KR101885810B1 - Apparatus and method for driving touch screen - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch screen device and a driving method thereof, and more particularly to a touch screen device and a driving method thereof that perform a setup operation, a sensing operation, an ADC operation, a coordinate recognition operation and a data transmission operation, Operation and the ADC operation in parallel.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DRIVING TOUCH SCREEN [0002]

The present invention relates to a touch screen device and a driving method thereof.

User input means has been replaced with a touch screen in a button-type switch in accordance with the trend of lightening and slimming of household appliances and portable information devices. The touch screen includes a plurality of touch sensors.

US Published Patent Application No. 2010/0200310 (published Dec. 12, 2010) discloses a conventional touch screen (hereinafter referred to as "touch screen ") including capacitive touch sensors at each intersection of X lines and Y lines crossing each other. Self capacitance touch screen "). The self capacitance type touch screen scans the X lines to convert the signals received from the X lines into digital data through analog to digital conversion (ADC) And converts the signal received from the Y lines into digital data through the ADC process. The self-capacitance type touch screen recognizes the touch sensor located at the intersection of the X line and the Y line, which are large before and after the touch, as the touch position. This self capacitance touch screen senses each of the X and Y lines and converts them into ADCs to analyze the digital data obtained to determine the touch position. Therefore, a ghost point (ghost point) to the touch position. Therefore, the self-capacitance type touch screen is disadvantageous in that the multi-touch recognition sensitivity is lowered, and a complicated ghost detection and removal algorithm is additionally applied.

The Self-capacitance type touch screen disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US20030 / 2003103 senses X lines and Y lines on a group basis in a pre-scan step. Subsequently, the self-capacitance touch screen disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US20030 / 030010 increases the accuracy of touch recognition through a re-scan process and a touch position detection process after an ADC process and a touch position detection process. The self capacitance touch screen disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0200310 simultaneously scans the X lines (or Y lines) in the group during the pre-scan process, so that every X line and Y The speed of touch sensing can be reduced compared to a method of sequentially sensing lines. However, the self capacitance touch screen disclosed in U.S. Publication No. US 2010/0200310 needs to sequentially perform a pre-scan, an ADC, a touch recognition algorithm execution, a rescan, an ADC, and a touch recognition algorithm every time the touch position is recognized There is a limit to reducing the speed of touch sensing.

The Touch Report Rate is inversely proportional to the total sensing time required to sense all the sensor nodes in the touch screen. As the total sensing time increases, the touch report rate decreases. The touch report rate refers to the number of touch coordinate values transmitted per second. Therefore, the self capacitance type touch screen disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. US20030 / 030010 can not sufficiently increase the touch report rate, so it is difficult to properly cope with the increase in the resolution of the touch screen.

The present invention provides a touch screen device and a method of driving the same that can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen and increase the touch report rate.

A touch screen device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a touch screen in which Tx lines and Rx lines are intersected and sensor nodes are formed at intersections thereof; And a touch screen driving circuit for supplying a pulse to the Tx lines and sampling and converting the voltages of the sensor nodes received through the Rx lines into digital data.

Wherein the touch screen drive circuit comprises: a setup operation for selecting Tx lines to which the pulse is to be supplied and for selecting the Rx lines on which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received; supplying pulses to the Tx lines, , An ADC operation for converting the sampled voltage into digital data, a coordinate recognition operation for estimating the coordinates of the touch input position by analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm, And transmits the touch coordinate data to the external system.

The touch screen driving circuit performs at least one of the sensing operation and the ADC operation in parallel with the sensing operation during a sensing time required for the sensing operation.

In the touch screen device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the touch screen driving circuit receives group setup information including a plurality of Tx setup information and a plurality of Rx setup information, selects Tx lines to which the pulses are to be supplied, A sensing operation to supply a pulse to the Tx lines and to receive and sample the sensor node voltage through the Rx line, an ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data, A coordinate recognition operation for analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm to estimate coordinates of a touch input position, and a data transmission operation for transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system.

The touch screen driving circuit performs the sensing operation and the ADC operation in parallel during a sensing time required for the sensing operation.

A method of driving a touch screen device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes performing Tx lines to be supplied with pulses and performing a setup operation to select Rx lines to which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received; Performing a sensing operation of supplying the pulse to selected Tx lines and receiving and sampling a sensor node voltage through selected Rx lines; Performing an ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data; Performing a coordinate recognition operation for estimating coordinates of a touch input position by analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm and performing a data transmission operation for transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system .

At least one of the sensing operation and the ADC operation is performed in parallel with the sensing operation during a sensing time required for the sensing operation.

A method of driving a touch screen device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes receiving Tx setup information including a plurality of Tx setup information and a plurality of Rx setup information to select Tx lines to which the pulse is to be supplied, Performing a setup operation to select Rx lines to be received; Performing a sensing operation of supplying the pulse to selected Tx lines and receiving and sampling a sensor node voltage through selected Rx lines; Performing an ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data; Performing a coordinate recognition operation for estimating coordinates of a touch input position by analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm and performing a data transmission operation for transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system .

During the sensing time required for the sensing operation, the sensing operation and the ADC operation are performed in parallel.

The present invention can greatly reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen and increase the touch report rate by performing the setup operation and / or the ADC operation in parallel with the sensing operation during the sensing operation time of the touch screen. In addition, the present invention can further reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen by applying group setup. The present invention can significantly reduce the sensing time of a touch screen on which noises can be introduced, thereby reducing noise of data obtained from the sensor node.

The present invention can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen and reduce the time required for executing the touch recognition algorithm and transmitting the touch coordinate data by executing the touch recognition algorithm and transmitting the touch coordinate data in parallel.

The touch screen is virtually divided into two or more blocks, and the presence or absence of touch (or proximity) input is quickly judged on a block-by-block basis. Then, only a block in which a touch Sensing. As a result, the present invention can minimize the total sensing time of the touch screen.

Furthermore, the present invention can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen, thereby reducing the noise inflow time that may affect the touch screen, and verifying the erroneous touch sensed by the touch in the block sensing through partial sensing, thereby minimizing the noise influence The accuracy of touch recognition can be enhanced. Each of the block sensing method and the partial sensing method may perform the setup operation and / or the ADC operation in parallel with the sensing operation, or the group setup, and perform the sensing operation and the ADC operation in parallel. In addition, after performing the block sensing method and the partial sensing method, the present invention can reduce the time required for the touch recognition algorithm and the transmission of the touch coordinate data by executing the touch recognition algorithm and transmitting the touch coordinate data in parallel .

1 is a view showing an example of arrangement of sensor nodes of a touch screen.
2 is a graph showing the total sensing time when the setup, the sensing, and the ADC are sequentially performed for each sensor node in the mutual capacity type touch screen.
3 is a block diagram showing a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a detail of an electrode pattern by enlarging a part of the touch screen in FIG.
5 to 7 are views showing various combinations of the touch screen and the display panel.
8 is a detailed block diagram of the ROIC of the present invention.
9 is a waveform diagram showing an example of pulses supplied to the Tx lines.
10 to 12 are views illustrating a method of driving the touch screen device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
13 to 18 are views illustrating a method of driving the touch screen device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a touch screen device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
20 to 34 are views showing a block sensing method and a partial sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 35 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a touch screen device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals throughout the specification denote substantially identical components. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

A mutual capacitance touch screen includes Tx lines, Rx lines intersecting Tx lines, and sensor nodes formed at intersections of Tx lines and Rx lines. Each of the sensor nodes has mutual capacity. The touch screen device senses a change in the voltage charged in the sensor nodes before and after the touch (or proximity) to determine whether or not the conductive material is in contact (or proximity) and its position. The mutual capacitive touch screen provides pulses to the Tx lines and individually senses capacitance variations of each of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines in synchronization with the pulses. Due to this sensing method, mutual capacitance type touch screen can detect the voltage change before and after the touch in each of the sensor nodes, so that multi touch can be accurately recognized.

If i (j is a natural number) Tx lines and i (i is a natural number) Rx lines intersect, then the touch screen will display i x j sensor nodes { (1, 1) to (j, i)}. In one Tx line, i sensor nodes arranged in the transverse direction are connected along the line direction, and j sensor nodes arranged in the longitudinal direction along the column direction are connected to one Rx line.

As shown in FIG. 2, the touch screen device includes setup (STP), sensing (SS), and ADC processes for each sensor node in order to sense the voltages of the sensor nodes.

The setup process (STP) generates a setup signal and transmits the setup signal to the Tx driver circuit and the Rx driver circuit to select the Tx line to which the pulse is supplied and the Rx line to receive the sensor node voltage. The sensing process SS supplies a pulse to the Tx line selected by the Tx setup signal and receives and samples the sensor node voltage through the Rx line selected by the Rx setup signal. The ADC process converts the sampled sensor node voltage into digital data using an analog-to-digital converter built into the Rx drive circuit. The touch screen apparatus executes a touch recognition algorithm to analyze digital data obtained from a touch screen, that is, touch raw data, to estimate a touch (or proximity) input position.

The touch recognition algorithm analyzes the digital data obtained by the analog-to-digital conversion process, estimates the position where the touch (or proximity) input is made, and calculates the touch coordinate value of the touch position. Such a touch recognition algorithm can be implemented with any known algorithm.

The setup process (STP), the sensing process (SS), and the ADC process are repeated for each sensor node to sense all the sensor nodes in the touch screen. Therefore, the total sensing time required to sense all the sensor nodes in the touch screen is about "total sensing time = (STP + SS + ADC) × i × j". Here, "STP" is the time required for the setup operation, "SS" is the time required for the sensing operation, and "ADC"

Thus, it is difficult to reduce the total sensing time of the touchscreen by sequentially processing setup, sensing, and ADC for each sensor node.

3 to 12, the sensing operation and the ADC operation are performed in parallel, or the setup operation, the sensing operation, and the ADC operation are performed in parallel to dramatically increase the total sensing time of the touch screen, Can be reduced.

3 and 4, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel DIS, a display driving circuit, and a touch screen device. The touch screen device includes a touch screen (TSP) and a touch screen driving circuit.

The display device of the present invention can be applied to a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting display , OLEDs, and electrophoresis (EPD) devices. In the following embodiments, a display device is described as a liquid crystal display device as an example of a flat panel display device, but it should be noted that the display device of the present invention is not limited to a liquid crystal display device.

The display panel (DIS) has a liquid crystal layer formed between two glass substrates. A plurality of gate lines G1 to Gn, n being a natural number) intersecting the data lines D1 to Dm and m are natural numbers and the data lines D1 to Dm are formed on the lower substrate of the display panel DIS, A plurality of TFTs (Thin Film Transistors) formed at intersections of the data lines D1 to Dm and the gate lines G1 to Gn, a plurality of pixel electrodes for charging data voltages to the liquid crystal cells, And a storage capacitor for maintaining the voltage of the liquid crystal cell.

The pixels of the display panel DIS are formed in a pixel region defined by the data lines D1 to Dm and the gate lines G1 to Gn and arranged in a matrix form. Each liquid crystal cell of the pixels is driven by an electric field applied according to a voltage difference between a data voltage applied to the pixel electrode and a common voltage applied to the common electrode to control the amount of incident light. The TFTs are turned on in response to gate pulses from the gate lines G1 to Gn to supply a voltage from the data lines D1 to Dm to the pixel electrodes of the liquid crystal cell.

The upper substrate of the display panel DIS may include a black matrix, a color filter, and the like. The lower substrate of the display panel DIS may be implemented with a COT (Color Filter On TFT) structure. In this case, the black matrix and the color filter can be formed on the lower substrate of the display panel DIS.

On the upper substrate and the lower substrate of the display panel DIS, a polarizing plate is attached, and an alignment film for forming a pre-tilt angle of the liquid crystal on the inner surface in contact with the liquid crystal is formed. A column spacer for maintaining a cell gap of the liquid crystal cell is formed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate of the display panel DIS.

A backlight unit may be disposed on the back surface of the display panel DIS. The backlight unit is implemented as an edge type or direct type backlight unit, and irradiates the display panel (DIS) with light. The display panel DIS may be implemented in any known liquid crystal mode such as TN (Twisted Nematic) mode, VA (Vertical Alignment) mode, IPS (In Plane Switching) mode and FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode.

The display driving circuit includes a data driving circuit 12, a scan driving circuit 14, and a timing controller 20, and writes the video data of the input video into the pixels.

The data driving circuit 12 converts the digital video data RGB input from the timing controller 20 into an analog positive / negative gamma compensation voltage to output a data voltage. The data voltage is supplied to the data lines D1 to Dm. The scan driving circuit 14 sequentially supplies a gate pulse (or a scan pulse) synchronized with the data voltage to the gate lines G1 to Gn to select a line of the display panel DIS to which data is to be written.

The timing controller 20 receives timing signals such as a vertical synchronization signal Vsync, a horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, a data enable signal DE and a main clock MCLK from an external host system . The timing controller 20 generates a scan timing control signal and a data timing control signal for controlling the operation timings of the data driving circuit 12 and the scan driving circuit 14. The scan timing control signal includes a gate start pulse (GSP), a gate shift clock, a gate output enable signal (GOE), and the like. The data timing control signal includes a source sampling clock (SSC), a polarity control signal (Polarity), a source output enable signal (SOE), and the like.

The touch screen TSP may be bonded on the upper polarizer POL1 of the display panel DIS as shown in FIG. 5 or may be formed between the upper polarizer POL1 and the upper glass substrate GLS1 as shown in FIG. In addition, the sensor nodes TSN of the touch screen TSP may be embedded in the lower substrate as an in-cell type together with the pixel array in the display panel DIS as shown in FIG. 5 to 7, "PIX" denotes a pixel electrode of a liquid crystal cell, "GLS2" denotes a lower substrate, and "POL2" denotes a lower polarizer plate.

The touch screen TSP includes Tx lines (T1 to Tj, j is a positive integer less than n), Rx lines (R1 to Ri, i being an amount less than m) crossing the Tx lines Integer), and ixj sensor nodes TSN formed at intersections of Tx lines T1 to Tj and Rx lines R1 to Ri.

The touch screen driving circuit includes a Tx driving circuit 32, an Rx driving circuit 34, and a touch controller 30. The touch screen driving circuit supplies pulses as shown in FIG. 9 to the Tx lines T1 to Tj and senses the voltage of the sensor node through the Rx lines R1 to Ri in synchronization with the pulse. The Tx driving circuit 32 and the Rx driving circuit 34 can be integrated into one ROIC (Read-out IC) as shown in FIG. The touch controller 30 can also be integrated into the ROIC.

The Tx drive circuit 32 selects a Tx line to which a pulse is to be supplied in response to the setup signal input from the touch controller 30. [ The Tx driving circuit 32 supplies pulses to the selected Tx lines Tl through Tj in accordance with the Tx set-up signal at each sensing time.

The voltage of the sensor node TSN is repeatedly accumulated in the sampling capacitor of the Rx driving circuit 34 by repeatedly accumulating the voltage of N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) times and the amount of charge of the sampling capacitor can be increased have. For this, a pulse applied to each of the Tx lines T1 to Tj may include N pulses generated at predetermined time intervals as shown in FIG. If j sensor nodes are connected to one Tx line, pulses including N pulses are supplied to the Tx line successively j times and then pulses are supplied to the next Tx line in the same manner.

The Rx driver circuit 34 selects an Rx line to receive the sensor node voltage in response to the Rx setup signal input from the touch controller 30. [ The Rx drive circuit 34 receives and samples the voltage of the sensor node through the selected Rx line according to the Rx setup signal. The Rx driving circuit 34 converts the voltage sampled using the analog-to-digital converter into digital data and outputs touch raw data (TData). The touch source data (TData) is transmitted to the touch controller (30).

The touch controller 30 is connected to the Tx driving circuit 32 and the Rx driving circuit 34 via an interface such as an I ² C bus, a SPI (serial peripheral interface), and a system bus. The touch controller 30 generates a control signal CTRL necessary for controlling the Tx driving circuit 32 and the Rx driving circuit 34 such as setup information (or group setup information), sampling timing information, and ADC timing information.

The touch controller 30 analyzes the touch primitive data input from the Rx driving circuit 34 by a preset touch recognition algorithm. The touch recognition algorithm compares the touch source data with a predetermined threshold value, estimates touch source data at a threshold value or more as data at a touch (or proximity) input position, and calculates coordinates for the touch (or proximity) input position . The touch recognition algorithm can be applied to any known algorithm. The touch controller 30 transmits the coordinate data (HIDxy) including coordinate information of the touch (or proximity) input position obtained as a result of the operation of the touch recognition algorithm to the external host system. The touch controller 30 may include a buffer memory for temporarily storing the calculation result of the touch recognition algorithm and the touch coordinate data.

In order to reduce the sensing time of each of the sensor nodes of the touch screen, the touch screen driver circuit may perform a setup operation and a sensing operation in parallel or perform a sensing operation and an ADC in parallel, or perform a setup operation, The operation and the ADC operation are performed in parallel. Therefore, the touch screen driver circuit simultaneously processes the sensing operation and the ADC in the setup time as well as the setup operation. To this end, the touch controller 30 may generate the setup signal and / or the ADC clock during the sensing time. The touch controller 30 may be implemented as an MCU (Micro Controller Unit).

The host system may be connected to an external video source device such as a navigation system, a set top box, a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, a personal computer (PC), a home theater system, a broadcast receiver, a phone system, Video data can be input from the device. The host system converts the image data from the external video source device into a format suitable for display on the display panel DIS. Further, the host system executes an application program associated with the coordinate data input from the touch controller 30. [

8 is a detailed block diagram of the ROIC of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the ROIC includes a Tx driving circuit 32, an Rx driving circuit 34, an ROIC controller 36, a clock generating unit 38, and the like.

The Tx drive circuit 32 includes a Tx pulse generator 32a and Tx setup switches S1. The Rx drive circuit 34 includes a sampling section 34a, an analog-to-digital converter 34b, and Rx setup switches S2.

The ROIC controller 36 includes a command processing unit 36a, a first buffer memory 36b, a second buffer memory 36c, and the like. The buffer memories 36b and 36c operate as a first-in first-out (FIFO) memory.

The command processing unit 36a decodes the control signal CTRL received from the touch controller 30 to extract setup information, sampling timing information, and ADC timing information. Setup information, sampling timing information, ADC timing information, and the like may be temporarily stored in the buffer memories 36b and 36c. The instruction processing unit 36a generates setup signals STP (Tx) and STP (Rx) for selecting the Tx line and the Rx line in accordance with the setup information. The command processing unit 36a controls the operation timing of the sensor node voltage sampling unit 34a and the analog-to-digital converter 34b based on the sampling timing information and the ADC timing information.

The Tx pulse generating section 32a generates a pulse under the control of the command processing section 36a. Tx setup switches S1 are connected between the Tx pulse generator 32a and the Tx lines T1 to Tj. The Tx set-up switches S1 are turned on in response to the Tx set-up signal STP (Tx) and connect the Tx line to be pulsed to the output terminal of the Tx pulse generator 32a.

The sensor node voltage sampling unit 34a samples the sensor node voltage received through the Rx lines R1 to Ri under the control of the command processing unit 36a. Rx setup switches S2 are connected between the sensor node voltage sampling unit 34a and the Rx lines R1 to Ri. The Rx setup switches S2 connect the Rx line, which is turned on in response to the Rx setup signal input from the instruction processing unit 36a, to receive the sensor node voltage to the input terminal of the sensor node voltage sampling unit 34a.

The analog-to-digital converter 34b converts the sampled sensor node voltage under the control of the command processing unit 36a into touch raw data (TDATA) which is digital data.

The clock generator 38 transmits a clock signal to the Tx pulse generating unit 32a, the sensor node voltage sampling unit 34a and the analog-to-digital converter 34b under the control of the ROIC controller 36, And the operation timing of the Rx drive circuit 34 are synchronized.

10 to 12 are views illustrating a method of driving the touch screen device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

10 to 12, the touch controller 30 generates setup signals STP (TX), STP (RX), and STP (RX) for selecting the I + 1 sensor node during the sensing time of the I ). In addition, the touch controller 30 generates an ADC clock (ADC) for converting the voltage of the I-1 sensor node into digital data during the sensing time of the I-th sensor node. The Tx setup signal STP (TX) is transmitted to the Tx drive circuit 32. The Rx setup signal STP (RX) and the ADC clock (ADC) are sent to the Rx drive circuit 34.

The touch controller 30 outputs a first signal to the Tx driving circuit 32 during t1 to sense the voltage of the first sensor node TSN (1, 1) which is the first sensor node of the first line LINE # Tx setup signal. The Tx driving circuit 32 selects the first Tx line T 1 in response to the first Tx set-up signal. The first Tx line T1 is connected to the first to the i-th sensor nodes TSN (1,1) to TSN (1, i).

The touch controller 30 generates a second Tx setup signal for selecting the second sensor node TSN (1,2) within t2, and outputs a switch control signal of the sampling circuit. The Tx drive circuit 32 supplies the pulse to the first Tx line T1 within the time t2 (sensing time). Further, the Tx driving circuit 32 again selects the first Tx line T1 in response to the second set-up signal STP within the time t2 (sensing time). The Rx drive circuit 34 selects the first Rx line Rl to receive the sensor node voltage in response to the first Rx setup signal for t2 time. The Rx driving circuit 34 stores the voltage of the first sensor node received through the first Rx line R1 in a sampling capacitor Samping capacitor in synchronization with the pulse for t2 time and samples it. The first sensor node TSN (1, 1), the i + 1 sensor node TSN (2, 1), the (j-2) +1 sensor node TSN the sensor nodes arranged along the first column line such as (j-1), (j-1), and (j-1) +1 sensor nodes TSN (j, 1)

The touch controller 30 outputs the ADC clock ADC within the time t3 and generates the third Tx setup signal (omitted from the drawing) for selecting the third sensor node TSN (1,3). The Tx driving circuit 32 supplies the pulse set in accordance with the second Tx setup signal to the first Tx line T1 within t3 time and again selects the first Tx line T1 in response to the third setup signal . The Rx driving circuit 34 converts the voltage of the first sensor node into digital data by inputting the voltage of the first sensor node sampled during the period t3 to the analog-to-digital converter.

This operation is repeated so that the voltages of all the sensor nodes TSN (1,1) to TSN (1, i) belonging to the first line LINE # 1 are sequentially sampled and converted into digital data. During the sensing time of the i-th sensor node TSN (1, i) which is the last sensor node of the first line LINE # 1, the Tx driving circuit 32 supplies a pulse to the first Tx line T1, The driving circuit 34 samples the voltage of the ith sensor node {TSN (1, i)} received via the ith Rx line Ri. The touch controller 30 controls the i + 1 sensor node TSN (2, i) which is the first sensor node of the second line LINE # 2 during the sensing time of the ith sensor node TSN (1, i) And outputs the set-up signals.

The touch screen according to the present invention performs the sensing operation, the sensing operation and / or the ADC operation in parallel in the above manner to greatly reduce the sensing time of the sensor nodes TSN (1, i) to TSN (j, i) . Further, since the present invention can increase the touch report rate, the number of sensor nodes of the touch screen can be increased to effectively cope with the high resolution of the touch screen. In the parallel execution method as shown in FIG. 10, the total sensing time is "total sensing time = STP + {SS × i × j} + analog-digital conversion time (ADC)".

The touch screen is electrically coupled to the display panel (DIS). Therefore, noise may be included in the sensor node voltage received from the sensor nodes of the touch screen due to the driving signal of the display panel DIS during the sensing time. As shown in FIG. 10, when the total sensing time of the touch screen is reduced, the noise time flowing into the sensor node can be reduced, thereby reducing noise that adversely affects the touch screen.

The present invention can further reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen (TSP) by simultaneously sensing a plurality of sensor nodes connected to the Tx line. To this end, the touch controller 30 generates a group Rx set-up signal. The Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously selects G (G is a positive integer of 2 or more and less than i / 2) Rx lines to receive the sensor node voltages in response to the group Rx set-up signal from the touch controller 30. [ Accordingly, when a pulse is inputted to the Tx line in response to the group Rx setup signal, the Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously receives and samples G sensor node voltages through G Rx lines, and then, in response to the next group Rx setup signal And then selects the G Rx lines at the same time. Here, G is illustrated as "6" in Figs. 11A to 11B, but is not limited thereto.

11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of simultaneously sensing the voltages of sensor nodes simultaneously received through a plurality of Rx lines. 12 is a diagram illustrating a signal sequence when a plurality of sensor nodes are simultaneously sensed as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C.

11A to 12, the Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously senses the voltages of six sensor nodes connected to the second Tx line when a pulse is applied to the second Tx line. Then, the Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously senses the voltages of the following six sensor nodes when a pulse is applied again to the second Tx line. In this case, the total sensing time of the touch screen TSP is further reduced to "total sensing time = STP + {SS x i / G x j} + analog-to-digital conversion time (ADC)".

The present invention can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen by performing the setup operation and / or the ADC operation in parallel with the sensing operation as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, the second embodiment of the present invention can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen by reducing the number of setup signal transmissions using the group setup information as shown in FIG. 13 to FIG.

The touch controller 30 may generate a control signal CTRL including group setup information, sampling timing information, ADC timing information, and the like. The group setup information includes a plurality of Tx setup information and a plurality of Rx setup information required to sense voltages of sensor nodes included in a group of a predetermined size in a touch screen (TSP). Upon receiving the group setup information, the ROIC selects Tx lines and Rx lines connected to the plurality of sensor nodes based on the group setup information. The Tx setup information and Rx setup information described in the above embodiment are single setup information transmitted to the ROIC each time the sensor node is sensed. On the other hand, the group setup information is generated at an initial time within the time required to sense the sensor nodes in the group, including a plurality of setup information for selecting Tx lines and Rx lines connected to the sensor nodes in the preset group . The group setup information is transmitted in one ROIC at the beginning of the time required to sense the sensor nodes in the group. Here, the group may be set to a size including two or more sensor nodes. For example, the group may be a line unit group including sensor nodes connected to one Tx line on the touch screen as shown in FIG. 14, and may be set to a size including all the sensor nodes existing on the touch screen as shown in FIG. . It should be noted that the group is not limited thereto. For example, a group may include sensor nodes coupled to N (where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2).

The ROIC implementing the method of driving the touch screen device according to the second embodiment of the present invention can be described with reference to FIG.

8, the ROIC controller 36 receives the control signal CTRL from the touch controller 30 and decodes the control signal CTRL to output group setup information, sampling timing information, and ADC timing information to the buffer memories 36b , And 36c.

The Tx setup information of the group setup information may be stored in the first buffer memory 36b and the Rx setup information of the group setup information may be stored in the second buffer memory 36c.

The command processing unit 36a increments the address counts of the buffer memories 36a and 36b by one until all the sensor nodes in the group are completely sensed and outputs the Tx setup information of the group setup information from the buffer memories 36b and 36c And Rx setup information to generate Tx setup signals and Rx setup signals. Therefore, according to the touch screen driving method according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the touch screen driving circuit performs parallel setup operations as many as the number of sensor nodes belonging to the group based on one group setup information received in advance, Can be reduced.

13 to 18 are views illustrating a method of driving the touch screen device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

13, the ROIC controller 36 receives the group setup information GSTP from the touch controller 30 and stores the group setup information GSTP in the buffer memories 36b and 36c (S11). Based on the setup information (GSTP), the Tx line and the Rx line are repeatedly set until the voltages of the sensor nodes in one group are all sensed to sense and sample the voltage of the sensor nodes, (S12 to S14). The ROIC controller 36 repeats steps S12 to S14 to complete the sensing operation of all the sensor nodes existing in the current group (S15 and S16)

Group setup information (GSTP) may include Tx and Rx channel configuration information for sensor nodes arranged in one line of the touch screen (TSP). This group setup information (GSTP) is transmitted to the ROIC once in one line sensing time of the touch screen (TSP) as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 14, the touch controller 30 transmits group setup information (GSTP) to the ROIC controller 36. The group setup information (GSTP) includes Tx channel information and Rx channel information necessary for sensing sensor nodes present on one line of the touch screen. The touch controller 30 outputs an ADC clock (ADC) for converting the voltage of the I-1 sensor node into digital data during the sensing time of the I (I is a natural number) sensor node in the same manner as the first embodiment described above So that the sensing operation and the ADC operation can be controlled in parallel.

The touch controller 30 transmits the group setup information (GSTP) of the first line to the ROIC controller 36 for t1 time. The ROIC controller 36 receives the group setup information GSTP of the first line for the time t1 and transmits the group setup information GSTP of the first line to the Tx line indicated by the group setup information GSTP of the first line And Rx lines. Then, the ROIC controller 36 repeats the sensing operation and the ADC operation to sense all the sensor nodes in the group selected by the group setup information (GSTP). The group setup information GSTP of the first line includes Tx channel information and Rx channel information necessary for sensing the voltage of all the sensor nodes included in the first line LINE # 1. The ROIC controller 36 controls the Tx drive circuit 32 and the Rx drive circuit 34 during t2 and t3 to sense and sample the voltage of the first sensor node TSN (1,1) do. When the sensing of the i th sensor node TSN (1, i) which is the last sensor node of the first line LINE # 1 is completed from the first sensor node TSN (1,1) to the ROIC controller 36 Selects the Tx lines and Rx lines connected to the sensor nodes of the first line based on the group setup information (GSTP) already received.

For example, after the sensing of the first sensor node TSN (1, 1), the ROIC controller 36 controls the first Tx line T1 and the second Rx line R2, And senses the second sensor node TSN (1,2). Next, the ROIC controller 36 selects the first Tx line T1 and the third Rx line R3 indicated by the group setup information already received after the sensing of the second sensor node TSN (1,2) And senses the third sensor node TSN (1,3). The ROIC controller 36 then selects the first Tx line T1 and the fourth Rx line R4 indicated by the already received group setup information after the sensing of the third sensor node TSN (1,3) And senses the fourth sensor node TSN (1,4).

The touch controller 30 transmits the group setup information GSTP of the second line to the ROIC controller 36 after all the sensor nodes of the first line LINE # 1 have completed the sensing (SS) and ADC conversion. The group setup information GSTP of the second line includes Tx channel information and Rx channel information necessary for sensing the voltage of all the sensor nodes included in the second line LINE # 2. The ROIC controller 36 selects Tx lines and Rx lines connected to the sensor nodes of the second line based on the group setup information already received until all the sensor nodes of the second line LINE # 2 are sensed .

For example, the ROIC controller 36 controls the second Tx line T2 and the first Rx line R1, which are already indicated by the group setup information already received after the sensing of the ith sensor node TSN (1, i) And senses the (i + 1) th sensor node TSN (2, 1). Next, the ROIC controller 36 controls the second Tx line T2 and the second Rx line R2 indicated by the group setup information already received after the sensing of the (i + 1) th sensor node TSN (2,1) And senses the (i + 2) th sensor node TSN (2, 2). The ROIC controller 36 then compares the second Tx line T2 and the third Rx line R3 indicated by the already received group setup information after the sensing of the i + 2 sensor node TSN (2,2) And senses the (i + 3) th sensor node (TSN (2, 3)).

Group setup information (GSTP) may include Tx and Rx channel configuration information for all sensor nodes of the touch screen (TSP). This group setup information (GSTP) is transmitted to the ROIC once at the total sensing time of the touch screen (TSP) as shown in FIG.

15, the touch controller 30 transmits group setup information (GSTP) to the ROIC controller 36 and then transmits the group setup information (GSTP) to the Tx lines connected to all the sensor nodes and the Rx line Lt; / RTI > The group setup information (GSTP) includes Tx channel information and Rx channel information necessary for sensing all the sensor nodes of the touch screen.

The touch controller 30 outputs an ADC clock (ADC) for converting the voltage of the I-1 sensor node to digital data during the sensing time of the I-sensor node as in the first embodiment described above, Can be controlled in parallel.

The ROIC controller 36 receives group setup information (GSTP) for t1 time and selects Tx lines and Rx lines according to the group setup information (GSTP). The ROIC controller 36 selects all the sensor nodes TSN (1,1) to TSN (j, i) in the touch screen by sequentially selecting the Tx lines and the Rx lines based on the group setup information received at time t1 . The ROIC controller 36 detects the sensor nodes TSN (1, 1) to TSN (j, i) of the touch screen during one frame period and then outputs the sensed signals from the touch controller 30 And receives the next group setup information and senses the sensor nodes TSN (1,1) to TSN (j, i) of the touch screen again.

The present invention significantly reduces the transmission time of the setup signal transmitted from the touch controller 30 to the ROIC using the group setup information, and parallelizes the sensing process and the ADC process to all the sensor nodes {TSN (1, i) The total sensing time required for sensing the TSN (j, i) can be significantly reduced compared to the prior art.

For example, in the case of generating group setup information (GSTP) in units of one line (line by line) as shown in FIG. 14 and sensing the sensor node by selecting an Rx channel in units of one sensor node, the total sensing time is " Sensing time = (GSTP + (SS x i) + ADC) x j ". As shown in FIG. 15, when group setup information (GSTP) is generated in a unit of one frame (or a touch screen corresponding to one screen as a whole) and the sensor node is sensed by selecting an Rx channel in units of one sensor node, the total sensing time "Total sensing time = GSTP + (SS x i x j) + ADC ". Here, "GSTP" is used to receive the group setup information (GSTP) from the touch controller 30 and to process the setup operation of Tx and Rx channels for all the sensor nodes in the group based on the group setup information (GSTP) It is time. "SS" is the time required for the sensing operation, and "ADC" is the time required for the ADC operation.

The present invention can further reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen (TSP) by simultaneously sensing a plurality of sensor nodes connected to the same Tx line. For example, the touch controller 30 may divide the Rx lines R1 to Ri into G Rx groups by using the group setup information GSTP as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C. In this case, the Rx driving circuit 34 sequentially activates the G Rx groups based on the group setup information GSTP from the touch controller 30, and sequentially connects the Rx channels connected to the Rx lines existing in one group The sensor node voltages can be simultaneously received through the Rx lines existing in one group.

The method of simultaneously receiving G sensor nodes simultaneously by setting Rx channels simultaneously includes the steps of generating group setup information (GSTP) on a line-by-line basis as shown in FIG. 14 or generating group setup information (GSTP Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > of < / RTI > FIG. 16 shows an example in which group setup information (GSTP) is generated on a frame-by-frame basis as shown in FIG. 15 and G Rx channels are set simultaneously.

The Tx lines T1 to Tj to which pulses are applied can be dividedly driven into K groups (positive integers of 2 or more and j / 2 or less) according to the group setup information GSTP. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, Tx channels are divided into four Tx groups B1 to B4, and pulses can be simultaneously applied to Tx lines existing in one Tx group. In this case, if the sensor node voltage is received via the Rx channel set in units of one sensor node, the total sensing time can be further reduced to "total sensing time = (GSTP + (SS xi) + ADC) x j / have.

The Tx lines (T1 to Tj) to which pulses are applied are divided into K groups according to the group setup information (GSTP), and pulses may be simultaneously supplied to the Tx lines existing in one Tx group. In this case, the Rx lines (R1 to Ri) from which the sensor nodes are received are divided into G Rx groups as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, and the sensor node voltages If received at the same time, the total sensing time can be further reduced to "total sensing time = (GSTP + (SS x i / G) + ADC) x j / K"

The present invention can reduce the total sensing time of the touch screen through the parallel processing as in the above-described embodiments. Further, the present invention applies the above-described embodiments and parallel processing of the execution operation of the touch recognition algorithm and the data transmission operation for transmitting the touch coordinates to the host system as shown in Figs. 19 and 35, The time required for transmitting the coordinate data can be reduced.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a touch screen device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

19, a method of driving a touch screen device senses sensor nodes of a touch screen (TSP) to obtain touch primitive data (Tdata). (S21) A sensing method of a touch screen (TSP) However, it is preferable to apply the sensing method that can dramatically reduce the total sensing time by applying the first and second embodiments described above. As the sensing method of the touch screen TSP, the block sensing and the pacel sensing method as shown in FIGS. 20 to 25 may be applied.

Then, the touch screen device executes a touch recognition algorithm to analyze the touch source data to determine the touch source data of a threshold value or more as data of a touch (or proximity) input position and calculate its coordinates (S22a) At the same time, the driving method of the touch screen device transmits the touch coordinate data already obtained as a result of executing the touch recognition algorithm to the host system (S22b)

The touch controller 30 executes a touch recognition algorithm to calculate coordinates of a touch (or proximity) input position in units of one line of the touch screen, or to calculate coordinates of a touch (or proximity) input position in units of one frame. For example, in step S22a, the touch controller 30 analyzes the touch primitive data (TData) obtained from the first line of the touch screen (TSP) to calculate coordinates of the touch (or proximity) input of the first line , And stores the touch coordinate data including the coordinate information in the buffer memory. At the same time, in step S22b, the touch controller 30 reads out the touch coordinate data of the (I-1) th line from the buffer memory and transfers it to the external host system.

In addition, the touch controller 30 can transmit the touch coordinate data obtained as a result of the execution of the touch recognition algorithm to the host system in units of one line or one frame of the touch screen. The touch controller 30 may include a buffer memory for temporarily storing touch coordinate data including coordinate information. For example, in step S22a, the touch controller 30 analyzes touch raw data (TData) of one frame obtained from all the sensor nodes of the touch screen (TSP) And the touch coordinate data including the coordinate information is stored in the buffer memory. At the same time, the touch controller 30 reads out the touch coordinate data of the (I-1) th frame from the buffer memory in step S22b and transmits it to the external host system.

The touch screen sensing method of the present invention is a method of virtually dividing a touch screen into two or more blocks as shown in FIGS. 20 to 35 and detecting whether or not a touch (or proximity) input is performed in units of blocks using a block sensing method You can judge quickly. According to the touch screen sensing method of the present invention, a partial sensing method is applied only to a block in which a touch (or proximity) input is detected, so that the touch input position can be precisely sensed within the block. The sensing time can be further reduced. The block sensing method and the partial sensing method can be applied together with the first to third embodiments described above. For example, in the block sensing method and the partial sensing method, the sensing operation and / or the ADC operation may be processed in parallel, the group setup operation may be performed, and the sensing operation and the ADC operation may be performed in parallel. In addition, parallel execution of the touch recognition algorithm and touch data transmission can be performed in parallel in the block sensing method and the partial sensing method, respectively.

Hereinafter, a driving method of a touch screen device in which a block sensing method and a partial sensing method are applied together with FIGS. 20 to 35 will be described.

The touch screen TSP is divided into virtual Tx / Rx blocks along the x-axis direction and / or the y-axis direction, and each of the blocks includes two or more Tx lines, two or more Rx lines, do.

20 to 34, the touch screen driving circuit only performs the partial sensing (or sensing) of the sensor nodes in the block only when the touch (or proximity) input is detected after block sensing (or primary sensing) Second-order sensing) to precisely detect the touch position. The first sensing time is only one sensing time in the prior art. Therefore, the touch screen driving apparatus of the present invention can reduce the total sensing time required for sensing all the sensor nodes in the touch screen, as well as reduce the total sensing time, thereby reducing noise of data obtained from the sensor node. Also, the sensitivity of the touch sensor can be increased by increasing the accuracy of the touch sensing result by sensing the touch screen twice per frame through the block sensing method and the partial sensing method.

26 and 28, the Tx driving circuit 32 applies a pulse to the Tx lines Tl through Tj in units of Tx blocks during the block sensing period and applies a pulse to the Tx blocks Tl through Tj during the partial sensing period, And supplies pulses only to the Tx lines (T1 to Tj) existing in the Tx lines.

The Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously senses the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines R1 to Ri in units of Rx blocks under the control of the touch controller 30 during the block sensing period and converts them into digital data, It is possible to sequentially sample and digitally convert the voltages of the sensor nodes received through the Rx lines in the block only in the Rx block in which the touch (or proximity) input is detected as a result of the block sensing during the period. The Rx block includes G Rx lines.

In the prior art, the Tx drive circuit sequentially supplied pulses to the Tx lines. In contrast, in the block sensing method and the partial sensing method of the present invention, the Tx driving time is reduced and the Tx driving time is greatly reduced through the block sensing method in order to prevent the touch misrecognition, and the touch misrecognition can be prevented through the partial sensing method.

The Tx driving circuit 32 selects Tx lines for outputting pulses in a block unit in response to a set-up signal input from the touch controller 30 and outputs Tx lines for outputting pulses in a partial sensing period, . The Tx driving circuit 32 supplies pulses to the selected Tx lines Tl through Tj according to the Tx set-up signal. In order to increase the charge amount of the sampling capacitor by repeatedly accumulating the voltage of the sensor node TSN N times, the pulses applied to each of the Tx lines Tl through Tj as shown in Figs. 9, 26, And may include N consecutive pulses. If j sensor nodes are connected to one Tx line, pulses including N pulses are supplied to the Tx line successively j times and then pulses are supplied to the next Tx line in the same manner.

In the prior art, the Rx driving circuit sequentially samples and digitizes the voltages of the sensor nodes one by one when sensing the sensor nodes connected to one Tx lines. In contrast, the Rx driving circuit 34 of the present invention can significantly reduce the reception and sampling time of the sensor node voltages through the block sensing method.

The Rx driving circuit 34 selects the Rx lines R1 to Ri to receive the sensor node voltage in response to the Rx setup signal input from the touch controller 30. [ The Rx drive circuit 34 receives and samples the voltage of the sensor node through the selected Rx lines in accordance with the Rx setup signal.

The Rx driving circuit 34 simultaneously receives and samples the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines R1 to Ri in units of Rx blocks during the block sensing period, and converts the voltages into digital data. The Rx driving circuit 34 may sequentially receive and sample the voltage of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines in the Rx block for converting the detected Rx block into digital data. The digital data output from the Rx driving circuit 34 is transferred to the touch controller 30 as touch raw data.

The touch controller 30 transmits the control signal CTRL to the ROIC including the Tx driving circuit 32 and the Rx driving circuit 34. [ The touch controller 30 analyzes the touch primitive data obtained as a result of the block sensing and judges the data of which the variation value of the sensor node voltage is larger than the predetermined threshold value as the sensor node data at the touch (or proximity) (Or proximity) input. The touch controller 30 controls the Tx driving circuit 32 and the Rx driving circuit 34 by a partial sensing driving method when a touch (or proximity) input is detected as a result of block sensing. The touch controller 30 performs a partial sensing method to analyze the touch primitive data obtained by precisely sensing the sensor nodes only in the block in which the touch (or proximity) input is detected by the block sensing method. The touch controller 30 judges the data having a change amount before and after the touch as a result of the partial sensing as data obtained from the sensor nodes at the actual touch (or proximity) input position and stores coordinate values for the sensor nodes . The touch controller 30 transmits the final touch coordinate data including the coordinate information of the sensor node detected by the touch (or proximity) input to the host system in both the block sensing method and the partial sensing method.

If the touch (or proximity) input is not detected in the block sensing method, the touch controller 30 repeats the block sensing method without performing the partial sensing method. Accordingly, the touch controller 30 can omit the partial sensing method selectively according to the result of the block sensing, thereby reducing the total sensing time of the touch screen without deteriorating the touch sensitivity.

20 to 22, a block sensing method senses sensor nodes on a block basis and senses all sensor nodes in a touch screen (TSP) during a first sensing time TB. (S31) A pulse is simultaneously supplied to the Tx lines existing in the I block to simultaneously sense the voltages of all the sensor nodes existing in the I block and simultaneously apply a pulse to the Tx lines existing in the I + The voltage of all the sensor nodes existing within the +1 block is simultaneously sensed. The first sensing time is a time required for one line sensing of the touch screen in the prior art because pulses are simultaneously supplied to all Tx lines within one block as shown in FIG. 26 and FIG.

When the touch (or proximity) input is detected as a result of the block sensing, the touch controller 30 shifts to the partial sensing step to pulse the Tx lines in the block where the touch (or proximity) input is detected during the second sensing time TP (Or proximity) input position by precisely sensing the voltage of the sensor nodes existing in the block by sequentially supplying the signals to the lines (S32 and S33). The second sensing time (TP) ) Input depends on the number of detected blocks.

When the touch (or proximity) input is detected by the block sensing method, a partial sensing method is performed after the block sensing method as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if no touch (or proximity) input is detected in the block sensing method, the block sensing method is performed again after the block sensing method as shown in FIG.

The total sensing time Ttotal required to sense all the sensor nodes of the touch screen TSP is the sum of the first sensing time TB and the second sensing time TP as shown in FIGS. As a result of the block sensing, if a touch (or proximity) input is detected in a plurality of blocks, that is, a multi-touch (or proximity) input is detected, the blocks are subjected to partial sensing. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 22, when the first sensing time TB required for block sensing is fixed, when the multi-touch (or proximity) is detected as a result of the block sensing, the second sensing time TP becomes longer, 2 The sensing time (TP) is a variable time.

23 to 25 are views showing a block sensing method and a partial sensing method when the touch screen is divided and driven into a plurality of Tx blocks along the y axis.

When the touch screen TSP is divided into the first and second Tx blocks B1 and B2 as shown in FIG. 23, the block sensing method simultaneously supplies pulses to all the Tx lines in the first Tx block B1 , Pulses are simultaneously supplied to all the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2 to detect the presence or absence of touch (or proximity) input in Tx block units. When a touch (or proximity) input is detected in the first Tx block B1 by the block sensing method, a partial sensing method is performed. The partial sensing method sequentially supplies pulses to the Tx lines in the first Tx block B1 to precisely sense the sensor nodes in the first Tx block B1 and thus detects the last touch (or proximity) input . The partial sensing method does not sense the second Tx block B2 in which the touch (or proximity) input is not detected in the block sensing method.

When the touch screen TSP is divided into the first through third Tx blocks B1 through B3 as shown in FIG. 24, the block sensing method simultaneously supplies pulses to all the Tx lines in the first Tx block B1 , A pulse is simultaneously supplied to all the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2 to detect the presence or absence of touch (or proximity) input in units of Tx blocks, and then a pulse is simultaneously applied to all the Tx lines in the third block B3 And detects the presence or absence of touch (or proximity) input in the third Tx block. When a touch (or proximity) input is detected in the second Tx block B2 by the block sensing method, a partial sensing method is performed. The partial sensing method sequentially supplies pulses to the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2 to precisely sense the sensor nodes in the second Tx block B2 and thus detects the last touch (or proximity) input . The partial sensing method does not sense the first and third Tx blocks B1 and B3 in which the touch (or proximity) input is not detected in the block sensing method.

When the touch screen TSP is divided into the first to third Tx blocks B1 to B3 as shown in FIG. 25, the block sensing method is performed after all the Tx lines in the first Tx block B1 are simultaneously supplied with the pulses , And simultaneously supplies pulses to all the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2. Next, the block sensing method simultaneously supplies pulses to all the Tx lines in the third Tx block B3, and then simultaneously supplies pulses to all the Tx lines in the fourth Tx block B4, Or proximity) input is detected. When a touch (or proximity) input is detected in the second Tx block B2 by the block sensing method, a partial sensing method is performed. The partial sensing method sequentially supplies pulses to the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2 to precisely sense the sensor nodes in the second Tx block B2 and thus detects the last touch (or proximity) input . The partial sensing method does not sense the first, third, and fourth Tx blocks B1, B3, and B4 in which no touch (or proximity) input is detected in the block sensing method. 26 is a waveform diagram showing drive pulses supplied to the Tx lines in the case of FIG. 25. FIG.

27 is a diagram showing a block sensing method and a partial sensing method in a multi-touch (or proximity) input. FIG. 28 is a waveform diagram showing pulses supplied to the Tx lines in the case of FIG. 27; FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28, the block sensing method detects the presence or absence of a touch (or proximity) input in units of Tx by applying a pulse in units of Tx blocks. As a result of block sensing, when a touch (or proximity) input is detected in each of the second and third Tx blocks B2 and B3, a partial sensing method is performed. The partial sensing method sequentially supplies pulses to the Tx lines in the second Tx block B2 and sequentially supplies pulses to the Tx lines in the third Tx block B3 to generate second and third Tx blocks B2 , B3). Accordingly, when the multi-touch (or proximity) input is detected over a plurality of blocks as the result of the block sensing, the second sensing time TP becomes long. The partial sensing method does not sense the sensor nodes of the first and fourth blocks B1 and B4 in which the touch (or proximity) input is not detected in the block sensing method.

When a touch (or proximity) input is detected at the boundary between neighboring Tx / Rx blocks as shown in FIGS. 29 and 34, the method of performing the Pascal sensing precisely detects neighboring blocks near the touch (or proximity) input position.

30 to 34 are views showing a block sensing method and a partial sensing method when the touch screen TSP is divided and driven into a plurality of Rx blocks C1 to C4 along the x axis.

30 to 34, a block sensing method includes applying a pulse to a Tx block on a Tx block basis, receiving and sampling a voltage of the sensor nodes on a first to a fourth Rx block basis, . ≪ / RTI > For example, the block sensing method simultaneously supplies the first pulse to the Tx lines of the first Tx block B1 to simultaneously receive the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines of the first Rx block C1, The second pulse may be simultaneously supplied to the Tx lines of the one Tx block to simultaneously receive the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines of the second Rx block C2. The block sensing method simultaneously supplies the third pulse to the Tx lines of the first Tx block B1 to simultaneously receive the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines of the third Rx block C3, The fourth pulse may be simultaneously supplied to the Tx lines of the block to simultaneously receive the voltages of the sensor nodes through the Rx lines of the fourth Rx block C4. In this manner, all the sensor nodes in the first Tx block are sensed by the block sensing method, and the sensor nodes of the next Tx block are sensed.

When touch (or proximity) input is detected by the block sensing method, the partial sensing method is performed. The partial sensing method precisely senses the Tx block intersecting with the sensor node where the touch (or proximity) input is detected as a result of block sensing, and the sensor nodes intersecting only the Rx block. Specifically, in the partial sensing method, a pulse is successively applied to Tx lines of a Tx block in which touch (or proximity) input is detected as a result of block sensing, and Rx Simultaneously or sequentially receiving and sampling the sensor node voltages through the lines, and converting the sampled voltage into digital data. In the partial sensing method, a pulse is not applied to Tx blocks in which a touch (or proximity) input is not detected by the block sensing method, and a sensor is not applied to Rx blocks in which no touch And does not receive node voltages. As a result of block sensing, if no touch (or proximity) input is detected in all blocks, the partial sensing method is not performed and the block sensing method is performed again.

When a multi-touch (or proximity) input is detected in a plurality of Rx blocks by the block sensing method as shown in FIG. 33, the partial sensing method is a method in which a touch (or proximity) input is applied to the Tx lines of the detected Tx blocks And the touch (or proximity) input simultaneously or sequentially receives and samples the sensor node voltages through the Rx lines of each of the detected Rx blocks, respectively, and converts the sampled voltage into digital data. Also in this case, the partial sensing method does not apply the pulse to the Tx blocks in which the touch (or proximity) input is not detected by the block sensing method, and the Rx And does not receive sensor node voltages through the blocks. As a result of block sensing, if no touch (or proximity) input is detected in all blocks, the partial sensing method is not performed and the block sensing method is performed again.

When a touch (or proximity) input is detected at the boundary of neighboring Rx blocks as shown in FIG. 34 by the block sensing method, the partial sensing method sequentially outputs pulses to the Tx lines of the Tx block in which the touch Simultaneously or sequentially receiving and sampling the sensor node voltages through Rx lines of neighboring Rx blocks bounded by the touch (or proximity) input position, and converting the sampled voltage into digital data. Also in this case, the partial sensing method does not apply the pulse to the Tx blocks in which the touch (or proximity) input is not detected by the block sensing method, and the Rx And does not receive sensor node voltages through the blocks. As a result of block sensing, if no touch (or proximity) input is detected in all blocks, the partial sensing method is not performed and the block sensing method is performed again.

19, the method of driving the touch screen device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is applied together with the block sensing method and the partial sensing method, so that the response speed of the touch screen device can be greatly reduced and the touch (or proximity) The sensing sensitivity can be remarkably improved. Such a method of driving the touch screen apparatus is shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 35, a method of driving a touch screen device senses sensor nodes of a touch screen (TSP) by using a block sensing method and a partial sensing method as shown in FIGS. 20 to 34 to obtain touch primitive data Tdata (S41 to S43)

Then, the touch screen device executes a touch recognition algorithm to analyze the touch source data to determine the touch source data of a threshold value or more as data of a touch (or proximity) input position and calculate coordinates thereof (S44a) At the same time, the driving method of the touch screen device transmits the already obtained touch coordinate data to the host system as a result of executing the touch recognition algorithm (S44b)

The touch controller 30 executes a touch recognition algorithm to calculate coordinates of a touch (or proximity) input position in units of one line of the touch screen, or to calculate coordinates of a touch (or proximity) input position in units of one frame. For example, in step S44a, the touch controller 30 analyzes the touch primitive data (TData) obtained from the first line of the touch screen (TSP) to calculate coordinates for the touch (or proximity) input of the first line , And stores the touch coordinate data including the coordinate information in the buffer memory. At the same time, in step S44b, the touch controller 30 reads the touch coordinate data of the (I-1) th line from the buffer memory and transfers it to the external host system.

In addition, the touch controller 30 can transmit the touch coordinate data obtained as a result of the execution of the touch recognition algorithm to the host system in units of one line or one frame of the touch screen. The touch controller 30 may include a buffer memory for temporarily storing touch coordinate data including coordinate information. For example, the touch controller 30 analyzes the touch raw data (TData) of one frame amount obtained from all the sensor nodes of the touch screen (TSP) in step S44a and outputs the touch raw data And the touch coordinate data including the coordinate information is stored in the buffer memory. At the same time, the touch controller 30 reads out the touch coordinate data of the (I-1) th frame from the buffer memory in step S44b and transmits it to the external host system.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification, but should be defined by the claims.

DIS: Display panel TSP: Touch screen
12: Data driving circuit 14: Scan driving circuit
20: timing controller 30: touch controller
32: Tx driving circuit 34: Rx driving circuit

Claims (15)

A touch screen in which Tx lines and Rx lines are crossed and sensor nodes are formed at each intersection;
And a touch screen driving circuit for supplying a pulse to the Tx lines and sampling and converting the voltages of the sensor nodes received through the Rx lines into digital data,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
A setup operation for selecting Tx lines to which the pulse is to be supplied and selecting Rx lines on which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received,
A sensing operation for supplying a pulse to the Tx lines and receiving and sampling the sensor node voltage through the Rx lines,
ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data,
A coordinate recognition operation for analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm to estimate coordinates of a touch input position,
Performing a data transmission operation for transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system,
The touch screen driving circuit
Wherein at least one of the sensing operation and the ADC operation is performed in parallel with the setup operation during a sensing time required for the sensing operation. The method according to claim 1,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
A Tx driving circuit for selecting the Tx line in response to the Tx set-up signal and supplying the selected pulse to the selected Tx line;
An Rx driver circuit for selecting the Rx line in response to the Rx setup signal, receiving and sampling the voltage of the sensor node through the selected Rx line, and converting the sampled voltage into digital data according to the ADC clock; And
And a touch controller for controlling operation timings of the Tx driving circuit and the Rx driving circuit and generating at least one of the setup signals and the ADC clock during the sensing time. 3. The method of claim 2,
The touch controller includes:
And generates setup signals for selecting the (I + 1) th sensor node during the sensing time of the I (I is a natural number) sensor node. 3. The method of claim 2,
The touch controller includes:
And transmits an ADC clock for converting the voltage of the I-1 sensor node to digital data during the sensing time of the I (I is a natural number) sensor node to the Rx driving circuit. The method of claim 3,
The touch controller includes:
And transmits an ADC clock for converting the voltage of the I-1 sensor node to digital data during the sensing time of the I (I is a natural number) sensor node to the Rx driving circuit. 6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The touch controller includes:
Wherein the coordinate recognition operation and the data transfer operation are performed in parallel. A touch screen in which Tx lines and Rx lines are crossed and sensor nodes are formed at each intersection;
And a touch screen driving circuit for supplying a pulse to the Tx lines and sampling and converting the voltages of the sensor nodes received through the Rx lines into digital data,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
A setup operation for receiving group setup information including a plurality of Tx setup information and a plurality of Rx setup information to select Tx lines to which the pulse is to be supplied and to select Rx lines to which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received,
A sensing operation for supplying a pulse to the Tx lines and receiving and sampling the sensor node voltage through the Rx line,
ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data,
A coordinate recognition operation for analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm to estimate coordinates of a touch input position,
Performing a data transmission operation for transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
Wherein the sensing operation and the ADC operation are performed in parallel during a sensing time required for the sensing operation. 8. The method of claim 7,
The group setup information includes:
And a plurality of Tx channel information and a plurality of Rx channel information for sensing sensor nodes present in one line of the touch screen. 9. The method of claim 8,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
Receiving the group setup information and storing the group setup information in a buffer memory,
Performs a setup operation on Tx lines and Rx lines necessary to sense all the sensor nodes in the group based on the group setup information read from the buffer memory until all the sensor nodes in the current sensing group are sensed ,
It is necessary to store the next group setup information received after the sensing of all the sensor nodes in the current sensing group in the buffer memory and to sense the sensor nodes in the next group based on the next group setup information read from the buffer memory And performs a setup operation for the Tx lines and the Rx lines. 8. The method of claim 7,
The group setup information includes:
And a plurality of Tx channel information and a plurality of Rx channel information for sensing all the sensor nodes of the touch screen. 11. The method of claim 10,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
Receiving the group setup information and storing the group setup information in a buffer memory,
Performing a setup operation on Tx lines and Rx lines necessary for sensing the sensor nodes based on the group setup information read from the buffer memory until all the sensor nodes of the touch screen are sensed,
Storing the received next group setup information in the buffer memory after all the sensor nodes of the touch screen have been sensed,
And performs a setup operation on Tx lines and Rx lines necessary for sensing all the sensor nodes again based on the next group setup information read from the buffer memory. 12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11,
The touch screen driving circuit includes:
Wherein the coordinate recognition operation and the data transfer operation are performed in parallel. A driving method of a touch screen apparatus for driving a touch screen in which Tx lines and Rx lines are intersected and sensor nodes are formed at each intersection thereof,
Performing a setup operation to select Tx lines to which pulses are to be supplied and to select Rx lines on which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received;
Performing a sensing operation of supplying the pulse to selected Tx lines and receiving and sampling a sensor node voltage through selected Rx lines;
Performing an ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data;
Performing a coordinate recognition operation for analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm to estimate coordinates of a touch input position,
And performing a data transmission operation of transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system,
Wherein at least one of the sensing operation and the ADC operation is performed in parallel with the setup operation during a sensing time required for the sensing operation. A driving method of a touch screen apparatus for driving a touch screen in which Tx lines and Rx lines are intersected and sensor nodes are formed at each intersection thereof,
Performing a setup operation to receive group setup information including a plurality of Tx setup information and a plurality of Rx setup information to select Tx lines to which pulses are to be supplied and to select Rx lines from which the voltage of the sensor node is to be received;
Performing a sensing operation of supplying the pulse to selected Tx lines and receiving and sampling a sensor node voltage through selected Rx lines;
Performing an ADC operation to convert the sampled voltage to digital data;
Performing a coordinate recognition operation for analyzing the digital data using a preset touch recognition algorithm to estimate coordinates of a touch input position,
And performing a data transmission operation of transmitting touch coordinate data including the coordinates to an external system,
Wherein the sensing operation and the ADC operation are performed in parallel during a sensing time required for the sensing operation. The method according to claim 13 or 14,
Wherein the coordinate recognition operation and the data transmission operation are performed in parallel.

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