Reducing connections from a sensing module
An input device, including: a first glass layer; a plurality of transmitter electrodes disposed on the first glass layer and configured for capacitance sensing; a second glass layer; a plurality of receiver electrodes disposed on the second glass layer and configured for capacitance sensing; and a multiplexer disposed on the first glass layer and coupled to a plurality of sources and a sensing channel, where the multiplexer selectively couples one of the plurality of sources to the sensing channel based on at least a control signal, and where the plurality of sources includes the plurality of transmitter electrodes and the plurality of receiver electrodes.
1. An input device, comprising:
a first glass layer;
a plurality of transmitter electrodes disposed on the first glass layer and configured for capacitance sensing;
a second glass layer;
a plurality of receiver electrodes disposed on the second glass layer and configured for capacitance sensing; and
a multiplexer disposed on the first glass layer and coupled to a plurality of sources and a sensing channel,
wherein the multiplexer selectively couples one of the plurality of sources to the sensing channel based on at least a control signal, and
wherein the plurality of sources comprises the plurality of transmitter electrodes and the plurality of receiver electrodes.
2. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer is coupled to the plurality of receiver electrodes by a flexible printed circuit (FPC).
3. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the second glass layer is color filter glass, and wherein the first glass layer is thin-film transistor (TFT) glass.
4. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer couples the sensing channel with the plurality of receiver electrodes while the plurality of receiver electrodes are executing absolute capacitance sensing.
5. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer couples the sensing channel with the plurality of receiver electrodes through the first FPC while the plurality of transmitter electrodes and the plurality of receiver electrodes are executing mutual capacitance sensing.
6. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of gate lines disposed on the first glass layer and configured to:
generate a display; and
execute absolute capacitance sensing,
wherein the plurality of sources further comprises the plurality of gate lines, and
wherein the multiplexer couples the sensing channel with the plurality of gate lines while the plurality of gate lines are executing absolute capacitance sensing.
7. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of source lines disposed on the first glass layer and configured to:
generate a display; and
execute absolute capacitance sensing,
wherein the plurality of sources further comprises the plurality of source lines, and
wherein the multiplexer couples the sensing channel with the plurality of source lines while the plurality of source lines are executing absolute capacitance.
8. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising:
circuitry disposed on the first glass layer;
a display driver integrated controller (IC) disposed on the first glass layer and configured to operate the circuitry to generate a display; and
a flexible printed circuit (FPC) comprising a touch IC that is coupled to the sensing channel and configured to provide the control signal.
9. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising:
circuitry disposed on the first glass layer;
a display driver integrated controller (IC) comprising the multiplexer that is configured to operate the circuitry to generate a display; and
a flexible printed circuit (FPC) comprising a touch IC that is coupled to the sensing channel, wherein the touch IC is configured to provide the control signal.
10. The input device of claim 1 , further comprising:
circuitry disposed on the first glass layer; and
a touch and display driver integrated controller disposed on the first glass layer that is configured to:
operate the circuitry to generate a display;
provide the control signal; and
couple to the sensing channel.
11. A method for operating an input device, comprising:
receiving, by a multiplexer disposed on first layer, a control signal,
wherein the multiplexer is coupled to a sensing channel and a plurality of sources comprising:
a plurality of transmitter electrodes disposed on the first layer; and
a plurality of receiver electrodes disposed on a second layer;
coupling, by the multiplexer and based on at least the control signal, the sensing channel with a source of the plurality of sources; and
relaying, by the multiplexer, a resulting signal corresponding to capacitance sensing from the source to an integrated controller (IC) coupled to the sensing channel.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multiplexer is coupled to the plurality of receiver electrodes by a flexible printed circuit (FPC).
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing, by the IC, the control signal,
wherein the IC is a touch IC disposed on a flexible printed circuit (FPC).
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the multiplexer is located within a display driver IC disposed on the first layer, and wherein the display driver IC generates a display using thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry disposed on the first layer.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing, by the IC, the control signal,
wherein the IC is a touch and display driver IC that also generates a display using thin-film transistor (TFT) circuitry disposed on the first layer.
16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of sources further comprises a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of source lines disposed on the first layer.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of gate lines, the plurality of source lines, and the plurality of transmitter electrodes execute absolute capacitance sensing.
18. A method of manufacturing an input device, comprising:
disposing transmitter electrodes configured for capacitive sensing on a thin-film transistor (TFT) glass layer;
disposing a plurality of receiver electrodes configured for capacitive sensing on a color filter glass layer;
disposing a multiplexer on the TFT glass layer;
coupling the multiplexer to the plurality of receiver electrodes by a first flexible printed circuit (FPC);
coupling the multiplexer to the plurality of transmitter electrodes; and
coupling an integrated controller (IC) to the multiplexer by a sensing channel,
wherein the multiplexer couples, based on at least a control signal provided by the IC, the sensing channel to a source of a plurality of sources comprising the plurality of receiver electrodes and the plurality of transmitter electrodes.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
coupling the multiplexer to a plurality of source lines and a plurality of gate lines disposed on the TFT glass layer,
wherein the plurality of source lines and the plurality of gate lines are configured for generating a display and for absolute capacitance sensing.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
disposing a display driver IC on the TFT glass layer and connecting the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of source lines to the display driver IC,
wherein the IC is a touch IC located on a second FPC.