TOUCH PANEL CONTROLLER AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS EMPLOYING SAME

• US 20140104236A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masayuki, Iizuka, Kunihiko, Hamaguchi, Mutsumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

A touch panel controller (1), which can accurately detect changes in capacitance values of respective first and second electrostatic capacitors which are touched, includes: a driving section (4) for driving drive lines (DL1 through DL4) on the basis of a code sequence so as to drive (i) electrostatic capacitors (C31 through C34) provided between the respective drive lines (DL1 through DL4) and a sense line (SL3) and (ii) electrostatic capacitors (C41 through C44) provided between the respective drive lines (DL1 through DL4) and a sense line (SL4) so that (i) a first linear sum of first capacitance values of the respective electrostatic capacitors (C31 through C34) is outputted from the sense line (SL3) and (ii) a second linear sum of second capacitance values of the respective electrostatic capacitors (C41 through C44) is outputted from the sense line (SL4); a differential amplifier (5) for amplifying a difference between the first linear sum and the second linear sum; and a saturation prevention control section (8) for correcting a line dependency between the first capacitance values and the second capacitance values.

Claims

1. A touch panel controller, comprising:

a driving section for driving M drive lines on the basis of a code sequence having a length of N (N≧

M) so as to drive (i) a plurality of first electrostatic capacitors provided between the respective M drive lines and a first sense line and (ii) a plurality of second electrostatic capacitors provided between the respective M drive lines and a second sense line that is adjacent to the first sense line so that (i) a first linear sum of first capacitance values of the respective plurality of first electrostatic capacitors is outputted from the first sense line and (ii) a second linear sum of second capacitance values of the respective plurality of second electrostatic capacitors is outputted from the second sense line;

a differential amplifier for amplifying a difference between the first linear sum and the second linear sum; and

correction means for correcting a line dependency between the first capacitance values and the second capacitance values.

2. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the line dependency includes a sense line dependency and a drive line dependency, and

the correction means corrects the sense line dependency in a case where the driving section drives the M drive lines on the basis of the code sequence according to a voltage pattern in which an identical voltage is applied to the M drive lines.

3. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the line dependency includes a sense line dependency and a drive line dependency, and

the correction means corrects the drive line dependency in a case where the driving section drives the M drive lines by applying, to the M drive lines, voltages of a voltage pattern which induces the drive line dependency.

4. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 3, wherein the correction means corrects the drive line dependency in a case where the driving section drives the M drive lines on the basis of the code sequence according to a voltage pattern in which (i) a first voltage is applied to odd-numbered drive lines of the M drive lines and (ii) a second voltage, which is equal in absolute value but opposite in sign to the first voltage, is applied to even-numbered drive lines of the M drive lines.

5. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 3, wherein the correction means corrects the drive line dependency in a case where the driving section drives the M drive lines on the basis of the code sequence according to a voltage pattern in which (i) a first voltage is applied to the first through the [M/2]^th (where x in [x] is a positive integer) drive lines of the M drive lines and (ii) a second voltage, which is equal in absolute value but opposite in sign to the first voltage, is applied to the ([M/2]+1)^th through the M^th drive lines of the M drive lines.

6. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the correction means includes offset means for offsetting the line dependency.

7. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 6, wherein the offset means includes a correction circuit for correcting a difference between the first capacitance values and the second capacitance values, the correction circuit being connected to the differential amplifier.

8. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 7, wherein the correction circuit includes an integral capacitor to which a correction voltage is to be applied, and

the offset means discretely changes a capacitance value of the integral capacitor.

9. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 7, wherein the correction circuit includes an integral capacitor to which a correction voltage is to be applied, and

the offset means discretely changes the correction voltage.

10. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the correction means includes saturation prevention means for preventing the differential amplifier from being saturated with the first linear sum and the second linear sum.

11. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 10, wherein the differential amplifier has a first gain and a second gain at each of which the differential amplifier amplifies the difference, the second gain being smaller than the first gain, and

the saturation prevention means causes the differential amplifier to switch from the first gain to the second gain so that the line dependency is corrected.

12. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 10, wherein the saturation prevention means reduces a voltage to be applied to the M drive lines so that the line dependency is corrected.

13. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 10, wherein the saturation prevention means controls the driving section to drive the M drive lines separately so that the line dependency is corrected.

14. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 10, wherein the saturation prevention means controls the driving section to drive some of the M drive lines so that the line dependency is corrected.

15. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 10, wherein the line dependency includes a sense line dependency and a drive line dependency,

the saturation prevention means controls the driving section to drive the M drive lines according to a voltage pattern, which includes no voltage pattern which induces the sense line dependency, so that the sense line dependency is corrected,

the saturation prevention means controls the driving section to drive the M drive lines according to a voltage pattern, which includes no voltage pattern which induces the drive line dependency, so that the drive line dependency is corrected,

the voltage pattern which induces the sense line dependency is a voltage pattern in which an identical voltage is applied to the M drive lines,

each element of the code reference is +1 or −

1,

in a case where the element is +1, +V volt is applied to the M drive lines,

in a case where the element is −

1, −

V volt is applied to the M drive lines, and

the voltage pattern which induces the drive line dependency includes (i) a voltage pattern in which a first voltage is applied to odd-numbered drive lines of the M drive lines, and a second voltage, which is equal in absolute value but opposite in sign to the first voltage, is applied to even-numbered drive lines of the M drive lines and (ii) a voltage pattern in which the first voltage is applied to the first through the [M/2]^th (where x in [x] is a positive integer) drive lines of the M drive lines, and the second voltage is applied to the ([M/2]+1)^th through the M^th drive lines of the M drive lines.

16. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein in an actual operation, the correction means corrects the line dependency on the basis of a result obtained by measuring an output level of the differential amplifier, the output level being measured in a case where the touch panel controller is calibrated.

17. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the code sequence is an orthogonal code sequence.

18. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1;

a touch panel controlled by the touch panel controller; and

a display panel which (i) is provided so as to overlap the touch panel or (ii) has the touch panel built-in.