Touch-control method for liquid display device and touch-controllable liquid crystal display device

• US 9,235,301 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2013
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FocalTech Systems Co.,Ltd
• Original Assignee: FocalTech Systems Co.,Ltd
• Inventors: Mo, Lianghua, Jiang, Xinxi, Li, Hua, Wang, Peng
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Chun-Nan
• Application Number:
  US13/936,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20140285464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A touch-control method for a liquid crystal display device, includes: switching from a display mode to a touch-control mode; determining whether there is a touch made by an object or whether there is an input made by an active pen; in the case where there is the input made by the active pen, starting an active pen detecting sub-mode in which an X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device is defined as an X-axis direction receiving electrode, and a Y-axis direction common electrode or a signal electrode is defined as a Y-axis direction receiving electrode; and determining a position or an action of the active pen according to amplitudes of signals of the X-axis direction receiving electrode and the Y-axis direction receiving electrode. A touch-controllable liquid crystal display device is further provided.

Claims

1. A touch-control method for a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

switching from a display mode to a touch-control mode;

determining whether a touch is made by an object or whether an input is made by an active pen;

in the case where the input is made by the active pen, starting an active pen detecting sub-mode in which an X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device is defined as an X-axis direction receiving electrode and a Y-axis direction common electrode or a signal electrode is defined as a Y-axis direction receiving electrode; and

determining a position or an action of the active pen according to amplitudes of signals of the X-axis direction receiving electrode and the Y-axis direction receiving electrode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein after determining whether a touch is made by an object or whether an input is made by an active pen, the method further comprises:

in the case where the touch is made by the object, starting an object detecting sub-mode in which one of the signal electrode and the X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device is defined as a driving electrode and the other of the signal electrode and the Y-axis direction common electrode is defined as a receiving electrode; and

determining a position or an action of the object according to an amplitude of the signal of the receiving electrode.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the active pen detecting sub-mode, the defining an X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as an X-axis direction receiving electrode and the defining a Y-axis direction common electrode or a signal electrode as a Y-axis direction receiving electrode comprise:

in the active pen detecting sub-mode,

defining one X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as one X-axis direction receiving electrode, and defining one Y-axis direction common electrode or one signal electrode as one Y-axis direction receiving electrode;

or defining several X-axis direction common electrodes of the liquid crystal display device collectively as one X-axis direction receiving electrode, and defining several Y-axis direction common electrodes or several signal electrodes collectively as one Y-axis direction receiving electrode.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the object detecting sub-mode, the defining one of the signal electrode and the X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as a driving electrode and the defining the other of the signal electrode and the Y-axis direction common electrode as a receiving electrode comprise:

in the object detecting sub-mode,

defining one or several signal electrodes of the liquid crystal display device collectively as one driving electrode, and defining one or several X-axis direction common electrodes collectively as one receiving electrode;

or defining one or several X-axis direction common electrodes collectively as one driving electrode, and defining one or several signal electrodes collectively as one receiving electrode.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

switching from the touch-control mode to the display mode as required.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the active pen detecting sub-mode, the defining an X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as an X-axis direction receiving electrode and the defining a Y-axis direction common electrode or a signal electrode as a Y-axis direction receiving electrode comprise:

in the active pen detecting sub-mode,

defining one X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as one X-axis direction receiving electrode, and defining one Y-axis direction common electrode or one signal electrode as one Y-axis direction receiving electrode;

or defining several X-axis direction common electrodes of the liquid crystal display device collectively as one X-axis direction receiving electrode, and defining several Y-axis direction common electrodes or several signal electrodes collectively as one Y-axis direction receiving electrode.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the object detecting sub-mode, the defining one of the signal electrode and the X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as a driving electrode and the defining the other of the signal electrode and the Y-axis direction common electrode as a receiving electrode comprise:

in the object detecting sub-mode,

defining one or several signal electrodes of the liquid crystal display device collectively as one driving electrode, and defining one or several X-axis direction common electrodes collectively as one receiving electrode;

or defining one or several X-axis direction common electrodes collectively as one driving electrode, and defining one or several signal electrodes collectively as one receiving electrode.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

switching from the touch-control mode to the display mode as required.

9. A touch-controllable liquid crystal display device, comprising a thin film transistor TFT and a switching electrode for the TFT, a signal electrode and a drain electrode which are connected to the TFT, a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode, and a common electrode for forming an electric field with the pixel electrode to control whether to display an image, the touch-controllable liquid crystal display device further comprising a touch-control processor connected to the signal electrode and the common electrode, wherein the touch-control processor comprises:

a switching unit configured to switch between a display mode and a touch-control mode;

a starting unit configured to, in the touch-control mode, determine whether a touch is made by an object or an input is made by an active pen, and start an active pen detecting unit in the case where the input is made by the active pen; and

the active pen detecting unit configured to define an X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as an X-axis direction receiving electrode, and to define a Y-axis direction common electrode or a signal electrode as a Y-axis direction receiving electrode; and

to determine a position or an action of the active pen according to amplitudes of signals of the X-axis direction receiving electrode and the Y-axis direction receiving electrode.

10. The touch-controllable liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein:

the starting unit is further configured to start an object detecting unit in the case where the touch is made by the object; and

the object detecting unit is configured to define one of the signal electrode and the X-axis direction common electrode of the liquid crystal display device as a driving electrode, and to define the other of the signal electrode and the Y-axis direction common electrode as a receiving electrode; and

to determine a position or an action of the object according to an amplitude of the signal of the receiving electrode.