CONTACT DETECTING DEVICE AND DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20100066692A1
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Takeya, Noguchi, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,970,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a contact detecting device including: a contact responding section configured to produce an electric change in response to an object to be detected coming into contact with or proximity to a detecting surface; and a contact driving scanning section configured to scan application of driving voltage to the contact responding section in one direction within the detecting surface, and control output of the electric change in time series, wherein the contact driving scanning section performs a plurality of scans of different regions of the contact responding section in parallel with each other, and outputs a plurality of the electric changes in parallel with each other.

Claims

1. A contact detecting device comprising:

a contact responding section configured to produce an electric change in response to an object to be detected coming into contact with or proximity to a detecting surface; and

a contact driving scanning section configured to scan application of driving voltage to said contact responding section in one direction within said detecting surface, and control output of said electric change in time series,

wherein said contact driving scanning section performs a plurality of scans of different regions of said contact responding section in parallel with each other, and outputs a plurality of said electric changes in parallel with each other.

2. The contact detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detecting line group arranged in a form of parallel stripes that are long in a direction of scanning of said contact responding section; and

a detecting section configured to detect occurrence of said electric change from a voltage change in said detecting line group, and identify a position of the occurrence,

wherein at least one of a manner of intersecting said plurality of regions of said contact responding section by said detecting line group and a manner of driving said plurality of regions by said contact driving scanning section differs between said regions, and

said detecting section identifies one of said plurality of regions with which region said object to be detected is in contact or to which region said object to be detected is in proximity on a basis of a voltage change pattern of a detecting line, the voltage change pattern occurring according to difference in at least one of the manner of said intersecting and the manner of said driving between said regions.

3. The contact detecting device according to claim 2,

wherein at least one of a phase and an amplitude of said driving voltage output by said contact driving scanning section differs between said plurality of regions, and

said detecting section is connected to one end in said scanning direction of said detecting line group and identifies one of said plurality of regions with which region said object to be detected is in contact or to which region said object to be detected is in proximity on the basis of the voltage change pattern of the detecting line, the voltage change pattern occurring according to difference in said driving voltage.

4. The contact detecting device according to claim 3,

wherein a predetermined number of detecting lines are arranged so as to similarly intersect two regions of said contact responding section, and

said contact driving scanning section supplies said driving voltages inverted from each other in phase by 180 degrees to said two regions.

5. The contact detecting device according to claim 3,

wherein a predetermined number of detecting lines are arranged so as to similarly intersect a plurality of regions of said contact responding section, and

said contact driving scanning section supplies said driving voltages of different amplitudes to said plurality of regions.

6. The contact detecting device according to claim 3,

wherein two sets of a predetermined number k (≧

2) of detecting lines are arranged for two regions of said contact responding section, one set of detecting lines being arranged so as to intersect one region, and the two sets of detecting lines being arranged so as to intersect the other region, and

said contact driving scanning section supplies said driving voltages inverted from each other in phase by 180 degrees to said one region and said other region.

7. The contact detecting device according to claim 3,

wherein N (≧

2) sets of a predetermined number k (≧

2) of detecting lines are arranged for N regions of said contact responding section, numbers of sets of detecting lines overlapping said plurality of regions, respectively, being different from each other, and

said contact driving scanning section supplies said driving voltages of different amplitudes to said plurality of regions.

8. The contact detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

two sets of a predetermined number of detecting lines, the detecting lines being long in a scanning direction of said contact responding section and being in a form of parallel stripes; and

two detecting sections each connected to said predetermined number of detecting lines of the corresponding set at one end in said scanning direction, the two detecting sections each detecting occurrence of said electric change on a basis of a voltage change pattern occurring in the predetermined number of detecting lines of the corresponding set and identifying a position of the occurrence.

9. The contact detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein said contact responding section is formed by arranging sensors in a plane parallel to said detecting surface in a form of a matrix, and

when a row in a predetermined direction of said sensors is a line within said contact responding section, said contact driving scanning section performs scanning with said line as a minimum unit in a direction in which a plurality of said lines are arranged repetitively.

10. The contact detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein said contact responding section is formed by arranging sensors in a plane parallel to said detecting surface in a form of a matrix, and

when a row in a predetermined direction of said sensors is a line within said contact responding section, said contact driving scanning section performs scanning with a predetermined number of consecutive said lines as a minimum unit in a direction in which a plurality of said lines are arranged repetitively.

11. A display device comprising:

a display section configured to subject an amount of transmitted light to light modulation according to an input video signal, and output light after the modulation from a display surface; and

a display driving scanning section configured to, when a row in one direction of pixels as minimum units of said light modulation of said display section is a line, scan an operation of applying driving voltage for said light modulation to each line in another direction orthogonal to said line,

wherein a contact responding section configured to produce an electric change in response to an object to be detected coming into contact with or proximity to said display surface is formed within said display section,

said display driving scanning section doubles as a contact driving scanning section configured to scan application of driving voltage to said contact responding section in one direction within said display surface, and control output of said electric change in time series, and

said contact driving scanning section performs a plurality of scans of different regions of said contact responding section in parallel with each other, and outputs a plurality of said electric changes in parallel with each other.

12. The display device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a detecting line group arranged in a form of parallel stripes that are long in a direction of scanning of said contact responding section; and

a detecting section configured to detect occurrence of said electric change from a voltage change in said detecting line group, and identify a position of the occurrence,

wherein at least one of a manner of intersecting said plurality of regions of said contact responding section by said detecting line group and a manner of driving said plurality of regions by said contact driving scanning section differs between said regions, and

said detecting section identifies one of said plurality of regions with which region said object to be detected is in contact or to which region said object to be detected is in proximity on a basis of a voltage change pattern of a detecting line, the voltage change pattern occurring according to difference in at least one of the manner of said intersecting and the manner of said driving between said regions.

13. The display device according to claim 12,

wherein at least one of a phase and an amplitude of said driving voltage output by said contact driving scanning section differs between said plurality of regions, and

said detecting section is connected to one end in said scanning direction of said detecting line group and identifies one of said plurality of regions with which region said object to be detected is in contact or to which region said object to be detected is in proximity on the basis of the voltage change pattern of the detecting line, the voltage change pattern occurring according to difference in said driving voltage.

14. The display device according to claim 11, further comprising:

two sets of a predetermined number of detecting lines, the detecting lines being long in a scanning direction of said contact responding section and being in a form of parallel stripes; and

two detecting sections each connected to said predetermined number of detecting lines of the corresponding set at one end in said scanning direction, the two detecting sections each detecting occurrence of said electric change on a basis of a voltage change pattern occurring in the predetermined number of detecting lines of the corresponding set and identifying a position of the occurrence.

15. The display device according to claim 11,

wherein said contact responding section is formed by arranging sensors in a plane parallel to said display surface in a form of a matrix, and

when a row in a predetermined direction of said sensors is a line within said contact responding section, said contact driving scanning section performs scanning with a predetermined number of consecutive said lines as a minimum unit in a direction in which a plurality of said lines are arranged repetitively.

16. A contact detecting device comprising:

contact responding means for producing an electric change in response to an object to be detected coming into contact with or proximity to a detecting surface; and

contact driving scanning means for scanning application of driving voltage to said contact responding means in one direction within said detecting surface, and controlling output of said electric change in time series,

wherein said contact driving scanning means performs a plurality of scans of different regions of said contact responding means in parallel with each other, and outputs a plurality of said electric changes in parallel with each other.

17. A display device comprising:

display means for subjecting an amount of transmitted light to light modulation according to an input video signal, and outputting light after the modulation from a display surface; and

display driving scanning means for, when a row in one direction of pixels as minimum units of said light modulation of said display means is a line, scanning an operation of applying driving voltage for said light modulation to each line in another direction orthogonal to said line,

wherein a contact responding means for producing an electric change in response to an object to be detected coming into contact with or proximity to said display surface is formed within said display means,

said display driving scanning means doubles as a contact driving scanning means for scanning application of driving voltage to said contact responding means in one direction within said display surface, and controlling output of said electric change in time series, and

said contact driving scanning means performs a plurality of scans of different regions of said contact responding means in parallel with each other, and outputs a plurality of said electric changes in parallel with each other.