Capacitive touch device and method of driving same

• US 8,451,250 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Hsieh, Ming-Lun, Kuo, Chun-Ku, Liu, Po-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAYAN, MIHIR K
• Application Number:
  US12/841,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a capacitive touch panel. In one embodiment, the capacitive touch panel includes a plurality of driving electrodes and a plurality of sensing electrodes spatially arranged in a matrix, and a driver electrically coupled to the touch sensor matrix and configured to generate a driving signal to synchronically drive one or more driving electrodes and the sensing electrodes, such that at least one sensing electrode is not driven by the driving signal. The remaining driving electrodes are grounded. The not-driven sensing electrodes sense and transmit a sensing signal of a touch.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a plurality of driving electrodes, {X_n}, n=1, 2, . . . , N, spatially arranged along a row direction;

a plurality of sensing electrodes, {Y_m}, m=1, 2, . . . , M, spatially arranged crossing over the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} along a column direction perpendicular to the row direction, such that the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} define a touch sensor matrix having N rows and M columns, each of N and M being a positive integer; and

a driver electrically coupled to the touch sensor matrix and configured to generate a driving signal to synchronically drive both one of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and (M-j) sensing electrodes of the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m}, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , or M-1, wherein j sensing electrodes are not driven by the driving signal and are adapted to transmit a sensing signal of a touch, and wherein the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} are grounded.

2. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein the driving signal is sequentially applied to each of the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n}.

3. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensing electrodes and the plurality of driving electrodes are electrically insulated from one another.

4. A method of driving a capacitive touch panel comprising a plurality of driving electrodes, {X_n}, n=1, 2, . . . , N, spatially arranged along a row direction, and a plurality of sensing electrodes, {Y_m}, m=1, 2, . . . , M, spatially arranged crossing over the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} along a column direction perpendicular to the row direction such that the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} define a touch sensor matrix having N rows and M columns, each of N and M being a positive integer, the method comprising the steps of:

synchronically driving both one of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and (M-j) sensing electrodes of the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} with a driving signal, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , or M-1, wherein j sensing electrodes are not driven by the driving signal and are adapted to transmit a sensing signal of a touch;

grounding the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n}.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of sequentially applying the driving signal to each of the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n}.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of detecting the sensing signal of the touch transmitted from the j sensing electrodes.

7. A capacitive touch panel, comprising:

a plurality of driving electrodes, {X_n}, n=1, 2, . . . , N, spatially arranged along a row direction;

a plurality of sensing electrodes, {Y_m}, m=1, 2, . . . , M, spatially arranged crossing over the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} along a column direction perpendicular to the row direction such that the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} define a touch sensor matrix having N rows and M columns, each of N and M being a positive integer; and

a driver electrically coupled to the touch sensor matrix and configured to generate a driving signal to synchronically drive both a group of driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and (M-j) sensing electrodes of the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m}, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , or M-1, wherein j sensing electrodes are not driven by the driving signal and are adapted to transmit a sensing signal of a touch, and wherein the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} are grounded.

8. The capacitive touch panel of claim 7, wherein the group of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} has N_E driving electrodes, wherein N_E is an integer that is greater than one and less than N.

9. The capacitive touch panel of claim 8, wherein the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} has N_G groups, wherein N_G=(N−

N_E+1).

10. The capacitive touch panel of claim 9, wherein the driving signal is sequentially applied to each group of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} to drive them synchronically.

11. The capacitive touch panel of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of sensing electrodes and the plurality of driving electrodes are electrically insulated from one another.

12. A method of driving a capacitive touch panel comprising a plurality of driving electrodes, {X_n}, n=1, 2, . . . , N, spatially arranged along a row direction, and a plurality of sensing electrodes, {Y_m}, m=1, 2, . . . , M, spatially arranged crossing over the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} along a column direction perpendicular to the row direction such that the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} define a touch sensor matrix having N rows and M columns, each of N and M being a positive integer, the method comprising the steps of:

synchronically driving both a group of driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} and (M-j) sensing electrodes of the plurality of sensing electrodes {Y_m} with a driving signal, wherein j=1, 2, 3, . . . , or M-1, wherein j sensing electrodes are not driven by the driving signal and are adapted to transmit a sensing signal of a touch; and

grounding the remaining driving electrodes of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n}.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the group of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} has N_E driving electrodes, wherein N_E is an integer that is greater than one and less than N.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} has N_G groups, wherein N_G=(N−

N_E+1).

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of sequentially applying the driving signal to each group of the plurality of driving electrodes {X_n} to drive them synchronically.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of detecting the sensing signal of the touch transmitted from the j sensing electrodes.