Control apparatus and control method for controlling panel module including touch panel and display panel by referring to level transition of at least one driving signal

• US 8,786,558 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Himax Technologies Ltd. (Himax Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Himax Technologies Ltd. (Himax Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chiu, Ming-Cheng, Yang, Yi-Long
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirkpatrick, John
• Application Number:
  US12/691,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,643 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 178/18.02
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally

Abstract

A control apparatus for controlling a panel module including a touch panel and a display panel is provided. The control apparatus includes: a display driver, coupled to the display panel, for controlling display operations of the display panel according to a plurality of driving signals; and a touch controller, coupled to the touch panel and the display driver, for referring to a level transition of at least one driving signal of the driving signals to generate a touch control signal corresponding to a touch sensing output generated by the touch panel.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for controlling a panel module including a touch panel and a display panel, comprising:

a display driver, coupled to the display panel, for controlling display operations of the display panel according to a plurality of driving signals; and

a touch controller, coupled to the touch panel and the display driver, for referring to a level transition of at least one driving signal of the driving signals to generate a touch control signal corresponding to a touch sensing output generated by the touch panel;

wherein the touch controller divides a processing period, during which the touch sensing output is detected, into at least two time segments that correspond to the level transition of the at least one driving signal, and the touch controller further sets weighting values for each of the at least two time segments, respectively, and generates the touch control signal by multiplying the touch sensing output of each time segment by the corresponding weighting values, wherein the weighting values compensate for interference by the driving signals, and a sum of all of the weighting values is 1.

2. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch controller refers to a plurality of level transitions respectively corresponding to the driving signals to generate the touch control signal.

3. The control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of driving signals comprise a VCOM signal and/or a source signal corresponding to the touch panel.

4. A control method for controlling a panel module including a touch panel and a display panel, comprising:

providing a display driver coupled to the display panel;

using the display driver to control display operations of the display panel according to a plurality of driving signals;

providing a touch controller coupled to the touch panel and the display driver; and

using the touch controller to refer to a level transition of at least one driving signal of the driving signals to generate a touch control signal corresponding to a touch sensing output generated by the touch panel;

wherein the step of setting at least a processing period, during which the touch sensing output is detected, comprises using the touch controller to divide the processing period into at least two time segments that correspond to the level transition of the at least one driving signal, and using the touch controller to further set weighting values for each of the at least two time segments, respectively, and to generate the touch control signal by multiplying the touch sensing output of each time segment by the corresponding weighting values, wherein the weighting values compensate for interference by the driving signals, and a sum of all of the weighting values is 1.

5. The control method of claim 4, wherein the step of generating the touch control signal corresponding to the touch sensing output generated by the touch panel touch controller comprises referring to a plurality of level transitions respectively corresponding to the driving signals to generate the touch control signal.

6. The control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of driving signals comprise a VCOM signal and/or a source signal corresponding to the touch panel.