Touch panel and display device comprising the same

• US 8,259,086 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Agari, Masafumi, Nakagawa, Naoki, Mori, Seiichiro, Murai, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Hang
• Application Number:
  US12/740,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1807, 345173-177
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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 capable of calculating touch position coordinates of an indicator with high accuracy in a desired detection time even if a large number of detection wire groups are provided. An oscillator circuit selects one of detection wires and selected by a circuit or the like according to a command from a detection control circuit and oscillates. A circuit counts an output signal from the oscillator circuit up to a first count value. A circuit measures a period of the count. A circuit determines that there is a touch when it detects the detection wire of which the measured period is equal to or higher than a threshold value and sends the detection wire giving a maximum value equal to or higher than the threshold value to a circuit as a touch detection wire. The circuit causes the circuit or the like to select the touch detection wire and the detection wires adjacent thereto on both sides, the circuit counts up until the count value becomes a second count value larger than the first count value, and the circuit measures the count period. The circuit performs interpolation on the basis of the count value obtained by subtracting a background capacitance value from a measured value obtained by the circuit, to thereby determine the touch coordinates.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a touch screen including a plurality of detection wires formed in each of a row direction and a column direction;

a switching circuit for selecting some of said plurality of detection wires;

an electrostatic capacitance detection circuit for outputting, according to a set detection accuracy, a detection value corresponding to electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire selected by said switching circuit and an indicator that touches said touch screen;

a touch position calculation circuit for calculating coordinates of a position on said touch screen which said indicator touches on the basis of said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit;

and a detection control circuit for controlling said switching circuit, said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit, and said touch position calculation circuit,

wherein in a normal detection mode,

said detection control circuit sets a first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said plurality of detection wires,

and said touch position calculation circuit specifies a touch detection wire on the basis of said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said first detection accuracy is set, said touch detection wire being said detection wire with a maximum detection value corresponding to electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire and said indicator that touches said touch screen, with said maximum detection value being equal to or higher than a first threshold value,

and in a high-accuracy detection mode to which the mode is shifted from said normal detection mode when said touch detection wire is specified by said touch position calculation circuit,

said detection control circuit sets a second detection accuracy higher than said first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said touch detection wire and said detection wires adjacent thereto,

and said touch position calculation circuit calculates coordinates of a position which said indicator touches on the basis of a value obtained by subtracting a background detection value based on said detection value of when there is no touch of said indicator from said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said second detection accuracy is set,

and in a background detection mode to which the mode is shifted from said normal detection mode when said touch detection wire is not specified by said touch position calculation circuit,

said detection control circuit sets a third detection accuracy higher than said first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said plurality of detection wires,

and said touch position calculation circuit calculates said background detection value on the basis of the detection values when all said detection values on said plurality of detection wires which are outputted from said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said third detection accuracy is set are lower than a second threshold value,

and the mode is shifted to said normal detection mode from each of said high-accuracy detection mode and said background detection mode after the operation thereof is finished.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

the operation of said background detection mode is performed when said touch detection wire is not specified by said touch position calculation circuit every time when the operation of said normal detection mode is repeated a predetermined number of times.

3. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit comprises:

an oscillator circuit for oscillating an oscillation output signal of which the oscillation cycle changes according to said electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire selected by said switching circuit and said indicator;

a first counter circuit for counting said oscillation output signal from said oscillator circuit up to a predetermined count value which is set as said detection accuracy; and

a second counter circuit for counting a predetermined clock signal to thereby count a time period needed from the time when said first counter circuit starts a counting operation to the time when the count value of said first counter circuit becomes said predetermined count value.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit comprises:

an oscillator circuit for oscillating an oscillation output signal of which the oscillation cycle changes according to said electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire selected by said switching circuit and said indicator; and

a counter circuit for counting said oscillation output signal from said oscillator circuit over a predetermined time period which is set as said detection accuracy.

5. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

said touch position calculation circuit performs interpolation of coordinates between coordinates of said touch detection wire and coordinates of one of said detection wires adjacent to said touch detection wire on the basis of said detection value corresponding to said touch detection wire specified in said normal detection mode and the larger one of said detection values corresponding to said two detection wires adjacent to said touch detection wire, to thereby calculate coordinates of the position which said indicator touches.

6. A display device comprising:

a touch panel;

and a display panel,

wherein said touch panel comprises;

a touch screen including a plurality of detection wires formed in each of a row direction and a column direction;

a switching circuit for selecting some of said plurality of detection wires;

an electrostatic capacitance detection circuit for outputting, according to a set detection accuracy, a detection value corresponding to electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire selected by said switching circuit and an indicator that touches said touch screen;

a touch position calculation circuit for calculating coordinates of a position on said touch screen which said indicator touches on the basis of said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit;

and a detection control circuit for controlling said switching circuit, said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit, and said touch position calculation circuit,

and in a normal detection mode,

said detection control circuit sets a first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said plurality of detection wires,

and said touch position calculation circuit specifies a touch detection wire on the basis of said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said first detection accuracy is set, said touch detection wire being said detection wire with a maximum detection value corresponding to electrostatic capacitance formed between said detection wire and said indicator that touches said touch screen, with said maximum detection value being equal to or higher than a first threshold value,

and in a high-accuracy detection mode to which the mode is shifted from said normal detection mode when said touch detection wire is specified by said touch position calculation circuit,

said detection control circuit sets a second detection accuracy higher than said first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said touch detection wire and said detection wires adjacent thereto,

and said touch position calculation circuit calculates coordinates of a position which said indicator touches on the basis of a value obtained by subtracting a background detection value based on said detection value of when there is no touch of said indicator from said detection value of said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said second detection accuracy is set,

and in a background detection mode to which the mode is shifted from said normal detection mode when said touch detection wire is not specified by said touch position calculation circuit,

said detection control circuit sets a third detection accuracy higher than said first detection accuracy in said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit and controls said switching circuit to sequentially select said plurality of detection wires,

and said touch position calculation circuit calculates said background detection value on the basis of the detection values when all said detection values on said plurality of detection wires which are outputted from said electrostatic capacitance detection circuit in which said third detection accuracy is set are lower than a second threshold value,

and the mode is shifted to said normal detection mode from said high-accuracy detection mode or said background detection mode after the operation thereof is finished.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein

said touch screen included in said touch panel is adhered to the front surface side of said display panel.