comprising a touch panel is disclosed. The touch panel can include a plurality of touch sensors configured for detecting one or more touch events occurring at distinct locations at about the same time. Each touch event can comprise a touching of an object against the touch-sensitive surface. A plurality of receive channels can be coupled to the touch panel for generating values representative of detected touch events. The receive channels can include a charge redistribution successive approximation register digital-to-analog converter (SAR ADC) configured to convert an analog waveform into a digital representation via a binary search and outputting the digital representation to an output register. The SAR ADC architecture can be such that it the dynamic input range can be scaled and offset adjusted.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2008Date of Patent: October 11, 2011Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Christoph Horst Krah
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Patent number: 8031094Abstract: A controller for a touch sensor includes a transimpedance amplifier, and a feedback resistor coupled to an input of the transimpedance amplifier and to an output of the transimpedance amplifier. At least one multiplexor may be coupled to the input of the transimpedance amplifier and configured to multiplex a plurality of analog inputs to one dedicated channel. The controller may further include a bandpass filter coupled to the output of the transimpedance amplifier. The output of the bandpass filter may be input to an anti-aliasing filter, which feeds into an analog to digital converter. Alternatively, the output of the bandpass filter may be input to a sigma-delta analog to digital converter.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2009Date of Patent: October 4, 2011Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Steven Porter Hotelling, Christoph Horst Krah
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Publication number: 20110187677Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2011Publication date: August 4, 2011Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Wei Chen, Christoph Horst Krah, John Greer Elias, Wei Hsin Yao, John Z. Zhong, Andrew Bert Hodge, Brian Richards Land, Willem den Boer
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Patent number: 7986313Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to performing boundary scanning without using a pin which is exclusively dedicated for that purpose. The boundary scan can be performed by an integrated circuit by utilizing a pin which has an alternative use during ordinary operation of the integrated circuit and the device. This pin can be connected to an analog circuit configured to sense capacitance outside of the pin. The analog circuit may also have an alternative function in normal operation of the device. During a testing mode, the analog circuit can sense a stray capacitance present at the pin. The sensed capacitance can be compared to one or more stored expected capacitance values to determine an interconnection state of the system.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: July 26, 2011Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Christoph Horst Krah
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Patent number: 7986193Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for providing an oscillating signal of relatively precise frequency without using a signal provided by a crystal as a reference. Disclosed is a feedback oscillator circuit configured to output an oscillating signal having a frequency defined by a reference signal. The oscillating signal can be sent to one or more circuits including at least one frequency sensitive element. The frequency sensitive element produces an output signal which depends on the frequency of the oscillating signal. A controller controls the reference signal in order to cause an attribute of the output signal to have a value within a desired range.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: July 26, 2011Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Christoph Horst Krah
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Patent number: 7920134Abstract: The automatic calibration of a sensor panel is disclosed by varying the amplitude of an input stimulus Vstim to simulate a full-touch condition and calibrating each pixel of the sensor panel in accordance with the difference between the simulated full-touch condition and a baseline full-touch condition. To accomplish this, a baseline full scale output FS_targ_cal can be measured at during pre-delivery calibration for each pixel using a test fixture capable of applying a no-touch to full-touch condition given a nominal Vstim. A full-touch condition can then be emulated for each pixel by lowering Vstim until the current full scale output FS_targ_current equals FS_targ_cal, and determining the Vstim value Vstim_cal at that point. During field calibration, Vstim_cal can be applied to each pixel to simulate a full-touch condition, and FS_targ_current can be obtained and compared against FS_targ_cal.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2007Date of Patent: April 5, 2011Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Christoph Horst Krah
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Publication number: 20110063154Abstract: A controller for a touch sensor includes a transimpedance amplifier, and a feedback resistor coupled to an input of the transimpedance amplifier and to an output of the transimpedance amplifier. At least one multiplexor may be coupled to the input of the transimpedance amplifier and configured to multiplex a plurality of analog inputs to one dedicated channel. The controller may further include a bandpass filter coupled to the output of the transimpedance amplifier. The output of the bandpass filter may be input to an anti-aliasing filter, which feeds into an analog to digital converter. Alternatively, the output of the bandpass filter may be input to a sigma-delta analog to digital converter.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2009Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Steven Porter HOTELLING, Christoph Horst Krah
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Publication number: 20110061947Abstract: Power management for a touch controller is disclosed. The touch controller can include a transmit section for transmitting stimulation signals to an associated touch sensor panel to drive the panel, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the transmit section to reduce power during the transmission. The touch controller can also include a receive section for receiving touch signals resulting from the driving of the panel, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the receive section to reduce power during the receipt of the touch signals. The touch controller can also include a demodulation section for demodulating the received touch signals to obtain touch event results, where the touch controller can selectively adjust the demodulation section to reduce power during the demodulation of the touch signals. The touch controller can also selectively reduce power below present low levels during idle periods. The touch controller can be incorporated into a touch sensitive device.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2009Publication date: March 17, 2011Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Thomas James Wilson