Input sensing part and driving method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12314513-B2
Application number	US-202318328285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2023
Priority date	Aug 30, 2022
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A method of driving an input sensor to detect a proximity of a user includes driving the input sensor in a direct sensing mode, the input sensor including first sensing electrodes and second sensing electrodes insulated from the first sensing electrodes, and upon determining the user is engaged in a call, driving the input sensor in in a first proximity sensing mode by applying a driving signal to each of the first sensing electrodes. when the user has not performed the direct touch, and driving the input sensor in a second proximity sensing mode by applying no driving signal to a first subset of the first sensing electrodes and applying the driving signal to a second other subset of the first sensing electrodes, when the user has performed the direct touch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of driving an input sensor to detect a proximity of a user, the method comprising:
driving the input sensor in a direct sensing mode to detect whether the user has performed a direct touch on the input sensor, the input sensor including a plurality of first sensing electrodes and a plurality of second sensing electrodes insulated from the first sensing electrodes; and
upon determining the user is engaged in a call,
driving the input sensor in a first proximity sensing mode to detect the proximity of the user by applying a driving signal to a first subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more sensing electrodes, a second subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more sensing electrodes that is spaced apart from the first subset and a third subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more sensing electrodes disposed between the first subset and the second subset, when the user has not performed the direct touch; and
driving the input sensor in a second proximity sensing mode to detect the proximity of the user by applying no driving signal to the sensing electrodes of the first and the second subsets and applying the driving signal to the sensing electrodes of the third subset, when the user has performed the direct touch,
where the driving signal is applied simultaneously to M sensing electrodes of the third subset and M is a natural number of 2 or more, and
in each of a plurality of frame periods,
driving the input sensor in a mutual sensing mode; and
driving the input sensor in a self-sensing mode,
wherein, in the frame periods, the mutual sensing mode is performed before each of the first and second proximity sensing modes, and the self-sensing mode is performed after each of the first and second proximity sensing modes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first sensing electrodes extend in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and wherein the first subset and the second subset are adjacent to opposite sides of the input sensor, which are opposite to each other in the second direction, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direct touch of the user is performed on the sensing electrodes of the first subset or the sensing electrodes of the second subset.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sensing a capacitance formed between each of the second sensing electrodes and the sensing electrodes of the third subset by applying no driving signal to the sensing electrodes of the first and second subsets and applying the driving signal to the sensing electrodes of the third subset.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sensing of the capacitance is performed at a beginning of the call.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
sensing a proximity state of the user using the sensed capacitance.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direct touch of the user is performed in the mutual sensing mode.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the direct touch of the user is performed in the self-sensing mode.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the direct touch of the user is performed in the mutual sensing mode or the self-sensing mode of any one frame period among the frame periods, in which the first proximity sensing mode is performed, from among the frame periods, the second proximity sensing mode is performed in a frame period after the frame period where the direct touch of the user is performed.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein, when the direct touch of the user is performed in the mutual sensing mode, the second proximity sensing mode is performed from a frame period following the frame period where the direct touch of the user is performed.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein, when the direct touch of the user is performed in the self-sensing mode, the second proximity sensing mode is performed from a frame period which is followed after a frame period following the frame period where the direct touch of the user is performed.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the direct touch of the user is sensed in the mutual sensing mode or the self-sensing mode while the second proximity sensing mode is performed, the second proximity sensing mode is maintained.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of the first sensing electrodes to which the driving signal is simultaneously applied in the second proximity sensing mode is equal to a number of the first sensing electrodes to which the driving signal is simultaneously applied in the first proximity sensing mode.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of the first sensing electrodes to which the driving signal is simultaneously applied in the second proximity sensing mode is different from the number of the first sensing electrodes to which the driving signal is simultaneously applied in the first proximity sensing mode.

15. A method of driving an input sensor to detect a proximity of a user, the method comprising:
driving the input sensor in a direct sensing mode to detect whether the user has performed a direct touch on the input sensor, the input sensor including a plurality of first sensing electrodes and a plurality of second sensing electrodes insulated from the first sensing electrodes; and
upon determining the user is engaged in a call,
driving the input sensor in a first proximity sensing mode to detect the proximity of the user by applying a driving signal to each of the first sensing electrodes, when the user has not performed the direct touch; and
driving the input sensor in a second proximity sensing mode to detect the proximity of the user by applying no driving signal to the first sensing electrodes in a first region adjacent to a first peripheral edge of the input sensor, applying no driving signal to the first sensing electrodes in a second region adjacent to a second peripheral edge of the input sensor opposing the first peripheral edge, and applying the driving signal simultaneously to at least two of the first sensing electrodes disposed between the first and second regions, when the user has performed the direct touch, and
in each of a plurality of frame periods,
driving the input sensor in a mutual sensing mode; and
driving the input sensor in a self-sensing mode,
wherein, in the frame periods, the mutual sensing mode is performed before each of the first and second proximity sensing modes, and the self-sensing mode is performed after each of the first and second proximity sensing modes.

16. An input sensor comprising:
a plurality of first sensing electrodes;
a plurality of second sensing electrodes insulated from the first sensing electrodes and extending to intersect the first sensing electrodes; and
a sensing control circuit configured to apply a driving signal to the first sensing electrodes,
wherein the first sensing electrodes comprises:
a first subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more sensing electrodes;
a second subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more sensing electrodes that is spaced apart from the first subset; and
a third subset of the first sensing electrodes having two or more electrodes that is disposed between the first subset and the second subset,
wherein, in a first proximity sensing mode, the driving signal is applied to the first subset, the second subset and the third subset, and
wherein, in a second proximity sensing mode, the driving signal is not applied to the first subset and the second subset, and the driving signal is applied to the third subset, where the driving signal is appli

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Hyojin
• Lee Soongyu
• Kim Jinwoo
• Bae Woomi

Classifications

• G06F3/0446 Primary

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• H10K59/40

  OLEDs integrated with touch screens · CPC title

• G06F3/046

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• G06F3/041662 Primary

  using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title