Dual Configuration for Display Data Lines

• US 20100194695A1
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: HOTELLING, Steven Porter, Yousefpor, Marduke, Chang, Shih Chang
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: G09G 2310/0297 Special arrangements with multiplexing or demultiplexing of display data in the drivers for data electrodes, in a pre-processing circuitry delivering display data to said drivers or in the matrix panel, e.g. multiplexing plural data signals to one D/A converter or demultiplexing the D/A converter output to multiple columns
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3696 Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers

Abstract

A display having data lines that can be configured between a display mode and a touch mode is disclosed. The display can have sense regions for sensing a touch or near touch on the display during the touch mode. These same regions can display graphics or data on the display during the display mode. During display mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to display circuitry in order to receive data signals from the circuitry for displaying. During touch mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to corresponding sense lines in the regions, which in turn can couple to touch circuitry, in order to transmit touch signals to the circuitry for sensing a touch or near touch. Alternatively, during touch mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to ground in order to transmit residual data signals to ground for discarding.

Claims

1. A display device switchable between a display mode and a touch mode, the device comprising:

a display pixel having a data line configured to transmit a display data signal and a sense line configured to transmit a touch signal; and

a switch configured to switch the data line between a first configuration associated with a display mode and a second configuration associated with a touch mode.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first configuration comprises the data line coupled to a display circuit of the device for sending the transmitted display data signal in order to display graphics or data on the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the second configuration comprises the data line coupled to the sense line, the sense line coupled to a touch circuit for receiving the transmitted touch signal and the transmitted display data signal in order to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the second configuration comprises the data line coupled to ground for receiving the transmitted display data signal in order to discard the display data signal.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the second configuration comprises the sense line coupled to a touch circuit for receiving the transmitted touch signal in order to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

6. The device of claim 1, comprising:

a touch circuit configured to receive the touch signal from the at least one sense line and a residual data signal from the at least one data line during the touch mode in order to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

7. The device of claim 1, comprising:

a display circuit configured to send the display data signal to the data line during the display mode in order to display graphics or data on the device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the switch is further configured to switch the sense line between the first configuration and the second configuration.

9. The device of claim 1 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, or a personal computer.

10. A display device having a display mode and a touch mode, comprising:

a display pixel having a data line and a sense line, wherein the data line is configured to couple to the sense line during a touch mode for reducing parasitic capacitance created by the data line.

11. The device of claim 10, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to the sense line during the touch mode.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the switch is configured to decouple the data line from the sense line during a display mode.

13. The device of claim 10, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to a display circuit during a display mode.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the switch is configured to decouple the data line from the display circuit during the touch mode.

15. A display device having a display mode and a touch mode, comprising:

a pixel having a data line and a sense line, wherein the data line is configured to couple to ground during a touch mode for reducing parasitic capacitance created by the data line.

16. The device of claim 15, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to ground during the touch mode to discard a display data signal from the data line.

17. The device of claim 15, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to a display circuit during a display mode, the display circuit configured to send display data based on a display data signal to the coupled data line.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the sense line is coupled to a touch circuit during the touch mode, the touch circuit configured to sense a touch based on a touch signal received from the coupled sense line.

19. A method for configuring a display device having a display mode and a touch mode, the method comprising:

for a touch mode, switching a data line of a pixel of the device to couple either to a sense line of the pixel of the device or to ground in order to reduce parasitic capacitance created by the data line.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising:

for a display mode, switching the data line to couple to a display circuit of the device.

21. The method of claim 19, comprising:

for the touch mode comprising the data line coupling to the sense line, transmitting a first signal from the sense line coupled with a second signal from the data line to a touch circuit to sense a touch or near touch on the display device.

22. The method of claim 19, comprising:

for the touch mode comprising the data line coupling to ground, transmitting a first signal from the data line to ground and a second signal from the sense line to a touch circuit of the device to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

23. A method for switching a display device between a display mode and a touch mode, the method comprising:

determining whether a mode signal is associated with a display mode or a touch mode for a display device;

for the determined mode signal associated with the display mode, switching a data line of a pixel of the display device to couple to a display circuit of the display device; and

for the determined mode signal associated with the touch mode, switching the data line of the pixel of the display device to decouple from the display circuit of the display device.

24. The method of claim 23, comprising:

during the touch mode, switching the data line decoupled from the display circuit to couple with a sense line of the pixel of the display device.

25. The method of claim 23, comprising:

during the touch mode, switching the data line decoupled from the display circuit to couple with ground.