Touch screen display apparatus and method fof driving the same

• US 20080042992A1
• Filed: 08/16/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Tae-Woo
• Application Number:
  US11/893,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042992A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window

Abstract

A touch screen display apparatus includes a touch screen panel, a driver circuit unit, and a hybrid touch screen panel controller. The touch screen panel includes first and second screen regions that provide first and second analog sensing signals when respective touch events occur in the first and second screen regions. The driver circuit unit includes first and second driver circuits that respectively convert the first and second analog sensing signals to first and second digital sensing data. The hybrid touch screen panel controller determines one touch position in the touch screen panel based on the first and second digital sensing data.

Claims

1. A touch screen display apparatus comprising:

a touch screen panel that includes first and second screen regions, configured to respectively provide first and second analog sensing signals when respective touch events occur in the first and second screen regions;

a driver circuit unit including first and second driver circuits configured to respectively convert the first and second analog sensing signals to first and second digital sensing data; and

a hybrid touch screen panel controller configured to determine one touch position of one of the touch events in the touch screen panel based on the first and second digital sensing data.

2. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second analog sensing signals correspond to a voltage value associated with respective a positions in the touch screen panel where the touch events occurred.

3. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch screen panel includes at least one frame unit configured to provide the first and second analog sensing signals to the driver circuit unit.

4. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the hybrid touch screen panel controller comprises:

a frame memory unit including an L_frame memory unit and an R_frame memory unit, the L_frame memory unit configured to store the first digital sensing data, the R_frame memory unit configured to store the second digital sensing data;

an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) including a first L_ALU and a first R_ALU, the first L_ALU configured to sum each of the first digital sensing data stored in the L_frame memory unit and to output the first summing result of the first digital sensing data, the first R_ALU configured to sum each of the second digital sensing data stored in the R_frame memory unit and to output the second summing result of the second digital sensing data;

a buffer memory unit including an L_buffer memory unit configured to store the first summing result and an R_buffer memory unit configured to store the second summing result; and

a touch position detection unit configured to determine the one touch position based on the first and second summing results stored in the buffer memory unit.

5. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the L_frame memory unit includes first through third L_frame memories and the R_frame memory unit includes first through third R_frame memories.

6. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first L_ALU is configured to sum each of the first digital sensing data stored in the first through third L_frame memories, and the first R_ALU is configured to sum each of the first digital sensing data stored in the first through third R_frame memories.

7. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the L_buffer memory unit includes first through seventh L_buffer memories, and the R_buffer memory unit includes first through seventh R_buffer memories, and wherein each of the L_buffer and R_buffer memories is configured to store each sum of the first and second digital sensing data corresponding to (I)th frame, (I+1)th frame and (I+2)th frame, wherein I is a natural number between one and seven.

8. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the touch position detection unit comprises:

an L_touch event detection unit configured to determine whether a first touch event occurred in the first screen region based on the first summing result;

an L_touch position detection unit configured to determine a first coordinate in the first screen region of a place where the first touch event occurred;

an R_touch event detection unit configured to determine whether a second touch event occurred in the second screen region based on the first summing result;

an R_touch position detection unit configured to determine a second coordinate in the second screen region of a place where the second touch event occurred;

a final touch event detection unit configured to determine one touch event from the first and second touch events that occurred in the first and second screen regions based on output signals of the L_touch and R_touch event detection units; and

a final position detection unit configured to determine the touch position for the one touch event based on output signals of the L_touch and R_touch position detection units.

9. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 8,

wherein the L_touch event detection unit comprises:

a second L_ALU configured to output first respective absolute values of a summing result of the first digital sensing data stored in the first L_buffer memory subtracted respectively from the summing results of the first digital sensing data stored in the second through seventh L_buffer memories; and

an L_storing unit configured to compare the first respective absolute values with a stored first previous maximum value, and to store an L_maximum value as the maximum value of the first respective absolute values, and

wherein the R_touch event detection unit comprises;

a second R_ALU configured to output second respective absolute values of a summing result of the second digital sensing data stored in the first R_buffer memory subtracted respectively from the summing results of the second digital sensing data stored in the second through seventh R_buffer memories; and

an R_storing unit configured to compare the second respective absolute values with a stored second previous maximum value, and to store an R_maximum value as the maximum value of the second respective absolute values.

10. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the L_storing unit comprises:

an L_comparison unit configured to compare each of the first respective absolute values with the first previous maximum value, and output an L_selection signal;

a first L_multiplexer configured to output the largest one of the first respective absolute values and the first previous maximum value; and

an L_maximum register configured to store an output of the first L_multiplexer, and

wherein the R_storing unit comprises;

an R_comparison unit configured to compare the second respective absolute values with the second previous maximum value, and output an R_selection signal;

a first R_multiplexer configured to output the largest one of the second respective absolute values and the second previous maximum value; and

an R_maximum register configured to store an output of the first R_multiplexer.

11. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the L_touch position detection unit comprises:

a second L_multiplexer configured to select one of a first position signal and the stored first previous maximum position value in response to the L_selection signal, the first position signal representing a position of the first screen region; and

an L_position register configured to store an output of the second L_multiplexer, and

wherein the R_touch position detection unit comprises;

a second R_multiplexer configured to select one of a second position signal and the stored second previous maximum position value in response to the R_selection signal, the second position signal representing a position of the second screen region; and

an R_position register configured to store an output of the second R_multiplexer.

12. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the final touch event detection unit comprises:

a first final comparison unit configured to output a final selection signal by comparing the outputs of the L_maximum register and the R_maximum register;

a final multiplexer configured to output one of the outputs of the L_maximum register and the R_maximum register in response to the final selection signal;

a second final comparison unit configured to output the bigger one of an output of the final multiplexer and a predefined threshold value; and

a maximum register configured to store an output of the second final comparison unit.

13. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 12, wherein whether one of the touch events occurred in the touch screen panel is determined based on the threshold value.

14. The touch screen display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the final position detection unit comprises:

a final position multiplexer configured to select one of outputs of the L_position register and the R_position register; and

a position register configured to store an output of the final position multiplexer.

15. A multiple touch screen display apparatus comprising:

a touch screen panel including a plurality of screen regions, configured to respectively provide a plurality of analog sensing signals when respective touch events occur in the plurality of screen regions;

a driver circuit unit including a plurality of driver circuits configured to respectively convert the plurality of analog sensing signals to a corresponding plurality of digital sensing signals; and

a multiple controller configured to determine one touch position of one of the touch events in the touch screen panel based on the plurality of digital sensing signals.

16. The multiple touch screen display apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of analog sensing signals corresponds to a voltage value of a position where the touch events occur.

17. The multiple touch screen display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the touch screen panel is configured to provide the plurality of analog sensing signals by a frame unit.

18. A method of driving a touch screen display apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving first and second analog sensing signals from a touch screen panel, which includes first and second screen regions, when respective touch events occur in the first and second screen regions;

converting the first and second sensing signals to first and second digital sensing signals; and

determining one touch position of one of the touch events in the touch screen panel based on the first and second digital sensing signals.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second analog sensing signals correspond to a voltage value of a position where the touch events occur.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing the first and second analog sensing signals from the touch screen panel by a frame unit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the one touch position comprises:

storing the first digital sensing data in an L_frame memory unit;

storing the second digital sensing data in an R_frame memory unit;

summing each of the first digital sensing data stored in the L_frame memory unit to output a first summing result of the first digital sensing data;

summing each of the second digital sensing data stored in the R_frame memory unit to output a second summing result of the second digital sensing data; and

determining the one touch position based on the first and second summing results.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the L_frame memory unit includes first through third L_frame memories and the R_frame memory unit includes first through third R_frame memories.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the L_buffer memory includes first through seventh L_buffer memories, and the R_buffer memory includes first through seventh R_buffer memories, the method further comprising:

storing in each of the L_buffer and R_buffer memories each sum of the first and second digital sensing data corresponding to (I)th frame, (I+1)th frame and (I+2)th frame, wherein I is a natural number between one and seven.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the one touch position comprises:

outputting first respective absolute values of a summing result of the first digital sensing data stored in the first L_buffer memory subtracted respectively from summing result of the first digital sensing data stored in the second through seventh L_buffer memories;

comparing the first respective absolute values with a stored first previous maximum value, and storing an L_maximum value as the maximum value of the first respective absolute values;

outputting second respective absolute values of a summing result of the second digital sensing data stored in the first R_buffer memory subtracted respectively from summing result of the second digital sensing data stored in the second through seventh R_buffer memories;

comparing the second respective absolute values with a stored second previous maximum value, and storing an R_maximum value as the maximum value of the second respective absolute values;

comparing the L_maximum value and the R_maximum value and outputting a first bigger value as the larger of the L_maximum value and the R_maximum; and

comparing the first bigger value with a predefined threshold value and outputting a second bigger value as the larger of the first bigger value and the threshold value.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining whether the touch event occurs in the touch screen panel based on the threshold value.