Touch sensor-equipped display device

• US 8,723,829 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nishimura, Tomohiko, Miyazawa, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Simpson, Lixi C
• Application Number:
  US13/634,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3614 Control of polarity reversal in general
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3655 Details of drivers for counter electrodes, e.g. common electrodes for pixel capacitors or supplementary storage capacitors

Abstract

In order to provide a touch sensor-equipped display device that is not susceptible to the effect of noise caused by a polarity reversal in a common voltage of a display device without using special circuitry, the disclosed touch sensor-equipped display device is provided with: a sensor output read circuit 21 that is sequentially connected to a plurality of sensor electrodes of a touch sensor part 7 and that outputs a signal voltage according to the electrical properties of each electrode; a sensor control circuit 23 that supplies a control signal to the sensor output read circuit 21; and a coordinate calculation circuit 22 that detects a contact position on the basis of the signal voltage. The coordinate calculation circuit 22 is provided with: an averaging circuit 221 that calculates the average values of signal voltage values obtained during a scan that was started in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal when the common voltage is reversed from positive polarity to negative polarity, and the signal voltage values obtained during a scan that was started in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal when the common voltage is reversed from negative polarity to positive polarity; and a contact position detection circuit 222 that detects the contact position on the basis of the average values.

Claims

1. A touch sensor-equipped display device, comprising:

a display panel that includes an active matrix substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes formed therein, a display medium layer, and an opposite substrate having an opposite electrode that faces the plurality of pixel electrodes;

a display panel driver circuit that supplies a display signal voltage to the plurality of pixel electrodes, the display panel driver circuit also supplying a common voltage, which undergoes a periodic reversal of polarity, to the opposite electrode;

a touch sensor part disposed on a surface of the display panel on a side of the opposite substrate, the touch sensor part having a plurality of sensor electrodes that exhibit a change in electrical characteristics when a contacting body comes into contact therewith;

a sensor output read circuit that is sequentially connected to the respective sensor electrodes, the sensor output read circuit outputting a signal voltage based on the electrical characteristic of the connected sensor electrode;

a sensor control circuit that supplies a control signal to the sensor output read circuit; and

a coordinate calculation circuit that detects a position where the contacting body has come into contact in the touch sensor part based on the signal voltage outputted from the sensor output read circuit,

wherein the sensor control circuit starts a scanning operation that sequentially connects each of the sensor electrodes in the touch sensor part to the sensor output read circuit to output the signal voltage, in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal supplied to the display panel driver circuit, and

wherein the coordinate calculation circuit comprises;

an averaging circuit that calculates an average value between a signal voltage value that is outputted from the sensor output read circuit through the scanning operation started in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal at which the common voltage reverses from negative polarity to positive polarity, and a signal voltage value that is outputted from the sensor output read circuit through the scanning operation started in synchronization with a horizontal synchronization signal at which the common voltage reverses from positive polarity to negative polarity; and

a coordinate position detection circuit that detects a position where the contacting body has come into contact in the touch sensor part based on said average value.

2. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein the averaging circuit calculates an average value between a signal voltage value outputted from the sensor output read circuit through the scanning operation started in synchronization with one horizontal synchronization signal, and a signal voltage value outputted from the sensor output read circuit through the scanning operation started in synchronization with an odd numbered horizontal synchronization signal from said one horizontal synchronization signal.

3. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 2, wherein the averaging circuit calculates the average value every two periods of the scanning operation.

4. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 2, wherein the averaging circuit calculates the average value every one period of the scanning operation.

5. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor electrodes comprises a first sensor electrode group constituted of a plurality of sensor electrodes lined up in a first axis direction of coordinates in the touch sensor part, and a second sensor electrode group constituted of a plurality of sensor electrodes lined up in a second axis direction of the coordinates in the touch sensor part, and

wherein the coordinate calculation circuit determines the first axis direction coordinate of the position where the contacting body has come into contact, based on a signal voltage outputted when the sensor output read circuit is connected to a sensor electrode belonging to the first sensor electrode group, and determines the second axis direction coordinate of the position where a contacting body has come into contact, based on a signal voltage outputted when the sensor output read circuit is connected to a sensor electrode belonging to the second sensor electrode group.

6. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein the polarity of the common voltage reverses every one horizontal period.

7. The touch sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein the polarity of the common voltage reverses every two horizontal periods.