JP2011113186A - Signal processing circuit for electrostatic capacity type touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal processing circuit for an electrostatic capacity type touch panel which is switchable between a differential input mode and a single input mode. <P>SOLUTION: The signal processing circuit includes a first sensor circuit for selecting first and second sensing lines from Y sensing lines YL1-YL4 and detecting a difference in capacity value between a first electrostatic capacity C1 to be generated between the first sensing line and a Y driving line DRYL and a second electrostatic capacity C2 to be generated between the second sensing line and the Y driving line DRYL, a single input type second sensor circuit for selecting the first sensing line from the Y sensing lines YL1-YL4 and detecting the change in capacity value of the first electrostatic capacity C1 to be generated between the first sensing line and the Y driving line DRYL, and a switch control circuit 11 for controlling switching so as to operate the first or second sensor circuit. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a signal processing circuit for a capacitive touch panel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a capacitive touch sensor is known as a data input device for various electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a mobile audio device, a mobile game device, a television, and a personal computer.

  A signal processing circuit of a conventional capacitive touch panel will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, a sense line 61 (touch pad) is disposed on the touch panel 60, and the sense line 61 has a capacitance 62 having a capacitance value C.

  The sense line 61 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 63 (comparator) via the wiring 64. A reference voltage Vref is applied to the inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier 63. A constant current source 65 is connected to the wiring 64 that connects the sense line 61 and the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 63.

  The operation of the signal processing circuit of this capacitive touch panel will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the human finger 66 is far away from the sense line 61, the capacitance value of the sense line 61 is C. In this case, the capacitance 62 of the sense line 61 is charged by a constant current from the constant current source 65, so that the voltage of the sense line 61 increases from 0 V in the reset state and reaches the reference voltage Vref. The output voltage of the amplifier 63 is inverted. The time from this reset until the differential amplifier 63 is inverted is assumed to be t1.

  On the other hand, when the human finger 66 is brought close to the sense line 61, the capacitance value in the sense line 61 increases to C + C ′. This increment C ′ is a capacitance value formed between the human finger and the sense line 61. Then, the time until the voltage of the sense line 61 reaches 0 V from the reference voltage Vref is t2 (t2> t1). That is, it is possible to detect whether or not the human finger 66 touches the sense line 61 based on the time difference (t2−t1) from when the differential amplifier 63 is inverted to when it is reset.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-190050

  However, the signal processing circuit described above is a single input type in which a signal from one sense line 61 is input to the differential amplifier 63. When noise is applied to the sense line 61, the voltage of the sense line 61 changes. As a result, a malfunction occurs.

  On the other hand, a differential input type signal processing circuit that detects a difference in capacitance between two sense lines with a charge amplifier is resistant to noise and can constitute a highly sensitive touch sensor. Such a differential input type signal processing circuit is suitable for single touch in which only one sense line is touched, and in the case of multi-touch in which two sense lines are touched simultaneously, the touch position cannot be detected. There is a problem that there is. This is because there is no difference in capacitance between the two sense lines.

  A signal processing circuit of a capacitive touch panel according to the present invention includes a plurality of sense lines disposed on a substrate, and a drive line disposed on the substrate and applied with an AC drive signal. A signal processing circuit for a touch panel, wherein a first sense line and a second sense line are selected from the plurality of sense lines, and the first sense line is formed between the first sense line and the drive line. A differential input type first sensor circuit that detects a difference in capacitance value of a second capacitance formed between the capacitance, the second sense line, and the drive line; A single input type first detecting the first sense line from the sense lines and detecting a change in capacitance value of the first capacitance formed between the first sense line and the drive line. 2 sensor circuits and any one of the first and second sensor circuits are operated. A switching control circuit for controlling, characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the signal processing circuit of the capacitive touch panel of the present invention, switching between the differential input mode and the single input mode is possible, so that different touch methods of single touch and multi-touch can be dealt with. For example, normally, the single touch is used by taking advantage of the high sensitivity and high noise resistance of the differential input mode, and when it is desired to use the multi touch, the mode is switched to the single mode.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the touch sensor containing an electrostatic capacitance type touch panel and a signal processing circuit. It is a figure which shows the structure of the signal processing circuit of the electrostatic capacitance type touch panel of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st sensor circuit of a differential input type. It is a figure which shows the structure of a 2nd sensor circuit of a single input type. It is a figure which shows the structure of a variable capacity | capacitance. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the 1st sensor circuit of a differential input type. It is a figure which shows the output waveform of a 1st sensor circuit of a differential input type. It is an operation | movement timing diagram of the signal processing circuit of the electrostatic capacitance type touch panel of this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the 2nd sensor circuit of a single input type. It is a figure which shows the structure of the signal processing circuit of the conventional electrostatic capacitance type touch panel. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the signal processing circuit of the conventional electrostatic capacitance type touch panel.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the capacitive touch sensor 100 includes a touch panel 1, signal processing circuits 2 </ b> X and 2 </ b> Y, and a microcomputer 3. Further, the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y can be realized by one chip.

  The touch panel 1 includes X sense lines XL1 to XL4 and an X drive line DRXL extending in the X direction on the glass substrate 200. The X drive line DRXL is arranged adjacent to both sides of each X sense line XL1 to XL4. The touch panel 1 further includes Y sense lines YL1 to YL4 and a Y drive line DRYL that extend in the Y direction on the glass substrate 200 and intersect the X sense lines XL1 to XL4. The Y drive line DRYL is disposed adjacent to both sides of each Y sense line YL1 to YL4. The X sense lines XL1 to XL4, the X drive line DRXL, the Y sense lines YL1 to YL4, and the Y drive line DRYL are electrically insulated from each other by a dielectric layer or the like.

The signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y are arranged adjacent to the touch panel 1 on the glass substrate 200. The signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y are formed of LSI chips or a glass substrate 200.
It is preferably formed on top using a thin film transistor (TFT) process.

  The signal processing circuit 2X has first to fourth input terminals CIN1 to CIN4 and a drive terminal CDRV that outputs an AC drive signal SCDRV. The first input terminal CIN1 is connected to the X sense line XL1, and The second input terminal CIN2 is connected to the X sense line XL3, the third input terminal CIN3 is connected to the X sense line XL2, and the fourth input terminal CIN4 is connected to the X sense line XL4. The drive terminal CDRV is connected to the X drive line DRXL.

  Similarly, the signal processing circuit 2Y includes first to fourth input terminals CIN1 to CIN4 and a drive terminal CDRV that outputs an AC drive signal (amplitude voltage Vref), and the first input terminal CIN1 is Y-sense. Connected to the line YL1, the second input terminal CIN2 is connected to the Y sense line YL3, the third input terminal CIN3 is connected to the Y sense line YL2, and the fourth input terminal CIN4 is connected to the Y sense line YL4. The The drive terminal CDRV is connected to the Y drive line DRYL.

Further, the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y have a serial clock terminal SCL and a serial data terminal SDA, respectively. The serial clock terminal SCL is commonly connected to the serial clock line 4, and the serial data terminal SDA is commonly connected to the serial data line 5. In this case, the serial clock line 4 and the serial data line 5 form an I ² C bus.

On the PCB substrate (not shown) outside the glass substrate 200, the microcomputer 3 as a master device is provided. The serial clock line 4 and serial data line 5 are connected to the microcomputer 3 via an FPC or the like. Thus, data communication is possible between the microcomputer 3 and the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y. In this example, a microcomputer is used as the master device. However, a DSP or a logic circuit may be used instead of the microcomputer. Also, serial communication uses I ² C as an example, but other serial communication such as SPI and UART may be used.

  The number of X sense lines XL1 to XL4 and the number of Y sense lines YL1 to YL4 is four each, which is the minimum unit of the touch panel 1, but the number can be increased as necessary. In that case, the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y are respectively added. In the case of realizing with one chip, the number of sense lines is increased.

[Detailed configuration of signal processing circuit]
Hereinafter, a detailed configuration of the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y of the capacitive touch panel will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, since the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y have the same configuration, the signal processing circuit 2Y will be described.

As illustrated, the signal processing circuit 2Y includes a selection circuit 10, a switching control circuit 11, a drive circuit 12 that generates an AC drive signal SCDRV, an inverter 13, a third capacitance C3, a fourth capacitance C4, Differential amplifier 14, first feedback capacitor 15, second feedback capacitor 16, AD converter 17, I ² C bus interface circuit 18, calibration circuit 19, EEPROM 20, switches SW1 to SW6, amplitude voltage of AC drive signal And a reference voltage source 21 that generates a reference voltage ½ Vref that is half of the reference voltage.

[Configuration for switching between differential input mode and single input mode]
The signal processing circuit 2Y has a differential input mode and a single input mode. Switching between the differential input mode and the single input mode is performed by switching the switches SW1 to SW4 and the selection operation of the selection circuit 10 by the switching control circuit 11.

  In this case, the switch SW1 is connected between the wiring 22 that connects the first output of the selection circuit 10 and the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier and the fourth capacitance C4. The switch SW2 is connected between the wiring 23 that connects the second output of the selection circuit 10 and the inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier, and the fourth capacitance C4.

  The switch SW3 connects one terminal of the third capacitance C3 and one terminal of the fourth capacitance C4 in order to connect the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4 in parallel. Connected between. The switch SW4 is connected between the reference voltage source 21 and the inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier in order to selectively apply the reference voltage ½ Vref to the inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier. Yes. The switches SW1 to SW4 are preferably formed by CMOS analog switches.

  Table 1 shows the relationship between the differential input mode, the single input mode, and the on / off states of the switches SW1 to SW4.

（ａ）差動入力モードの場合、スイッチＳＷ１はオフ、スイッチＳＷ２はオン、スイッチＳＷ３はオフ、スイッチＳＷ４はオフに設定される。そして、選択回路１０は、第１相と第２相を有し、第１相においては第１の入力端子ＣＩＮ１、第２の入力端子ＣＩＮ２からの信号を選択する。つまり、第１の入力端子ＣＩＮ１は配線２２を介して差動増幅器１４の非反転入力端子（＋）に接続され、第２の入力端子ＣＩＮ２は、配線２３を介して差動増幅器１４の反転入力端子（−）に接続される。

(A) In the differential input mode, the switch SW1 is turned off, the switch SW2 is turned on, the switch SW3 is turned off, and the switch SW4 is turned off. The selection circuit 10 has a first phase and a second phase, and selects signals from the first input terminal CIN1 and the second input terminal CIN2 in the first phase. That is, the first input terminal CIN 1 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 via the wiring 22, and the second input terminal CIN 2 is connected to the inverting input of the differential amplifier 14 via the wiring 23. Connected to terminal (-).

  In the second phase, the selection circuit 10 selects signals from the third input terminal CIN3 and the fourth input terminal CIN4. That is, the third input terminal CIN3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 via the wiring 22, and the fourth input terminal CIN4 is connected to the inverting input of the differential amplifier 14 via the wiring 23. Connected to terminal (-).

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, a differential input type first sensor circuit is formed. FIG. 3 shows a configuration when the selection circuit 10 selects signals from the first input terminal CIN1 and the second input terminal CIN2 (first phase). In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, a first capacitance C1 is formed between the Y sense line YL1 connected to the first input terminal CIN1 and the Y drive line DRYL, and the second input terminal CIN2 A second capacitance C2 is formed between the Y sense line YL3 and the Y drive line DRYL connected to.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the first capacitance C1 is connected in series to the third capacitance C3, and the second capacitance C2 is connected in series to the fourth capacitance C4. The The AC drive signal SCDRV from the drive circuit 12 is applied to the common connection node of the first capacitance C1, that is, the Y drive line DRYL. Further, an inverted AC drive signal * SCDRV obtained by inverting the AC drive signal from the drive circuit 12 by the inverter 13 is applied to the common connection node of the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4.

  The connection node N2 between the first capacitance C1 and the third capacitance C3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14. The connection node N1 between the second capacitance C2 and the fourth capacitance C4 is connected to the inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier 14.

The first feedback capacitor 15 and the switch SW5 are connected between the inverting output terminal (−) and the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14, and the non-inverting output terminal (+) and the inverting input of the differential amplifier 14 are connected. The second feedback capacitor 16 and the switch SW6 are connected between the terminals (−).
The switches SW5 and SW6 are preferably CMOS analog switches in order to improve the linearity of the signal transfer characteristics. Further, the capacitance values of the first and second feedback capacitors 15 and 16 are preferably the same Cf.

  This differential input type first sensor circuit outputs an output voltage Vout corresponding to the difference between the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1 and the capacitance value C2 of the second capacitance C2. The detailed operation will be described later.

  (B) In the single input mode, the switch SW1 is turned on, the switch SW2 is turned off, the switch SW3 is turned on or off, and the switch SW4 is turned on. Then, the selection circuit 10 sequentially selects the signals from the first input terminal CIN1, the third input terminal CIN3, the second input terminal CIN2, and the fourth input terminal CIN4 one by one, and the selected signal Is applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 through the wiring 22 as a first output.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, a single input type second sensor circuit is formed. FIG. 4 shows a configuration when the selection circuit 10 selects a signal from the first input terminal CIN1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, a first capacitance C1 is formed between the Y sense line YL1 connected to the first input terminal CIN1 and the Y drive line DRYL.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the first capacitance C1 is connected in series to the third capacitance C3. When the switch SW3 is off, the fourth capacitance C4 is not connected in series with the first capacitance C1, but when the switch SW3 is on, the fourth capacitance C4 is not connected to the first capacitance C4. It is connected in series to the capacitance C1. That is, the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4 are connected in parallel, and the combined capacitance C5 is connected in series to the first capacitance C1.

  The AC drive signal SCDRV from the drive circuit 12 is applied to one terminal of the first capacitance C1, that is, in this case, the Y drive line DRYL. Further, the inverted AC drive signal * SDRV obtained by inverting the AC drive signal SCDRV from the drive circuit 12 by the inverter 13 is applied to the common connection node of the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4. .

The connection node N2 between the first capacitance C1 and the third capacitance C3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14. The inverting input terminal (−) of the differential amplifier 14 has
A reference voltage ½ Vref from the reference voltage source 21 is applied.

  When the switch SW3 is OFF, the single input type second sensor circuit outputs an output voltage corresponding to the difference between the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1 and the capacitance value C3 of the third capacitance C3. When Vout is output and the switch SW3 is on, the output voltage Vout corresponding to the difference from the combined capacitance value C5 is output. The detailed operation will be described later.

  In the single input type second sensor circuit, the third capacitance C3 of the differential input type first sensor circuit or both the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4 are referred to. Since the capacitor is used as a capacitor, an increase in the number of capacitor elements can be suppressed when switching between the single input type and the differential input type.

Since the output voltage Vout of the first and second sensor circuits described above is an analog signal, digital signal processing cannot be performed as it is. Therefore, the AD converter 17 converts the output voltage Vout into a digital signal. The output of the AD converter 17 is converted into serial data of a predetermined format by the I ² C bus interface circuit 18 and transmitted to the microcomputer 3 via the serial clock terminal SCL and the serial data terminal SDA. The microcomputer 3 performs arithmetic processing on the received serial data and determines a touch position on the touch panel 1.

[Calibration configuration]
The calibration configuration of the first and second sensor circuits described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The first sensor circuit of the differential input type has a first capacitance C1 and a second capacitance C2 in an initial state (a state where the human finger or the like is far from the touch panel 1 to the extent that a human finger or the like is not detected). If the capacitance values C1 and C2 are unbalanced, that is, if there is a difference between the capacitance values, an offset of the output voltage Vout occurs. When the offset occurs, the detection accuracy of the touch sensor deteriorates. Therefore, the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4 can be configured with variable capacitances so that the offset can be adjusted.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the calibration circuit 19 has a desired offset value based on the output voltages Vout (preferably digital values after AD conversion) of the first and second sensor circuits in the initial state. The capacitance values of the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4 are adjusted so as to be preferably the minimum value.

  For the calibration of the differential input type first sensor circuit shown in FIG. 3, in the initial state, the capacitance values of the first to fourth capacitances C1 to C4 are preferably equal to each other (C1 = C2 = C3 = C4 = C). However, for example, when the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1 is larger by ΔC than the capacitance value C2 of the second capacitance C2 due to manufacturing variations of the touch panel 1 (C2 = C + ΔC, C1 = C). ) Causes an offset of the output voltage Vout. Therefore, the offset value can be set to the minimum value (zero) by adjusting the capacitance value C3 of the third capacitance C3 to be larger by ΔC than the capacitance value C4 of the fourth capacitance C4. . (C4 = C + ΔC, C3 = C)

  Conversely, when the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1 is smaller than the capacitance value C2 of the second capacitance C2 by ΔC (C2 = C−ΔC, C1 = C), the third capacitance The capacitance value C3 of C3 is adjusted to be smaller than the capacitance value C4 of the fourth electrostatic capacitance C4 by ΔC. (C4 = C−ΔC, C3 = C)

In this case, as a configuration example of the third capacitance C3, as shown in FIG. 5, the third capacitance C3 includes m capacitances C31 to C3m and switches S31 to S3m. The The capacitance values of the capacitances C31 to C3m are preferably weighted in order to finely change the capacitance value of the third capacitance C3. For example, if the capacitance value of C31 is C0, C32 = 1/2 · C0, C33 = 1/4 · C0, C34 = 1/8 · C0,... C3m = 1/2 ^m−1 · C0. . Each switch S31 to S3m is controlled to be turned on / off by a corresponding m-bit adjustment signal from the calibration circuit 19. The same applies to the fourth capacitance C4.

  According to such a configuration, the capacitance values of the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4 can be adjusted by the corresponding 2m-bit digital adjustment signal from the calibration circuit 19. Based on the output voltage Vout, the calibration circuit 19 can determine a 2 m-bit adjustment signal whose offset is a desired value, preferably a minimum value. The determined adjustment signal is written and held in an electrically writable and erasable nonvolatile memory such as the EEPROM 20.

  Then, when the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y are turned on, the adjustment signal written and held in the EEPROM 20 is read from the EEPROM 20. The calibration circuit 19 adjusts the capacitance values of the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4 based on the adjustment signal read from the EEPROM 20.

  On the other hand, for the calibration of the single input type second sensor circuit with reference to FIG. 4, in the initial state, the capacitance values of the first capacitance C1 and the third capacitance C3 are preferably equal to each other ( C1 = C3 = C). However, this is a case where the switch SW3 is off.

  However, when the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1 is larger than the capacitance value C3 of the third capacitance C3 by ΔC (C1 = C3 + ΔC), an offset of the output voltage Vout occurs. Therefore, the offset can be reduced by adjusting the capacitance value C3 of the third capacitance C3 so as to approach the capacitance value C1 of the first capacitance C1.

  In the single input type second sensor circuit, when the switch SW3 is ON, the capacitance value of the combined capacitance C5 of the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4 is offset. It will be adjusted as well to minimize. In this case, since the variable width of the capacitance value can be increased because of the combined capacitance C5, there is an advantage that the width of the offset adjustment is widened.

[Operation of differential input type first sensor circuit]
Next, the differential input type first sensor circuit described above with reference to FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the AC drive signal SCDRV is assumed to be a clock signal that alternately repeats a high level (= Vref) and a low level (ground voltage = 0 V). The output voltage from the inverting output terminal (−) of the differential amplifier 14 is Vom, the output voltage from the non-inverting output terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 is Vop, and the difference voltage between them is the output voltage Vout ( = Vop-Vom).

  The first sensor circuit has two modes of a charge accumulation mode and a charge transfer mode, and these two modes are alternately repeated.

  First, in the charge accumulation mode of FIG. 6A, Vref is applied to the first and second capacitances C1 and C2. A ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4.

  Further, the switches SW5 and SW6 are turned on. As a result, the inverting output terminal (−) and the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 are short-circuited, and the non-inverting output terminal (+) and the inverting input terminal (−) are short-circuited. As a result, the node N1 (wiring node connected to the inverting input terminal (−)), the node N2 (wiring node connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+)), the inverting output terminal (−), and the non-inverting output terminal ( The voltage of (+) is set to ½ Vref. In this case, the common mode voltage of the differential amplifier 22 is set to ½ Vref.

  Next, in the charge transfer mode shown in FIG. 6B, a ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the first and second capacitances C1 and C2 contrary to the charge accumulation mode. Further, Vref is applied to the third and fourth capacitances C3 and C4. The switches SW5 and SW6 are turned off.

  The capacitance values of the respective electrostatic capacitors in the initial state are assumed to be equal to each other. (C1 = C2 = C3 = C4 = C) Further, a capacitance difference between C1 and C2 when a human finger approaches the touch pad is represented by ΔC. (C1-C2 = ΔC) In this case, C1 = C + 1 / 2ΔC and C2 = C−1 / 2ΔC.

ここで、（Ｃ−１／２ΔＣ）・（−１／２Ｖｒｅｆ）はＣ２の電荷量であり、Ｃ・（１／２Ｖｒｅｆ）はＣ４の電荷量、Ｃｆ・０（＝０）はＣｆの電荷量である。 In the charge accumulation mode of FIG. 6A, the amount of charge at the node N1 is given by the following equation.

Here, (C−1 / 2ΔC) · (−1 / 2Vref) is the charge amount of C2, C · (1 / 2Vref) is the charge amount of C4, and Cf · 0 (= 0) is the charge amount of Cf. It is.

ここで、（Ｃ−１／２ΔＣ）・（１／２Ｖｒｅｆ）はＣ２の電荷量、Ｃ・（−１／２Ｖｒｅｆ）はＣ４の電荷量、Ｃｆ・（Ｖｏｐ−１／２Ｖｒｅｆ）はＣｆの電荷量である。 In the charge transfer mode of FIG. 6B, the amount of charge at the node N1 is given by the following equation.

Here, (C−1 / 2ΔC) · (1 / 2Vref) is the charge amount of C2, C · (−1 / 2Vref) is the charge amount of C4, and Cf · (Vop−1 / 2Vref) is the charge amount of Cf. It is.

According to the law of conservation of charge, the amount of charge of the node N1 in the charge accumulation mode and the charge transfer mode is equal to each other, and therefore, Equation 1 = Equation 2.
Solving this equation for Vop yields:

Similarly, when the charge amount in the charge accumulation mode and the charge transfer mode is obtained for the node N2, the charge conservation law is applied, and the equation is solved for Vom, the following expression is obtained.

From equations 3 and 4, Vout is obtained.

  That is, it can be seen that the output voltage Vout of the differential input type first sense circuit changes in proportion to the difference ΔC between the capacitance values of the first capacitance C1 and the second capacitance C2.

  The above calculation is based on the premise that C1 = C2 = C3 = C4 = C. However, if there is a capacity difference between C1 and C2 in the initial state, C3 and C4 also have the same capacity difference. In addition, the offset of the output voltage Vout can be set to a predetermined value or a minimum value by adjusting C3 and C4 using the calibration circuit 19 or the like.

  Next, touch sensor characteristics of the output voltage Vout of the first sense circuit will be described with reference to Table 2 and FIG. As described above, the selection circuit 10 has a first phase and a second phase. In the first phase, the selection circuit 10 selects signals from the first input terminal CIN1 and the second input terminal CIN2, and in the second phase. Selects signals from the third input terminal CIN3 and the fourth input terminal CIN4.

  The output voltage VoutV1 of the first sense circuit in the case of the first phase is set to V2, and the output voltage Vout of the second sense circuit in the case of the second phase is set to V2. In this case, the output voltage V1 is a voltage proportional to the difference between the capacitance values of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL1 and the Y drive line DRYL and the capacitance between the Y sense line YL3 and the Y drive line DRYL.

  The output voltage V2 is a voltage proportional to the difference between the capacitance values of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL2 and the Y drive line DRYL and the capacitance between the Y sense line YL4 and the Y drive line DRYL. Then, it is assumed that a human finger or the like touches the touch panel 1 in a range from the Y sense line YL1 to the Y sense line YL4 by a single touch.

先ず、人の指等がＹセンス線ＹＬ１にタッチした場合、第１相の第１の出力電圧Ｖ１は、プラス（＋）の値になる。これは、Ｙセンス線ＹＬ１とＹ駆動線ＤＲＹＬとの間の容量の容量値がＹセンス線ＹＬ３とＹ駆動線ＤＲＹＬとの間の容量の容量値より大きくなるからである。また、第２相の第２の出力電圧Ｖ２は０Ｖになる。これは、人の指等がＹセンス線ＹＬ１にだけタッチしているので、Ｙセンス線ＹＬ２，ＹＬ４に係る容量値の変化はないからである。

First, when a human finger or the like touches the Y sense line YL1, the first phase first output voltage V1 becomes a plus (+) value. This is because the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL1 and the Y drive line DRYL is larger than the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL3 and the Y drive line DRYL. The second phase second output voltage V2 is 0V. This is because a capacitance of the Y sense lines YL2 and YL4 does not change because a human finger or the like touches only the Y sense line YL1.

  Next, when a human finger or the like touches the Y sense YL2, the first output voltage V1 of the first phase becomes 0V. This is because there is no change in the capacitance values related to the Y sense lines YL1, YL3. On the other hand, the second-phase second output voltage V2 has a positive (+) value. This is because the capacitance value between the Y sense line YL2 and the Y drive line DRYL is larger than the capacitance value between the Y sense line YL4 and the Y drive line DRYL.

  Next, when a human finger or the like touches the Y sense line YL3, the first output voltage V1 of the first phase becomes a negative (−) value. This is because the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL3 and the Y drive line DRYL is larger than the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL1 and the Y drive line DRYL. On the other hand, the second output voltage V2 of the second phase is 0V. This is because a person's finger or the like touches only the Y sense line YL3, so that there is no change in the capacitance value related to the Y sense lines YL2, YL4.

  Finally, when a human finger or the like touches the Y sense line YL4, the first output voltage V1 of the first phase becomes 0V. This is because the capacitance values of the Y sense lines YL1 and YL3 are not changed. On the other hand, the second output voltage V2 of the second phase has a minus (−) value. This is because the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL4 and the Y drive line DRYL is larger than the capacitance value of the capacitance between the Y sense line YL2 and the Y drive line DRYL. In Table 2 and FIG. 7, the absolute value of the maximum value of the first and second output voltages V1, V2 is normalized to “1”.

  The above description is based on a dielectric model in which a human finger or the like is a dielectric, and when the human finger approaches the sense line, the capacitance value related to the sense line increases. On the other hand, based on the electric field shielding model in which a human finger or the like is a grounded conductor, when the human finger approaches the sense line, the capacitance value related to the sense line becomes smaller.

  As shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that the first and second output voltages V1, V2 change continuously according to the touch position. That is, when the point on the Y sense line YL1 is the origin and the horizontal axis is the X coordinate axis, the first output voltage V1 is approximated by V1 = cosX, and the second output voltage V2 is approximated by V2 = sinX. The Therefore, the touch position (Y coordinate) can be detected based on the first and second output voltages V1 and V2.

As an example, since V2 / V1 = tanX holds, the relational expression of X = arctan (V2 / V1) and the polarities (+, −) of the first and second output voltages V1, V2 are used. The X coordinate of the touch position can be obtained. arctan is an inverse function of tan. In this case, as described above, the AD converter 17 converts the first and second output voltages V1 and V2 into digital values and transmits them to the microcomputer 3 via the I ² C bus interface circuit 18. Then, the microcomputer 3 can perform the above-described calculation to obtain the X coordinate of the touch position.

  Similarly, by operating the signal processing circuit 2X, it is possible to detect the Y coordinate of the touch position on the X sense lines XL1 to XL4 based on the first and second output voltages V1 and V2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, the X and Y coordinates of the touch position can be obtained by operating the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y in time series.

  In particular, the differential input type first sense circuit has advantages of high sensitivity and high noise resistance. On the other hand, the first sense circuit may not be able to detect multi-touch. For example, this is a case where a human finger or the like touches the Y sense lines YL1 and YL3 at the same time. In this case, since there is no capacitance difference between the capacitance related to the Y sense line YL1 and the capacitance related to the Y sense line YL3, the first output voltage V1 becomes zero, which is indistinguishable from the initial state.

[Operation of Single Input Type Second Sensor Circuit]
Next, the operation of the single input type second sensor circuit described above with reference to FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the AC drive signal is a clock signal that alternately repeats a high level (= Vref) and a low level (ground voltage = 0 V). The output voltage from the inverting output terminal (−) of the differential amplifier 14 is Vom, the output voltage from the non-inverting output terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 is Vop, and the difference voltage between them is the output voltage Vout ( = Vop-Vom).

Further, it is assumed that the switch SW3 is on, and the third electrostatic capacitance C3 and the fourth electrostatic capacitance C4 are connected in parallel to each other and connected in series to the first electrostatic capacitance C1. In this case, the combined capacitance C5 of the third capacitance C3 and the fourth capacitance C4 is C5. (C5 = C3 + C4)
The second sensor circuit has two modes, a charge accumulation mode and a charge transfer mode, and these two modes are alternately repeated.

  First, in the charge accumulation mode of FIG. 9A, Vref is applied to the first capacitance C1. In addition, a ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the combined capacitance C5. Further, the switches SW5 and SW6 are turned on. As a result, the inverting output terminal (−) and the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the differential amplifier 14 are short-circuited, and the non-inverting output terminal (+) and the inverting input terminal (−) are short-circuited. As a result, the node N1 (wiring node connected to the inverting input terminal (−)), the node N2 (wiring node connected to the non-inverting input terminal (+)), the inverting output terminal (−), and the non-inverting output terminal ( The voltage of (+) is set to ½ Vref.

  Next, in the charge transfer mode of FIG. 9B, a ground voltage (0 V) is applied to the first capacitance C1, contrary to the charge accumulation mode. Further, Vref is applied to the synthetic capacitance C5. The switches SW5 and SW6 are turned off.

  Assume that C1 = C5 = C is set in the initial state. Then, it is assumed that the first capacitance C1 is changed by ΔC due to the touch of a human finger or the like. That is, C1 = C + ΔC and C5 = C.

In the charge accumulation mode of FIG. 9A, the amount of charge at the node N2 is given by the following equation.

In the charge transfer mode of FIG. 9B, the amount of charge at the node N2 is given by the following equation.

According to the law of conservation of charge, the amount of charge of the node N2 in the charge accumulation mode and the charge transfer mode is equal to each other.
Solving this equation for Vom yields:

Similarly, when the charge amount in the charge accumulation mode and the charge transfer mode is obtained for the node N1, the charge conservation law is applied, and the equation is solved for Vop, the following expression is obtained.

  From equations 3 and 4, Vout is obtained.

即ち、シングル入力型の第２のセンス回路の出力電圧Ｖｏｕｔは、第１の静電容量Ｃ１と合成静電容量Ｃ５の容量値の差ΔＣに比例して変化することがわかる。

That is, it can be seen that the output voltage Vout of the single input type second sense circuit changes in proportion to the difference ΔC between the capacitance values of the first capacitance C1 and the combined capacitance C5.

  The above calculation is based on the premise that C1 = C5 = C in the initial state. However, if there is a difference between C1 and C5 in the initial state, output is performed using the calibration circuit 19 or the like described above. C5 can be adjusted so that the offset of the voltage Vout becomes a predetermined value or a minimum value.

  Next, the touch sensor characteristic of the output voltage Vout of the second sense circuit will be described. In this case, as described above, the selection circuit 10 sequentially selects signals from the first input terminal CIN1, the third input terminal CIN3, the second input terminal CIN2, and the fourth input terminal CIN4. For example, the Y sense line YL1, Y sense line YL2, Y sense line YL3, and Y sense line YL4 in FIG. 1 are selected in order and connected to the second sense circuit.

  Therefore, the second sense circuit outputs an output voltage Vout proportional to a change in capacitance formed between each Y sense line YL1 to YL4 and the Y drive line DRYL. Therefore, the touch position can be detected based on the output voltage Vout of the second sense circuit. For example, when a human finger or the like touches the Y sense line YL1, the value of the output voltage Vout when the Y sense line YL1 is selected increases.

  In particular, in the single-input type second sense circuit, the Y sense lines YL1 to YL4 are selected one by one and the capacitance change is detected. Therefore, unlike the differential-input type first sense circuit. Multi-touch can be detected stably.

  Therefore, normally, when the differential input type first sense circuit is operated and the high sensitivity and the high noise resistance are utilized, the single touch is used and the multi-touch is used, the single input type second sense circuit is used. The sense circuit can be switched to operate.

  Switching between the single input mode and the differential input mode is performed by the switching control circuit 11 as described above. In this case, the switching control circuit 11 is configured to execute a mode switching operation in response to an external command, for example, a command transferred from the microcomputer 3 via the serial clock line 4 and the serial data line 5. can do.

  Further, the switching control circuit 11 can be configured to automatically switch between the single input mode and the differential input mode based on the sensor detection result. For example, when a human finger or the like is relatively away from the touch panel 1, high-sensitivity sensing is necessary, and thus the differential input type first sense circuit is operated. When the output voltage Vout of the first sense circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that a human finger or the like is close to the touch panel 1 up to a predetermined distance or touches the touch panel 1 directly, and single input is performed. Switch to mode.

  In the configuration of FIG. 1, the X drive line DRXL and the Y drive line DRYL are provided, and the AC drive signal is supplied from the drive terminals CDRV of the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y to the X drive line DRXL and the Y drive line DRYL. X sense lines XL1 to XL4 and Y sense lines YL1 to YL4 can also be used as drive lines.

  In this case, when the signal processing circuit 2Y operates as a touch sensor, an AC drive signal is supplied from the signal processing circuit 2X to the X sense lines XL1 to XL4. On the other hand, when the signal processing circuit 2X operates as a touch sensor, an AC drive signal is supplied from the signal processing circuit 2Y to the Y sense lines YL1 to YL4. According to such a configuration, the X drive line DRXL, the Y drive line DRYL, and the like are not necessary. Further, the signal processing circuits 2X and 2Y can be realized by one chip.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Touch panel 2X, 2Y Signal processing circuit 3 Microcomputer 4 Serial clock line 5 Serial data line 10 Selection circuit 11 Switching control circuit 12 Drive circuit 13 Inverter 14 Differential amplifier 15 1st feedback capacity 16 2nd feedback capacity 17 AD conversion 18 I ² C bus interface circuit 19 Calibration circuit 20 EEPROM 21 Reference voltage source 22, 23 Wiring

Claims (5)

A capacitive touch panel signal processing circuit comprising a plurality of sense lines disposed on a substrate and a drive line disposed on the substrate to which an AC drive signal is applied,
First and second sense lines are selected from the plurality of sense lines, and a first capacitance formed between the first sense line and the drive line and the second sense line A differential input type first sensor circuit for detecting a difference in capacitance value of a second capacitance formed between the driving line and the driving line;
Single input for selecting the first sense line from the plurality of sense lines and detecting a change in capacitance value of the first capacitance formed between the first sense line and the drive line A second sensor circuit of the mold;
A signal processing circuit for a capacitive touch panel, comprising: a switching control circuit that performs switching control so as to operate one of the first and second sensor circuits. A third capacitance;
A fourth capacitance;
A differential amplifier having first and second input terminals;
The switching control circuit, when operating the first sensor circuit, connects the third capacitance in series to the first capacitance, and the fourth capacitance to the second capacitance. Are connected in series, the first capacitance and the third connection node are connected to the first input terminal of the differential amplifier, and the second capacitance and the first A connection node of four capacitances to the first input terminal of the differential amplifier;
When operating the second sensor circuit, the third capacitance is connected in series to the first capacitance, and the connection node is connected to the first input terminal of the differential amplifier. The signal processing circuit of the capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein a reference voltage is applied to the second input terminal of the differential amplifier.   3. The capacitive touch panel signal according to claim 2, wherein when the second sensor circuit is operated, the fourth capacitance is connected in series to the first capacitance. 4. Processing circuit.   The signal processing circuit of the capacitive touch panel according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the reference voltage is a voltage that is ½ of the amplitude of the AC drive signal.   Selecting the second sensor circuit and the plurality of sense lines in order, and detecting a change in a capacitance value of the first capacitance formed between the selected sense line and the drive line; The signal processing circuit of the capacitive touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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