Touch sensing circuit and control method thereof for high resolution fingerprint recognition

• US 10,198,114 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Wu-Wei, Lo, Jui-Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mistry, Ram A
• Application Number:
  US15/176,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20170052629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

A touch sensing circuit and its control method is disclosed herein. The touch sensing circuit includes a plurality of detecting units. The detecting units are arranged in an array, in which each detecting unit includes a sensing pad, a first switch and a second switch. The first switch is configured to selectively conduct the sensing pad and one of a plurality of signal lines. The second switch is configured to selectively conduct two adjacent sensing pads. When the first switches in a first row in the array are on, the sensing pads in the first row are configured to output detecting signals to the signal lines according to a driving signal, and the second switches in a second row adjacent to the first row are on to conduct the sensing pads in the second row to receive and transmit the driving signal together.

Claims

1. A touch sensing circuit, comprising:

a plurality of detecting units arranged in an array, wherein each detecting unit includes;

a sensing pad;

a first switch configured to selectively conduct the sensing pad and one of a plurality of signal lines; and

a second switch configured to selectively conduct the sensing pads of the detecting unit and the adjacent detecting unit;

wherein in a first operating stage, the first switches in a first row of the array are turned on, such that the sensing pads in the first row are configured to output a plurality of detecting signals to the signal lines according to a first driving signal, and the second switches in a second row of the array adjacent to the first row are turned on, such that the sensing pads in the second row are electrically coupled in series to receive the first driving signal;

wherein in a second operating stage, the first switches in the second row of the array are turned on, such that the sensing pads in the second row are configured to output a plurality of detecting signals to the signal lines according to a second driving signal, and the second switches in a third row of the array adjacent to the second row are turned on, such that the sensing pads in the third row are electrically coupled in series to receive the second driving signal.

2. The touch sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein in the first operating stage, the first switches in the third row of the array are turned on, such that the sensing pads in the third row receive a shielding signal having a fixed voltage level.

3. The touch sensing circuit of claim 2, further comprising:

a driving selecting circuit configured to output the first driving signal to the sensing pads in the second row and output the shielding signal to the sensing pads in the third row during the first operating stage.

4. The touch sensing circuit of claim 3, wherein the driving selecting circuit is configured to output the first driving signal and the shielding signal according to a scanning signal and a plurality of trigger signals corresponding to the rows of the array.

5. The touch sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the second switch of one of the detecting units is turned off while at the same time the first switch of the one of the detecting units is turned on;

and wherein the second switch of the one of the detecting units is turned on while at the same time the first switch of the one of the detecting units is turned off.

6. The touch sensing circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a control circuit configured to output a plurality of control signals to control the first switches and the second switches of the array to be on or off.

7. The touch sensing circuit of claim 6, wherein each of the first switches of the detecting unit comprises:

a first terminal electrically coupled to the corresponding sensing pad;

a second terminal electrically coupled to the corresponding signal line; and

a control terminal electrically coupled to the control circuit and configured to receive the corresponding control signal.

8. The touch sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the sensing pads in the third row of the array are electrically coupled in series to receive the first driving signal in the first operating stage.

9. A touch sensing circuit, comprising:

a plurality of first sensing pads;

a plurality of second sensing pads; and

a plurality of third sensing pads;

wherein in a first operating stage, the first sensing pads are conducted to a plurality of signal lines correspondingly according to a first control signal, and the second sensing pads are electrically coupled in series to receive a first driving signal such that the first sensing pads are configured to output a plurality of detecting signals to corresponding signal lines according to the first driving signal, wherein within the first operating stage the first driving signal has a non-zero frequency while the first control signal remains at the same level;

wherein in a second operating stage, the second sensing pads are conducted to the signal lines correspondingly, and the third sensing pads are electrically coupled in series to receive a second driving signal such that the second sensing pads are configured to output the detecting signals to corresponding signal lines according to the second driving signal.

10. The touch sensing circuit of claim 9, wherein in the first operating stage, the third sensing pads are electrically coupled in series to receive a shielding signal to reduce the interference between the first driving signal and the detecting signals.

11. The touch sensing circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a control circuit configured to output a plurality of control signals to control the touch sensing circuit for operation in the first operating stage or the second operating stage.

12. The touch sensing circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

a plurality of first switches each configured to selectively conduct the corresponding first sensing pad and the corresponding signal line; and

a plurality of second switches each configured to selectively conduct the corresponding adjacent second sensing pads;

wherein the first switches and the second switches are different type transistors.

13. The touch sensing circuit of claim 12, further comprising:

a control circuit configured to output a plurality of control signals;

wherein each of the first switches comprises;

a first terminal electrically coupled to the corresponding first sensing pad;

a second terminal electrically coupled to the corresponding signal line; and

a control terminal electrically coupled to the control circuit and configured to receive the corresponding control signal.

14. The touch sensing circuit of claim 13, wherein each of the second switches comprises:

a first terminal and a second terminal respectively electrically coupled to the corresponding adjacent first sensing pads; and

a control terminal electrically coupled to the control circuit and configured to receive the corresponding control signal.

15. The touch sensing circuit of claim 9, wherein a plurality of fourth sensing pads are electrically coupled in series to receive the first driving signal in the first operating stage.

16. A control method of a touch sensing circuit, wherein the touch sensing circuit comprises a plurality of signal lines, a plurality of first sensing pads, a plurality of second sensing pads and a plurality of third sensing pads, and the control method comprises:

in a first operating stage, conducting the first sensing pads to the corresponding signal lines;

in the first operating stage, electrically coupling the second sensing pads in series;

in the first operating stage, providing a first driving signal to the second sensing pads;

in the first operating stage, reading, from the signal lines, a plurality of detecting signals outputted by the first sensing pads according to the first driving signal

in a second operating stage, conducting the second sensing pads to the corresponding signal lines;

in the second operating stage, electrically coupling the third sensing pads in series;

in the second operating stage, providing a second driving signal to the third sensing pads; and

in the second operating stage, reading, from the signal lines, the detecting signals outputted by the second sensing pads according to the second driving signal.

17. The control method of clam claim 16, further comprising:

in the first operating stage, conducting the third sensing pads to each other; and

in the first operating stage, providing a shielding signal to the third sensing pads to reduce the interference between the first driving signal and the detecting signals.

18. The control method of claim 16, wherein the touch sensing circuit further comprises a plurality of third sensing pads, and the control method further comprises:

in the first operating stage, electrically coupling the third sensing pads in series; and

in the first operating stage, providing the first driving signal to the third sensing pads.