TW201741826A - Touch sensing array and driving method - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch sensing array includes a plurality of first electrode blocks and a plurality of second electrode blocks. The second electrode blocks are staggeredly arranged along a first direction or a second direction, in which the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

Description

Touch array and driving method

The present disclosure is a touch technology, and in particular, relates to a touch array and a driving method.

Regarding the touch technology of the full in-cell architecture, the types of touch sensors include a mutual capacitance mode or a self-capacity mode. Regarding the touch sensor of the mutual capacitance mode, since the wires are often laid out by using the side regions, it is difficult to reduce the size of the frame. On the other hand, regarding the self-capacitive touch sensor, since each electrode is used for transmitting and receiving, each electrode needs to be connected to the control chip through a wire, resulting in a self-capacitive touch sensor. The number of channels required increases greatly with the size of the touch panel, thereby increasing the number of control wafers required, and the manufacturing cost of the touch panel is increased.

One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a touch array including a plurality of first electrode blocks and a plurality of second electrode blocks. The second electrode block and the first electrode block are spaced apart from each other in the first direction and the second direction, wherein the first direction is substantially orthogonal to the second direction.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a driving method suitable for driving a touch array. The touch array includes a plurality of first electrode blocks and a plurality of second electrode blocks. The second electrode block and the first electrode block are spaced apart from each other in the first direction and the second direction, wherein the first direction is substantially orthogonal to the second direction. The driver method consists of the following steps. When the touch array is operated in the first mode (for example, the mutual capacitance mode), the control unit (for example, the touch sensitive chip) provides a driving signal to the first electrode block during the operation time, and the control unit synchronizes or sequentially during the operation time. Ground detecting the coupling signal of the second electrode block.

In summary, the present disclosure can be operated in a mutual capacity mode or a self-contained mode, and thus can be applied to a user wearing gloves or a use situation in which water droplets are present on the surface of the touch panel. In addition, since the number of channels required for the touch array of the present disclosure to operate in the self-contained mode is less than that of the prior art, the number of control units (eg, control wafers) or the layout area can be effectively reduced.

The above description will be described in detail in the following embodiments, and further explanation of the technical solutions of the present disclosure is provided.

100, 200, 300, 400‧‧‧ touch array

D1, D2‧‧‧ direction

110, 210, 310, 510, 610‧‧‧ first electrode block

120, 220, 320, 520, 620‧‧‧ second electrode block

230, 330, 530, 630‧‧‧ third electrode block

240, 340‧‧‧Control unit

AA’, BB’‧‧‧ segments

L1, L2, L3‧‧‧ wires

451, 452, 453 ‧ ‧ groups

540, 640‧‧‧ pixel electrodes

M1, M2, M3‧‧‧ metal layer

BP1, BP2, BP3‧‧‧ insulation

PL‧‧‧Insulation

GI‧‧Inorganic insulation

T1‧‧‧ operation time

T2‧‧‧ shows time

Sig1‧‧‧ drive signal

Sig2, Sig21, Sig22, Sig23‧‧‧ coupling signals

T11, T12, T13‧‧‧

The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent and understood. 2 is a schematic diagram of a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; A timing diagram illustrating driving signals and sensing signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 8 is a timing diagram illustrating driving signals and sensing signals according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or features for carrying out the invention. The disclosure may repeatedly recite numerical symbols and/or letters in the various examples, which are for simplicity and elaboration, and do not in themselves specify the relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations in the following discussion.

In the scope of the embodiments and claims, "one" and "the" may mean a single or plural unless the context specifically dictates the articles. It will be further understood that the "contains" and "packages" used in this article. And the like, and the features, regions, integers, steps, operations, components and/or components thereof are recited, but one or more other features, regions, Integers, steps, operations, components, components, and/or groups thereof.

When an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be either directly connected or coupled to the other element or an additional element. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, no additional element is present.

As used herein, "about", "about" or "approximately" is generally within an error or range of about 20% of the index value, preferably within about 10%, and more preferably It is about five percent. Unless otherwise stated, the numerical values referred to are regarded as approximations, that is, the errors or ranges indicated by "about", "about" or "approximately".

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch array 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The touch array 100 includes a plurality of first electrode blocks 110 and a plurality of second electrode blocks 120. As shown in FIG. 1, the second electrode block 120 and the first electrode block 110 are spaced apart in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, and the first direction D1 is substantially orthogonal to the second direction D2. The touch array 100 can operate in a mutual capacity mode or a self-capacity mode.

In one embodiment, when the touch array 100 is operated in the mutual capacitive mode, the first electrode block 110 can serve as a transmitting electrode and receive driving signals (eg, square waves) provided by the same control unit (eg, a touch sensing chip). The second electrode block 120 can serve as a receiving electrode, and the control unit (for example, a touch sensing chip) can detect the coupling signal from the second electrode block 120. number. It should be noted that the first electrode block 110 receives the same driving signal from the control unit (for example, the touch sensing chip), thereby greatly reducing the number of wires connecting the first electrode block and reducing the time and calculation of the touch sensing. Method complexity. On the other hand, when the touch array is operated in the self-contained mode, the second electrode block 120 can serve as a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode, and the control unit can respectively provide the driving signal and the sensing signal to the second electrode block 120. Specifically, the touch array 100 transmits the second electrode block 120 and utilizes a point self-capacitance technology, thereby achieving the effect of multi-point detection.

In this way, the architecture of the touch array 100 can be operated in a mutual capacity mode or a self-capacity mode, and the appropriate touch mode is switched according to different usage scenarios, thereby improving the sensitivity of sensing and the application range (for example, when there is a panel) In the case of water droplets, the touch array 100 can operate in a self-contained mode to perform touch with higher sensitivity than the mutual capacitance mode.

In order to improve the performance of the touch array, the touch array may include a third electrode block. The third electrode blocks respectively surround one of the second electrode blocks 120 and are used to isolate the first electrode block 110 from the second electrode block 120. When the touch array is operated in the mutual capacitance mode or the self-capacitance mode, the third electrode block may be coupled to the DC voltage, or the third electrode block may be coupled to the synchronization signal of the driving signal to reduce the influence of the parasitic capacitance. In another embodiment, the third electrode block is floating. In one embodiment, at least one of the third electrode blocks has a width that is less than a width of at least one of the second electrode blocks 120. In another embodiment, at least one of the third electrode blocks has a width that is less than one-half the width of at least one of the second electrode blocks 120. Specifically, the width of at least one of the third electrode blocks may be designed to be between one-half and one-thth of the width of at least one of the second electrode blocks 120. Yu Yi In an embodiment, at least one of the third electrode blocks may have a width ranging from 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

In one embodiment, the first electrode block 110, the second electrode block 120, and the third electrode block may be made of a conductive material having good light transmittance, such as Indium tin oxide (ITO), but the disclosure is not This is limited to this.

In order for the first electrode block 110 to receive the same driving signal, the touch array can electrically connect the first electrode block 110 in different manners. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the touch array 200 includes a third electrode block 230 that is in contact with each other. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a touch array 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The touch array 200 architecture is substantially the same as the touch array 100 except for the third electrode block 230. The third electrode blocks 230 are in contact with each other and are electrically connected. The first electrode block 210 is electrically connected via a plurality of first wires L1 (for example, along the first direction D1 and/or the second direction D2 and/or any other direction), and is connected to the control by one of the first wires L1. Unit 240. Therefore, when the touch array 200 is operated in the mutual capacitance mode, the control unit 240 (eg, the touch sensitive chip) can provide the same driving signal to the first electrode block 210 via the first wire L1.

In an embodiment, the third electrode block 230 can also be electrically connected via the second wire L2 (for example, along the first direction D1 and/or the second direction D2 and/or any other direction), and the second wire is One of L2 is connected to control unit 240. The second wire L2 is made of a material (for example, metal) having a lower resistance value than the third electrode block 230, so that the equivalent resistance value of the third electrode block 230 can be lowered. As described above, when the touch array 200 operates in a mutual capacitance mode or In the capacitive mode, the third electrode block 230 can be floated or receive the synchronous signal of the DC voltage or the driving signal provided by the control unit 240 via the second wire L2, thereby reducing the influence of the parasitic capacitance.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the touch array 300 includes a first electrode block 310 that is in contact with each other. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a touch array 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The touch array 300 architecture is substantially the same as the touch array 100 except that the third electrode block 230 is in contact with the first electrode block 310 that is in contact with each other. The third electrode block 330 is electrically connected to each other via a plurality of second wires L2, and is connected to the control unit 340 by one of the second wires L2. The first electrode blocks 310 are in contact with each other and electrically connected, and are connected to the control unit 340 by one of the first wires L1. Therefore, when the touch array 300 is operated in the mutual capacitance mode, the control unit 340 (eg, a touch sensitive wafer) can provide the same driving signal to the first electrode block 310 via the first wire L1.

Similarly, in an embodiment, the first electrode block 310 can also be electrically connected via the first wire L1 (eg, along the first direction D1 and/or the second direction D2 and/or any other direction), and A wire L1 is made of a material having a lower resistance than the first electrode block 310 (for example, metal), so that the equivalent resistance value of the first electrode block 310 can be lowered. As described above, when the touch array 300 is operated in the mutual capacitance mode or the self-capacitance mode, the third electrode block 330 may be floating, or receive the synchronous signal of the DC voltage or the driving signal provided by the control unit 340 via the second wire L2. In order to reduce the impact of parasitic capacitance.

It should be noted that in the above embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, the second electrode blocks 220, 320 are each connected to the control units 240, 340 via the third wire L3. Therefore, the second electrode blocks 220, 320 can be in the touch array When the 200, 300 are operated in the mutual capacity mode, the coupling signals are respectively generated, and the control units 240 and 340 detect the coupling signals from the second electrode blocks 220 and 320 via the third wire L3. When the touch arrays 200, 300 are operated in the self-contained mode, the second electrode blocks 220, 320 receive the driving signals via the third wire L3 and generate sensing signals, and the control units 240, 340 are from the second wire via the third wire L3. The electrode blocks 220, 320 detect the sensing signal.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first wire L1, the second wire L2, and the third wire L3 are both connected to the control unit 240, 340 via the same boundary of the touch array 200, 300, and no wires are disposed on the remaining boundaries. Therefore, the touch array 200, 300 of the present disclosure is suitable for a narrow bezel. In addition, compared with the self-capacitive touch panel of the prior art, the touch arrays 100, 200, and 300 of the present disclosure operate in a self-capacitating mode by using each of the second electrode blocks 120, 220, and 320 to perform touch sensing. Therefore, the number of required channels and the number of connecting wires are significantly less than those of the prior art self-capacitive touch panel, and the area and number of the control units 240 and 340 can be reduced, thereby effectively reducing the layout area and cost. As such, the touch array 200, 300 of the present disclosure is suitable for medium and large size panels.

5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B are schematic cross-sectional views of a touch array according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, in order to explain the relative arrangement positions of the touch array and the pixels in the touch panel. 5A and 6A are schematic cross-sectional views along line AA' in Figs. 2 and 3, and Figs. 5B and 6B are schematic cross-sectional views along line BB' in Figs. 2 and 3.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first electrode block 510, the second electrode block 520, and the third electrode block 530 of the touch array are both The design is located above the pixel electrode 540 and is electrically isolated from the pixel electrode 540 through the insulating layer BP3. The first wire L1, the second wire L2 and the third wire L3 are connected to the control unit 240, 340 via the metal layer M3, and the metal layer M3 and the pixel electrode 540 are electrically isolated from each other through the insulating layer BP2. The pixel electrode 540 is electrically connected to other elements through the metal layer M2, and is electrically isolated from the metal layer M3 through the insulating layers BP1 and PL. The gate of the thin film transistor (not shown) is electrically connected through the metal layer M1 along the first direction D1 or the second direction D2, and the metal layer M1 is electrically isolated from the metal layer M2 through the inorganic insulating layer GI.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the first electrode block 610, the second electrode block 620, and the third electrode block 630 of the touch array are both designed to be located below the pixel electrode 640, and It is electrically isolated from the pixel electrode 640 through the insulating layer BP3. The rest of the layer configuration is similar to that shown in Figures 5A and 5B, and will not be repeated here.

The details of the operation of the touch array 200, 300 in the mutual capacity mode or the self-capacity mode are described below. Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 for explaining a timing diagram of the driving signal Sig1 and the coupling signal Sig2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the touch panel of the touch array 200, 300 is used for touch sensing during the operation time T1, and the display output is performed within the display time T2. As described above, when the touch arrays 200, 300 are operated in the first mode (for example, the mutual capacitance mode), the control units 240, 340 provide the same driving signal Sig1 to the first electrode block via the first wire L1 during the operation time T1. 210, 310, and each of the second electrode blocks 220, 320 also generates a coupling signal Sig2 during the operation time T1. Control unit 240, 340 via third guide Line L3 detects the coupling signal Sig2 from each of the second electrode blocks 220, 320. In this embodiment, since all of the first electrode blocks 210 and 310 receive the same driving signal Sig1, the present disclosure can reduce the complexity of the algorithm and effectively shorten the touch panel touch compared with the prior art. The controlled operation time T1, in turn, increases the ratio of the display time T2 to improve the display performance (for example, the problem of insufficient charging and discharging of pixels in the display time T2).

Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 4 for explaining a schematic diagram of a touch array 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a driving signal Sig1 and a coupling signal Sig21 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Schematic diagram of ~Sig23. In another embodiment, when the touch array 200, 300 is operated in the second mode (for example, the mutual capacity mode), the control unit 240, 340 provides the same driving signal Sig1 to the same wire L1 via the first wire L1 during the operation time T1. The first electrode blocks 210, 310, and the second electrode blocks 220, 320 also generate coupling signals Sig21 S Sig23 during the operation time T1. The control units 240, 340 sequentially detect the coupling signals Sig21 S Sig23 from each of the second electrode blocks 220, 320 via the third wire L3 during the time period T11~T13 of the operation time T1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the second electrode block 220 of the touch array 400 can be divided into a plurality of groups 451-453, and the control unit 240, 340 is from the second electrode block of the group 451 in the period T11. The detection coupling signal Sig21 detects the coupling signal Sig22 from the second electrode block 220 of the group 452 in the period T12, and detects the coupling signal Sig23 from the second electrode block 220 of the group 453 in the period T13. In this way, when the touch array 400 operates in the mutual capacity mode, the control units 240, 340 can detect the coupling signals Sig21~Sig23 according to the group 451~453 partitions to reduce false alarm points (such as coaxial False positive point). It should be noted that the touch arrays 200 and 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3 can operate in the mutual capacity mode shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 by dividing the group, and the number and division manner of the groups are not limited. The above embodiments can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

It should be noted that when the touch array operates in the mutual capacitance mode (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 ), the control unit 240 , 340 can provide a DC voltage to the third electrode blocks 230 , 330 via the second wire L2. Alternatively, the synchronization signal of the driving signal Sig1 may be provided to the third electrode blocks 230, 330 to reduce the influence of the parasitic capacitance in the touch array 200, 300. In another embodiment, the third electrode blocks 230, 330 are floating.

On the other hand, when the touch arrays 200, 300 are operated in the self-contained mode, the control units 240, 340 provide driving signals to each of the second electrode blocks 220, 320 via the third wire L3, and the control units 240, 340 are The third wire L3 detects the sensing signal (that is, the self-capacitance value) of each of the second electrode blocks 220 and 320 at this time. Since the change of the self-capacitance is easier to perform the calculation than the change of the mutual capacitance, and the touch array 200, 300 has a higher sensitivity than the mutual capacitance mode when operating in the self-capacitance mode, it is particularly suitable for the user wearing gloves or touch. There is a usage scenario for water droplets on the surface of the panel. It should be noted that when the touch arrays 200, 300 are operated in the self-contained mode, the control units 240, 340 can provide DC voltages to the first electrode blocks 210, 310 and the third via the first wire L1 and the second wire L2, respectively. The electrode blocks 230, 330 may also provide synchronization signals of the driving signals to the first electrode blocks 210, 310 and the third electrode blocks 230, 330 to reduce the influence of parasitic capacitance in the touch arrays 200, 300. In another embodiment, the third electrode blocks 230, 330 are floating.

In summary, the touch array of the present disclosure can be operated in a mutual capacity mode or a self-capacity mode, and thus can be applied to a user wearing gloves or a use situation in which water droplets are present on the surface of the touch panel. In addition, since the number of channels required for the touch array of the present disclosure to operate in the self-contained mode is less than that of the prior art, the number of control units (eg, control wafers) or the layout area can be effectively reduced.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present case. Anyone skilled in the art can make various changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the case. Therefore, the scope of protection of this case is considered. The scope defined in the patent application is subject to change.

100‧‧‧Touch array

D1, D2‧‧‧ direction

110‧‧‧First electrode block

120‧‧‧Second electrode block

Claims (14)

A touch array includes: a plurality of first electrode blocks; and a plurality of second electrode blocks spaced apart from the first electrode block in a first direction and a second direction, wherein the first direction is substantially Orthogonal to the second direction. The touch array of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of third electrode blocks respectively surrounding one of the second electrode blocks, wherein the third electrode blocks are used to isolate the first electrode blocks from the Some second electrode blocks. The touch array of claim 2, wherein the third electrode blocks are in contact with each other and electrically connected to each other, and the first electrode blocks are electrically connected to the second direction along the first direction via the plurality of first wires When the touch array is operated in a first mode or a second mode, the first wires receive a first driving signal provided by a control unit during an operation time, and the third electrode blocks are The operation time is floating, or receiving a constant current voltage or one of the first driving signals to synchronize signals. The touch array of claim 2, wherein the third electrode blocks are electrically connected to each other via a plurality of second wires, wherein the first electrode blocks are in contact with each other and electrically connected; wherein the touch array operates The first electrode block or the second mode, the first electrode blocks are in an operation time Receiving a first driving signal provided by a control unit, the second wires are floating during the operation time, or receiving a DC voltage or a synchronization signal of the first driving signal. The touch array of claim 3 or 4, wherein when the touch array operates in the first mode, the second electrode blocks generate a plurality of coupling signals during the operation time, and the control unit Detecting the coupling signals from the second electrode blocks during operation; when the touch array operates in the second mode, the second electrode blocks generate the coupling signals during the operation time, and the control The unit sequentially detects the coupling signals from the second electrode blocks during the plurality of time periods of the operation time; when the touch array operates in the third mode, the second electrode blocks are in the operation time Receiving a plurality of second driving signals and generating a plurality of sensing signals, and the control unit detects the sensing signals from the second electrode blocks during the operation time. The touch array of claim 1, wherein at least one of the third electrode blocks has a width smaller than a width of at least one of the second electrode blocks. The touch array of claim 1, wherein at least one of the third electrode blocks has a width smaller than one-half of a width of at least one of the second electrode blocks. The driving method is applicable to driving a touch array, wherein the touch array includes a plurality of first electrode blocks and a plurality of second electrode blocks, and the second electrode blocks and the first electrode blocks are in a first direction Arranging at a distance from a second direction, the first direction is substantially orthogonal to the second direction, the driving method includes: when the touch array is operated in a first mode, the first electrode blocks are operated in an operation Receiving a first driving signal provided by a control unit during the operation, the second electrode blocks generating a plurality of coupling signals during the operation time, and detecting, by the control unit, the second electrode blocks during the operation time The coupling signals. The driving method of claim 8, further comprising: when the touch array is operated in a second mode, the first electrode blocks receive the first driving signal during the operation time, and the second electrode blocks The coupling signals are generated during the operation time, and the coupling signals are sequentially detected from the second electrode blocks through the control unit during the plurality of time periods of the operation time. The driving method of claim 9, wherein the touch array further comprises a plurality of third electrode blocks, each of the third electrode blocks respectively surrounding one of the second electrode blocks, the driving method further comprising: when When the touch array operates in the first mode or the second mode, the third electrode blocks receive the DC voltage during the operation time. The driving method of claim 9, wherein the touch array further comprises a plurality of third electrode blocks, each of the third electrode blocks respectively surrounding one of the second electrode blocks, the driving method further comprising: when When the touch array is operated in the first mode or the second mode, the third electrode blocks receive the synchronization signal of the first driving signal during the operation time. The driving method of claim 8, further comprising: when the touch array is operated in a third mode, the second electrode blocks receive the plurality of second driving signals during the operation time and generate a plurality of sensing And detecting, by the control unit, the sensing signals from the second electrode blocks during the operation time. The driving method of claim 12, wherein the touch array further comprises a plurality of third electrode blocks, wherein the third electrode blocks respectively surround one of the second electrode blocks, the driving method further comprises: when When the touch array is operated in the third mode, the first electrode blocks and the third electrode blocks receive a DC voltage during the operation time. The driving method of claim 12, wherein the touch array further comprises a plurality of third electrode blocks, wherein the third electrode blocks respectively surround one of the second electrode blocks, the driving method further comprises: when When the touch array is operated in the third mode, the first electrode blocks and the third electrode blocks receive the first driving signal during the operation time. A synchronization signal.