Touch sensing system and method of controlling power consumption thereof, and display device using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9329739-B2
Application number	US-201314075016-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 13, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A touch sensing system and a method of controlling power consumption thereof, and a display device using the same are disclosed. The touch sensing system includes a plurality of sensing units, which sample a voltage received from a touch screen and accumulate the sampled voltage, and a plurality of analog-to-digital converters converting an output of the sensing units into digital data. The sensing units and the analog-to-digital converters are divided into a plurality of groups in an idle state. Each of the plurality of groups includes at least two sensing units and one analog-to-digital converter. At least one sensing unit included in at least one group is powered down in the idle state. An analog-to-digital converter is powered on during the group it belongs to is powered on.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch sensing system comprising:
a plurality of sensing units configured to sample a voltage received from a touch screen and accumulate the sampled voltage; and
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters configured to convert an output of the sensing units into digital data,
wherein the sensing units and the analog-to-digital converters are divided into a plurality of groups in an idle state,
wherein each of the plurality of groups includes at least two sensing units and one analog-to-digital converter,
wherein at least one sensing unit included in at least one group is powered down when the at least one group is powered on in the idle state,
wherein an analog-to-digital converter is powered on when the group it belongs to is powered on, and
wherein the plurality of groups are powered on sequentially on a per group basis in the idle state.

2. The touch sensing system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of groups are powered on in a predetermined order periodically in the idle state,
wherein in each group, at least one sensing unit in the group is powered on in one period when the group is powered on, and the at least one sensing unit is powered down and a different sensing unit in the group is powered on in a subsequent period when the group is powered on again.

3. The touch sensing system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of groups include:
a first group including first and third sensing units and a first analog-to-digital converter which converts an output of the first and third sensing units into digital data to generate touch raw data; and
a second group including second and fourth sensing units and a second analog-to-digital converter which converts an output of the second and fourth sensing units into digital data to generate touch raw data,
wherein in the idle state, after the first sensing unit of the first group and the first analog-to-digital converter are powered on, the second sensing unit of the second group and the second analog-to-digital converter are powered on, and subsequently, after the third sensing unit of the first group and the first analog-to-digital converter are powered on, the fourth sensing unit of the second group and the second analog-to-digital converter are powered on.

4. The touch sensing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a timing generator configured to control drive timings of the sensing units and drive timings of the analog-to-digital converters;
a buffer memory configured to store touch raw data output from the analog-to-digital converters;
a system controller connected to an external controller through an interface; and
a clock generator configured to receive an inner clock from an inner oscillator and an external clock from the external controller and transmit the inner clock to the timing generator, the buffer memory, and the system controller in the idle state,
wherein the sensing units, the analog-to-digital converters, the timing generator, the buffer memory, the system controller, the clock generator, and the inner oscillator are integrated into one integrated circuit.

5. The touch sensing system of claim 4 , wherein when the touch raw data output from the analog-to-digital converters is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the timing generator generates an interrupt signal,
wherein the external controller does not decide whether or not a touch input is generated because only an interrupt receiving circuit is powered on in the idle state, and the external controller is converted from the idle state to an active state in response to the interrupt signal,
wherein in the active state, the external controller analyzes the touch raw data read from the buffer memory to decide whether or not the touch input is generated and calculates a coordinate of each of the touch inputs.

6. A method of controlling power consumption of a touch sensing system including a plurality of sensing units, which sample a voltage received from a touch screen and accumulate the sampled voltage, and a plurality of analog-to-digital converters converting an output of the sensing units into digital data, the method comprising:
dividing the sensing units and the analog-to-digital converters into a plurality of groups in an idle state, wherein each of the plurality of groups includes at least two sensing units and one analog-to-digital converter,
powering down at least one sensing units included in at least one group when the at least one group is powered on in the idle state,
wherein an analog-to-digital converter is powered on when the group it belongs to is powered on, and
wherein the plurality of groups are powered on sequentially on a per group basis in the idle state.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
powering on the plurality of groups in a predetermined order periodically in the idle state,
wherein in each group, at least one sensing unit in the group is powered on in one period when the group is powered on, and the at least one sensing unit is powered down and a different sensing unit in the group is powered on in a subsequent period when the group is powered on again.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the powering on the plurality of groups in a predetermined order periodically in the idle state includes:
powering on a first sensing unit o and a first analog-to-digital converter of a first group in the idle state;
powering on a second sensing unit and a second analog-to-digital converter of a second group in the idle state;
powering on a third sensing unit and the first analog-to-digital converter of the first group in the idle state;
powering on a fourth sensing unit and the second analog-to-digital converter of the second group in the idle state.

9. A display device comprising:
a display driving circuit configured to apply a video data voltage of an input image to pixels of a display panel; and
a touch sensing system configured to divide a plurality of sensing units and a plurality of analog-to-digital converters into at least two groups and sequentially drive the sensing units and the analog-to-digital converters on a per group basis in a idle state,
wherein the sensing units sample a voltage received from a touch screen and accumulate the sampled voltage; and
wherein the analog-to-digital converters convert an output of the sensing units into digital data,
wherein the sensing units and the analog-to-digital converters are divided into a plurality of groups in the idle state,
wherein each of the plurality of groups includes at least two sensing units and one analog-to-digital converter,
wherein at least one sensing unit included in at least one group is powered down when the at least one group is powered on in the idle state,
wherein an analog-to-digital converter is powered on when the group it belongs to is powered on, and
wherein the plurality of groups are powered on sequentially on a per group basis in the idle state.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of groups are powered on in a predetermined order periodically in the idle state,
wherein in each group, at least one sensing unit in the group is powered on in one period when the group is powered on, and the at least one sensing unit is powered down and a different sensing unit in the group is powered on in a subsequent period when the group is powered on again.

11. The display device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of groups include:
a first group including first and third sensing units and a first analog-to-digital converter which converts an output of the first and third sensing units into digital data to generate touch raw data; and
a second group including second and

Assignees

• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Kyungjin

Classifications

• G06F1/3262 Primary

  Power saving in digitizer or tablet · CPC title

• G06F3/05

  Digital input using the sampling of an analogue quantity at regular intervals of time {, input from a/d converter or output to d/a converter} · CPC title

• Y02B60/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title