According to a list recently announced by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office, Apple was approved for a design patent for “Controller with Multi-Touch Surface”, suggesting that future iPhones and iPads will be able to better Support multi-touch function.
Apple stated in the patent that in a computer system, there are a large number of input devices that can be used to perform various operations.
These input devices include mice, trackballs, touch pads, joysticks, touch screens, etc., which can move the cursor or interact with an element on the screen.
Apple said that trackpads and touch screens are becoming more and more popular with consumers due to their ease of operation and versatility, as well as their declining costs.
A touch surface allows the user to make selections and move the cursor by simply touching the surface (which can be a pad or a display) with a finger, stylus, etc.
The core of multi-touch technology is FTIR, or frustrated total internal reflection technology. After integrating multi-touch technology, the screen’s response to tasks will be decomposed into two aspects of work. One is to collect signals generated by multi-touch at the same time, and the other is to judge the meaning of each signal and make correct analysis and response. , thereby enabling the screen to recognize clicks and touches made by five fingers of a person at the same time.
Apple says the problem with most current touchscreens is that they report a single point even if multiple objects are placed on the sensing surface. That is, they lack the ability to track multiple touchpoints simultaneously.
Apple’s patent relates to “a touch screen controller with multi-touch functionality that facilitates the use of transparent touch sensors and provides a convenient integrated package.”
The patent summary as follows:
This patent discloses a multi-touch surface controller. The controller includes integrated circuitry that can be used to drive the output circuitry of the capacitive multi-touch sensor and the input circuitry for reading the sensor.
This patent also discloses various noise suppression and dynamic range enhancement techniques that allow the controller to be used with a variety of sensors under a variety of conditions without requiring hardware reconfiguration.