CAPACITANCE DISTRIBUTION DETECTION METHOD, CAPACITANCE DISTRIBUTION DETECTION CIRCUIT, TOUCH SENSOR SYSTEM, AND INFORMATION INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE

• US 20140139483A1
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masayuki, Iizuka, Kunihiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,454,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• 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

A capacitance distribution detection circuit (2) includes a multiplexer (4), a driver (5), and a sense amplifier (6), and the multiplexer (4) switches states between a first connection state in which first signal lines (HL1 to HLM) are connected to the driver (5) and second signal lines (VL1 to VLM) are connected to the sense amplifier (6), and a second connection state in which the first signal lines (HL1 to HLM) are connected to the sense amplifier (6) and the second signal lines (VL1 to VLM) are connected to the driver (5).

Claims

1. A method of detecting capacitance distribution, to detect a distribution of capacitance of a plurality of capacitors that are each formed on intersections of a plurality of first signal lines with a plurality of second signal lines,

the method comprising:

driving the first signal lines in a first timing, to output from the second signal lines electric charges that correspond to the capacitors;

controlling, in a second timing subsequent to the first timing, a switching of connections of the first signal lines with that of the second signal lines; and

driving the second signal lines in a third timing subsequent to the second timing, to output from the first signal lines the electric charges that correspond to the capacitors.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first signal lines, the plurality of second signal lines, and the plurality of capacitors constitute a touch panel, the touch panel being of a size allowing for a hand that holds a pen for input to be placed thereon.

3. A capacitance distribution detection circuit that detects a distribution of capacitance of a plurality of capacitors that are each formed on intersections of a plurality of first signal lines with a plurality of second signal lines,

the capacitance distribution detection circuit comprising:

a multiplexer connected to the plurality of first signal lines and the plurality of second signal lines;

a driver connected to the multiplexer; and

a sense amplifier connected to the multiplexer;

the multiplexer switching a connection state between a first connection state in which the first signal lines are connected to the driver and the second signal lines are connected to the sense amplifier and a second connection state in which the first signal lines are connected to the sense amplifier and the second signal lines are connected to the driver.

6. The capacitance distribution detection circuit according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of first signal lines, the plurality of second signal lines, and the plurality of capacitors constitute a touch panel, the touch panel being of a size allowing for a hand that holds a pen for input to be placed thereon.

8. A touch sensor system, comprising:

a capacitance distribution detection circuit recited in claim 3; and

a touch panel including the plurality of first signal lines, the plurality of second signal lines, and the plurality of capacitors.

9. The touch sensor system according to claim 8, wherein the capacitance distribution detection circuit detects a distribution of capacitance in accordance with an input with use of a pen.

10. An information input/output device, comprising:

a touch sensor system recited in claim 8; and

a display panel (i) being superposed on a touch panel provided in the touch sensor system or (ii) having the touch panel be built therein.

11. The information input/output device according to claim 10, wherein the capacitance distribution detection circuit detects a distribution of capacitance in accordance with an input with use of a pen.

4. A capacitance distribution detection circuit that detects a distribution of capacitance of a plurality of capacitors that are each formed on intersections of a plurality of first signal lines with a plurality of second signal lines,

the capacitance distribution detection circuit comprising:

a first multiplexer connected to the first signal lines;

a first driver connected to the first multiplexer;

a first sense amplifier connected to the first multiplexer;

a second multiplexer connected to the second signal lines;

a second driver connected to the second multiplexer;

a second sense amplifier connected to the second multiplexer; and

a control circuit that controls the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer so that a connection state is switchable between a first connection state in which the first signal lines are connected to the first driver and the second signal lines are connected to the second sense amplifier, and a second connection state in which the first signal lines are connected to the first sense amplifier and the second signal lines are connected to the second driver.

12. The capacitance distribution detection circuit according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of first signal lines, the plurality of second signal lines, and the plurality of capacitors constitute a touch panel, the touch panel being of a size allowing for a hand that holds a pen for input to be placed thereon.

13. A touch sensor system, comprising:

a capacitance distribution detection circuit recited in claim 4; and

a touch panel including the plurality of first signal lines, the plurality of second signal lines, and the plurality of capacitors.

14. The touch sensor system according to claim 13, wherein the capacitance distribution detection circuit detects a distribution of capacitance in accordance with an input with use of a pen.

15. An information input/output device, comprising:

a touch sensor system recited in claim 13; and

a display panel (i) being superposed on a touch panel provided in the touch sensor system or (ii) having the touch panel be built therein.

16. The information input/output device according to claim 15, wherein the capacitance distribution detection circuit detects a distribution of capacitance in accordance with an input with use of a pen.

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)