Apple Inc.

Bin Huang

Christoph Horst Krah

Stanley Bo-Ting Wang

Stanley B Wang

William Matthew Pender Paul

An electronic device can include integrated micro circuitry configurable for optical sensing and touch and/or proximity sensing. An integrated touch screen can include light emitting diodes or organic light emitting diodes and chiplets. In some examples, the LEDs/OLEDs and chiplets can be disposed in a visible area of the integrated touch screen. In some examples, some or all of the chiplets can be disposed outside of the visible area of the integrated touch screen. In some examples, the chiplets can include display driving circuitry and touch sensing circuitry, and can optionally perform optical sensing using the touch sensing circuitry. In some examples, the chiplets can include separate touch chiplets configured to perform touch sensing (and/or optical sensing) and display chiplets configured to perform display functionality (and optionally provide some switching functionality).

Touch and light sensing using integrated micro circuitry

An electronic device including a touch screen (e.g., an integrated touch screen using chiplets) can be configured for low-noise reference voltage sampling and subsequent touch sensing using the sampled reference voltage. An integrated touch screen can include multiple regions, and each of the multiple regions can include multiple touch node electrodes. Chiplets can be configured to sample one or more reference voltage pins during an analog quiet time to obtain one or more sampled low-noise reference signals localized to each chiplet. The chiplets can then be configured to sense capacitance at some of or at each of the regions (e.g., using chiplets coupled to some of the touch node electrodes of each of the regions and configured to operate in a touch sensing configuration) using the one or more sampled low-noise reference signals.

Methodology and application of sampled low noise reference voltage

In some examples, a touch screen can include touch electrodes that can function as drive (Tx) electrodes and sense (Rx) electrodes during a touch sensing operation of the electronic device. The drive electrodes can include +Tx electrodes and −Tx electrodes that can receive drive signals that can have the same amplitude and frequency and opposite phases, for example. In some examples, the surface areas of the +Tx electrodes and the −Tx electrodes can be the same and the distances of the +Tx electrodes and −Tx electrodes from the Rx electrodes can be different. In some examples, the total charge coupled to a proximate or touching object can be zero, which can mitigate problems associated with ungrounded or poorly grounded objects in contact with the touch screen.

Balanced mutual capacitance systems and methods

In some examples, a touch screen can include touch electrodes that can function as drive (Tx) electrodes and sense (Rx) electrodes during a touch sensing operation of the electronic device. The drive electrodes can include +Tx electrodes and &#x2212;Tx electrodes that can receive drive signals that can have the same amplitude and frequency and opposite phases, for example. In some examples, the surface areas of the +Tx electrodes and the &#x2212;Tx electrodes can be the same and the distances of the +Tx electrodes and &#x2212;Tx electrodes from the Rx electrodes can be different. In some examples, the total charge coupled to a proximate or touching object can be zero, which can mitigate problems associated with ungrounded or poorly grounded objects in contact with the touch screen.

A voltage regulator having a buffer circuit and method for operating the same is disclosed. A voltage regulator having a buffer circuit includes an input stage coupled to receive an input voltage and an output stage configured to provide an output signal on an output node. The output stage includes first and second output transistors coupled to the output node. The circuit further includes a buffer stage coupled between the input and output stages. The buffer stage includes a first buffer transistor having a gate terminal coupled to the input stage and a source terminal coupled to a gate terminal of the first output transistor. The circuit further includes a first current mirror coupled to the first buffer transistor, and a second current mirror coupled to the first current mirror, the second current mirror including the second output transistor.

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Bin Huang