IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,650,692
Granted Patent B2
US 11,650,692 · App. 17/331,197 · Granted May 16, 2023

Touch sensing method and electronic device

Inventors: Yu-Huang Chen (Tainan, TW); Feng-Lin Chan (Zhubei, TW)
Assignee: NOVATEK MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
G06F3/04166G06F3/044
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,650,692
App. No.
17/331,197
Granted
May 16, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A touch sensing method for a touch panel and an electronic device are provided. The touch sensing method includes: selecting a portion of multiple touch sensing units as to-sense touch sensing units, applying first touch excitation signals to the those to obtain multiple first touch sensing signals, and obtaining multiple differential sensing signals based on multiple first touch sensing signals; selecting a touch sensing unit as a reference touch sensing unit, and applying a touch reference signal to it to obtain a reference sensing signal; selecting a to-sense touch sensing unit as a preprocessing touch sensing unit, and applying a second touch excitation signal to it to obtain a second touch sensing signal; obtaining a capacitance sensing signal from the reference sensing signal and the second touch sensing signal; and acquiring capacitance values of multiple to-sense touch sensing units according to the differential sensing signals and the capacitance sensing signal.

Claims (43)

1. A touch sensing method for a touch panel, the touch panel including a plurality of touch sensing units, the touch sensing method including:

selecting a portion of the plurality of touch sensing units as a plurality of to-sense touch sensing units, applying first touch excitation signals to the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units to obtain a plurality of first touch sensing signals, and obtaining a plurality of differential sensing signals from the plurality of first touch sensing signals;

selecting at least one of the plurality of touch sensing units as a reference touch sensing unit, and applying a touch reference signal to the reference touch sensing unit to obtain at least one reference sensing signal;

selecting at least one of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units as a preprocessing touch sensing unit, and applying a second touch excitation signal to the preprocessing touch sensing unit to obtain at least one second touch sensing signal;

obtaining at least one capacitance sensing signal from the at least one reference sensing signal and the at least one second touch sensing signal; and

acquiring capacitance values of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units according to the plurality of differential sensing signals and the at least one capacitance sensing signal,

wherein,

the first touch excitation signals are applied to the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units in a first time period;

the second touch excitation signal is applied to the preprocessing touch sensing unit and the touch reference signal is applied to the reference touch sensing unit in a second time period;

wherein the first time period does not overlap with the second time period.

2. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein,

each differential sensing signal is associated with a difference of capacitance values corresponding to two of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units;

the capacitance sensing signal is associated with a capacitance value corresponding to the preprocessing touch sensing unit.

3. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of touch sensing units are a plurality of touch sensing units arranged in an array, wherein,

the selecting a portion of the plurality of touch sensing units as a plurality of to-sense touch sensing units further includes:

selecting touch sensing units located in the same column from the plurality of touch sensing units as the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units;

the selecting at least one of the plurality of touch sensing units as a reference touch sensing unit further includes:

selecting, from the plurality of touch sensing units, at least one touch sensing unit located in a different column from the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units as a reference touch sensing unit.

4. The touch sensing method according to claim 3 , wherein the selecting at least one of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units as a preprocessing touch sensing unit further includes:

selecting, from the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units, at least one to-sense touch sensing unit in the same row as the at least one reference touch sensing unit as the preprocessing touch sensing unit.

5. The touch sensing method according to claim 3 , wherein selecting at least one of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units as a preprocessing touch sensing unit further includes:

selecting, from the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units, at least one to-sense touch sensing unit in a different row from the at least one reference touch sensing unit as the preprocessing touch sensing unit.

6. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of touch sensing units are a plurality of touch sensing units arranged in an array, wherein,

the selecting a portion of the plurality of touch sensing units as a plurality of to-sense touch sensing units further includes:

selecting touch sensing units located in the same column from the plurality of touch sensing units as a plurality of to-sense touch sensing units;

the selecting at least one of the plurality of touch sensing units as a reference touch sensing unit further includes:

selecting, from the plurality of touch sensing units, at least one touch sensing unit located in the same column as the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units as a reference touch sensing unit.

7. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the reference touch sensing unit is adjacent to the preprocessing touch sensing unit, or the reference touch sensing unit is not adjacent to the preprocessing touch sensing unit, or the row where the reference touch sensing unit is located is the uppermost row or the lowermost row of the array composed of the plurality of touch sensing units.

8. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the at least one reference sensing signal is a first number, and the amount of the at least one second touch sensing signal is a second number, the second number is equal to the first number;

the at least one reference sensing signal and the at least one second touch sensing signal are grouped into a first number of signal combinations, each signal combination includes one reference sensing signal and one second touch sensing signal, and each signal combination yields one capacitance sensing signal.

9. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the at least one reference sensing signal is a first number, and the amount of the at least one second touch sensing signal is a second number, the second number is equal to the first number multiplied by a third number;

the at least one reference sensing signal and the at least one second touch sensing signal are grouped into a first number of signal combinations, each signal combination includes one reference sensing signal and the third number of the second touch sensing signals, and each signal combination yields the third number of the capacitance sensing signals.

10. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the touch reference signal and the second touch excitation signal have the same signal waveform, or the touch reference signal and the second touch excitation signal have different signal waveforms, or the touch reference signal is a direct current signal.

11. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the touch sensing unit is a self-capacitance touch sensing unit,

wherein the first touch excitation signal, the second touch excitation signal, or the touch reference signal is applied to the touch sensing unit through the touch sensing circuit, and the touch sensing circuit includes a first operational amplifier.

12. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein the touch sensing unit is a mutual-capacitance touch sensing unit,

wherein the first touch excitation signal, the second touch excitation signal, or the touch reference signal is applied to a first electrode of the touch sensing unit through the touch sensing circuit, and the touch sensing circuit includes a first operational amplifier.

13. The touch sensing method according to claim 1 , wherein, a plurality of differential sensing signals are obtained from the plurality of first touch sensing signals by a plurality of operation units, or at least one capacitance sensing signal is obtained from the at least one reference sensing signal and the at least one second touch sensing signal by an operation unit,

wherein the plurality of operation units include a first operation unit and a second operation unit, input signals of the first operation unit and input signals of the second operation unit have one common first touch sensing signal.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a touch panel;

a touch sensing apparatus and an operation unit, configured to cooperate with each other to perform the touch sensing method according to claim 1 , and

a controller, configured to determine a touch position based on the capacitance values of the plurality of to-sense touch sensing units.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 26, 2021
From: CHEN, YU-HUANG; CHAN, FENG-LIN
To: NOVATEK MICROELECTRONICS CORP.
Reel/Frame 056363/0094 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 63063416 · Aug 9, 2020
Provisional Application 63030317 · May 27, 2020
Related Publication 20210373736A1 · Dec 2, 2021