Sleep awakening method and device of capacitive touch screen and electronic equipment

By combining touch channel and periodic sampling technology, combined with the use of comparison registers and difference registers, the low power consumption and high sensitivity of capacitive touch screens in sleep mode are achieved, solving the problems of large power consumption and insensitive wake-up in the prior art, and improving anti-interference ability and user experience.

CN119512632APending Publication Date: 2025-02-25ZHUHAI HUGE IC CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411476263.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-10-22
Publication Date
2025-02-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing capacitive touch screens consume a lot of power in sleep mode, are not sensitive to wake up, it is difficult to find a balance between power consumption and sensitivity, and have insufficient anti-interference ability.

Method used

When the touch IC enters sleep mode, all touch channels are merged into fused touch channels, and the measured values ​​are periodically sampled by the timer in sleep mode, and the comparison register and the difference register are used for accurate judgment. If the N consecutive measurement values ​​are less than the preset threshold, it is determined as a touch event and the CPU is instructed to switch to normal mode.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the sensitivity to touch events in a low-power state, reduces the burden on the CPU, reduces the power consumption of the main power-consuming modules, improves the sensitivity and anti-interference of touch detection, and provides a smoother and more stable touch experience.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a dormancy awakening method and device for a capacitive touch screen and electronic equipment, and relates to the field of touch control. When a touch IC enters a sleep mode, a touch module combines all touch channels of a touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel; in the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples and fuses the measurement value of the touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer; reading a comparison value P in a comparison register, and reading a difference value X in a difference value register; comparing each sampled measurement value with the value P-X; judging whether each sampled measurement value is smaller than P-X for continuous N times or not; if yes, it is determined that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to be switched to a normal mode; if not, the touch module is continuously touched to indicate the touch IC to be maintained in the sleep mode, through fine hardware design and logic judgment, the power consumption is reduced, meanwhile, the sensitivity and anti-interference performance of touch detection are remarkably improved, and smoother and more stable touch experience is provided for a user.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of touch control, and in particular to a method, device and electronic device for awakening a capacitive touch screen from sleep mode. Background Art

[0002] At present, capacitive touch ICs are increasingly used in the consumer and home appliance markets, and these markets have higher and higher requirements for the power consumption of capacitive touch ICs. Because consumer and some home appliances are battery-powered, the power consumption requirements are relatively strict. It can be said that the lower the power consumption, the better. At present, all touch ICs on the market support low power consumption, but this low power consumption is not a real low power consumption method, because the touch IC switches back and forth between sleep mode and normal mode, that is, the touch chip needs to be collected and the calculation and judgment of whether there is a touch event requires the chip to be in a normal working mode. The triggering of touch data sampling and data calculation requires the participation of the CPU to complete. After the trigger is completed and the data is obtained and judged, if there is no touch event, it will enter the real sleep mode. So this method is not a real sleep mode, but just a direct switch between the two modes.

[0003] Capacitive touch ICs require the participation of the IC's core and memory in sampling touch data in the touch channel and determining whether there is a touch event, that is, the IC's CPU, RAM, and ROM modules. This is because data addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division require the CPU to complete, and the RAM needs to store touch data and calculation variables. The data processing algorithm program needs to be read from the ROM before it can be executed. Therefore, the logic execution of the IC triggering touch data sampling and determining whether there is a touch event requires the participation of the CPU, RAM, and ROM, that is, these modules must operate normally, and these modules are the main power-consuming modules of the IC. Therefore, when the IC is doing this part, the power consumption cannot be reduced. The current can only be reduced when the chip enters a truly low-power mode.

[0004] In order to reduce power consumption, the existing technology switches the IC between normal mode and sleep mode. In order to meet the power consumption requirements, the normal mode time can only be reduced as much as possible and the low power consumption time can be extended. In this way, the power consumption can be reduced. However, the shorter the normal working mode time and the longer the interval, the slower the chip response. It will be found that it takes a long time for the finger to move, that is, low power consumption wake-up. If you want to improve the sensitivity, you can only extend the normal working mode time and reduce the switching time interval, but this will inevitably make the average power consumption of the chip too large to meet the project requirements.

[0005] In the process of balancing power consumption and sensitivity, the existing technology inevitably sacrifices most of the anti-interference ability. That is, when the channel data is lower than the preset value, it will wake up immediately. If you want to make multiple confirmations, you have to extend the time and sacrifice sensitivity. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a dormancy awakening method, chip and electronic device for a capacitive touch screen, which can solve the problems of high power consumption and insensitive awakening of the touch screen during dormancy in the prior art. The technical solution is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for waking up a capacitive touch screen from sleep mode, comprising:

[0008] When the touch IC enters the sleep mode, the touch module merges all the touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel;

[0009] In the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer;

[0010] Read the comparison value P in the comparison register and read the difference value X in the difference register;

[0011] Compare the sizes of each sampled measurement value and PX;

[0012] Determine whether each sampled measurement value is less than PX for N consecutive times;

[0013] If yes, it is determined that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to a normal mode;

[0014] If not, the touch module continues to instruct the touch IC to maintain the sleep mode.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a dormancy awakening device for a capacitive touch screen, comprising: a touch module, a touch control IC, a touch screen and a CPU;

[0016] Wherein, the touch screen is used to detect touch events;

[0017] The touch module is used to merge all touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel when the touch IC enters a sleep mode; in the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer; reads the comparison value P in the comparison register and the difference value X in the difference register; compares the size between each sampled measurement value and PX; determines whether each sampled measurement value is smaller than PX for N consecutive times; if yes, determines that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to a normal mode; if no, the touch module continues to instruct the touch IC to maintain the sleep mode.

[0018] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including the above-mentioned sleep and wake-up device, and the electronic device may be: a computer device, a tablet computer, a mobile terminal, a smart home device, etc.

[0019] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present application include at least:

[0020] When the touch IC enters sleep mode, the touch module intelligently merges all touch channels of the touch screen into fused touch channels. This step effectively simplifies the touch detection path and reduces system complexity. In sleep mode, the touch module uses a timer to periodically sample the fused touch channels. This mechanism ensures that the system remains sensitive to touch events in a low-power state.

[0021] Furthermore, the present technical solution introduces a comparison register and a difference register, and realizes accurate judgment of the sampled measurement value through the preset comparison value P and difference value X. By comparing the size between each sampled value and PX, and judging whether these values ​​are smaller than PX for N consecutive times, the present solution can accurately identify the touch event on the touch screen. Once a touch event is detected, the touch module will quickly instruct the CPU to switch to normal mode to respond to the user's interaction needs.

[0022] More importantly, this technical solution transfers the complex judgment work that originally needed to be performed by the CPU to the touch module, and realizes the function of software judgment through hardware logic. This change not only reduces the burden on the CPU, but more importantly, it shuts down the main power-consuming modules in the touch system, thereby achieving low power consumption in a true sense. At the same time, this solution also significantly improves the sensitivity and anti-interference of touch detection while reducing power consumption through sophisticated hardware design and logical judgment, providing users with a smoother and more stable touch experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the system architecture provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of a dormancy awakening method for a capacitive touch screen provided in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] See also Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of the system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application, including: a touch screen, a touch IC, a touch module and a CPU. The touch IC is connected to the touch screen through multiple touch channels, the touch IC is connected to the touch module and the CPU at the same time, and the CPU is connected to the touch module. The touch screen is used to detect touch events, the touch module works when the touch IC is in sleep mode, and the CPU works when the touch IC is in normal mode. When the touch IC is in sleep mode, multiple touch channels are merged into a fused touch channel.

[0028] See also Figure 2 , which is a flow chart of a method for waking up a capacitive touch screen from sleep mode, provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the method of the embodiment of the present application may include the following steps:

[0030] S201 . When the touch control IC enters the sleep mode, the touch module merges all touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel.

[0031] Among them, after the touch IC enters sleep mode, in order to reduce power consumption and simplify the processing flow, the touch module will perform a channel merging operation. This step involves merging the multiple touch channels that were originally scattered on the touch screen (each channel is responsible for detecting touch events in a specific area) into a single fused touch channel through hardware or software logic. The fused touch channel is designed to reduce the occupation of system resources while maintaining a certain touch detection sensitivity. Implementing this step may involve configuring registers inside the touch controller to specify which channels' data should be merged and output to the fused channel. In addition, the sensitivity setting of the fused channel may need to be adjusted to adapt to the low power consumption requirements in sleep mode.

[0032] S202: In the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer.

[0033] Among them, once the fused touch channel is established, the touch module uses an internal or external timer to control the sampling frequency. The timer is set to a specific duration (such as milliseconds), which determines the sampling period. At the end of each sampling period, the touch module reads the current measurement value of the fused touch channel. This measurement value usually represents the total capacitance change or voltage change on the touch sensor, which reflects whether a touch event has occurred. The selection of the sampling frequency needs to find a balance between power consumption and response speed to ensure that it can effectively save energy in sleep mode and respond to touch events in a timely manner.

[0034] S203, read the comparison value P in the comparison register, and read the difference value X in the difference register.

[0035] Among them, during the sampling process, the touch module needs two key thresholds to determine whether a touch event occurs: one is the comparison value P, and the other is the difference value X. These two values ​​are stored in specific registers, usually located inside the touch controller. The comparison value P is a preset threshold used to distinguish between the no-touch state and the possible touch state. The difference value X is used to provide an additional buffer to reduce the possibility of false alarms, especially in the case of high environmental noise. After each sampling, the touch module reads the values ​​of these two registers for subsequent comparison operations.

[0036] S204: Compare the sizes of each sampled measurement value and PX.

[0037] Among them, for each measured value obtained by sampling, the touch module will compare it with PX. This comparison operation is the core step to determine whether a touch event has occurred. If the measured value is less than PX, this may mean that a touch has occurred on the touch screen, because a touch will cause the capacitance or voltage on the sensor to change, thereby reducing the measured value. On the contrary, if the measured value is greater than or equal to PX, it is considered that no touch has occurred.

[0038] S205: Determine whether each sampled measurement value is smaller than PX for N consecutive times.

[0039] Among them, since a single measurement may be interfered by noise, the touch module usually requires that the measurement values ​​of N consecutive times (N is a preset positive integer) are all less than PX to be considered a valid touch event. This step improves the accuracy of touch detection and reduces false alarms by increasing redundancy. The touch module maintains a counter to track the number of consecutive measurements less than PX and triggers subsequent operations when it reaches N times.

[0040] S206: If yes, it is determined that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to the normal mode.

[0041] If the measured values ​​for N consecutive times are all less than PX, the touch module will determine that a touch event has indeed occurred on the touch screen. At this time, the touch module will send a signal or interrupt to the CPU to instruct the CPU to switch from sleep mode to normal mode. In normal mode, the touch screen system will restore full-channel detection capabilities to provide more accurate touch positioning and response.

[0042] S207: If no, the touch module instructs the touch IC to maintain the sleep mode.

[0043] If any of the N consecutive measurement values ​​is not less than PX, the touch module will consider that no valid touch event has occurred. In this case, the touch module will continue to maintain the touch screen in sleep mode and continue to periodically sample the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timer setting.

[0044] In summary, the embodiments of the present application aim to provide a fast response to touch events while maintaining low power consumption. By properly setting the comparison value P, the difference value X, and the number of consecutive detections N, the best balance between power consumption and performance can be achieved in different application scenarios.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present application, the method for updating the comparison value P in the comparison register includes:

[0046] In sleep mode, the touch module continues to periodically sample the measurement values ​​of the fused touch channel according to the timer setting. When it is detected that the measurement values ​​are less than PX for N consecutive times (N is a preset positive integer), it means that a more stable or sensitive operating environment may have been entered, or the physical characteristics of the touch screen (such as capacitance distribution) have changed. For these N consecutive measurement values ​​less than PX, the touch module calculates their average value. This average value represents the typical measurement value of the fused touch channel when there is no touch event under the current environmental conditions. The method for calculating the average value can be a simple arithmetic average, or a more complex weighted average or other statistical method can be considered to better reflect the distribution characteristics of the measurement value. Once the average value is calculated, the touch module uses this average value to update the comparison value P in the comparator register. The method for updating the comparison value P can be to directly assign the average value to P, or to add a fixed offset or multiply it by a coefficient based on the average value to adjust the sensitivity of touch detection. The selection of offset and coefficient should be determined based on the specific needs of the system and test results to ensure that appropriate touch detection performance is maintained under new operating conditions.

[0047] The updated comparison value P will take effect immediately and be used for subsequent touch event detection. In the subsequent sampling cycle, the touch module will use the new comparison value P to determine whether the measured value is less than PX, thereby deciding whether to trigger a touch event.

[0048] The process of updating the comparison value P should be dynamic and able to adjust in real time according to changes in environmental conditions. This helps maintain the accuracy and stability of touch detection, especially when the ambient noise is large or the physical characteristics of the touch screen change. In order to avoid system instability or increased power consumption caused by frequent updates of the comparison value P, a restriction condition can be set, such as allowing the comparison value P to be updated only under certain conditions (such as multiple consecutive detections of changes in the measured value exceeding a certain threshold). In practical applications, it may be necessary to evaluate the effect of updating the comparison value P by monitoring the accuracy and stability of touch detection and make fine adjustments as needed. This can be achieved by observing indicators such as the response speed, false alarm rate, and missed alarm rate of touch events. In this way, the touch module can adaptively adjust the comparison value P to adapt to different operating environments and conditions, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of touch detection.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present application, a method for updating a difference value X in a difference register includes: in a sleep mode, when a user performs a touch event on the touch, measuring a first measurement value on the fused touch channel; when the user does not perform a touch event on the touch, measuring a second measurement value on the fused touch channel; calculating an absolute value of a difference between the first measurement value and the second measurement value; calculating an average of the absolute values ​​of a plurality of differences, and updating the difference value X in the difference register using the calculation result.

[0050] Among them, measuring the first measurement value: in sleep mode, when the user performs a touch event on the touch screen, the touch module will immediately respond and measure the current measurement value on the fused touch channel, which is recorded as the first measurement value. This measurement value reflects the change in sensor capacitance or voltage caused by the touch event. In order to ensure the accuracy of the first measurement value, the touch module may perform multiple sampling and take the average value to reduce the error that may be caused by a single measurement.

[0051] Measuring the second measurement value: When the user does not perform a touch event on the touch screen, the touch module will also periodically measure the measurement value on the fused touch channel, which is recorded as the second measurement value. This measurement value represents the typical measurement value of the fused touch channel when there is no touch event. Similar to the first measurement value, the second measurement value may also be obtained by sampling multiple times and taking the average value.

[0052] Calculate the absolute value of the difference: For each touch event and non-touch event, the touch module calculates the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement and takes its absolute value. This absolute value represents the change in the measurement caused by the touch event. The calculation of the absolute value of the difference is crucial for evaluating the significance of the touch event because it reflects the degree of influence of the touch event on the measurement of the fused touch channel.

[0053] Calculate the average of multiple absolute difference values: In order to obtain a more stable difference value X, the touch module records the absolute difference values ​​corresponding to multiple touch events and non-touch events, and calculates the average of these differences. This average value represents the typical measurement value change caused by touch events under different operating conditions. When calculating the average value, you can consider using different weights or filtering methods to better reflect the distribution characteristics of the measured values.

[0054] Update the difference value X in the difference register: Once the average of the absolute values ​​of the multiple differences is calculated, the touch module will use this average value to update the difference value X in the difference register. The updated difference value X will be used in the subsequent touch detection process as one of the benchmarks for judging whether the measured value is less than PX. The update frequency of the difference value X can be adjusted according to system requirements. For example, it can be updated after each touch event is detected, or it can be updated only under specific conditions (such as when the measured value change exceeds a certain threshold for multiple consecutive times). The updated difference value X will take effect immediately and be used for subsequent touch event detection. In the subsequent sampling cycle, the touch module will use the new difference value X and the comparison value P to determine whether the measured value is less than PX, and thus decide whether to trigger a touch event.

[0055] It should be noted that the process of updating the difference value X should be dynamic and can be adjusted in real time according to changes in environmental conditions. This helps maintain the accuracy and stability of touch detection. In order to avoid system instability or increased power consumption caused by frequent updates of the difference value X, a constraint can be set to limit the update frequency. In actual applications, it may be necessary to evaluate the effect of updating the difference value X by monitoring the accuracy and stability of touch detection and make fine adjustments as needed.

[0056] In this way, the touch module can adaptively adjust the difference value X to adapt to different operating environments and conditions, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of touch detection.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present application, the touch screen system is usually equipped with a user interface (such as a button, the touch screen itself, or an external controller), through which the user can send a sleep command. When the user issues a sleep command, the processor or controller inside the system will receive the command and prepare to perform the corresponding operation. After receiving the sleep command, the system will parse the command and determine that the user wants to enter the sleep mode. According to the content of the command, the system will trigger a series of internal operations to prepare for entering the sleep state. Before entering the sleep state, the touch module will perform a series of preparations. This includes merging all the touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel so that periodic sampling can be performed in the sleep mode. Before entering the sleep state, the system will also save the current working state, data, and other necessary resources. These resources will be used to restore the working state of the system after waking up to ensure that the user can seamlessly continue the previous operation. After completing the above preparations, the system will officially enter the sleep state. In the sleep state, the power consumption of the system will be significantly reduced, and the touch module of the touch screen will periodically sample the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the set periodicity. In the sleep mode, the touch module will continue to work, but will perform touch detection at a lower power consumption. If a touch event is detected (ie, the measured value is less than PX for N consecutive times), the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to normal mode to respond to the user's touch operation.

[0058] In summary, by merging all touch channels into fused touch channels when the touch IC enters sleep mode and performing sampling periodically, the power consumption of the touch screen in the non-operating state can be significantly reduced. This design enables the device to be more energy-efficient and extend battery life when frequent interactions are not required.

[0059] The technical solution uses a timer to set periodic sampling, combined with the settings of the comparison register and the difference register, to quickly identify touch events on the touch screen. Once it detects that the continuous measurement value is lower than the set threshold (PX), it is determined that a touch event has occurred, and immediately instructs the CPU to switch to normal mode, thereby improving the system's response speed to user operations.

[0060] By requiring that the measured value be less than PX for N consecutive times before a touch event is determined, this technical solution effectively reduces false alarms caused by accidental factors (such as environmental noise, electromagnetic interference, etc.). This design improves the accuracy and reliability of touch recognition.

[0061] Since this technical solution can quickly respond to user touch operations while ensuring low power consumption, it can significantly improve the user experience. The device can still remain sensitive to user operations in sleep mode without causing users to feel delayed response or insensitive operations.

[0062] The technical solution can adapt to different application scenarios and user needs through software configuration (such as setting the comparison value P, the difference value X and the number of consecutive detections N). This flexibility enables the technical solution to be widely used in various touch screen devices to meet the use needs in different scenarios.

[0063] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by instructing related hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. The storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only storage memory, or a random access memory, etc.

[0064] The above disclosure is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, which certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present application. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present application are still within the scope covered by the present application.

Claims

1. A dormancy awakening method for a capacitive touch screen, characterized in that: include: When the touch IC enters the sleep mode, the touch module merges all the touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel; In the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer; Read the comparison value P in the comparison register and read the difference value X in the difference register; Compare the sizes of each sampled measurement value and PX; Determine whether each sampled measurement value is less than PX for N consecutive times; If yes, it is determined that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to a normal mode; If not, the touch module continues to instruct the touch IC to maintain the sleep mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: Get the measurement values ​​of the fused touch channel that are less than PX for N consecutive times; The average value of the N measured values ​​obtained is calculated, and the comparison value P of the comparator register is updated using the calculated average value.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: In the sleep mode, when a user performs a touch event on the touch screen, measuring a first measurement value on the fused touch channel; When the user does not perform a touch event on the touch, measuring a second measurement value on the fused touch channel; calculating the absolute value of the difference between the first measurement value and the second measurement value; An average value of the absolute values ​​of the plurality of difference values ​​is calculated, and the difference value X in the difference value register is updated using the calculation result.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The instructing the CPU to switch to the normal mode comprises: The CPU is notified to enter the normal mode through an interrupt. In the normal mode, the fused touch channel is restored to multiple independent touch channels.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The timing duration is 1 second, N=10.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Entering sleep mode based on user's sleep command.

7. A dormancy awakening device for a capacitive touch screen, characterized in that: include: Touch module, touch IC, touch screen and CPU; Wherein, the touch screen is used to detect touch events; The touch module is used to merge all touch channels of the touch screen to obtain a fused touch channel when the touch IC enters a sleep mode; in the sleep mode, the touch module periodically samples the measurement value of the fused touch channel according to the timing duration of the timer; reads the comparison value P in the comparison register and the difference value X in the difference register; compares the size between each sampled measurement value and PX; determines whether each sampled measurement value is smaller than PX for N consecutive times; if yes, determines that a touch event occurs on the touch screen, and the touch module instructs the CPU to switch to a normal mode; if no, the touch module continues to instruct the touch IC to maintain the sleep mode.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: It comprises the sleep-awakening device as claimed in claim 7.