TOUCH SENSING APPARATUS AND TOUCH SENSING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140232681A1
• Filed: 07/18/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Original Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Inventors: Yeh, Yun-Hsiang
• Application Number:
  US13/944,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A touch sensing apparatus includes a touch sensing panel and a touch controller. The touch sensing panel includes a plurality of sensing channels for receiving a plurality of driving signals and sensing a touch event according to the driving signals. In a sensing duration, the touch sensing panel is switched between at least two operation modes among a plurality of operation modes to sense the touch event. The touch controller is configured to determine the type of the touch event according to the sensing results of the touch sensing panel in the at least two operation modes. In addition, a touch sensing method used in the above-mentioned touch sensing apparatus is provided as well.

Claims

1. A touch sensing apparatus, comprising:

a touch sensing panel, comprising;

a plurality of sensing channels, configured to receive a plurality of driving signals and sense a touch event according to the driving signals, wherein in a sensing duration, the touch sensing panel is switched between at least two operation modes among a plurality of operation modes to sense the touch event; and

a touch controller, configured to determine a type of the touch event according to sensing results of the touch sensing panel in the at least two operation modes.

2. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation modes comprise a first operation mode, a second operation mode and a third operation mode, the type of the touch event comprise a common ground touch situation, a floating touch situation and a liquid touch situation;

in the first operation mode, the sensing channels are configured to sense the common ground touch situation and the floating touch situation;

in the second operation mode and the third operation mode, the sensing channels are configured to sense the common ground touch situation and the liquid touch situation.

3. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the first operation mode, the driving signals comprise at least one first pulse signal and a plurality of grounding signals, and the first pulse signal has a level between a first voltage level and a second voltage level.

4. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein in the first operation mode, at least one being-sensing channel among the sensing channels receives the first pulse signal, and the not-being-sensing channels among the sensing channels receive the grounding signal.

5. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the second operation mode, the driving signals comprise at least one first pulse signal and a plurality of second pulse signals, and the first pulse signal has a level between a first voltage level and a second voltage level, and the second pulse signals have levels between the first voltage level and a third voltage level.

6. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the second operation mode, the being-sensing channel among the sensing channels receives the first pulse signal, and the not-being-sensing channels receive the second pulse signals.

7. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the third operation mode, the driving signals comprise a plurality of first pulse signals and the first pulse signals have levels between a first voltage level and a second voltage level.

8. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein in the third operation mode, the being-sensing channel and the not-being-sensing channels among the sensing channels receive the first pulse signals.

9. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein when determining the type of the touch event, the touch controller further determines a position on the touch sensing panel where the touch event occurs at according to a sensing result of at least one among the at least two operation modes.

10. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the sensing duration, the touch sensing panel switches between at least three operation modes among the operation modes to sense the touch event, the touch controller determines the type of the touch event according to the sensing results of the touch sensing panel in the at least three operation modes, and when determining the type of the touch event, the touch controller further determines the position on the touch sensing panel where the touch event occurs at according to a sensing result of at least one among the at least three operation modes.

11. A touch sensing method, configured to a touch sensing apparatus comprising a touch sensing panel;

the touch sensing method comprising;

in a sensing duration, switching to an operation mode among a plurality of operation modes;

in the operation mode, receiving a plurality of driving signals, and sensing a touch event according to the driving signals;

in the sensing duration, switching to another operation mode among a plurality of operation modes;

in the another operation mode, receiving the driving signals, and sensing the touch event according to the driving signals; and

determining a type of the touch event according to sensing results of the operation mode and the another operation mode.

12. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of determining the type of the touch event according to the sensing results of the operation mode and the another operation mode comprises:

determining a position on the touch sensing panel where the touch event occurs at according to the sensing result of at least one among the operation mode and the another operation mode.

13. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

in the sensing duration, switching to yet another operation mode among the operation modes;

in the yet another operation mode, receiving the driving signals, and sensing the touch event according to the driving signals, wherein the step of determining the type of the touch event further comprises determining the type of the touch event according to a sensing result of the yet another operation mode; and

determining the position on the touch sensing panel where the touch event occurs at according to the sensing result of at least one among the operation mode, the another operation mode and the yet another operation mode.

14. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the operation modes comprise a first operation mode, a second operation mode and a third operation mode, the types of the touch event comprise a common ground touch situation, a floating touch situation and a liquid touch situation;

in the first operation mode, the touch sensing method is suitable to sense the common ground touch situation and the floating touch situation;

in the second operation mode and the third operation mode, the touch sensing method is suitable to sense the common ground touch situation and the liquid touch situation.

15. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein in the first operation mode, the driving signals comprise at least one first pulse signal and a plurality of grounding signals, and the first pulse signal has a level between a first voltage level and a second voltage level.

16. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein in the second operation mode, the driving signals comprise at least one first pulse signal and a plurality of second pulse signals, and the first pulse signal has a level between a first voltage level and a second voltage level and the second pulse signals have levels between a first voltage level and a third voltage level.

17. The touch sensing method as claimed in claim 14, wherein in the third operation mode, the driving signals comprise a plurality of first pulse signals and the first pulse signals have levels between a first voltage level and a second voltage level.

18. A touch sensing apparatus, comprising:

a touch sensing panel, comprising;

a plurality of sensing channels, configured to receive a plurality of driving signals in an operation mode and sense a touch event according to the driving signals; and

a touch controller, configured to determine the type of the touch event according to a sensing result of the sensing channels in the operation mode,

wherein in the operation mode, the driving signals are a plurality of pulse signals, and at least one pulse signal among the pulse signals is different from rest pulse signals among the pulse signals.

19. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein when determining the type of the touch event, the touch controller further determines position on the touch sensing panel where the touch event occurs at according to the sensing result.

20. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the types of the touch event comprise a common ground touch situation, a floating touch situation and a liquid touch situation;

in the operation mode, the sensing channels are configured to sense the common ground touch situation and the liquid touch situation.

21. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein in the operation mode, the being-sensing channel among the sensing channels receives the at least one pulse signal, and the not-being-sensing channels receive the rest pulse signals.

22. The touch sensing apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the driving signals comprise at least one first pulse signal and a plurality of second pulse signals, the at least one first pulse signal is different from the second pulse signals, the first pulse signal has a level between a first voltage level and a second voltage level, and the second pulse signals have levels between the first voltage level and the third voltage level.