Apparatus and method for driving touch panel device

• US 7,439,961 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kong, Nam Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Henry N
• Application Number:
  US10/606,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20040090430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,943 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 345/102, 345/207, 345/690, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178 1805- 1807, 178/19.01, 178/19.04, 178/20.01, 349/61, 349/68, 349/106, 349/110, 362/561
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A driving apparatus of a touch panel includes a touch panel for generating a coordinate signal according to a position of a contact point, at least two interface integrated circuits connected to the touch panel, a computer system driving the touch panel and connected to any one of the at least two interface integrated circuits, a sensor for automatically detecting the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system, and a controller for converting the coordinate signal in accordance with the interface integrated circuit detected at the sensor and transmitting the converted coordinate signal to the computer system.

Claims

1. A driving apparatus of a touch panel, comprising:

a touch panel for generating a coordinate signal corresponding to a position of a contact point;

a selector including at least two interface integrated circuits having communication standards different from each other, the at least two interface integrated circuits being formed in one touch controller;

a computer system driving the touch panel and connected to any one of the at least two interface integrated circuits;

a sensor for detecting the presence of the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system among the at least two interface integrated circuits; and

a controller for converting the coordinate signal into a coordinate value having X-axis and Y-axis suitable for the interface integrated circuit detected at the sensor and transmitting the coordinate value to the computer system,

wherein the selector selects a communication channel between the controller and the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system.

2. The driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the interface integrated circuit and the sensor is integrated with the controller.

3. The driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

an analog-to-digital converter for converting an coordinate signal of analog input from the touch panel into a coordinate signal of digital; and

a microcomputer for converting the digital coordinate signal into the coordinate value having X-axis and Y-axis suitable for the interface integrated circuit detected at the sensor.

4. The driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor is integrated with the microcomputer.

5. The driving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least two transmitting connectors corresponding to the at least two interface integrated circuits; and

at least two receiving connectors corresponding to the at least two transmitting connectors.

6. The driving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor senses the a sense control signal generated from the transmitting connector corresponding to the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system when the transmitting connector is connected to the receiving connector corresponding to the transmitting connector.

7. The driving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor senses a sense control signal generated from the computer system when the transmitting connector corresponding to the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system is connected to the receiving connector corresponding to the transmitting connector.

8. The driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system includes USB communication.

9. The driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system includes serial communication.

10. A method for driving a touch panel device, comprising:

generating a coordinate signal corresponding to a position of a contact point;

detecting the presence of an interface integrated circuit connected to a computer system among at least two interface integrated circuits having communication standards different from each other, the at least two interface integrated circuits being formed in one touch controller

converting the coordinate signal into a coordinate value having X-axis and Y-axis suitable for the interface integrated circuit detected at a sensor by a controller;

selecting a communication channel between the controller and the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system; and

transmitting the coordinate value to the computer system via the communication channel and the interface integrated circuit connected to the computer system.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of converting includes:

converting a coordinate signal of an analog input from the touch panel into a digital coordinate signal;

converting the digital coordinate signal into the coordinate value having X-axis and Y-axis suitable for the interface integrated circuit detected at the sensor.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the steps of transmitting the coordinate value include serial communication.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the steps of transmitting the coordinate value include USB communication.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of detecting the presence of the interface integrated circuit includes transmitting a sense control signal generated from the computer system when the computer system is connected to the interface integrated circuit.