Integrated pixel display and touch sensor
View Patent ↗In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display component, a touch sensor component, and a touch-screen controller. The display component includes pixel-drive electrodes configured to display an image and the touch sensor component is configured to detect a touch input. The touch-screen controller, which is coupled to the touch sensor component, the display component, and the pixel-drive electrodes, is configured to generate a drive signal for the touch sensor component using the pixel-drive electrodes. The touch-screen controller is further configured to generate a pixel-drive signal for the display component using the pixel-drive electrodes.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a display component comprising pixel-drive electrodes configured to display an image;
a touch sensor component configured to detect a touch input;
a touch-screen controller coupled to the touch sensor component, the display component, and the pixel-drive electrodes, the touch-screen controller configured to:
generate a drive signal for the touch sensor component using a first subset of the pixel-drive electrodes; and
generate a pixel-drive signal for the display component using a second subset of the pixel-drive electrodes, wherein the first subset is different than the second subset;
wherein the touch-screen controller is separately connected to each of the pixel-drive electrodes such that the touch-screen controller treats the pixel-drive electrodes as separate entities when generating the pixel-drive signal to display the image and collectively when generating the drive signal to detect the touch input.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display component comprises an organic light emitting diode.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display component comprises one or more display layers of a liquid crystal display.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch-screen controller is coupled to a reference voltage layer, the reference voltage layer configured to provide a reference voltage for the display component and a sense signal to the touch-screen controller.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes comprise a two-dimensional array of pixel-drive electrodes.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch-screen controller is connected to sense electrodes.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes are grouped into subsets of pixel-drive electrodes to form drive electrodes.
8. A controller comprising:
a processor; and
a memory comprising logic operable, when executed by the processor, to:
generate a drive signal for a touch sensor component of a touch screen using a first subset of pixel-drive electrodes;
detect a touch input using the touch sensor component;
generate a pixel-drive signal for a display component of the touch screen using a second subset of the pixel-drive electrodes, wherein the first subset is different than the second subset; and
display an image using the display component, the display component comprising the pixel-drive electrodes;
wherein the controller is coupled to the touch sensor component, the display component, and the pixel-drive electrodes; and
wherein the controller is separately connected to each of the pixel-drive electrodes such that the controller treats the pixel-drive electrodes as separate entities when generating the pixel-drive signal to display the image and collectively when generating the drive signal to detect the touch input.
9. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the display component comprises an organic light emitting diode.
10. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the display component comprises one or more display layers of a liquid crystal display.
11. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further coupled to a reference voltage layer, the reference voltage layer configured to provide a reference voltage for the display component and a sense signal to the controller.
12. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes comprise a two-dimensional array of pixel-drive electrodes.
13. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the controller is connected to sense electrodes.
14. The controller of claim 8 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes are grouped into subsets of pixel-drive electrodes to form drive electrodes.
15. A method comprising;
generating a drive signal for a touch sensor component of a touch screen using a first subset of pixel-drive electrodes;
detecting a touch input using the touch sensor component;
generating a pixel-drive signal for a display component of the touch screen using a second subset of the pixel-drive electrodes, wherein the first subset is different than the second subset; and
displaying an image using the display component, the display component comprising the pixel-drive electrodes;
wherein a controller is separately connected to each of the pixel-drive electrodes such that the controller treats the pixel-drive electrodes as separate entities when generating the pixel-drive signal to display the image and collectively when generating the drive signal to detect the touch input.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the display component comprises an organic light emitting diode.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the display component comprises one or more display layers of a liquid crystal display.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising providing a reference voltage for the display component.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes comprise a two-dimensional array of pixel-drive electrodes.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the pixel-drive electrodes are grouped into subsets of pixel-drive electrodes to form drive electrodes.