Method for determining multiple touch points by pairing detected electrodes during a second touch sensing period

• US 8,698,774 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated, Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mamba, Norio, Sato, Hideo, Kumagai, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINGARAJU, NAVIN B
• Application Number:
  US12/285,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,007 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-184
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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

Provided is a capacitance coupling type on-screen input image display device that enables multipoint detection in a short period of time. The on-screen input image display device includes: a detection circuit (4) for detecting a change in capacitance between the plurality of X coordinate electrodes and the plurality of Y coordinate electrodes of the touch sensor (3); a touch panel control circuit (6) for determining a touched coordinate point; and a main control circuit (7) for receiving touch coordinate data from the touch panel control circuit (6). The main control circuit (7) judges occurrence of a user'"'"'s touch and coordinates of the occurrence from the touch coordinate data, and supplies a display signal corresponding to the judged coordinates to the display device (1) via the display control circuit (2), whereby the display signal is reflected on the display.

Claims

1. The on-screen input image display system comprising a touch sensor for detecting coordinates of a touch position on a display screen of a display device,

the touch sensor being disposed on the display screen of the display device and comprising a plurality of X coordinate electrodes and a plurality of Y coordinate electrodes arranged so as to cross the plurality of X coordinate electrodes via an insulator layer, both for detecting a change in capacitance due to pressing, the on-screen input image display system comprising:

a detection circuit for detecting a change in capacitance between the plurality of X coordinate electrodes and the plurality of Y coordinate electrodes of the touch sensor;

an analog to digital converter for converting a detection output of the detection circuit into digital data;

a touch panel control circuit for determining a touched coordinate point;

a main control circuit for receiving touch coordinate data from the touch panel control circuit and for controlling the on-screen input image display system; and

a display control circuit for controlling display on the display device,

wherein the main control circuit judges occurrence of a user'"'"'s touch and coordinates of the occurrence from the touch coordinate data, and supplies a display signal corresponding to the judged coordinates to the display device via the display control circuit,

wherein the touch panel control circuit detects, in a first period, an X coordinate electrode and a Y coordinate electrode, in which capacitance changes, and

when each of a number of the X coordinate electrodes and a number of the Y coordinate electrodes detected in the first period is two or larger, the touch panel control circuit performs, in a second period, a detecting operation and a true-false determining operation for determining a combination of the detected X coordinate electrode and Y coordinate electrode for which capacitance has been increased by comparing digital data obtained in the first detection period and digital data obtained in the second detection period, and outputs the coordinates of the touch position based on a result of the determining operation; and

when one of the number of the X coordinate electrodes and the number of the Y coordinate electrodes detected in the first period is one, the coordinate detection in the first period is continuously performed without performing the determining operation in the second period,

wherein a detecting method of the second period is different than a detecting method of the first period,

wherein the touch panel control circuit is configured to detect every signal of all of the X coordinate electrodes and all of the Y coordinate electrodes in the first period and to detect only ones of the Y coordinate electrodes determined to be a target of the true or false determination among a plurality of the Y coordinate electrodes in the second period,

wherein the touch panel control circuit is further configured to connect others of the Y coordinate electrodes which are not necessary to make the true or false determination to ground during the second period, and

wherein the touch panel control circuit is further configured to detect, in the second period, only the X coordinate electrodes among the plurality of X coordinate electrodes which are determined to be necessary to make the true or false determination, while connecting the other X coordinate electrodes of the plurality of X coordinate electrodes to ground.

3. The on-screen input image display system according to claim 1,

wherein the detection method of the second period differs from the detection method of the first period in that the total number of X coordinate electrodes and Y coordinate electrodes for which signals are detected in the second period is less than the total number of X coordinate electrodes and Y coordinate electrodes for which signals are detected in the first period.

4. The on-screen input image display system according to claim 1,

wherein the detecting method of the second period is performed only on ones of the coordinate electrodes which are targets of the determining operation.

5. An on-screen input image display system according to claim 1,

wherein the detecting method of the second period includes steps to electrically connect all the coordinate electrodes which are not targets of the determining operation to ground.

6. An on-screen input image display system according to claim 1,

wherein the one touch panel control circuit is configured so that the detecting methods of the first period and the second period can be performed even while touch points are stationary.

7. An on-screen input image display system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the second period, digital data, which corresponds to a period of time during which a voltage of an electrode is below a set reference voltage, is measured for electrodes which are targets of the determining operation while current is applied to them.

2. The on-screen input image display system comprising a touch sensor for detecting coordinates of a touch position on a display screen of a display device,

the touch sensor being disposed on the display screen of the display device and comprising a plurality of X coordinate electrodes and a plurality of Y coordinate electrodes arranged so as to cross the plurality of X coordinate electrodes via an insulator layer, both for detecting a change in capacitance due to pressing, the on-screen input image display system comprising:

a detection circuit for detecting a change in capacitance between the plurality of X coordinate electrodes and the plurality of Y coordinate electrodes of the touch sensor;

an analog to digital converter for converting a detection output of the detection circuit into digital data;

a touch panel control circuit for determining a touched coordinate point;

a main control circuit for receiving touch coordinate data from the touch panel control circuit and for controlling the on-screen input image display system; and

a display control circuit for controlling display on the display device,

wherein the main control circuit judges occurrence of a user'"'"'s touch and coordinates of the occurrence from the touch coordinate data, and supplies a display signal corresponding to the judged coordinates to the display device via the display control circuit,

wherein the touch panel control circuit detects, in a first period, an X coordinate electrode and a Y coordinate electrode, in which capacitance changes, and

when each of a number of the X coordinate electrodes and a number of the Y coordinate electrodes detected in the first period is two or larger, the touch panel control circuit performs, in a second period, a detecting operation and a true-false determining operation for determining a combination of the detected X coordinate electrode and Y coordinate electrode for which capacitance has been increased by comparing digital data obtained in the first detection period and digital data obtained in the second detection period, and outputs the coordinates of the touch position based on a result of the determining operation; and

when one of the number of the X coordinate electrodes and the number of the Y coordinate electrodes detected in the first period is one, the coordinate detection in the first period is continuously performed without performing the determining operation in the second period,

wherein a detecting method of the second period is different than a detecting method of the first period,

wherein the touch panel control circuit is configured to detect every signal of all of the X coordinate electrodes and all of the Y coordinate electrodes in the first period and to detect only ones of the Y coordinate electrodes determined to be a target of the true or false determination among a plurality of the Y coordinate electrodes in the second period,

wherein the touch panel control circuit is further configured to connect others of the Y coordinate electrodes which are not necessary to make the true or false determination to ground during the second period, and

wherein the touch panel control circuit is configured to detect every signal of all of the plurality of X coordinate electrodes during the second period.