TWI857799B - Active pen, method for detecting system internal delay degree level thereof and method for mitigating delay thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An active pen, a method for detecting a system internal delay degree level thereof and a method for mitigating delay thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a touch display panel and a host. The touch display panel includes a touch processing circuit and a timing control (T-CON) circuit. The touch processing circuit is used to generate a hover signal, and generate a first time stamp according to the hover signal. The T-CON circuit is used for receiving a display signal and generating a second time label according to the display signal. After the T-CON circuit transmits the second time stamp to the touch processing circuit, the touch processing circuit analyzes the system internal delay level according to the first time stamp and the second time stamp. The host includes an embedded control circuit. The embedded control circuit is used to receive the system internal delay level, and execute an optimization procedure according to the system internal delay level.

Description

Active pen and system internal delay detection method and delay reduction method

This disclosure relates to an active pen and a processing method thereof, and in particular to an active pen and a method for detecting and reducing the delay within the system.

As active pens become more and more popular on devices, users often compare the performance of active pens with traditional pens (such as pencils or ballpoint pens). Since the active pen needs to transmit signals to the system, and then the system displays the handwriting. These processes take some time and will cause delays. This delay is the biggest difference in the user experience between active pens and traditional pens.

This disclosure is about an active pen and a method for detecting and reducing the internal delay of the system, which can detect the internal delay of the system smoothly by analyzing and calculating the internal system. According to the detected internal delay of the system, a corresponding control processing procedure can be performed to effectively reduce the overall delay.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for detecting the internal delay level of an active pen system is proposed. The method for detecting the internal delay level of an active pen system includes the following steps. A hover signal is generated by a touch processing circuit of a touch display panel. Based on the hover signal, the touch processing circuit generates a first time tag. A display signal is received by a timing control circuit (timing controller, T-CON) of the touch display panel. Based on the display signal, the timing control circuit of the touch display panel generates a second time tag. The timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel. The touch processing circuit of the touch display panel analyzes a system internal delay level based on the first time tag and the second time tag. The touch processing circuit of the touch display panel transmits the system internal delay level to an embedded control circuit (embedded controller) of a host. The embedded control circuit of the host controls the touch display panel to display the system internal delay level.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a delay mitigation method for an active pen is provided. The delay mitigation method for an active pen includes the following steps. A hover signal is generated by a touch processing circuit of a touch display panel. According to the hover signal, the touch processing circuit generates a first time tag. A display signal is received by a timing control circuit (timing controller, T-CON) of the touch display panel. According to the display signal, the timing control circuit of the touch display panel generates a second time tag. The timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel. The touch processing circuit of the touch display panel analyzes a system internal delay level based on the first time tag and the second time tag. The touch processing circuit of the touch display panel transmits the system internal delay level to an embedded control circuit (embedded controller) of a host. Based on the system internal delay level, the embedded control circuit of the host executes an optimization program.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a touch display panel and a host. The touch display panel includes a touch processing circuit (embedded controller) and a timing control circuit (timing controller, T-CON). The touch processing circuit is used to generate a hover signal, and based on the hover signal, the touch processing circuit generates a first time tag. The timing control circuit is used to receive a display signal, and based on the display signal, generates a second time tag. After the timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel, the touch processing circuit analyzes a system internal delay level based on the first time tag and the second time tag. The host includes an embedded control circuit. The embedded control circuit is used to receive the system internal delay level from the touch processing circuit and execute an optimization process according to the system internal delay level.

In order to better understand the above and other aspects of this disclosure, the following is a specific example, and the attached drawings are used to explain in detail as follows:

100: Electronic devices

110: Touch display panel

111: Touch processing circuit

112: Timing control circuit

113: Touch unit

114: Display unit

120: Host

121:Embedded control circuit

122: Operating system unit

123: Application Program Unit

124: Graphics processing circuit

900: Active pen

DL1, DL1’: Device delay level

DL2, DL2’: System internal delay

DL3, DL3’: Displays the delay level

DP: Display signal

HV: Suspension signal

P1,P2: point

PH1, PH2, PH3, PH4, PH5, PH6, PH7: Path

S110, S120, S130, S140, S150, S160, S170, S180, S210, S220, S230, S240, S250, S260, S270, S280, S290: Steps

TR: Handwriting

TS1: First Time Tag

TS2: Second Time Tag

Figure 1 shows the delay of the active pen according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates device latency, system internal latency, and display latency according to an embodiment.

Figure 4 shows a flow chart of a method for detecting the internal delay level of an active pen system according to an embodiment.

Figure 5 illustrates the operation of each step in Figure 4.

FIG6 is a flow chart showing a delay reduction method of an active pen according to an embodiment.

Figure 7 illustrates the results of implementing the delayed mitigation method of the active pen.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which illustrates the delay of the active pen 900 according to an embodiment. The user can use the active pen 900 to write, select objects, or drag objects on an electronic device 100 having a touch display panel 110. The electronic device 100 is, for example, a tablet computer, a laptop, a handwriting board, a smart phone, etc. However, after the active pen 900 contacts the touch display panel 110, a series of signal transmission and processing are required before the touch display panel 110 can display the handwriting or perform corresponding touch operations. These processes take some time and will cause delays. As shown in FIG. 1, the user has moved the active pen 900 to point P2, but the handwriting TR is only drawn to point P1. Such delays seriously affect the user experience of the Active Pen 900.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which shows a block diagram of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment. The electronic device 100 includes the above-mentioned touch display panel 110 and a host 120. The touch display panel 110 includes a touch processing circuit 111, a timing control circuit (timing controller, T-CO) 112, a touch unit 113 and a display unit 114. The touch unit 113 is, for example, a capacitive touch panel. The display unit 114 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, an OLED display panel or an electronic paper display. The touch unit 113 is disposed on the display unit 114. The touch processing circuit 111 is used to process the touch signal TP. The timing control circuit 112 is used to process the data to be displayed.

The host 120 includes an embedded controller 121, an operating system unit 122, an application unit 123, and a graphics processor 124. The embedded controller 121 is used to execute various control programs. The operating system unit 122 is used to execute the operation of the operating system. The application unit 123 is used to execute the operation of various applications. The graphics processor 124 is used to perform programs such as graphics encoding, graphics decoding, and rendering. The operating system unit 122 and the application unit 123 are, for example, a circuit, a chip, a circuit board, or a storage device for storing program codes.

As shown in Figure 2, when the active pen 900 writes on the touch display panel 110, the signal needs to be processed and transmitted through the paths PH1 to PH7 before the handwriting or the corresponding touch operation can be displayed on the touch display panel 110.

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, FIG. 3 shows the device delay level DL1, the system internal delay level DL2 and the display delay level DL3 according to an embodiment. The processing and transmission of the signal on the path PH1 will cause the device delay level DL1. The processing and transmission of the signal on the paths PH2~PH6 will cause the system internal delay level DL2. The processing and transmission of the signal on the path PH7 will cause the display delay level DL3. Generally speaking, the system internal delay level DL2 has the greatest impact on the overall delay. This embodiment proposes a method for detecting the internal delay level DL2 of the active pen 900, which can successfully detect the internal delay level DL2 of the system without using an external camera or an external detection device. In addition, this embodiment further proposes a delay reduction method for the active pen 900, which uses the detected internal delay level DL2 of the system to perform a corresponding control processing procedure to effectively reduce the overall delay. The following is a detailed description of the operation of the above-mentioned method for detecting the internal delay level DL2 of the system and the delay reduction method with a flowchart.

Please refer to Figures 4 and 5, Figure 4 shows a flow chart of a method for detecting the system internal delay level DL2 of the active pen 900 according to an embodiment, and Figure 5 illustrates the operation of each step of Figure 4. The method for detecting the system internal delay level DL2 of the active pen 900 includes steps S110~S180. In step S110, a hover signal HV is generated by the touch processing circuit 111 of the touch display panel 110. When the active pen 900 is close enough to the touch unit 113, the touch unit 113 will sense the tip of the active pen 900 and send a sensing signal to the touch processing circuit 111. If the tip of the active pen 900 has not yet touched the touch unit 113, the touch processing circuit 111 will send a suspension signal HV to the operating system unit 122.

Next, in step S120, the touch processing circuit 111 generates a first time tag TS1 according to the suspension signal HV. The first time tag TS1 records the current time information and the coordinate information corresponding to the suspension signal HV. In this step, the suspension signal HV based on which the first time tag TS1 is generated is the last suspension signal HV generated before the tip on signal is generated.

Then, in step S130, the timing control circuit 112 of the touch display panel 110 receives a display signal DP. The display signal DP includes display content and coordinate information, for example.

Next, in step S140, the timing control circuit 112 of the touch display panel 110 generates a second time tag TD2 according to the display signal DP. The second time tag TS2 records the current time information and the coordinate information corresponding to the display signal DP.

Then, in step S150, the timing control circuit 112 of the touch display panel 110 transmits the second time tag TS2 to the touch processing circuit 111 of the touch display panel 110.

Next, in step S160, the touch processing circuit 111 of the touch display panel 110 analyzes the system internal delay level DL2 according to the first time tag TS1 and the second time tag TS2. In this step, the touch processing circuit 111 of the touch display panel 110 compares whether the coordinate information of the first time tag TS1 and the second time tag TS2 are the same. If the coordinate information is the same, the difference between the time information of the first time tag TS1 and the second time tag TS2 is analyzed as the system internal delay level DL2.

Then, in step S170, the touch processing circuit 111 of the touch display panel 110 transmits the system internal delay level DL2 to the embedded control circuit 121 of the host 120.

Next, in step S180, as shown in FIG1, the embedded control circuit 121 of the host 120 controls the display unit 114 to display the internal delay level DL2 of the system.

The user can directly check the system internal delay level DL2 through the touch display panel 110. If necessary, the user can manually close certain overloaded applications to reduce the system internal delay level DL2.

In another embodiment, the system can also automatically reduce the delay. Please refer to Figure 6, which shows a flow chart of the delay reduction method of the active pen 900 according to an embodiment. The delay reduction method of the active pen 900 includes steps S210~S290. Steps S210~S280 of the delay reduction method of the active pen 900 are the same as steps S110~180 of the method for detecting the system internal delay level DL2 of the active pen 900, and will not be repeated here.

In step S290, according to the internal system delay level DL2, the embedded control circuit 121 of the host 120 executes an optimization program. The optimization program is, for example, to close at least one application. The embedded control circuit 121 can analyze the load level of the running application occupying the processor and the load level of the memory, and close the application according to the load level of the processor and/or the load level of the memory. Among them, the application related to the current screen or the default resident application can be excluded instead of being closed. Closing the application can reduce the internal system delay level DL2.

Alternatively, the optimization procedure is, for example, to increase a screen refresh rate. The embedded control circuit 121 can dynamically adjust the screen refresh rate according to the system internal delay level DL2. When the system internal delay level DL2 increases, the screen refresh rate is correspondingly increased; when the system internal delay level DL2 decreases, the screen refresh rate is correspondingly decreased. Dynamically adjusting the screen refresh rate can reduce the display delay level DL3.

Alternatively, the optimization procedure includes, for example, reducing a screen resolution. The embedded control circuit 121 can dynamically adjust the screen resolution according to the system internal delay level DL2. When the system internal delay level DL2 increases, the screen resolution is correspondingly reduced; when the system internal delay level DL2 decreases, the screen resolution is correspondingly increased. Dynamically adjusting the screen resolution can reduce the display delay level DL3.

Alternatively, the optimization procedure includes, for example, increasing a sampling frequency of the active pen 900. The embedded control circuit 121 can dynamically adjust the sampling frequency of the active pen 900 according to the internal delay level DL2 of the system. When the internal delay level DL2 of the system increases, the sampling frequency of the active pen 900 is correspondingly increased; when the internal delay level DL2 of the system decreases, the sampling frequency of the active pen 900 is correspondingly decreased. Dynamically adjusting the sampling frequency of the active pen 900 can reduce the device delay level DL1.

Please refer to Figure 7, which illustrates the result of implementing the delay reduction method of the active pen 900. Through the above-mentioned various optimization procedures, the device delay level DL1, the system internal delay level DL2 and the display delay level DL3 can be reduced to the device delay level DL1', the system internal delay level DL2' and the display delay level DL3' respectively, so that the overall delay situation can be greatly reduced.

In summary, although the present disclosure has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope defined by the attached patent application.

100: Electronic devices

110: Touch display panel

111: Touch processing circuit

112: Timing control circuit

113: Touch unit

114: Display unit

120: Host

121:Embedded control circuit

122: Operating system unit

123: Application Program Unit

124: Graphics processing circuit

900: Active pen

DL2: System internal delay level

DP: Display signal

HV: Suspension signal

TS1: First Time Tag

TS2: Second Time Tag

Claims (15)

A method for detecting the internal delay of an active pen system. The active pen is used in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a host and a touch display panel. The method for detecting the internal delay of the active pen system includes: generating a hover signal by a touch processing circuit of the touch display panel; generating a first time tag for sending the hover signal to the host according to the hover signal; and controlling a timing control circuit of the touch display panel to control the delay of the active pen system. controller, T-CON) receives a display signal; according to the display signal, the timing control circuit of the touch display panel generates a second time tag of receiving the display signal from the host; the timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel; the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel receives the second time tag according to the suspension The first time tag of the floating signal sent to the host and the second time tag of the display signal received from the host analyze a system internal delay degree, and the system internal delay is the processing time required for the processing process of the same floating signal inside the host; the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel transmits the system internal delay degree to an embedded control circuit (embedded controller) of the host; and the embedded control circuit of the host controls the touch display panel to display the system internal delay degree. A method for detecting the internal delay of an active pen system as described in claim 1, wherein the suspension signal is the last suspension signal generated before a tip on signal is generated. A method for detecting the internal delay of an active pen system as described in claim 1, wherein the suspension signal and the display signal correspond to the same coordinate information. A delay mitigation method for an active pen is provided. The active pen is used in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a host and a touch display panel. The delay mitigation method for the active pen includes: generating a hover signal with a touch processing circuit of the touch display panel; generating a first time tag for sending the hover signal to the host according to the hover signal; and controlling a timing control circuit of the touch display panel to control the hover signal. controller, T-CON) receives a display signal; according to the display signal, the timing control circuit of the touch display panel generates a second time tag of receiving the display signal from the host; the timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel; the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel receives the suspended The first time tag of the signal sent to the host and the second time tag of the display signal received from the host analyzes a system internal delay level, the system internal delay is the processing time required for the processing process of the same suspension signal inside the host; the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel transmits the system internal delay level to an embedded control circuit (embedded controller) of the host; and according to the system internal delay level, the embedded control circuit of the host executes an optimization program. The active pen delay reduction method as described in claim 4, wherein the suspension signal is the last suspension signal generated before a tip on signal is generated. The active pen delay mitigation method as described in claim 4, wherein the suspension signal and the display signal correspond to the same coordinate information. A method for reducing latency of an active pen as described in claim 4, wherein the optimization process includes closing at least one application. A method for reducing active pen latency as described in claim 4, wherein the optimization process includes increasing a screen refresh rate. A method for reducing delay of an active pen as described in claim 4, wherein the optimization process includes reducing a screen resolution. A method for reducing delay of an active pen as described in claim 4, wherein the optimization procedure includes increasing a sampling frequency of the active pen. An electronic device includes: a host computer including: an embedded control circuit; and a touch display panel including: a touch processing circuit (embedded controller) for generating a hover signal for sending the hover signal to the host computer, and according to the hover signal, the touch processing circuit generates a first time tag; and a timing control circuit (timing Controller, T-CON), for receiving a display signal, and generating a second time tag of receiving the display signal from the host according to the display signal, wherein after the timing control circuit of the touch display panel transmits the second time tag to the touch processing circuit of the touch display panel, the touch processing circuit analyzes a system internal delay degree according to the first time tag of sending the suspension signal to the host and the second time tag of receiving the display signal from the host, wherein the system internal delay is the processing time required for the processing process of the same suspension signal in the host; wherein the embedded control circuit is used to receive the system internal delay degree from the touch processing circuit, and execute an optimization program according to the system internal delay degree. An electronic device as described in claim 11, wherein the suspension signal is the last suspension signal generated before a tip on signal is generated. An electronic device as described in claim 11, wherein the suspension signal and the display signal correspond to the same coordinate information. An electronic device as described in claim 11, wherein the optimization process includes closing at least one application. An electronic device as described in claim 11, wherein the optimization process is to increase a screen refresh rate or reduce a screen resolution.

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