Driver integrated circuits and driving methods for fingerprint, touch and display driving.

Abstract

This disclosure provides a driver integrated circuit and driving method for fingerprint, touch, and display driving. The driver integrated circuit is adapted to drive a touch display panel having a fingerprint sensor. The driver integrated circuit includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit, a display driving circuit, and a touch sensing control circuit. The fingerprint sensing control circuit drives the fingerprint sensor to perform a fingerprint sensing operation. The display driving circuit drives the touch display panel to perform a display operation. The touch sensing control circuit drives the touch display panel to perform a touch operation. The fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit have a first direct communication therebetween to induce at least one of the fingerprint sensing operation and the display operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a driving circuit, and more particularly to a driver integrated circuit and driving method for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing and display driving. Background Technology

[0002] For a general-purpose terminal device with fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving functions, the general-purpose terminal device may include a fingerprint sensing control chip, a touch sensing control chip, and a display driving control chip, and the above chips communicate independently with the central processing unit (CPU) of the terminal device. Therefore, when the terminal device performs a fingerprint recognition operation for, for example, unlocking or important program operations, the above chips communicate with the CPU of the terminal device in a time-division multiplexing manner, and the communication between the chip and the CPU of the terminal device must wait for the CPU of the terminal device to change its mode, for example, waiting for the CPU to change between a rich execution environment (REE) mode and a trusted execution environment (TEE) mode. In other words, because the CPU of the terminal device needs to spend a lot of time frequently changing its operating mode, it also needs more time to complete the fingerprint recognition operation for unlocking. Therefore, several embodiments are provided below regarding how to provide driving circuits and driving methods with efficient driving capabilities. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure relates to a driver integrated circuit and driving method for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing and display driving, which can quickly perform fingerprint recognition operations to determine whether to further perform the unlocking operation of the terminal device.

[0004] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit is adapted to drive a touch display panel having a fingerprint sensor. The driver integrated circuit includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit, a display driving circuit, and a touch sensing control circuit. The fingerprint sensing control circuit drives the fingerprint sensor to perform a fingerprint sensing operation. The display driving circuit drives the touch display panel to perform a display operation. The touch sensing control circuit drives the touch display panel to perform a touch operation. The fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit are configured to have a first direct communication therebetween to induce at least one of the fingerprint sensing operation and the display operation.

[0005] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the driving method is suitable for a driver integrated circuit used for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving. The driver integrated circuit is adapted to drive a touch display panel having a fingerprint sensor, and includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit, a display driving circuit, and a touch sensing control circuit. The driver integrated circuit includes the step of: facilitating at least one of a fingerprint sensing operation and a display operation through a first direct communication between the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit.

[0006] Based on the above, according to the driver integrated circuit and driving method of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit can quickly perform fingerprint sensing operations by establishing a first direct communication between the fingerprint sensing control circuit integrated in the driver integrated circuit and the display driving circuit, and by establishing a second direct communication between the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the processing circuit of the terminal device.

[0007] To better understand the foregoing, several embodiments are described in detail below with accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a driver integrated circuit and a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating the driving method of an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0010] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the unlocking operation of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0011] Figure 4 According to Figure 3 The timing diagram of the unlocking operation in the embodiment;

[0012] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the unlocking operation of a terminal device according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0013] Figure 6 According to Figure 5 The timing diagram of the unlocking operation in the embodiment;

[0014] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a touch display panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0016] 10: Terminal device;

[0017] 100: Driver integrated circuit;

[0018] 110: Fingerprint sensing control circuit;

[0019] 120: Touch sensing control circuit;

[0020] 130: Display driver circuit;

[0021] 210: Processing circuit;

[0022] 220: Memory;

[0023] 221: Application;

[0024] 230: Touch display panel;

[0025] 231: Pixel array;

[0026] 240: Touch object;

[0027] 241, 242: Fingerprint sensing area;

[0028] 701: Touch event;

[0029] 702: Next touch event;

[0030] AP, DP, FP, TP: Operation timing sequence;

[0031] FUP: During fingerprint unlocking;

[0032] S210, S220, S230, S240, S250, S260, S301, S302, S303, S304, S305, S306, S307, S308, S309, S310, S311, S312, S313, S314, S315, S501, S502, S503, S504, S505, S506, S507, S508, S509, S510, S511, S512, S513: Steps;

[0033] t0, t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6, t7, t8, t9, t10, t11, t12, t13, t14, t15, t16, t17, t18, t19, t20, t21, t22: time. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same element symbols are used in the drawings and description to denote the same or similar parts.

[0035] It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, it should be understood that the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof, is intended to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents, as well as additional items. Unless otherwise limited, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof, are used broadly and cover direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mounts.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a driver integrated circuit and a terminal device according to embodiments of this disclosure. (See reference...) Figure 1 The terminal device 10 includes a driver integrated circuit 100, a processing circuit 210, a memory 220, and a touch display panel 230 with a fingerprint sensor. In embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 may be a fingerprint, touch, and display driver integrated chip (FTDI IC). The driver integrated circuit 100 includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit 110, a touch sensing control circuit 120, and a display driving circuit 130. In embodiments of this disclosure, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 are configured to have a first direct communication therebetween to induce at least one of a fingerprint sensing operation and a display operation.

[0037] In embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 may be coupled to the processing circuit 210 and the touch display panel 230. The processing circuit 210 is external to the driver integrated circuit 100 and coupled to the memory 220, and the processing circuit 210 may access the memory 220 to execute an application program 221 stored in the memory 220, wherein the application program 221 may be an operating system or a function program. In embodiments of this disclosure, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 may be used to drive a fingerprint sensor to perform a fingerprint sensing operation. The display driving circuit 120 may be used to drive the touch display panel 230 to perform a display operation. The touch sensing control circuit 130 may be used to drive the touch display panel 230 to perform a touch operation.

[0038] In embodiments of this disclosure, the touch display panel 230 may include a display panel and a touch panel, wherein the touch panel may be disposed below the display panel. In embodiments of this disclosure, the display panel may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The display panel may, for example, include a pixel array 231, and the pixel array 231 may include a plurality of display pixels configured in an array and a plurality of sensing pixels for fingerprint sensing. In embodiments of this disclosure, the processing circuit 210 may be the central processing unit (CPU) of the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 may be a mobile phone or tablet computer with fingerprint sensing functionality, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0039] In embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 can establish a first direct communication between the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130. In embodiments of this disclosure, the first direct communication can be performed in a Rich Execution Environment (REE) mode, wherein the display driving circuit 130 is used to illuminate at least one fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel 230 during the first direct communication and then notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 to begin performing a fingerprint sensing operation. Specifically, in embodiments of this disclosure, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can be used to notify the display driving circuit 130 to illuminate the fingerprint sensing area 241 on the touch display panel 230 during the first direct communication, via a touch event notification from the touch sensing control circuit 120. It should be noted that multiple interfaces exist between the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110, the touch sensing control circuit 120, and the display driving circuit 130 for direct communication with each other.

[0040] Furthermore, in embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 may establish a second direct communication between the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the processing circuit 210. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 has a second direct communication with the processing circuit 210 external to the driver integrated circuit 100, and the first direct communication may occur after the second direct communication and cause the display driving circuit 130 to adjust the display operation. In most operating scenarios, the driver integrated circuit 100 communicates primarily with the processing circuit 210 via the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 during the fingerprint recognition operation in the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10, thereby reducing the time for the processing circuit 210 to change its operating mode. In embodiments of this disclosure, the second direct communication may occur after the first direct communication and cause the processing circuit 210 to perform a user authentication operation. It should be noted that each of the first and second direct communications occurs in TEE mode, and each of the first and second direct communications occurs during the fingerprint sensing operation performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110.

[0041] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a driving method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. (See also...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The driver integrated circuit 100 can perform steps S210 to S260 to perform a fingerprint recognition operation during the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10. In step S210, the driver integrated circuit 100 can establish a first direct communication to induce at least one of the fingerprint sensing operation and the display operation. In embodiments of this disclosure, when a touch object 240 (user's finger) is placed on the touch display panel 230 to trigger a touch event, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can output an enable signal to one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130, such that one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 further enables at least one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 according to the touch event on the touch display panel 230. The display driving circuit 130 responds to the touch event on the touch display panel 230.

[0042] In step S220, the touch sensing control circuit 120 may notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 via a touch event during the first direct communication. In embodiments of this disclosure, the touch sensing control circuit 120 may wake up the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110. In step S230, the touch sensing control circuit 120 may notify the display driving circuit 130 to illuminate the fingerprint sensing area 241 on the touch display panel 230 during the first direct communication. In embodiments of this disclosure, the touch display panel 230 may be pre-operated in a black screen state, and when the display driving circuit 130 is enabled to illuminate the touch display panel 230, the touch display panel 230 changes to an on-screen state for operation. The touch display panel 230 is illuminated to display a light pattern for illuminating the touch object 240 placed on the touch display panel 230. In step S240, the display driving circuit 130 may notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 to begin performing a fingerprint sensing operation during the first direct communication.

[0043] In step S250, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 communicates with the processing circuit 210 external to the driver integrated circuit 100 to establish a second direct communication. In embodiments of this disclosure, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can acquire a fingerprint image, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 provides the fingerprint image to the processing circuit 210 via the second direct communication. In step S260, the processing circuit 210 performs a user authentication operation based on the fingerprint image. Therefore, regardless of whether the processing circuit 210 of the terminal device 10 is busy or idle, the driver integrated circuit 100 can illuminate the touch display panel 230 and perform fingerprint sensing without receiving control commands from the processing circuit 210, thereby effectively reducing the time required for the processing circuit 210 to switch operations in different operating system environments to generate control commands. Therefore, the driver integrated circuit 100 can quickly perform fingerprint sensing operations. Furthermore, more detailed embodiments of the terminal device 10 and the driver integrated circuit 100 will be further described by the following embodiments.

[0044] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the unlocking operation of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 According to Figure 3 The timing diagram of the unlocking operation in an embodiment is shown below. (Refer to...) Figure 1 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 , Figure 1 The terminal device 10 is adapted to perform steps S301 to S315 to perform the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can be operated as follows: Figure 4 The operation timing FP operation is shown in the diagram. The touch sensing control circuit 120 can be operated as follows: Figure 4 The operation timing TP operation is shown in the figure. The display driver circuit 130 can be operated as follows: Figure 4 The operation timing shown is DP operation. The processing circuit 210 can be operated as follows: Figure 4 The operation timing AP shown is as follows. In step S301, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can detect whether a touch event has occurred on the touch display panel 230 at time t0. In step S302, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can sense the touch object 240 during the period from time t0 to time t1. In step S303, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can determine whether the touch event is valid.

[0045] In embodiments of this disclosure, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can determine, during time t1, whether the duration of a touch event on the touch display panel 230 is greater than a time threshold for outputting an enable signal, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In embodiments of this disclosure, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can determine whether the touch coordinates of a touch event on the touch display panel 230 are within a predetermined coordinate range for outputting an enable signal. In another embodiment of this disclosure, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can determine whether the touch area of ​​a touch event on the touch display panel 230 is greater than an area threshold for outputting an enable signal. In embodiments of this disclosure, if the touch sensing control circuit 120 determines that the touch event is valid, then the driver integrated circuit 100 executes step S304. If the touch sensing control circuit 120 determines that the touch event is invalid, then the driver integrated circuit 100 re-executes step S302 to continuously sense the touch object 240.

[0046] In step S304, the touch sensing control circuit 120 may output an enable signal to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 at time t1. Therefore, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can be woken from sleep mode, and during the period from time t2 to time t3, the display driving circuit 130 may illuminate the fingerprint sensing area 241 or display a light pattern in the fingerprint sensing area 241 to illuminate the touch object 240 placed on the touch display panel 230. However, in embodiments of this disclosure, the touch sensing control circuit 120 may output an enable signal to one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130, and then one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 may notify the other.

[0047] In step S305, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 continuously determines whether the display driving circuit 130 has been successfully lit and whether the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 has been successfully woken up. When the display driving circuit 130 has been successfully lit at time t3, the display driving circuit 130 may notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110. In step S306, at time t4, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 has been successfully woken up, and therefore the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 may, for example, output an interrupt signal to the application program 221 being executed by the processing circuit 210 to notify the processing circuit 210 to enter TEE mode from REE mode during the second direct communication. The second direct communication occurs after the first direct communication. However, in embodiments of this disclosure, the processing circuit 210 may be notified to enter TEE mode from REE mode by the touch sensing control circuit 120 or the display driving circuit 130 during the second direct communication. In addition, when the processing circuit 210 operates in REE mode, the processing circuit 210 may, for example, execute a client application (CA) or other applications, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0048] In step S307, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 may perform a fingerprint sensing operation during the period from time t4 to time t7. Simultaneously, the processing circuit 210 may enter a trusted execution environment during the period from time t5 to time t6, and during the period from time t6 to time t7, the processing circuit 210 waits and polls for data preparation. In step S308, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 determines whether the fingerprint sensing operation is complete. If the fingerprint sensing operation is complete, then the driver integrated circuit 100 executes step S309. If the fingerprint sensing operation is not yet complete, then the driver integrated circuit 100 re-executes step S307. In step S309, after the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 completes the fingerprint sensing operation, the processing circuit 210 reads the fingerprint sensing image from the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 via a second direct communication through a serial peripheral interface (SPI) during the period from time t7 to time t8.

[0049] In step S310, the application 221, executed by the processing circuit 210, can perform a user authentication operation based on the fingerprint sensing image during the period from time t8 to time t9. In step S311, the application 221 can determine whether the user authentication operation is successful. In step S312, if the user authentication operation is successful, the processing circuit 210 can notify the display driving circuit 130 during the second communication period. The processing circuit 210 can output a control command to the display driving circuit 130 through the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 during the period from time t9, so that the display driving circuit 130 drives the touch display panel 230 to display the unlock screen (image) or the application screen during the period from time t10 to time t12. In step S313, during the period from time t9 to time t11, the processing circuit 210 may switch from TEE mode to REE mode to notify the user authentication result to the framework program of the terminal device 10. Then, during the period from time t11 to time t12, the processing circuit 210 may switch back to TEE mode to perform other processing, such as related unlocking processing. It should be noted that each of the first and second direct communications described above occurs after the fingerprint sensing operation performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and after the successful user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit 210.

[0050] However, in step S314, if the user authentication operation fails, the processing circuit 210 may output another command to the display driving circuit 130 via the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 at time t9, causing the display driving circuit 130 to maintain the touch display panel 230 displaying the lock screen or application screen, or dim the touch display panel 230 during the period from time t10 to time t12. In step S315, during the period from time t9 to time t11, the processing circuit 210 may change to execute the transition from TEE mode to REE mode to notify the frame program of the terminal device 10 of the user authentication result, and then the processing circuit 210 may change back to TEE mode after time t11 to perform other processing, such as related learning processing for the next fingerprint sensing. It should be noted that each of the above-described first direct communication and the above-described second direct communication is performed after the fingerprint sensing operation performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and after the failed user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit 210.

[0051] Therefore, in the embodiments of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 and the terminal device 10 can effectively reduce the time required for the waiting processing circuit 210 to switch execution in different operating system environments to generate control commands by executing the above-described steps S301 to S315, thereby enabling the rapid execution of the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10. In other words, compared with conventional unlocking operations, since the processing circuit 210 does not need to frequently change to enter different operating modes during the FUP period of fingerprint unlocking, the duration of FUP during fingerprint unlocking can be effectively reduced, thereby correspondingly reducing the human sensory unlocking period of the terminal device 10 from time t0 to time t12.

[0052] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the unlocking operation of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 According to Figure 5 The timing diagram of the unlocking operation in the embodiment. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a touch display panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. (See reference) Figure 1 , Figures 5 to 7 , Figure 1 The terminal device 10 is adapted to perform steps S501 to S513 to perform the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can be operated as follows: Figure 6 The operation timing FP operation is shown in the diagram. The touch sensing control circuit 120 can be operated as follows: Figure 6 The operation timing TP operation is shown in the figure. The display driver circuit 130 can be operated as follows: Figure 6 The operation timing shown is DP operation. The processing circuit 210 can be operated as follows: Figure 6 The operation timing sequence shown is for AP operation. (Reference) Figure 6The touch sensing control circuit 120 can detect whether a touch event 701 has occurred on the touch display panel 230 at time t0 to initiate the unlocking operation of the terminal device 10. The touch sensing control circuit 120 can sense the touch object 240 during the period from time t0 to time t1. Then, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can output an enable signal to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 at time t1. Therefore, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can be woken up from the sleep mode, and during the period from time t2 to time t4, the display driving circuit 130 can illuminate the fingerprint sensing area 241 or display a light pattern in the fingerprint sensing area 241 to illuminate the touch object 240 placed on the touch display panel 230. Next, when the display driving circuit 130 has finished lighting up at time t3, the display driving circuit 130 can notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110, causing the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 to start the fingerprint sensing operation (first fingerprint sensing operation) at time t4, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 performs the fingerprint sensing operation from time t4 to time t7. At time t4, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can output, for example, an interrupt signal to the application program 221 being executed by the processing circuit 210, to notify the processing circuit 210 to enter TEE mode from REE mode during the second direct communication. Therefore, the processing circuit 210 can enter a reliable execution environment from time t5 to time t6, and the processing circuit 210 waits and polls for data preparation from time t6 to time t7.

[0053] In step S501, the processing circuit 210 operates in TEE mode, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 has performed the fingerprint sensing operation. In step S502, the terminal device 10 determines whether the fingerprint sensing operation is complete. In step S503, after the fingerprint sensing operation is completed, the processing circuit 210 reads the fingerprint sensing image from the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 via a second direct communication through a serial peripheral interface during the period from time t7 to time t8. Furthermore, during the period from time t7 to time t8, the processing circuit 210 can further obtain the touch information of the touch object 240, such as touch coordinate parameters. Therefore, in step S504, the processing circuit 210 can first process the touch information of the touch object 240 during the period from time t8 to time t9 to determine the next fingerprint sensing area, thereby generating positioning adjustment information, and then, the processing circuit 210 can perform a user authentication operation based on the fingerprint sensing image during the period from time t9 to time t11. In step S505, the processing circuit 210 may provide positioning adjustment information to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 at time t9. For example... Figure 7As shown, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can adjust the fingerprint sensing area 241 to the fingerprint sensing area 242 at time t9 according to the positioning adjustment information. The fingerprint sensing area 241 may partially overlap with the fingerprint sensing area 242 or may not overlap. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can further provide the positioning adjustment information to the display driving circuit 130 at time t10, so that the display driving circuit 130 can adjust the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel 230 according to the positioning adjustment information. Therefore, after the display driving circuit 130 completes the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel 230, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can continuously perform the next fingerprint sensing operation (second fingerprint sensing operation) during the period from time t10 to time t12.

[0054] In step S506, the processing circuit 210 determines whether the user authentication operation is successful. If the user authentication operation fails, in step S510, the processing circuit 210 further determines whether the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than a preset time length threshold during the period from time t10 to time t11. The preset time length threshold can be designed so that the terminal device 10 can perform multiple fingerprint sensing operations to increase the unlocking probability. If the processing circuit 210 determines that the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than the preset time length threshold, the processing circuit 210 waits again and polls for data preparation during the period from time t11 to time t12, and the terminal device 10 and the driver integrated circuit 100 return to execute steps S501 and S502 to determine whether the next fingerprint sensing operation is completed. In step S503, after the next fingerprint sensing operation is completed, the processing circuit 210 reads the next fingerprint sensing image from the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 via the serial peripheral interface through the second direct communication during the period from time t12 to time t13. Furthermore, during the period from time t12 to time t13, the processing circuit 210 can further obtain another next touch information of the touch object 240.

[0055] Therefore, in step S504, the processing circuit 210 can first process another next touch information of the touch object 240 to determine another next fingerprint sensing area during the period from time t13 to time t14, thereby generating another next positioning adjustment information. Then, the processing circuit 210 can perform the next user authentication operation based on the next fingerprint sensing image during the period from time t14 to time t16. In step S505, the processing circuit 210 can provide the other next positioning adjustment information to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 at time t14, so that the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can adjust the fingerprint sensing area 242 according to the other next positioning adjustment information at time t15 to perform another next fingerprint sensing operation (the third fingerprint sensing operation). The fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can further provide the positioning adjustment information to the display driving circuit 130 at time t15, so that the display driving circuit 130 can adjust the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel 230 according to the other next positioning adjustment information. Therefore, after the display driving circuit 130 completes the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel 230, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 can start executing another fingerprint sensing operation (the third fingerprint sensing operation) from time t15.

[0056] In step S506, the processing circuit 210 determines whether the next user authentication operation is successful. In step S507, if the next user authentication operation is successful, the processing circuit 210 may notify the display driving circuit 130 at time t16. The processing circuit 210 may output a control command to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 at time t17 to interrupt another fingerprint sensing operation. In step S508, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 may further notify the display driving circuit 130 to unlock the screen of the touch display panel 230, and the display driving circuit 130 may perform other settings after time t19 but before unlocking the screen of the touch display panel 230. In step S509, during the period from time t16 to time t18, the processing circuit 210 may switch to executing a transition from TEE mode to REE mode to notify the frame program of the terminal device 10 of the user authentication result, and then, during the period after time t18, the processing circuit 210 may switch back to TEE mode to perform other processing, such as related unlocking processing. Therefore, the driver integrated circuit 100 and the terminal device 10 can effectively reduce the time required for the waiting processing circuit 210 to change execution in different operating system environments to generate control commands by executing the above steps S501 to S510, so as to quickly execute multiple fingerprint sensing operations in one unlocking operation of the terminal device 10.

[0057] In another embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device 10 can quickly perform a new user authentication operation when the touch sensing control circuit 120 detects that the next touch event 702 has occurred on the touch display panel 230 at time t20, causing the terminal device 10 to start a new fingerprint sensing operation for the next touch event 702. The touch sensing control circuit 120 can sense the touch object 240 that has been quickly repositioned on the touch display panel 230 during the period from time t20 to time t21, and can determine whether the next touch event 702 is valid. When the touch sensing control circuit 120 determines that the next touch event 702 is valid, the touch sensing control circuit 120 can output a new enable signal to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 and the display driving circuit 130 at time t22. Therefore, in another embodiment of this disclosure, the driver integrated circuit 100 can quickly perform a new user authentication operation without waiting for the display driving circuit 130 and the processing circuit 210 to complete their previous operations.

[0058] However, in another embodiment, continuing at time t14 of the above embodiment, in step S511, if the user authentication operation fails and the processing circuit 210 determines during time t14 to time t16 whether the remaining time of an unlocking operation is less than a preset time length threshold, then the terminal device 10 executes step S511. In step S511, the processing circuit 210 may notify the display driving circuit 130 at time t16. The processing circuit 210 may output a control command to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 at time t17 to interrupt another fingerprint sensing operation. In step S512, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 110 may further notify the display driving circuit 130 to keep the locked screen of the display touch panel 230 after time t19. In step S513, during the period from time t16 to time t18, the processing circuit 210 may switch from TEE mode to REE mode to notify the user authentication result of the frame program of the terminal device 10. Then, the processing circuit 210 may switch back to TEE mode to perform other processing, such as related learning processing, to correct the next unlock operation corresponding to the next touch event 702. Therefore, the driver integrated circuit 100 and the terminal device 10 can effectively manage the duration of an unlock operation by executing the above steps S501 to S513. If the touch event 701 fails the user authentication operation, the terminal device 10 may stop the current unlock operation and request the user to perform a new unlock operation by placing their finger back on the touch display panel 230, thereby increasing the probability of accessing the terminal device 10.

[0059] In summary, the driver integrated circuit and driving method disclosed herein for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving can reduce the time required for the terminal device's processing circuit to switch operations between different operating system environments during the unlocking operation by establishing a first direct communication and a second direct communication. Therefore, the driver integrated circuit and driving method disclosed herein can quickly execute the unlocking operation of the terminal device.

[0060] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure, and are not intended to limit them. Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving, suitable for driving a touch display panel with a fingerprint sensor, characterized in that, The driver integrated circuit includes: A fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to drive the fingerprint sensor to perform fingerprint sensing operations. A display driving circuit is used to drive the touch display panel to perform display operations; and A touch sensing control circuit is used to drive the touch display panel to perform touch operations. The fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit are configured to have a first direct communication therebetween to induce at least one of the fingerprint sensing operation and the display operation. The fingerprint sensing control circuit is further configured to have a second direct communication with a processing circuit external to the driver integrated circuit, and the first direct communication is performed after the second direct communication and causes the display driving circuit to adjust the display operation.

2. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first direct communication is performed in a rich execution environment (REE) mode, wherein the display driving circuit is configured to illuminate at least one fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel during the first direct communication and then notify the fingerprint sensing control circuit to start performing the fingerprint sensing operation.

3. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first direct communication is performed in a rich execution environment mode, wherein the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the display driving circuit to light up the fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel during the first direct communication via a touch event notification from the touch sensing control circuit.

4. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch sensing control circuit is used to determine whether to output an enable signal to one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit, so that one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit further enables the other of the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit in response to a touch event on the touch display panel.

5. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 4, characterized in that, The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the touch area of ​​the touch event on the touch display panel is greater than the area threshold used to output the enable signal.

6. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 4, characterized in that, The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the duration of the touch event on the touch display panel is greater than the time threshold used to output the enable signal.

7. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 4, characterized in that, The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the touch coordinates of the touch event on the touch display panel are within a predetermined coordinate range used to output the enable signal.

8. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 4, characterized in that, The touch display panel is pre-operated in a black screen state, and when the display driving circuit is enabled to light up the touch display panel, the touch display panel is switched to a light-up state for operation.

9. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 8, characterized in that, The touch display panel is illuminated to display a light pattern for illuminating a touch object placed on the touch display panel.

10. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed in a trusted execution environment mode.

11. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 10, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed during the fingerprint sensing operation executed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit.

12. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 11, characterized in that, During the second direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the positioning adjustment information through the processing circuit, and during the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the display driving circuit to adjust the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel according to the positioning adjustment information.

13. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 12, characterized in that, The fingerprint sensing control circuit adjusts the fingerprint sensing position according to the positioning adjustment information, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit executes the next fingerprint sensing operation.

14. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 13, characterized in that, If the user authentication operation is successful during the next fingerprint sensing operation, the fingerprint sensing control circuit interrupts the next fingerprint sensing operation.

15. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 13, characterized in that, During the next fingerprint sensing operation, if the user authentication operation fails, the processing circuit determines whether the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than a preset time length threshold. When the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than the preset time length threshold, the fingerprint sensing control circuit interrupts the next fingerprint sensing operation. When the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is greater than or equal to the preset time length threshold, the fingerprint sensing control circuit continues the next fingerprint sensing operation.

16. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 10, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication occurs after the fingerprint sensing operation performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit and after a successful user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit.

17. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 16, characterized in that, During the second direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the successful user authentication operation through the processing circuit, and during the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the display driving circuit to drive the touch display panel to display the unlock screen or the application screen.

18. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 10, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed after the fingerprint sensing operation executed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit and after the failed user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit.

19. The driver integrated circuit for fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving according to claim 18, characterized in that, During the second direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the failed user authentication operation through the processing circuit, and during the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit is used to notify the display driving circuit to maintain the display lock screen or application screen, or dim the touch display panel.

20. A driving method, suitable for a driver integrated circuit used in fingerprint sensing, touch sensing, and display driving, characterized in that, The driver integrated circuit is adapted to drive a touch display panel with a fingerprint sensor, and the driver integrated circuit includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit, a display driving circuit, and a touch sensing control circuit, wherein the driver integrated circuit includes: The fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit communicate directly to induce at least one of the fingerprint sensing operation and the display operation; and The fingerprint sensing control circuit communicates with a processing circuit outside the driver integrated circuit to establish a second direct communication, so that the display driving circuit adjusts the display operation, wherein the first direct communication is performed after the second direct communication.

21. The driving method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first direct communication is performed in a Rich Execution Environment (REE) mode, and the driving method includes: During the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel is illuminated via the display driving circuit; and During the first direct communication, the display driver circuit notifies the fingerprint sensing control circuit to begin performing the fingerprint sensing operation.

22. The driving method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first direct communication is performed in a rich execution environment mode, and the driving method includes: During the first direct communication, the touch sensing control circuit notifies the fingerprint sensing control circuit via a touch event; and During the first direct communication, the touch sensing control circuit notifies the display driving circuit to illuminate the fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel.

23. The driving method according to claim 20, characterized in that, Further includes: Determine whether to output an enable signal to one of the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit, such that the fingerprint sensing control circuit and the display driving circuit are further enabled by the touch sensing control circuit based on a touch event on the touch display panel.

24. The driving method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to output the enable signal includes: The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the touch area of ​​the touch event on the touch display panel is greater than the area threshold used to output the enable signal.

25. The driving method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to output the enable signal includes: The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the duration of the touch event on the touch display panel is greater than the time threshold used to output the enable signal.

26. The driving method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The step of determining whether to output the enable signal includes: The touch sensing control circuit determines whether the touch coordinates of the touch event on the touch display panel are within a predetermined coordinate range used to output the enable signal.

27. The driving method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The touch display panel is pre-operated in a black screen state, and when the display driving circuit is enabled to light up the touch display panel, the touch display panel is switched to a light-up state for operation.

28. The driving method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The touch display panel is illuminated to display a light pattern for illuminating a touch object placed on the touch display panel.

29. The driving method according to claim 20, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed in a trusted execution environment mode.

30. The driving method according to claim 29, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed during the fingerprint sensing operation executed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit.

31. The driving method according to claim 30, characterized in that, Further includes: During the second direct communication, the processing circuit notifies the fingerprint sensing control circuit of positioning adjustment information; as well as During the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit notifies the display driving circuit to adjust the positioning of the illuminated fingerprint sensing area on the touch display panel according to the positioning adjustment information.

32. The driving method according to claim 31, characterized in that, Further includes: The fingerprint sensing control circuit adjusts the fingerprint sensing position according to the positioning adjustment information. The next fingerprint sensing operation is performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit.

33. The driving method according to claim 32, characterized in that, Further includes: If the user authentication operation is successful during the next fingerprint sensing operation, then the next fingerprint sensing operation is interrupted by the fingerprint sensing control circuit.

34. The driving method according to claim 32, characterized in that, Further includes: During the next fingerprint sensing operation, if the user authentication operation fails, the processing circuit determines whether the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than a preset time length threshold. When the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is less than the preset time length threshold, the next fingerprint sensing operation is interrupted by the fingerprint sensing control circuit. as well as When the remaining time of the current unlocking operation is greater than or equal to the preset time length threshold, the fingerprint sensing control circuit continues the next fingerprint sensing operation.

35. The driving method according to claim 29, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication occurs after the fingerprint sensing operation performed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit and after a successful user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit.

36. The driving method according to claim 35, characterized in that, Further includes: During the second direct communication, the processing circuit notifies the fingerprint sensing control circuit of the successful user authentication operation. as well as During the first direct communication, the fingerprint sensing control circuit notifies the display driver circuit to drive the touch display panel to display the unlock screen or the application screen.

37. The driving method according to claim 29, characterized in that, Each of the first direct communication and the second direct communication is performed after the fingerprint sensing operation executed by the fingerprint sensing control circuit and after the failed user authentication operation performed by the processing circuit.

38. The driving method according to claim 37, characterized in that, Further includes: During the second direct communication, the processing circuit notifies the fingerprint sensing control circuit of the failed user authentication operation. as well as The display driver circuit is notified to drive the touch display panel to maintain the display of the lock screen or application screen, or to dim the touch display panel.

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