TOUCH PANEL CONTROLLER, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT, TOUCH PANEL SYSTEM, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150301682A1
• Filed: 04/02/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Yusuke, Fujimoto, Yoshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 touch panel controller (3) includes: a drive section (4); a differential amplifier (5); variable integral capacitors (Cint1, Cint2); and a capacitance control section (6) that controls the variable integral capacitors (Cint1, Cint2) so as to correct line dependency of capacitors (C31 to C34, C41 to S44).

Claims

1. A touch panel controller comprising:

a drive section which drives M drive lines for (i) a plurality of first capacitors respectively formed between M drive lines and a first sense line and (ii) a plurality of second capacitors respectively formed between the M drive lines and a second sense line that is adjacent to the first sense line, and which thereby causes a first linear sum output from the plurality of first capacitors to be outputted from the first sense line and causes a second linear sum output from the plurality of second capacitors to be outputted from the second sense line; and

a differential amplifier which amplifies the difference between the first linear sum output and the second linear sum output,

the differential amplifier having a non-inverting input terminal via which the differential amplifier receives the first linear sum output, a first output terminal corresponding to the non-inverting input terminal, an inverting input terminal via which the differential amplifier receives the second linear sum output, a second output terminal corresponding to the inverting input terminal,

the touch panel controller further comprising;

a first variable integral capacitor coupled to the non-inverting input terminal and to the first output terminal;

a second variable integral capacitor coupled to the inverting input terminal and to the second output terminal; and

control means which controls the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor so as to correct line dependency of the first and second capacitors.

2. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, wherein the drive section drives the M drive lines on the basis of a predetermined code sequence,

the touch panel controller further comprising:

estimating means which estimates the values on the plurality of first capacitors and on the plurality of second capacitors by calculating the inner product of the difference between the first linear sum output and the second linear sum output as amplified by the differential amplifier and the code sequence; and

correcting means which, in accordance with the values on the second variable integral capacitor as controlled by the control means, corrects the values on the plurality of second capacitors as estimated by the estimating means.

3. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 2, wherein the correcting means corrects the values on the second capacitors so as to cancel out a change in the value on the second variable integral capacitor as controlled by the controlling means.

4. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1, further comprising calibration means which controls the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor on the basis of an output signal from the differential amplifier.

5. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein in a period of absence of touch input to the first and second capacitors, the calibration means controls the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor so that the output signal from the differential amplifier comes close to zero.

6. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the calibration means controls the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor at predetermined time intervals; and

each of the time intervals at which the calibration means controls the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor is longer than a length of time that touch input to the first and second capacitors continues.

7. The touch panel controller as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

the drive section drives on the basis of a code sequence including a first vector and a second vector; and

during calibration operation, the calibration means generates (i) a first control signal for controlling the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor so that an output signal from the differential amplifier which corresponds to driving based on the first vector comes close to zero and (ii) a second control signal for controlling the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor so that an output signal from the differential amplifier which corresponds to driving based on the second vector comes close to zero;

the touch panel controller further comprising storage means in which to store the first control signal and the second control signal generated by the calibration means,

when the drive lines have been driven in accordance with the first vector, the control means controlling the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor on the basis of the first control signal stored in the storage means, when the drive lines have been driven in accordance with the second vector, the control means controlling the value on at least either the first variable integral capacitor or the second variable integral capacitor on the basis of the second control signal stored in the storage means.

8. An integrated circuit comprising a touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1 integrated therewith.

9. A touch panel system comprising a touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1 mounted therein.

10. An electronic device comprising a touch panel controller as set forth in claim 1 mounted therein.