TOUCH CONTROL METHOD, TOUCH CONTROL DEVICE AND DISPLAY DEVICE HAVING TOUCH DETECTION FUNCTION

• US 20160306466A1
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: GOTOH, Fumitaka, Mizuhashi, Hiroshi, Kurasawa, Hayato, Kida, Yoshitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,048,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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 one embodiment, a touch control method of a touch control device which drives a touch sensor to collect data indicating a position of at least one object to be detected, and outputs the data to an external device, the touch sensor having plural first electrodes arranged to extend a first direction, and plural second electrodes arranged to extend in a second direction crossing the first direction, the touch control method includes driving the first electrodes in a self-detection mode to specify at least one of the first electrodes which detects the object, and driving the specified at least one first electrode and the second electrodes in a partial mutual detection mode to collect data indicating the position of the object.

Claims

1. A touch control method of a touch control device which drives a touch sensor to collect data indicating a position of at least one object to be detected, which is located on or close to the touch sensor, and outputs the data to an external device, the touch sensor comprising plural first electrodes arranged to extend a first direction, and plural second electrodes arranged to extend in a second direction crossing the first direction in which the first electrodes extend, the touch control method comprising:

driving the first electrodes in a self-detection mode to specify at least one of the first electrodes which detects the object; and

driving the specified at least one first electrode and the second electrodes in a partial mutual detection mode to collect data indicating the position of the object located on or close to the touch sensor.

2. The touch control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

driving the second electrodes in a self-detection mode to specify at least one of the second electrodes which detects the object;

extracting data associated with the specified at least one second electrode, from the data collected in the partial mutual detection mode; and

outputting extracted data to the external device.

3. The touch control method according to claim 2, wherein driving of the first electrodes in the self-detection mode and driving of the second electrodes in the self-detection mode are performed in different time periods.

4. The touch control method according to claim 2, wherein driving of the first electrodes in the self-detection mode and driving of the second electrodes in the self-detection mode are performed in the same time period.

5. The touch control method according to claim 2, wherein

the extracted data which is output to the external device includes raw data acquired in the partial mutual detection mode and range data indicating that the extracted data is part of the collected data, and

the range data includes information which specifies ones of the first and second electrodes, which output the raw data.

6. The touch control method according to claim 2, further comprising:

specifying plural electrode groups which detect the at least one object, based on detection data obtained by driving the first electrodes in the self-detection mode; and

driving in the partial mutual detection mode a first electrode included in each of the specified electrode groups and a second electrode, to collect data indicating a position of the object on or close to the touch sensor.

7. The touch control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

driving the second electrodes in the self-detection mode to specify at least one of the second electrodes which detects the object;

driving the specified at least one first electrode and the specified at least one second electrode in the partial mutual detection mode; and

collecting data indicating a position of the object on or close to the touch sensor.

8. A touch control device which drives a touch sensor to collect data indicating a position of at least one object to be detected, which is located on or close to the touch sensor, and outputs the data to an external device, the touch sensor comprising plural first electrodes arranged to extend in a first direction, and plural second electrodes arranged to extend in a second direction crossing the first direction in which the first electrodes extend, the touch control device comprising:

a controller which exerts a centralized control of the touch control device;

a touch driver which is electrically connected to the first and second electrodes, applies a self-detection mode and a partial mutual detection mode to collect data indicating the position of the object on or close to the touch sensor, and outputs the data to the controller;

a selector which switches, in a case of driving the first and second electrodes in the partial mutual detection mode, a signal connection to cause a drive synchronization signal from the touch driver to be supplied to one of the first electrodes which is designated by the controller; and

a self switch which switches, in a case of driving the first electrodes in the self-detection mode, the signal connection to cause the first electrodes and the touch driver to be signal-connected to each other; and

switches, in a case of driving the first and second electrodes in the partial mutual detection mode, the signal connection to cause a drive synchronization signal from the selector to be supplied to the one of the first electrodes.

9. The touch control device according to claim 8, wherein the controller outputs two signals for causing the signal connection to be switched, one of the two signals being supplied to the self switch, the other being supplied to the selector.

10. A display device having a touch detection function, comprising:

a touch control device which drives a touch sensor to collect data indicating a position of at least one object to be detected, which is located on or close to the touch sensor, and outputs the data to an external device, the touch sensor comprising plural first electrodes arranged to extend in a first direction, and plural second electrodes arranged to extend in a second direction crossing the first direction in which the first electrodes extend; and

display pixels which make a display based on an image signal and a display drive signal,

wherein the touch control device comprises;

a controller which exerts a centralized control of the touch control device;

a touch driver which is electrically connected to the first and second electrodes, applies a self-detection mode and a partial mutual detection mode to collect data indicating the position of the object on or close to the touch sensor, and outputs the data to the controller;

a selector which switches, in a case of driving the first and second electrodes in the partial mutual detection mode, a signal connection to cause a drive synchronization signal from the touch driver to be supplied to one of the first electrodes which is designated by the controller; and

a self switch which switches, in a case of driving the first electrodes in the self-detection mode, the signal connection to cause the first electrodes and the touch driver to be signal-connected to each other; and

switches, in a case of driving the first and second electrodes in the partial mutual detection mode, the signal connection to cause a drive synchronization signal from the selector to be supplied to the one of the first electrodes.

11. The display device having the touch detection function according to claim 10, wherein the touch control device is of an in-cell type.

12. The display device having the touch detection according to claim 10, wherein the controller outputs two signals for causing the signal connection to be switched, one of the two signals being supplied to the self switch, the other being supplied to the selector.

13. The display device having the touch detection function according to claim 12, wherein the touch control device is of an in-cell type.