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: 8754867
    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: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 8749512
    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: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20140071092
    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: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David H. C. SHIH, Albert LIN, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Ari Y. BENBASAT, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Publication number: 20130271410
    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: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steve Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR, Wayne Carl WESTERMAN
  • Patent number: 8493331
    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: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20130018489
    Abstract: Combined force and proximity sensing is disclosed. One or more sensors can concurrently sense a force applied by an object on a device surface and a proximity of the object to the surface. In an example, a single sensor can sense both force and proximity via a resistance change and a capacitance change, respectively, at the sensor. In another example, multiple sensors can be used, where one sensor can sense force via either a resistance change or a capacitance change and another sensor can sense proximity via a capacitance change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Martin Paul GRUNTHANER, Fletcher R. ROTHKOPF, Christopher Tenzin MULLENS, Steven Porter HOTELLING, Sean Erik O'CONNOR
  • Patent number: 8120591
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20110074725
    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: September 30, 2009
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventors: Wayne Carl WESTERMAN, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20110025634
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Inventors: Christoph Horst KRAH, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 7876311
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Patent number: 7643011
    Abstract: Multi-touch touch-sensing devices and methods are described herein. The touch sensing devices can include multiple sense points, each of which can be stimulated with a plurality of periodic waveforms having different frequencies to measure a touch value at the sense point. Noise at one or more of the frequencies can interfere with this measurement. Therefore, various noise detection (and rejection) techniques are described. The noise detection techniques include two-clean-frequency noise detection, one-clean-frequency noise rejection, and combined two-clean-frequency/one-clean-frequency noise detection. Each of the noise detection techniques can include statistical analyses of the sample values obtained. The touch sensing methods and devices can be incorporated into interfaces for a variety of electronic devices such as a desktop, tablet, notebook, and handheld computers, personal digital assistants, media players, and mobile telephones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20080309625
    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: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20080309628
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Steve Porter Hotelling, Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman
  • Publication number: 20080309626
    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: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne Carl Westerman, Sean Erik O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20080158169
    Abstract: Multi-touch touch-sensing devices and methods are described herein. The touch sensing devices can include multiple sense points, each of which can be stimulated with a plurality of periodic waveforms having different frequencies to measure a touch value at the sense point. Noise at one or more of the frequencies can interfere with this measurement. Therefore, various noise detection (and rejection) techniques are described. The noise detection techniques include two-clean-frequency noise detection, one-clean-frequency noise rejection, and combined two-clean-frequency/one-clean-frequency noise detection. Each of the noise detection techniques can include statistical analyses of the sample values obtained. The touch sensing methods and devices can be incorporated into interfaces for a variety of electronic devices such as a desktop, tablet, notebook, and handheld computers, personal digital assistants, media players, and mobile telephones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: APPLE COMPUTER, INC.
    Inventors: Sean Erik O'Connor, Wayne Carl Westerman