Signal detector

• US 7,173,607 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Ryoichi, Matsumoto, Shoichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US10/061,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20040189611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,828 Days
• Field of Search: 345/98, 345/100, 345173-183, 345/103, 345/204, 382120-123, 382312-324
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

A signal detector capable of linearly reading data at a high speed is obtained. This signal detector comprises a plurality of signal transfer transistors arranged in the form of a matrix, signal detection means connected to a first terminal of each signal transfer transistor, a data line connected to a second terminal of each signal transfer transistor, a control line connected to the gate of each signal transfer transistor, a gate line driving circuit for driving the control line, data read lines connected to a plurality of prescribed data lines through switching transistors respectively, and a switch driving circuit for driving the switching transistors corresponding to the aforementioned plurality of prescribed data lines substantially at the same timing. Thus, a plurality of prescribed data are simultaneously read for enabling linear data reading and increasing the speed of data reading.

Claims

1. A signal detector comprising:

a plurality of signal transfer transistors arranged in the form of a matrix;

signal detection means connected to a first terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a data line connected to a second terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a control line connected to a control terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a control line driving circuit for driving said control line;

a plurality of switching transistors configured to couple a plurality of said data lines to a plurality of data read lines, respectively; and

a switch driving circuit for driving said plurality of switching transistors at substantially the same time to enable data from said plurality of data lines to be read out in parallel to said plurality of data read lines, said switch driving circuit for providing said read data in parallel to a circuit for comparing said read data with reference data.

2. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein a single said switch driving circuit is provided for said plurality of data lines.

3. The signal detector according to claim 2, wherein

single said switch driving circuit is provided for four or nine said data lines.

4. The signal detector according to claim 2, wherein

single said control line driving circuit is provided for a plurality of said control lines.

5. The signal detector according to claim 4, wherein

single said switch driving circuit is provided for four said data lines, and

single said control line driving circuit is provided for two said control lines.

6. The signal detector according to claim 4, wherein

single said switch driving circuit is provided for nine said data lines, and

single said control line driving circuit is provided for three said control lines.

7. The signal detector according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of control lines are simultaneously commissioned thereby planarly reading data.

8. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein said switch driving circuit employs are pulse output to read data from said signal detection means in a time-division system.

9. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said switch driving circuit includes two shift registers, a NAND circuit and an inverter.

11. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said signal transfer transistors and said switching transistors consist of polysilicon thin-film transistors.

12. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said signal transfer transistors and said switching transistors consist of thin-film transistors made of an organic material or a composite material of an organic material and an inorganic material.

13. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said signal detection means includes a pressure sensitive film.

14. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said signal detection means includes a photo-receiving sensor element.

15. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of signal transfer transistors, said signal detection means, said control line driving circuit and said switch driving circuit are provided on a common substrate.

16. The signal detector according to claim 15, wherein

a comparator for comparing read data with stored data is also formed on said common substrate.

17. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of control lines include a first control line and a second control line,

a plurality of said data lines include a first data line and a second data line,

a plurality of said signal detection means include first signal detection means coupled with said first control line and said first data line and second signal detection means coupled with said second control line and said second data line, and

said plurality of data read lines include a first data read line connected to said first data line and a second data read line connected to said second data line,

said switch driving circuit includes a first switch driving circuit connected to said first data line and said second data line in common, and

for simultaneously commissioning said first control line and said second control line while commissioning said first switch driving circuit thereby simultaneously reading data of said first signal detection means coupled with said first control line and data of said second signal detection means coupled with said second control line through said first data read line and said second data read line.

18. The signal detector according to claim 1, wherein

said control line includes a first control line,

a plurality of said data lines include a first data line and a second data line,

a plurality of said signal detection means include first signal detection means and second signal detection means coupled with said first control line,

said plurality of data read lines include a first data read line connected to said first data line and a second data read line connected to said second data line, and

said switch driving circuit includes a first switch driving circuit connected to said first data line and said second data line in common,

for commissioning said first control line and said first switch driving circuit thereby simultancously reading data of said first signal detection means and said second signal detection means coupled with said first control line through said first data read line and said second data read line.

10. The signal detector according to clam 1, wherein

said control line driving circuit includes a shift register.

19. A signal detector comprising:

a plurality of transfer transistors arranged in the form of a matrix;

means connected to the source of each said transfer transistor for detecting the pressure of a surface;

a data line connected to the drain of each said transfer transistor;

a gate line connected to the gate of each said transfer transistor;

a gate line driving circuit for driving said gate line;

a plurality of switching transistors configured to couple a plurality of said data lines to a plurality of data read lines, respectively; and

a single switch driving circuit for driving the gates of said plurality of switching transistors to enable data to be read out in parallel from said plurality of data lines to said plurality of data read lines, said switch driving circuit for providing said read data in parallel to a circuit for comparing said read data with reference data.

20. The signal detector according to claim 19, wherein

said means detecting the pressure of a surface includes a pressure sensitive film.

21. A signal detector comprising:

a plurality of signal transfer transistors arranged in the form of a matrix;

signal detection means connected to a first terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a data line connected to a second terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a control line connected to a control terminal of each said signal transfer transistor;

a control line driving circuit for driving said control line;

a plurality of switching transistors configured to couple a plurality of said data lines to a plurality of data read lines, respectively; and

a switch driving circuit for driving said plurality of switching transistors at substantially the same time to enable data from said plurality of data lines to be read out in parallel to said plurality of data read lines, wherein

the switch driving circuit simultaneously provides a plurality of read data to a circuit for comparing said read data with reference data.