Semiconductor device and electronic device

• US 9,778,725 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnivision TDDI Ontario Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Japan GK (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kuroiwa, Tsuyoshi, Ota, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US14/085,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20140145986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The semiconductor device has a touch panel controller, a processor, and a display driver. The display driver has a memory circuit which rewritably stores control data for drive control of a display panel from outside the semiconductor device. The processor controls the touch panel controller based on a command provided from outside the semiconductor device, and accesses control data in the memory circuit for controlling internal parts of the semiconductor device. With the aid of the arrangement like this, the processor is allowed to control a touch panel based on the read control data fit to the control by the display driver, and to control, by writing control data, the display panel fit for a control condition of the touch panel.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a touch panel controller operable to perform pulse-drive control of drive electrodes of a touch panel, and detection control of touch signals arising on detection electrodes capacitively coupled with the drive electrodes;

a processor operable to control the touch panel controller; and

a display driver operable to perform drive control of a display panel;

wherein the display driver has a memory circuit operable to rewritably store display control data for drive control of the display panel from outside the semiconductor device,

wherein the processor controls the touch panel controller based on a command provided from outside the semiconductor device,

wherein the processor controls the touch panel controller based on a command provided from outside the semiconductor device, and obtains the display control data of the memory circuit and uses the display control data for action control of the touch panel controller,

wherein the processor obtains, as the display control data, instruction data written into a register which specifies a select direction of drive-scan lines of the display panel, and

wherein the processor controls a select direction of the drive electrodes to be in a same direction as the select direction of the drive-scan lines as represented by the instruction data.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the processor obtains, as the display control data, instruction data of a low-power consumption mode,

on condition that the instruction data specifies a low-power consumption mode of the display panel, the processor brings the touch panel controller into the low-power consumption mode.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein the low-power consumption mode is a mode which lowers the frequencies of the touch signal detection control by the touch panel controller.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the processor obtains instruction data of display enable/disable as the display control data, and

on condition that the instruction data specifies display disable of the display panel, the processor stops driving the touch panel controller.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein on condition that the processor does not receive a result of judgment “

being touched”

for a predetermined period in the judgment performed based on detection signals from the touch panel controller, the processor instructs the touch panel controller of a low-power consumption mode, and writes, into the memory circuit, the display control data specifying the low-power consumption mode of the display driver.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the low-power consumption mode of the display driver is an action mode including:

making longer a voltage-boosting action cycle of a step-up circuit operable to produce a high voltage used for display control;

or stopping a voltage-boosting action.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the processor writes the display control data into the memory circuit to control the display driver according to a predetermined type of control of the touch panel controller.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a touch panel controller operable to perform pulse-drive control of drive electrodes of a touch panel, and detection control of touch signals arising on detection electrodes capacitively coupled with the drive electrodes;

a processor operable to control the touch panel controller; and

a display driver operable to perform drive control of a display panel,

wherein the display driver has a memory circuit operable to rewritably store display control data for drive control of the display panel from outside the semiconductor device,

wherein the processor controls the touch panel controller based on a command provided from outside the semiconductor device, and writes the display control data into the memory circuit according to a predetermined type of control for the touch panel controller, thereby controlling the display driver,

wherein the processor obtains, as the display control data, instruction data written into a register which specifies a select direction of drive-scan lines of the display panel, and

wherein the processor controls a select direction of the drive electrodes to be in a same direction as the select direction of the drive-scan lines as represented by the instruction data.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a host processor;

a touch panel having a plurality of drive electrodes, a plurality of detection electrodes, and a plurality of capacitance components formed at intersections of the drive and detection electrodes;

a touch panel controller operable to perform a pulse-drive control of the drive electrodes of the touch panel, and detection control of touch signals arising on the detection electrodes capacitively coupled with the drive electrodes;

a processor connected with the host processor, and operable to control the touch panel controller;

a display panel; and

a display driver connected with the host processor, and operable to perform drive control of the display panel,

wherein the display driver has a memory circuit in which display control data to perform drive control of the display panel from the host processor is rewritably stored,

wherein the processor controls the touch panel controller based on a command provided from the host processor, and obtains the display control data in the memory circuit and uses the data for action control of the touch panel controller,

wherein the processor writes the display control data into the memory circuit to control the display driver according to a predetermined type of control for the touch panel controller,

wherein the processor obtains, as the display control data, instruction data written into a register which specifies a select direction of drive-scan lines of the display panel, and

wherein the processor controls a select direction of the drive electrodes to be in a same direction as the select direction of the drive-scan lines as represented by the instruction data.