DRIVING METHOD FOR TOUCH PANEL AND TOUCH-SENSING DEVICE THEREOF

• US 20130321294A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Chao-Shih, Lin, Yung-Jen, Chen, Chih-Chiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,110,526 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A driving method for a touch panel is provided. The touch panel has a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electrodes are coupled to a driving circuit respectively via different electrical paths. The driving method includes: defining a plurality of sub-frame periods in a first frame period; converting a driving configuration for providing the driving configuration that is different from each other respectively to each of the sub-frame periods; the driving circuit drives the electrodes respectively with the driving configuration corresponding to one of the sub-frame periods during the sub-frame periods for obtaining at least one of the sub-frame sensing values from each of the sub-frame periods; and the driving circuit integrates the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.

Claims

1. A driving method for a touch panel having a plurality of electrodes, wherein the electrodes are coupled to a driving circuit respectively via different electrical paths, the driving method for the touch panel comprises:

defining a plurality of sub-frame periods in a first frame period;

converting a driving configuration for providing the driving configuration that is different from each other respectively to each of the sub-frame periods, wherein the driving configuration comprises corresponding relations of a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode among the electrodes which are respectively corresponding to a first operational configuration, a second operational configuration and a third operational configuration;

driving the electrodes with the driving configuration corresponding to one of the sub-frame periods by the driving circuit during the one of the sub-frame periods for obtaining at least one of sub-frame sensing value of the one of the sub-frame periods; and

integrating the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods by the driving circuit for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.

2. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are adjacent to each other.

3. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the step of converting the driving configuration comprises:

during a first sub-frame period of the first frame period, setting the first electrode to operate in the first operational configuration, setting the second electrode to operate in the second operational configuration and setting the third electrode to operate in the third operational configuration;

during a second sub-frame period of the first frame period, setting the first electrode to operate in the second operational configuration, setting the second electrode to operate in the third operational configuration and setting the third electrode to operate in the first operational configuration; and

during a third sub-frame period of the first frame period, setting the first electrode to operate in the third operational configuration, setting the second electrode to operate in the first operational configuration and setting the third electrode to operate in the second operational configuration.

4. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the step of integrating the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods comprises:

storing the sub-frame sensing values obtained during the sub-frame periods; and

reading and integrating the sub-frame sensing values of the sub-frame periods for obtaining the touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period when the first frame period is ended.

5. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the step of driving the electrodes with the driving configuration during the sub-frame periods comprises:

providing a driving signal from the driving circuit to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

reading the sub-frame sensing values by the driving circuit from the electrodes having the second operational configuration; and

providing a shield potential from the driving circuit to the electrodes having the third operational configuration.

6. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 5, wherein the shield potential is a ground voltage.

7. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sub-frame sensing values comprise an active stylus sensing value and a non-active stylus sensing value, and the step of driving the electrodes with the driving configuration during the sub-frame periods comprises:

providing a driving signal from the driving circuit to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

reading the non-active stylus sensing values by the driving circuit from the electrodes having the second operational configuration; and

reading the active stylus sensing values by the driving circuit from the electrodes having the third operational configuration, wherein the active stylus sensing values have a specific frequency.

8. The driving method for the touch panel of claim 1, wherein the driving configuration comprises corresponding relations of the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and a fourth electrode among the electrodes which are respectively corresponding to the first operational configuration, the second operational configuration, the third operational configuration and a fourth operational configuration, and the sub-frame sensing values comprise an active stylus sensing value and a non-active stylus sensing value, and the step of driving the electrodes with the driving configuration during the sub-frame periods comprises:

providing a driving signal from the driving circuit to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

reading the non-active stylus sensing values by the driving circuit from the electrodes having the second operational configuration;

providing a shield potential from the driving circuit to the electrodes having the third operational configuration; and

reading the active stylus sensing values by the driving circuit from the electrodes having the fourth operational configuration, wherein the active stylus sensing value has a specific frequency.

9. A touch-sensing device, comprising:

a touch panel having a plurality of electrodes, wherein the electrodes at least comprise a first electrode, a second electrode and a third electrode; and

a driving circuit, electrically connected to the touch panel, wherein the electrodes are coupled to the driving circuit respectively via different electrical paths;

the driving circuit defines a plurality of sub-frame periods in a first frame period;

the driving circuit converts a driving configuration for providing the driving configuration that is different from each other respectively to each of the sub-frame periods, wherein the driving configuration comprises corresponding relations of the first, the second and the third electrodes that are respectively corresponding to a first operational configuration, a second operational configuration and a third operational configuration;

the driving circuit drives the electrodes with the driving configuration corresponding to one of the sub-frame periods during the one of the sub-frame periods for obtaining at least one of sub-frame sensing values of the one of the sub-frame periods; and

the driving circuit integrates the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.

10. The touch-sensing device of claim 9, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode are adjacent to each other.

11. The touch-sensing device of claim 9, wherein during a first sub-frame period of the first frame period, the driving circuit sets the first electrode to operate in the first operational configuration, sets the second electrode to operate in the second operational configuration and sets the third electrode to operate in the third operational configuration;

during a second sub-frame period of the first frame period, the driving circuit sets the first electrode to operate in the second operational configuration, sets the second electrode to operate in the third operational configuration and sets the third electrode to operate in the first operational configuration; and

during a third sub-frame period of the first frame period, the driving circuit sets the first electrode to operate in the third operational configuration, sets the second electrode to operate in the first operational configuration and sets the third electrode to operate in the second operational configuration.

12. The touch-sensing device of claim 9, wherein the sub-frame sensing values comprise an active stylus sensing value and a non-active stylus sensing value;

the driving circuit provides a driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

the driving circuit reads the non-active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration; and

the driving circuit reads the active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the third operational configuration, wherein the active stylus sensing values have a specific frequency.

13. The touch-sensing device of claim 12, wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a multiplex switching unit, electrically connected to the electrodes of the touch panel, configured for converting the driving configuration;

a driving unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for providing the driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a first reading unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for reading the non-active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a second reading unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for reading the active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the third operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a processing unit, electrically coupled to the multiplex switching unit, the driving circuit, the first reading unit and the second reading unit, configured for controlling the multiplex switching unit to convert the driving configuration, receiving and processing the non-active stylus sensing values provided by the first reading unit and the active stylus sensing values provided by the second reading unit, and integrating the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.

14. The touch-sensing device of claim 9, wherein the driving circuit provides a driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

the driving circuit reads the sub-frame sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration;

the driving circuit provides a shield potential to the electrodes having the third operational configuration;

15. The touch-sensing device of claim 14, wherein the shield potential is a ground voltage.

16. The touch-sensing device of claim 14, wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a multiplex switching unit, electrically connected to the electrodes of the touch panel, configured for converting the driving configuration;

a driving unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for providing the driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a first reading unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for reading the sub-frame sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a reference unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for providing the shield potential to the electrodes having the third operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit; and

a processing unit, electrically coupled to the multiplex switching unit, the driving circuit, the first reading unit and the reference unit, configured for controlling the multiplex switching unit to convert the driving configuration, receiving and processing the sub-frame sensing values provided by the first reading unit, and integrating the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.

17. The touch-sensing device of claim 16, wherein the driving circuit further comprises:

a memory unit, electrically connected to the processing unit, configured for storing the sub-frame sensing values obtained during the sub-frame periods.

18. The touch-sensing device of claim 9, wherein the electrodes further comprises a fourth electrode;

the driving configuration comprises corresponding relations of the first, the second, the third and the fourth electrodes that respectively corresponding to the first operational configuration, the second operational configuration, the third operational configuration and a fourth operational configuration;

the sub-frame sensing values comprise an active stylus sensing value and a non-active stylus sensing value;

the driving circuit provides a driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration;

the driving circuit reads the non-active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration;

the driving circuit provides a shield potential to the electrodes having the third operational configuration; and

the driving circuit reads the active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the fourth operational configuration, wherein the active stylus sensing value has a specific frequency.

19. The touch-sensing device of claim 18, wherein the driving circuit comprises:

a multiplex switching unit, electrically connected to the electrodes of the touch panel, configured for converting the driving configuration;

a driving unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for providing the driving signal to the electrodes having the first operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a first reading unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for reading the non-active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the second operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a reference unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for providing the shield potential to the electrodes having the third operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit;

a second reading unit, coupled to the multiplex switching unit, configured for reading the active stylus sensing values from the electrodes having the fourth operational configuration through the multiplex switching unit; and

a processing unit, electrically coupled to the multiplex switching unit, the driving circuit, the first reading unit, the second reading unit and the reference unit, configured for controlling the multiplex switching unit to convert the driving configuration, receiving and processing the non-active stylus sensing values provided by the first reading unit and the active stylus sensing values provided by the second reading unit, and integrating the sub-frame sensing values respectively obtained during the sub-frame periods for obtaining a touch information of the touch panel during the first frame period.