TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE, CAPACITANCE MEASURING CIRCUIT THEREOF, AND METHOD OF MEASURING CAPACITANCE

• US 20110163768A1
• Filed: 10/05/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZINITIX
• Original Assignee: Sain Infocom.
• Inventors: Kwon, Oh Jin, Yun, Il Hyun, Ko, Seung Hun, Shin, Hyung Cheol
• Application Number:
  US12/898,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163768A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/686
• 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

According to the present invention, a charging and discharging circuit is electrically connected to an operation signal line and a detection signal line, and repeats a charging and discharging operation of a node capacitor. The present invention also includes an integration capacitor electrically connected to the detection signal line and an integration circuit charging the integration capacitor to a unit charging voltage every charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor such that the integration capacitor is charged to a first voltage that is integrated according to a charging and discharging number. The integration circuit may include a reset switch electrically connected to the integration capacitor and discharging the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor for initializing.

Claims

1. A touch screen device comprising:

a touch panel including a plurality of operation signal lines, a plurality of detection signal lines insulated from the plurality of operation signal lines, and a plurality of node capacitors respectively formed by the corresponding operation signal lines and the corresponding detection signal lines;

a capacitance measuring circuit including a switched capacitor circuit having a plurality of switches, integration capacitors, and operational amplifiers, wherein the integration capacitor is charged to a unit charging voltage during every charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor such that the integration capacitor is charged to a first voltage that is integrated according to a charging and discharging number of the node capacitor and the integration capacitor charged into the first voltage is initialized; and

a touch discriminator configured to analyze the voltage charged to the integration capacitor measured by the capacitance measuring circuit to detect a touch point input by a user.

2. The touch screen device of claim 1, wherein

the capacitance measuring circuit includes:

a charging and discharging circuit electrically connected to the operation signal line and the detection signal line, the charging and discharging circuit being configured to repeat a charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor several times; and

an integration circuit including an operational amplifier having a first input terminal electrically connected to the other terminal of the node capacitor and a second input terminal electrically connected to the second voltage, an integration capacitor electrically connected to the input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier, and a reset switch electrically connected to the integration capacitor, wherein the integration capacitor is configured to discharge the first voltage, the first voltage being integrated and charged to the integration capacitor for the initialization.

3. The touch screen device of claim 2, wherein

the reset switch is configured to operate when the charging and discharging number of the node capacitor is over a predetermined reference number such that the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged to be initialized.

4. The touch screen device of claim 2, wherein

the reset switch is configured to operate when the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is more than a reference voltage such that the first voltage charged to the integration capacitor is discharged to be initialized.

5. A capacitance measuring circuit electrically connected to a plurality of operation signal lines and a plurality of detection signal lines insulated from the plurality of operation signal lines, and measuring capacitance of a plurality of node capacitors respectively formed by the corresponding operation signal line and the corresponding detection signal line, comprising:

a charging and discharging circuit electrically connected to the operation signal line and the detection signal line and repeating a charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor several times; and

an integration circuit including an operational amplifier having a first input terminal electrically connected to the detection signal line and a second input terminal electrically connected to the first voltage and an integration capacitor electrically connected between the input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier, and charging the integration capacitor to a unit charging voltage every charging and discharging operation of the charging and discharging circuit such that the integration capacitor is charged to a second voltage that is integrated according to a charging and discharging number of the node capacitor, and the charged integration capacitor is initialized.

6. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 5, wherein

the charging and discharging circuit includes:

a first switch electrically connected between the operation signal line and the third voltage;

a second switch electrically connected between the operation signal line and the fourth voltage; and

a third switch electrically connected between the detection signal line and the fourth voltage.

7. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 6, wherein

the integration circuit includes

a fourth switch electrically connected between the detection signal line and the first input terminal of the integration capacitor and switching to transmit the voltage charged to the node capacitor to the integration capacitor, and

a reset switch electrically connected to the integration capacitor and discharging the second voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor for initialization.

8. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 7, wherein

the reset switch is operated when the charging and discharging number of the node capacitor is over a predetermined reference number such that the second voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged to be initialized.

9. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 7, wherein

the reset switch is operated when the second voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is more than a reference voltage such that the second voltage charged to the integration capacitor is discharged to be initialized.

10. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 5, wherein

the first voltage and the fourth voltage are a ground voltage.

11. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 5, wherein

the integration circuit additionally charges the unit charging voltage corresponding to the voltage charged to the node capacitor to the integration capacitor before the discharging operation of the node capacitor, and maintains the voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor under the charging operation of the node capacitor.

12. The capacitance measuring circuit of claim 5, wherein

the integration circuit charges the unit charging voltage corresponding to the voltage charged to the node capacitor under the charging operation of the node capacitor to the integration capacitor, and maintains the voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor under the discharging operation of the node capacitor.

13. A method for measuring capacitance of a capacitor electrically connected to a plurality of operation signal lines and a plurality of detection signal lines insulated from the plurality of operation signal lines, and measuring capacitance of a plurality of node capacitors respectively formed by the corresponding operation signal line and the corresponding detection signal line, comprising:

executing a charging and discharging operation to the node capacitor;

charging an integration capacitor electrically connected to the detection signal line to a unit charging voltage in response to the charging or discharging operation of the node capacitor;

repeating the charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor several times;

charging the integration capacitor to the unit charging voltage every charging and discharging operation of the node capacitor to charge the integration capacitor to a first voltage that is integrated according to a charging and discharging number of the node capacitor; and

discharging the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor for initialization.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein

the first voltage corresponds to the charging and discharging number of the node capacitor and the detection capacitance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged and is initialized when the charging and discharging number of the node capacitor is more than a reference number.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged and is initialized when the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is more than a reference voltage.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged and is initialized when the charging and discharging number of the node capacitor is more than a reference number.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is discharged and is initialized when the first voltage integrated and charged to the integration capacitor is more than a reference voltage