Power reduction of a capacitive touch system

• US 20090251427A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Hung, Tse-Lun, Chen, Chang-Hsin, Huang, Jung-Shou
• Application Number:
  US12/385,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251427A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• 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

Abstract

A capacitive touch system uses at least two integrated circuits to simultaneously scan a touch panel, each of the integrated circuits scanning only a portion of the touch panel. If any one of the integrated circuits has not detected any objects on its scanning zone for a long time, it will enter a suspend mode to lower the scanning frequency thereof for power saving.

Claims

1. A power saving capacitive touch system, comprising;

a touch panel;

at least two first integrated circuits connected to the touch panel to simultaneously scan thereto, each of the first integrated circuits responsible for scanning a respective portion of the touch panel; and

a second integrated circuit connected to the first integrated circuits to receive sensed data therefrom and calculate therewith;

wherein any one of the first integrated circuits will enter a suspend mode to lower a scanning frequency thereof when it has not detected any objects on its scanning zone for a predetermined period.

2. The capacitive touch system of claim 1, wherein each of the first integrated circuits has at least a pin to transmit its sensed data to the second integrated circuit.

3. The capacitive touch system of claim 2, wherein the second integrated circuit detects the level of the at least a pin of one of the first integrated circuits to determine whether or not to read sensed data therefrom.

4. The capacitive touch system of claim 3, further comprising a resistor connected between the at least a pin of each of the first integrated circuits and a ground terminal, to pull down the level of the at least a pin to the voltage of the ground terminal when the one of the first integrated circuits is in the suspend mode.

5. The capacitive touch system of claim 1, wherein each of the first integrated circuits comprises an axis intersect projected capacitance touch integrated circuit.

6. The capacitive touch system of claim 1, wherein the second integrated circuit sends a selection signal to one of the first integrated circuits to select a data format for the one of the first integrated circuits to transmit its sensed data to the second integrated circuit.

7. The capacitive touch system of claim 1, wherein the second integrated circuit sends a clock to each of the first integrated circuits.

8. The capacitive touch system of claim 1, wherein the second integrated circuit scans a respective portion of the touch panel.

9. A power saving method for a capacitive touch system including a touch panel simultaneously scanned by at least two first integrated circuits, and a second integrated circuit to receive sensed data from the first integrated circuits and calculate therewith, the method comprising:

each of the first integrated circuits scanning its responsible scanning zone at a high frequency when an object is detected thereon; and

if any one of the first integrated circuits has not detected any objects on its scanning zone for a predetermined period, it lowering its scanning frequency for power saving.

10. The power saving method of claim 9, further comprising providing an acknowledgement code by one of the first integrated circuits, for the second integrated circuit to determine whether or not to read sensed data from the one of the first integrated circuits.

11. The power saving method of claim 9, further comprising selecting a data format for one of the first integrated circuits to transmit its sensed data to the second integrated circuit.

12. The power saving method of claim 9, further comprising providing a clock for each of the first integrated circuits by the second integrated circuit.