Patents by Inventor Sean Erik O'Connor

Sean Erik O'Connor 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).

  • Patent number: 11775109
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steven Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20220083190
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steven Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 11106308
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steven Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20200371637
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steven Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 10747355
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steven Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 10095345
    Abstract: A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device for user interaction. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification or a wake signal to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting a sequence and one or more gestures in the microcontroller before powering on or waking up the processor, the amount of power consumed can be reduced and the battery life extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Louis W. Bokma, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20180275820
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steven Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 9990084
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steven Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 9851853
    Abstract: A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting the sequence and gestures in the microcontroller before waking up the processor, the battery life can be extended. In some examples, the microcontroller can determine if the sequence and gestures are due to water splashes, water film, and/or noise. In such examples, the microcontroller can reject the touch without waking up the processor, and further extending the battery life of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Patent number: 9740386
    Abstract: Gestures for converting from a position control mode to a motion continuation mode are disclosed. A position control mode can be invoked when the user simultaneously places two or more fingers upon a sensor panel. The fingers can then be moved around to effect position control. A motion continuation mode can be invoked when one or more fingers are lifted off (but at least one finger remains in contact with the sensor panel). If the motion continuation mode is invoked, a virtual control ring can be generated, and scrolling of the viewable area or dragging of the cursor or object can continue in a particular direction specified by a velocity vector pointed in the direction of finger movement at the time the motion continuation mode is invoked, and having a magnitude proportional to the velocity of the finger at the time the motion continuation mode was invoked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20160364078
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steven Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 9430087
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20150346895
    Abstract: A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device for user interaction. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification or a wake signal to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting a sequence and one or more gestures in the microcontroller before powering on or waking up the processor, the amount of power consumed can be reduced and the battery life extended.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Louis W. BOKMA, Sean Erik O'CONNOR
  • Publication number: 20150346903
    Abstract: A low power can for device wake up and unlock is disclosed. The low power scan can include one or more algorithms used to detect a sequence and/or one or more gestures to wake up a processor and unlock the device. A sequence and/or one or more gestures can be determined by a microcontroller and/or by a separate hardware component. The microcontroller can send a notification to the processor and/or switch the device from an idle to an active state. By detecting the sequence and gestures in the microcontroller before waking up the processor, the battery life can be extended. In some examples, the microcontroller can determine if the sequence and gestures are due to water splashes, water film, and/or noise. In such examples, the microcontroller can reject the touch without waking up the processor, and further extending the battery life of the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventor: Sean Erik O'CONNOR
  • Publication number: 20150301681
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation signals having one or more frequencies and one or more phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have one or more mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of one or more selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the one or more mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the one or more selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the one or more mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each of the one or more frequencies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steve Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 9092086
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation frequencies and phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have multiple mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the multiple mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the multiple mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 9075481
    Abstract: A touch sensitive device that detects the occurrence of an electrostatic discharge event on the device by analyzing an acquired touch image for characteristics associated with the occurrence of an ESD event is provided. An acquired touch image is analyzed for characteristics that differentiate it from a touch image generated by a user input and are correlated with an expected touch image generated by an ESD event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David H. C. Shih, Albert Lin, Sean Erik O'Connor, Ari Y. Benbasat, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 9013437
    Abstract: Negative pixel compensation in a touch sensor panel is disclosed. The panel can compensate for a negative pixel effect in touch signal outputs due to poor grounding of an object touching the panel. To do so, the panel can reconstruct a captured touch image to remove negative pixel values indicative of the negative pixel effect and compute a composite image from the captured image and the reconstructed image to replace the captured image. In addition or alternatively, the panel can reconstruct a captured touch image to remove negative pixel values indicative of the negative pixel effect and replace the captured image with the reconstructed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20140240287
    Abstract: The use of multiple stimulation frequencies and phases to generate an image of touch on a touch sensor panel is disclosed. Each of a plurality of sense channels can be coupled to a column in a touch sensor panel and can have multiple mixers. Each mixer in the sense channel can utilize a circuit capable generating a demodulation frequency of a particular frequency. At each of multiple steps, various phases of selected frequencies can be used to simultaneously stimulate the rows of the touch sensor panel, and the multiple mixers in each sense channel can be configured to demodulate the signal received from the column connected to each sense channel using the selected frequencies. After all steps have been completed, the demodulated signals from the multiple mixers can be used in calculations to determine an image of touch for the touch sensor panel at each frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20140232673
    Abstract: Negative pixel compensation in a touch sensor panel is disclosed. The panel can compensate for a negative pixel effect in touch signal outputs due to poor grounding of an object touching the panel. To do so, the panel can reconstruct a captured touch image to remove negative pixel values indicative of the negative pixel effect and compute a composite image from the captured image and the reconstructed image to replace the captured image. In addition or alternatively, the panel can reconstruct a captured touch image to remove negative pixel values indicative of the negative pixel effect and replace the captured image with the reconstructed image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl WESTERMAN, Sean Erik O'CONNOR