Input device, contact position detection method, and display device provided with input device

• US 9,041,678 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2011
• 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: Sugita, Yasuhiro, Kida, Kazutoshi, Yashiro, Yuhji, Yamagishi, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US14/113,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20140049705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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

Detection accuracy is improved without reducing a driving frequency and an S/N ratio.

Driving electrodes (DL(j−2) and DL(j−1)) of a driving electrode group (GDL(i)) overlap a driving electrode group GDL(i−1), and driving electrodes (DL(j+1) and DL(j+2)) thereof overlap a driving electrode group GDL(i+1). A first changeover terminal of a changeover switch (SW(i)) is connected to a wire to which a burst clock signal (BCK) is given, and a ground potential is given to a second changeover terminal thereof. A common terminal of the changeover switch (SW(i)) is connected to a driving electrode (DL(j)) located at a center of the driving electrode group (GDL(i)), is connected to the driving electrodes (DL(j−1) to DL(j−3)), respectively, via one to three resistive elements (Rd), and is connected to the driving electrodes (DL(j+1) to DL(j+3)), respectively, via one to three resistive elements (Rd).

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a touch panel that includes M (where M is a natural number of 5 or more) driving electrodes, and a plurality of detection electrodes forming capacitances between the respective driving electrodes, in which the M driving electrodes and the plurality of detection electrodes are perpendicular to each other and are disposed in a matrix;

a driving circuit that is connected to the M driving electrodes, sequentially drives the M driving electrodes for each predetermined selection period in the unit of a driving electrode group including continuous Nd (where 3≦

Nd<

M) driving electrodes, makes a driving electrode which is located further toward a rear side in a direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in one selection period of continuous selection periods overlap a driving electrode which is located further toward a front side in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in the other selection period, and reduces a voltage of a driving signal to be applied to a driving electrode as the driving electrode forming each driving electrode group is located at a position more distant from the center of the driving electrode group;

a plurality of detection circuits that are respectively connected to the plurality of detection electrodes and acquire detection voltages which respectively correspond to potentials of the plurality of detection electrodes; and

a control unit that is connected to the driving circuit and the plurality of detection circuits,

wherein the control unit includes a coordinate acquisition portion that acquires a coordinate of a position in which an object is in contact with the touch panel in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged, based on a detection voltage acquired by the detection circuit in one of the continuous selection periods and a detection voltage acquired by the detection circuit in the other selection period.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit linearly reduces a voltage of a driving signal to be applied to a driving electrode as the driving electrode forming each driving electrode group is located at a position more distant from the center of the driving electrode group.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the driving circuit includes:

a shift register provided with K (where K<

M) bistable circuits which are longitudinally connected to each other, sequentially make output signals active, and correspond to the driving electrode groups different from each other; and

a driving signal generation circuit generating a driving signal which is applied to each driving electrode of a driving electrode group corresponding to a bistable circuit in response to an output signal from each bistable circuit.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the driving signal generation circuit includes a plurality of resistive elements with the same resistance value as each other,

wherein a driving electrode located at the center of each driving electrode group is connected to driving electrodes located at positions other than the center of each driving electrode group via one or more resistive elements, and

wherein the driving electrodes located at the positions other than the center of each driving electrode group are connected to driving electrodes other than the corresponding driving electrodes via one or more resistive elements.

5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein driving electrodes adjacent to each other are connected to each other via the resistive element.

6. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the driving signal generation circuit includes K changeover switches that are respectively controlled so as to perform changeover operations on the basis of output signals from the K bistable circuits,

wherein a common terminal of each changeover switch is connected to a driving electrode located at the center of a driving electrode group corresponding to a bistable circuit which controls a changeover operation of the changeover switch,

wherein a predetermined signal is given to one of changeover terminals of each changeover switch, and

wherein a fixed potential is given to the other changeover terminal of each changeover switch.

7. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the driving signal generation circuit includes Nd switching elements of which control terminals are connected to the respective bistable circuits,

wherein one of a plurality of signals with different potentials is given to one of conduction terminals of each of the Nd switching elements,

wherein the other conduction terminals of the Nd switching elements are respectively connected to Nd driving electrodes of a driving electrode group corresponding to each bistable circuit,

wherein a signal with the highest voltage of a plurality of signals with different voltages is given to one conduction terminal of a switching element of which the other conduction terminal is connected to a driving electrode located at the center of a driving electrode group corresponding to each bistable circuit, and

wherein a voltage of a signal given to one conduction terminal of a switching element of which the other conduction terminal is connected to each driving electrode linearly decreases as the driving electrode is located at a position more distant from the center of a driving electrode group including the driving electrode.

8. The input device according to claim 1, wherein each driving electrode is formed so as to have a width of 1 mm to 2 mm.

9. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit is integrally formed with the touch panel.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit is formed by a thin film transistor.

11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit is integrally formed with the control unit.

12. The input device according to claim 1, wherein Nd is an odd number.

13. A contact position detection method of detecting a position in which an object is in contact with a touch panel that includes M (where M is a natural number of 5 or more) driving electrodes, and a plurality of detection electrodes forming capacitances between the respective driving electrodes, in which the M driving electrodes and the plurality of detection electrodes are perpendicular to each other and are disposed in a matrix, the method comprising:

a step of sequentially driving the M driving electrodes for each predetermined selection period in the unit of a driving electrode group including continuous Nd (where 3≦

Nd<

M) driving electrodes, making a driving electrode which is located further toward a rear side in a direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in one selection period of continuous selection periods overlap a driving electrode which is located further toward a front side in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in the other selection period, and reducing a voltage of a driving signal to be applied to a driving electrode as the driving electrode forming each driving electrode group is located at a position more distant from the center of the driving electrode group;

a step of acquiring detection voltages which respectively correspond to potentials of the plurality of detection electrodes; and

a step of acquiring a coordinate of a position in which the object is in contact with the touch panel in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged, based on a detection voltage acquired in the step of acquiring detection voltages in one of the continuous selection periods and a detection voltage acquired in the step of acquiring detection voltages in the other selection period.

14. A display device comprising:

a display unit that displays an image; and

an input device,

wherein the input device includes

a touch panel that has M (where M is a natural number of 5 or more) driving electrodes, and a plurality of detection electrodes forming capacitances between the respective driving electrodes, in which the M driving electrodes and the plurality of detection electrodes are perpendicular to each other and are disposed in a matrix;

a driving circuit that is connected to the M driving electrodes, sequentially drives the M driving electrodes for each predetermined selection period in the unit of a driving electrode group including continuous Nd (where 3≦

Nd<

M) driving electrodes, makes a driving electrode which is located further toward a rear side in a direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in one selection period of continuous selection periods overlap a driving electrode which is located further toward a front side in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged than a driving electrode located at a center of a driving electrode group which is driven in the other selection period, and reduces a voltage of a driving signal to be applied to a driving electrode as the driving electrode forming each driving electrode group is located at a position more distant from the center of the driving electrode group;

a plurality of detection circuits that are respectively connected to the plurality of detection electrodes and acquire detection voltages which respectively correspond to potentials of the plurality of detection electrodes; and

a control unit that is connected to the driving circuit and the plurality of detection circuits,

wherein the control unit includes a coordinate acquisition portion that acquires a coordinate of a position in which an object is in contact with the touch panel in the direction in which the M driving electrodes are arranged, based on a detection voltage acquired by the detection circuit in one of the continuous selection periods and a detection voltage acquired by the detection circuit in the other selection period.