Input system and method for detecting touch using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9977517-B2
Application number	US-201514878987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An input system includes an input pen for interfacing with a touchscreen of a display panel. The input pen includes a conductive tip. A switching unit of the pen connects the conductive tip to a receiving unit and a driving unit. The receiving unit receives touchscreen driving signals from the touchscreen through the conductive tip. The driving unit generates pen driving signals transferred to the touchscreen through the conductive tip. The input pen also include a signal processing unit to calibrate timing of the pen driving signal by synchronizing the pen driving signal with the touchscreen driving signal. To enable touch detection, the conductive tip is positioned to contact or approach the touchscreen, the touchscreen driving signal is received from the touchscreen via the conductive tip. The pen driving signal is generated and transferred to the touchscreen via the conductive tip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An input system comprising:
a display panel having a touchscreen comprising a plurality of touch detection electrodes, a touchscreen driving signal being provided to the plurality of touch detection electrodes for touch detection; and
an input pen comprising:
a conductive tip;
a switching unit connected to the conductive tip;
a receiving unit coupled to the switching unit and configured to receive the touchscreen driving signal from the touchscreen through the conductive tip and the switching unit;
a driving unit coupled to the switching unit and configured to generate a pen driving signal transferred to the touchscreen through the conductive tip and the switching unit, the display panel configured to detect contact or approach of the input pen in response to the pen driving signal; and
a signal processing unit coupled to the receiving unit and the driving unit, the signal processing unit configured to calibrate timing of the pen driving signal to synchronize the pen driving signal with the touchscreen driving signal such that generation of the pen driving signal overlaps with generation of the touchscreen driving signal.

2. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the driving unit is configured to generate the pen driving signal after a predetermined time elapses from reception of the touchscreen driving signal, and the conductive tip transfers the pen driving signal to the display panel.

3. The input system according to claim 2 , wherein the signal processing unit is configured to initiate a switching period in response to reception of the touchscreen driving signal, the switching unit configured to begin transmitting the pen driving signal from the driving unit to the conductive tip after the switching period.

4. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the input pen further comprises a pressure sensor physically connected to the conductive tip to sense a pressure applied to the conductive tip and to transfer the sensed pressure to the signal processing unit.

5. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing unit is configured to output the pen driving signal having a same period as the touchscreen driving signal and either a same phase as the touchscreen driving signal or an inverted phase relative to the touchscreen driving signal.

6. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the signal processing unit is configured to time divide a touch period of the display panel into a pen sensing period and a pen driving period, and the signal processing unit is configured to control the switching unit to transfer the touchscreen driving signal from the conductive tip to the receiving unit during the pen sensing period and to control the switching unit to transfer the pen driving signal to the conductive tip during the pen driving period.

7. The input system according to claim 6 , wherein the pen driving period within the touch period is longer than the pen sensing period within the touch period.

8. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving unit comprises:
an amplifier configured to amplify the touchscreen driving signal sensed through the switching unit; and
a comparator configured to output a digital pen sensing signal having a digital level in response to a comparison of the amplified touchscreen driving signal from the amplifier to a threshold value, the driving unit configured to generate the pen driving signal in response to the digital pen sensing signal.

9. The input system according to claim 8 , wherein the driving unit comprises a level shifter configured to convert the pen driving signal received from the signal processing unit into an analog drive voltage signal corresponding to a digital level of the pen driving signal, the level shifter configured to output the analog drive voltage signal.

10. The input system according to claim 8 , wherein the comparator is configured to output the digital pen sensing signal in response to the amplified touchscreen driving signal being greater than or equal to the threshold value.

11. The input system according to claim 8 , wherein the amplifier is an inverting amplifier, and wherein the comparator is configured to output the digital pen sensing signal in response to the amplified touchscreen driving signal being less than the threshold value.

12. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the touch detection electrodes are not overlapped each other.

13. A method for detecting touch using an input system, comprising:
positioning a conductive tip protruding from an input pen to contact or approach a display panel including a touchscreen comprising a plurality of touch detection electrodes, a touchscreen driving signal being provided to the plurality of touch detection electrodes for touch detection;
receiving, via the conductive tip, the touchscreen driving signal from a touchscreen region where the input pen contacts or approaches the touchscreen in response to coupling of the conductive tip to the touchscreen region;
generating, within the input pen, a pen driving signal synchronized with the touchscreen driving signal received from the touchscreen region such that generation of the pen driving signal overlaps with generation of the touchscreen driving signal; and
transferring the pen driving signal to the touchscreen via the conductive tip, the display panel configured to detect touch or approach of the input pen in response to the pen driving signal.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the input pen repeatedly receives the touchscreen driving signal via the conductive tip and transfers the pen driving signal via the conductive tip, and wherein the input pen alternately receives the touchscreen driving signal and transfers the pen driving signal using time division at the conductive tip.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein:
the display panel generates a touch enable signal for dividing each frame into a display period and a touch period, which alternate with each other at least one time per each frame;
the touchscreen generates a plurality of touch driving signals for the touchscreen during the touch period; and
the input pen time-divides the touch period to receive the touchscreen driving signal during an initial portion of the touch period and to transfer the pen driving signal during a remaining portion of the touch period having a longer duration than the initial portion of the touch period.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein receiving the touchscreen driving signal comprises:
receiving the touchscreen driving signal via the conductive tip;
amplifying the touchscreen driving signal using an amplifier of the input pen; and
outputting a digital pen sensing signal having a digital level in response to comparing the amplified touchscreen driving signal with a threshold value, the pen driving signal generated in response to the digital pen sensing signal.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein generating the pen driving signal comprises generating the pen driving signal at least one period of the touchscreen driving signal after outputting the digital pen sensing signal.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein generating the pen driving signal comprises generating the pen driving signal having a same period as the touchscreen driving signal and either a same phase as the touchscreen driving signal or an inverted phase relative to the touchscreen driving signal.

19. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising sensing a variation in c

Assignees

• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Sung-Chul
• Bae Sang-Hyuck
• Han Sung-Su
• Jung Do-Young

Classifications

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/03545 Primary

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• G06F3/0383

  Signal control means within the pointing device · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0442

  using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser · CPC title