Time Synchronized Touch Sensor Data Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch screen systems face challenges in efficiently processing touch sensor data from multiple integrated circuits (ICs), leading to increased latency and cost due to the need for a master-slave architecture or additional consolidator ICs, which restricts bandwidth and adds complexity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing time synchronization between multiple touch sensor ICs using timed general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, allowing each IC to connect directly to an electronic circuit without peer-to-peer communication, and using an always running timer to synchronize data pulses and adjust for drift, thereby enabling joint processing without additional components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a master-slave architecture or additional consolidator ICs are used to process touch sensor data from multiple ICs, then the system can handle multiple touch sensors, but latency increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the touch sensor processing into independent segments, where each touch sensor IC connects directly to the electronic circuit as an independent unit. This segmentation eliminates the need for hierarchical master-slave architectures and allows parallel processing of data from multiple ICs, thereby reducing latency while maintaining the ability to handle multiple touch sensors.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a master-slave architecture or additional consolidator ICs are used to process touch sensor data from multiple ICs, then the system can handle multiple touch sensors, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary intermediary components (master ICs, consolidator ICs) from the system architecture. By allowing each touch sensor IC to connect directly to the electronic circuit, the system removes the extra hardware layers that increase manufacturing cost, while still achieving the capability to process data from multiple touch sensors through direct parallel connections.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional consolidator ICs are used to process touch sensor data, then multiple touch sensors can be handled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functionality of multiple touch sensor ICs directly into the electronic circuit without requiring separate consolidator ICs. By integrating the data reception and processing capability directly into the main electronic circuit, the system simplifies the overall architecture, reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to handle multiple touch sensors through a unified processing approach.
Data Source
AI summary
Technology for an electronic circuit is described. The electronic circuit can include one or more timed general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins and a controller. The controller can receive touch sensor data pulses from a plurality of touch sensor integrated circuits (ICs) that are each communicatively coupled to the electronic circuit. A first touch sensor data pulse received from a first touch sensor IC in the plurality of touch sensor ICs can be time synchronized with a second touch sensor data pulse received from a second touch sensor IC in the plurality of touch sensor ICs using the one or more timed GPIO pins. The controller can combine the touch sensor data pulses received time synchronously from each of the plurality of touch sensor ICs to produce joint touch sensor data. The controller can perform joint processing of the joint touch sensor data.