Capacitive touch panel sensor synchronized with display driving operation and touch panel display device having the same

• US 9,189,113 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Application Number:
  US13/900,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 capacitive touch panel sensor includes a plurality of driving-lines in a first direction, a plurality of sensing-lines in a second direction, a scan signal generator configured to generate a scan signal corresponding to at least one scan pulse, and to output the scan signal to the driving-lines, and a capacitance detector configured to receive a capacitance sensing signal output from the sensing-lines, and to detect a touched location based on the capacitance sensing signal, wherein the scan signal generator is configured to output the scan signal during first noise avoidance time periods, each first noise avoidance time period being in a respective horizontal time period of a display driving operation, and wherein the capacitance detector is configured to receive the capacitance sensing signal during the first noise avoidance time periods.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel sensor, comprising:

a plurality of driving-lines in a first direction;

a plurality of sensing-lines in a second direction;

a scan signal generator to generate a scan signal corresponding to at least one scan pulse, and to output the scan signal to the driving-lines; and

a capacitance detector to receive a capacitance sensing signal output from the sensing-lines, and to detect a touched location based on the capacitance sensing signal,

wherein the scan signal generator outputs the scan signal during first noise avoidance time periods, each first noise avoidance time period being in a respective horizontal time period of a display driving operation of a display panel,

wherein the capacitance detector receives the capacitance sensing signal during the first noise avoidance time periods,

wherein each of the first noise avoidance time periods is between a first time point and a second time point, the first time point being a time point elapsed by a predetermined first time from a time point at which a horizontal synchronization signal is changed from an active state to an inactive state, the second time point being a time point at which the horizontal synchronization signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state or a time point before the time point at which the horizontal synchronization signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state, and

wherein the first noise avoidance time periods are within a first range, the first range being a period in which a data signal applied to the display panel is not changed when the display panel performs the display driving operation.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein a sensor driving operation for one frame is completed after at least one vertical time period elapses.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the scan signal generator further outputs the scan signal during second noise avoidance time periods, each second noise avoidance time period being in a respective vertical blanking time period of the display driving operation, and

wherein the capacitance detector further receives the capacitance sensing signal during the second noise avoidance time periods.

4. The sensor of claim 3, wherein each of the second noise avoidance time periods is between a third time point and a fourth time point, the third time point being a time point elapsed by a predetermined second time from a time point at which a data enable signal is changed from an active state to an inactive state, and the fourth time point being a time point at which the data enable signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state or a time point before the time point at which the data enable signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state.

5. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the second noise avoidance time periods are within a second range, the second range being a period in which a data signal applied to the display panel is not changed when the display panel performs the display driving operation.

6. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the third time point corresponds to a time point at which a vertical synchronization signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state.

7. A capacitive touch panel sensor, comprising:

a plurality of driving-lines in a first direction;

a plurality of sensing-lines in a second direction;

a scan signal generator to generate a scan signal corresponding to at least one scan pulse, and to output the scan signal to the driving-lines; and

a capacitance detector to receive a capacitance sensing signal output from the sensing-lines, and to detect a touched location based on the capacitance sensing signal,

wherein the scan signal generator outputs the scan signal during noise avoidance time periods, each noise avoidance time period being in a respective vertical blanking time of a display driving operation,

wherein the capacitance detector receives the capacitance sensing signal during the noise avoidance time periods,

wherein each of the noise avoidance time periods is between a first time point and a second time point, the first time point being a time point elapsed by a predetermined time from a time point at which a data enable signal is changed from an active state to an inactive state, and the second time point being a time point at which the data enable signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state or a time point before the time point at which the data enable signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state, and

wherein the noise avoidance time periods are within a range, the range being a period in which a data signal applied to the display panel is not changed when the display panel performs the display driving operation.

8. The sensor of claim 7, wherein a sensor driving operation for one frame is completed within one vertical time period.

9. The sensor of claim 7, wherein a sensor driving operation for one frame is completed after at least one vertical time period elapses.

10. The sensor of claim 7, wherein the first time point corresponds to a time point at which a vertical synchronization signal is changed form an inactive state to an active state.

11. The sensor of claim 10, wherein a sensor driving operation for one frame begins in synchronization with a time point at which the vertical synchronization signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state.

12. The sensor of claim 10, wherein a sensor driving operation for one frame begins in asynchronization with a time point at which the vertical synchronization signal is changed from an inactive state to an active state.

13. A capacitive touch panel sensor, comprising:

a plurality of driving-lines in a first direction;

a plurality of sensing-lines in a second direction;

a scan signal generator to generate a scan signal corresponding to at least one scan pulse, and to output the scan signal to the driving-lines; and

a capacitance detector to receive a capacitance sensing signal output from the sensing-lines, and to detect a touched location based on the capacitance sensing signal,

wherein the scan signal generator outputs the scan signal during data stop time periods generated at a predetermined cycle when a display device performs a display driving operation,

wherein the capacitance detector receives the capacitance sensing signal during the data stop time periods, and

wherein the data stop time periods are generated by a frame memory device or a line memory device of the display device.

14. The sensor of claim 13, wherein a time period during which a sensor driving operation for one frame is performed is shorter than one vertical time period of the display driving operation.

15. The sensor of claim 13, wherein a time period during which a sensor driving operation for one frame is performed is longer than one vertical time period of the display driving operation.

16. A touch panel display device, comprising:

a display panel to perform a display driving operation;

a touch screen panel to perform a touch detecting operation, the touch screen panel including a plurality of driving-lines in a first direction, and a plurality of sensing-lines in a second direction;

a display driver to control the display panel; and

a touch screen panel controller to control the touch screen panel to perform the touch detecting operation during noise avoidance time periods, the touch screen panel controller including;

a scan signal generator to generate a scan signal corresponding to at least one scan pulse, and to output the scan signal to the driving-lines, and

a capacitance detector to receive a capacitance sensing signal output from the sensing-lines, and to detect a touched location based on the capacitance sensing signal,

wherein the scan signal generator outputs the scan signal during data stop time periods generated at a predetermined cycle when a display device performs a display driving operation,

wherein the capacitance detector receives the capacitance sensing signal during the data stop time periods, and

wherein the data stop time periods are generated by a frame memory device or a line memory device of the display device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the noise avoidance time periods correspond to noise avoidance time periods in horizontal time periods of the display driving operation.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the noise avoidance time periods correspond to noise avoidance time periods in vertical blanking time periods of the display driving operation.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the noise avoidance time periods correspond to the data stop time periods generated at the predetermined cycle.