TOUCHING APPARATUS AND TOUCHING DETECTING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140267146A1
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Original Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Inventors: Chang, Chih-Yuan, Hsia, Chih-Peng, Chang, Hui-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 9,389,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 touching apparatus and a touching detecting method thereof are provided. The touching detecting method is adapted for a touch panel. The touch panel has a plurality of touching rows and a plurality of touching columns. The touching detecting method includes: performing a mutual-capacitor touching detection and a self-capacitor touching detection alternatively to the touch panel for obtaining a mutual-capacitor detection result and a self-capacitor detection result, respectively; and obtaining position information of at least one touch point on the touch panel by an operation based on the mutual-capacitor detection result and the self-capacitor detection result.

Claims

1. A touching detecting method for a touch panel having a plurality of touching rows and a plurality of touching columns, the method comprises:

performing a mutual-capacitor touching detection and a self-capacitor touching detection alternatively to the touch panel for obtaining a mutual-capacitor detection result and a self-capacitor detection result, respectively; and

obtaining position information of at least one touch point on the touch panel by performing an operation based on the mutual-capacitor detection result and the self-capacitor detection result.

2. The touching detecting method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection comprises:

setting the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns as a plurality of driving channels, and setting the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns not set as the plurality of driving channels as a plurality of detecting channels;

providing a driving signal sequentially and respectively to the plurality of driving channels, and obtaining a plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations sequentially and respectively through the plurality of detecting channels; and

generating the mutual-capacitor detection result based on the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations.

3. The touching detecting method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing the self-capacitor touching detection comprises:

measuring capacitance variations for the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns sequentially to obtain a plurality of self-capacitor capacitance variations; and

generating the self-capacitor detection result based on the plurality of self-capacitor capacitance variations.

4. The touching detecting method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether none of absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations included in the mutual-capacitor detection result falls within an invalid detecting range after the step of performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection is completed;

performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection continuously if none of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range; and

performing the self-capacitor touching detection if at least one of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range.

5. The touching detecting method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether none of absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations included in the mutual-capacitor detection result falls within an invalid detecting range and detecting whether an amount of the least one touch point on the touch panel is 1 after the step of performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection is completed;

performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection continuously if none of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range and the amount of the least one touch point on the touch panel is not 1; and

performing the self-capacitor touching detection if at least one of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range and/or the amount of the at least one touch point is 1.

6. The touching detecting method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting whether the amount of the at least one touch point is 1 after the step of performing the self-capacitor touching detection is completed;

performing the self-capacitor touching detection continuously if the amount of the at least one touch point is 1; and

performing the mutual-capacitor touching detection if the amount of the at least one touch point is not 1.

7. A touch apparatus, comprising:

a touch panel having a plurality of touching rows and a plurality of columns; and

a controller coupled to the touch panel, the controller performing a mutual-capacitor touching detection and a self-capacitor touching detection alternatively to the touch panel for obtaining a mutual-capacitor detection result and a self-capacitor detection result, respectively; and

the controller obtaining position information of at least one touch point on the touch panel by performing an operation based on the mutual-capacitor detection result and the self-capacitor detection result.

8. The touch apparatus of claim 7, wherein when the mutual-capacitor touching detection is performed, the controller sets the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns as a plurality of driving channels, and sets the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns not set as the plurality of driving channels as a plurality of detecting channels;

and the controller provides a driving signal sequentially and respectively to the plurality of driving channels, and obtains a plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations sequentially and respectively through the plurality of detecting channels; and

the controller generates the mutual-capacitor detection result based on the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations.

9. The touch apparatus of claim 7, wherein when the self-capacitor touching detection is performed, the controller measures capacitance variations for the plurality of touching rows and the plurality of touching columns sequentially, so as to obtain a plurality of self-capacitor capacitance variations;

and the controller generates the self-capacitor detection result based on the plurality of self-capacitor capacitance variations.

10. The touch apparatus of claim 7, wherein after the mutual-capacitor touching detection is performed and completed, the controller determines whether none of absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations included in the mutual-capacitor detection result falls within an invalid detecting range;

the controller performs the mutual-capacitor touching detection continuously if none of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range; and

the controller performs the self-capacitor touching detection if at least one of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range.

11. The touch apparatus of claim 7, wherein after the mutual-capacitor touching detection is performed and completed, the controller determines whether none of absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations included in the mutual-capacitor detection result falls within an invalid detecting range, and detects whether an amount of the least one touch point on the touch panel is 1;

the controller performs the mutual-capacitor touching detection continuously if none of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range and the amount of the least one touch point on the touch panel is not 1; and

the controller performs the self-capacitor touching detection if at least one of the absolute values of the plurality of mutual-capacitor capacitance variations falls within the invalid detecting range and/or the amount of the at least one touch point is 1.

12. The touch apparatus of claim 11, wherein after the self-capacitor touching detection is performed and completed, the controller detects whether the amount of the at least one touch point is 1;

the controller performs the self-capacitor touching detection continuously if the amount of the at least one touch point is 1; and

the controller performs the mutual-capacitor touching detection if the amount of the at least one touch point is not 1.