Electronic device and fingerprint sensing control method and fingerprint scanning control method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device and a fingerprint sensing control method and a fingerprint scanning control method thereof. A sensing area of a display panel is divided into a plurality of fingerprint areas. The electronic device determines at least one target fingerprint area from the fingerprint areas according to a touch area. The electronic device scans the at least one target fingerprint area to control the at least one target fingerprint area to perform fingerprint sensing. The electronic device performs an accelerated scanning operation. The accelerated scanning operation includes setting a scanning speed corresponding to at least one target scanning group coupled to the touch area to a first speed, and setting a scanning speed corresponding to one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group to a second speed higher than the first speed.

Description

[0001] This invention is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on December 27, 2019, with application number 201911379013.3 and title "Electronic Device and Fingerprint Sensing Control Method Thereof". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a fingerprint sensing control method and a fingerprint scanning control method. Background Technology

[0003] The fingerprint sensor can be placed on the display panel. Alternatively, it can be placed below the display panel. Or, it can be embedded within the display panel. Therefore, a portion (or all) of the display area of ​​the display panel can serve as the sensing area for fingerprint detection. Generally, the larger the sensing area, the greater the user's freedom of operation. The sensing area (fingerprint sensor) has multiple sensing units (sensing pixels). When the user's finger is pressed anywhere within the sensing area of ​​the display panel, the fingerprint sensor can sense / recognize the user's fingerprint.

[0004] Generally, the system reads the sensing results of all sensing units in the fingerprint sensor (sensing area) via the fingerprint sensing control circuit to perform fingerprint sensing. In practice, the system reads all sensing units in the sensing area one by one (or column by column) in a preset scanning order. As the panel size (sensing area) increases, the fingerprint sensing control circuit requires a longer time to read the entire sensing area.

[0005] It should be noted that the background section is provided to aid in understanding the present invention. Some (or all) of the content disclosed in the background section may not be known to those skilled in the art. The content disclosed in the background section does not imply that it was known to those skilled in the art prior to this application. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention provides an electronic device and a fingerprint sensing control method and a fingerprint scanning control method thereof, so as to accelerate the fingerprint scanning operation of the sensing area of ​​the display panel.

[0007] Some embodiments of the fingerprint sensing control method of the present invention can perform fingerprint sensing control on a display panel. The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions. The fingerprint sensing control method includes: determining at least one target fingerprint region from these fingerprint regions based on a touch area; scanning the at least one target fingerprint region to control the at least one target fingerprint region to perform fingerprint sensing; and performing an accelerated scanning operation. The fingerprint regions are coupled to multiple scanning groups, and each of these scanning groups includes one or more scan lines. The accelerated scanning operation includes: setting a scanning speed corresponding to at least one target scanning group coupled to the touch area in the at least one target fingerprint region as a first speed; and setting a scanning speed corresponding to one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group as a second speed, wherein the second speed is higher than the first speed, and wherein the one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group intersect a non-touch area in the at least one target fingerprint region.

[0008] Some embodiments of the electronic device of the present invention include a fingerprint sensing control circuit. The fingerprint sensing control circuit is coupled to a display panel to perform fingerprint sensing control on the display panel. The display panel is divided into a plurality of fingerprint regions and the plurality of fingerprint regions are coupled to a plurality of scanning groups. Each of the plurality of scanning groups includes one or more scan lines. The fingerprint sensing control circuit determines at least one target fingerprint region from the plurality of fingerprint regions based on a touch area, and scans the at least one target fingerprint region to control the at least one target fingerprint region to perform fingerprint sensing. The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to set a first speed for scanning at least one target scanning group coupled to the touch area in the at least one target fingerprint region, and is configured to set a second speed higher than the first speed for scanning at one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group. The one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group intersect a non-touch area within the at least one target fingerprint region.

[0009] Some embodiments of the fingerprint scanning control method of the present invention can perform fingerprint scanning control on a display panel. The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions. The fingerprint scanning control method includes: providing a clock to at least one shift register to perform a scanning operation on the multiple fingerprint regions; scanning a touch area with the clock having a first clock frequency; and scanning at least one non-touch area or skipping scanning the at least one non-touch area with the clock having a second clock frequency higher than the first clock frequency. The touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint region among the multiple fingerprint regions, and the at least one non-touch area includes areas within the at least one target fingerprint region other than the touch area.

[0010] Some embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device capable of fingerprint scanning control of a display panel. The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions. The electronic device includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit configured to be coupled to the display panel to: provide a clock to at least one shift register to perform a scanning operation on the multiple fingerprint regions; scan a touch area with the clock having a first frequency; and scan at least one non-touch area or skip scanning the at least one non-touch area with the clock having a second frequency higher than the first frequency. The touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint region among the multiple fingerprint regions, and the at least one non-touch area includes areas within the at least one target fingerprint region other than the touch area.

[0011] Some embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device capable of fingerprint sensing control of a display panel. The display panel includes a sensing area divided into a plurality of fingerprint regions, and the electronic device includes a control circuit and a fingerprint reading circuit. The control circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel to provide at least one frequency signal to the display panel, wherein the at least one frequency signal is set to a first frequency when the control circuit controls the display panel to scan a touch area, and the at least one frequency signal is set to a second frequency higher than the first frequency when the control circuit controls the display panel to scan a non-touch area, wherein the touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint area among the plurality of fingerprint regions, and the non-touch area includes areas other than the touch area within the at least one target fingerprint area. The fingerprint reading circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel to read at least one sensing signal corresponding to the at least one target fingerprint area.

[0012] Based on the above, the sensing area of ​​the display panel described in the embodiments of the present invention is divided into multiple fingerprint areas. When an object (e.g., a finger) touches the display panel, the display panel can perform touch detection to identify the touch area. The fingerprint sensing control circuit can determine one (or more) target fingerprint areas from these fingerprint areas based on the touch area. The fingerprint sensing control circuit can scan the target fingerprint area and read sensing signals from the target fingerprint area to perform fingerprint sensing. For fingerprint areas other than the target fingerprint area, the fingerprint sensing control circuit can skip scanning these other fingerprint areas to accelerate the fingerprint scanning operation of the sensing area of ​​the display panel.

[0013] To make the above features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the display panel according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a circuit block diagram illustrating a fingerprint sensing control circuit according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a signal timing diagram illustrating a fingerprint sensing control circuit according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to other embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to other embodiments of the present invention.

[0021] [Symbol Explanation]

[0022] 20: Touch Area

[0023] 100: Electronic devices

[0024] 110: Application Processor

[0025] 120: Fingerprint sensing control circuit

[0026] 121: Control Circuit

[0027] 122: Multiplexing circuit

[0028] 123: Fingerprint reading circuit

[0029] 130: Touch circuit

[0030] 140: Display driver circuit

[0031] 150: Display panel

[0032] 160: Fingerprint sensor

[0033] CK: Clock signal

[0034] S310, S320, S330, S610, S620, S630: Steps

[0035] SG_1, SG_2, SG_3, SG_4, SG_n: Scanning groups

[0036] SG20: During target scanning

[0037] SN_1 and SN_2: Sensor Groups

[0038] SP_1, SP_2, SP_3, SP_4, SP_n: Start pulse signals

[0039] SR_1, SR_2, SR_3, SR_4, SR_n: Shift register groups

[0040] SR2_1, SR2_2, SR2_i, SR3_1, SR3_2, SR3_i: Scan signals

[0041] Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4: Fingerprint areas Detailed Implementation

[0042] The term "coupled (or connected)" as used throughout this application (including the claims) may refer to any direct or indirect means of connection. For example, if the text describes a first device coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be interpreted as the first device being directly connected to the second device, or the first device being indirectly connected to the second device through other devices or some means of connection. The terms "first," "second," etc., used throughout this application (including the claims) are used to name elements or distinguish different embodiments or scopes, and are not intended to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of elements, nor to limit the order of elements. Furthermore, wherever possible, elements / components / steps using the same reference numerals in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts. Elements / components / steps using the same reference numerals or the same terms in different embodiments can be referred to mutually in the relevant descriptions.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of an electronic device 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1 The illustrated electronic device 100 includes a fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, a touch circuit 130, and a display driving circuit 140. It should be noted that although the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, touch circuit 130, and display driving circuit 140 are depicted as different circuit blocks, a portion or all of each block can be integrated with a portion or all of another (or two) block. In some embodiments, a portion or all of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, touch circuit 130, and display driving circuit 140 can be integrated into a single chip or separated into different chips. The chip can be used to communicate with an application processor 110 and control a display panel 150. In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may further include a display panel 150 to serve as a display panel module. In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 may further include an application processor 110. The electronic device 100 can be a mobile device or other non-mobile computing device.

[0044] Application processor 110 can be coupled to display driver circuitry 140 to provide image frames. Display driver circuitry 140 can be coupled (directly or indirectly) to display panel 150. Display driver circuitry 140 can drive / control display panel 150 to display images on display area of ​​display panel 150. For example, display panel 150 may include gate driver on array (GOA) circuitry (not shown), and display driver circuitry 140 can communicate with GOA circuitry to control display panel 150.

[0045] Display panel 150 may include a touch detector (not shown). For example, display panel 150 may be a touch display panel. Touch circuitry 130 is coupled to (and controls) the touch detector of display panel 150. Touch circuitry 130 may perform touch detection on display panel 150 to obtain the touch area of ​​an object (e.g., a finger) on display panel 150. In the same or alternative embodiments, touch circuitry 130 may obtain the touch area of ​​an object on display panel 150. Application processor 110 is coupled to touch circuitry 130 to receive touch detection results. In some embodiments, application processor 110 may know the touch area of ​​an object on display panel 150.

[0046] Display panel 150 also includes fingerprint sensor 160. Depending on design requirements, fingerprint sensor 160 can be an optical fingerprint sensor or other fingerprint sensors, such as a capacitive fingerprint sensor. Fingerprint sensor 160 can be placed below display panel 150. Alternatively, fingerprint sensor 160 can be embedded inside display panel 150. Detailed implementation of display panel 150 can be determined according to design requirements. For example, fingerprint sensor 160 can be arranged in one of the following configurations: on-display configuration, under-display configuration, local in-display configuration, and global in-display configuration. Alternatively, fingerprint sensor 160 can be arranged in other configurations. Therefore, a portion (or all) of the display area of ​​display panel 150 can serve as the sensing area of ​​fingerprint sensor 160 for fingerprint sensing. Generally, the larger the area of ​​the sensing area, the greater the user's degree of freedom of operation. The sensing area (fingerprint sensor 160) can have multiple sensing units (sensing pixels). The fingerprint sensing unit can be arranged in the same layer as the display pixel unit or in a different layer. When arranged in the same layer, the fingerprint sensing unit can be staggered with the display pixel unit, for example, one or more rows of display pixel units can be paired with one or more rows of fingerprint sensing units, or they can be arranged in different blocks without staggering. When a user's finger is pressed anywhere in the sensing area of ​​the display panel 150, the fingerprint sensor 160 can sense / recognize the user's fingerprint. In some embodiments, the application processor 110 is coupled to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120.

[0047] The fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can be coupled (directly or indirectly) to (and control) the fingerprint sensor 160 of the display panel 150 to perform fingerprint sensing control on the display panel 150 and read sensing signals. For example, the display panel 150 may include a GOA circuit (not shown), and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can communicate with the GOA circuit to control the fingerprint sensor 160 of the display panel 150. The application processor 110 can also be coupled to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 to receive fingerprint sensing results (sensing signals). In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 is also coupled to the touch circuit 130 to obtain information about the touch area. In other embodiments, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 is not coupled to the touch circuit 130, and the application processor 110 can provide the touch area information provided by the touch circuit 130 to the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120.

[0048] Depending on design requirements, in some embodiments, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, the touch circuit 130, and the display driving circuit 140 may be different integrated circuits. In other embodiments, the touch circuit 130 and the display driving circuit 140 may be integrated into a Touch with Display Driver integration (TDDI) chip (or TDDI integrated circuit), while the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 is implemented in another chip (or integrated circuit). For example, the display panel 150 may include a TDDI GOA circuit (not shown), and the TDDI chip or integrated circuit may communicate with the TDDI GOA circuit to control touch and display operations on the display panel 150. In still other embodiments, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, the touch circuit 130, and the display driving circuit 140 may be integrated into a single integrated circuit.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the display panel 150 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 .exist Figure 2 In the example provided, the sensing area of ​​the display panel 150 is divided into multiple fingerprint areas (i.e. Figure 2 The multiple small squares shown are, for example Figure 2 The fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 are shown. The touch circuit 130 can perform touch detection on the display panel 150 to determine the touch area 20 of the finger on the display panel 150.

[0050] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to some embodiments of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 In step S310, the touch circuit 130 can perform touch detection on the display panel 150 to determine the touch area 20 of an object (e.g., one or more fingers) on the display panel 150. In step S320, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 determines at least one target fingerprint area from these fingerprint areas of the display panel 150 based on at least one touch area 20. For example, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can determine the position of the target fingerprint area based on the position of at least one touch area 20. The at least one touch area can be located within the at least one target fingerprint area. Furthermore, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can determine the total number of target fingerprint areas based on the area of ​​the at least one touch area 20. Figure 2 In the example, because the touch area 20 overlaps the fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 determines the fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 as the target fingerprint areas.

[0051] In step S330, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can perform an "accelerated scanning operation". The fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 may include a control circuit for the scanning operation and a reading circuit for the reading operation. In some embodiments, the accelerated scanning operation performed by the control circuit may include: scanning the target fingerprint region (e.g., Figure 2 The fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 are shown to control the target fingerprint region to perform fingerprint sensing; and to scan other fingerprint regions in these fingerprint regions more quickly, excluding the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4.

[0052] It is important to note that accelerated scanning can be performed on a per-fingerprint-area basis. However, accelerated scanning can also be performed on smaller areas, for example, based on whether the area has been touched. Non-touched areas can be located within and / or outside the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. In other words, at least one non-touched area can be scanned at a higher speed than a touched area, and / or at least one fingerprint area that does not cover a touched area can be scanned at a higher speed than a touched area.

[0053] Different acceleration methods can also be implemented, including scanning at a higher speed or not scanning at all (i.e., skipping the scan). In other words, at least one fingerprint area that does not cover the touch area (and / or at least one non-touch area) can be scanned at a higher speed than the touch area, and / or at least one fingerprint area that does not cover the touch area (and / or at least one non-touch area) cannot be scanned.

[0054] Therefore, various methods for performing accelerated scanning operations can be implemented according to design requirements. For example, in the same or alternative embodiments, accelerated scanning operations may include: scanning a touch area to control a target fingerprint area to perform fingerprint sensing; and accelerating the scanning of at least one non-touch area. The non-touch area may be located within and / or outside the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4.

[0055] In the same or alternative embodiments, the accelerated scanning operation may include: scanning the target fingerprint region (e.g., Figure 2 The fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 shown are used to control the target fingerprint region to perform fingerprint sensing; and to skip fingerprint regions other than the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4.

[0056] In the same or alternative embodiments, the accelerated scanning operation may include: scanning a touch area to control a target fingerprint area to perform fingerprint sensing; and skipping scanning at least one non-touch area. The non-touch area may be located within and / or outside the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4.

[0057] After performing an accelerated scanning operation, or during the accelerated scanning operation, the reading circuit can read sensing signals (fingerprint sensing results) from the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. In some embodiments, the reading operation may include reading all fingerprint regions without skipping any fingerprint regions. In alternative embodiments, the reading operation may also be accelerated. More specifically, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 may skip reading regions other than the target fingerprint region (e.g., Figure 2 At least one (partial or complete) fingerprint region other than the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4. This means that the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 does not read any sensing signals from fingerprint regions other than the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4.

[0058] In some embodiments, these fingerprint regions are coupled to a plurality of scan groups in the row direction of the display panel 150. Each of these scan groups may include one or more scan lines coupled to a plurality of fingerprint sensing units in the fingerprint region. Depending on design requirements, in some embodiments, the accelerated scanning operation includes setting a first speed for scanning at least one target scan group coupled to at least the touch area in the target fingerprint region; and setting a second speed higher than the first speed for scanning at one or more scan groups other than the target scan group. In some similar or alternative embodiments, the accelerated scanning operation includes skipping scanning one or more scan groups other than the target scan group.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a circuit block diagram illustrating the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 The display panel 150 shown can be referenced. Figure 2 The description of the display panel 150 shown is omitted here. Please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 1 and Figure 4 The fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 includes control circuitry 121. The display panel 150 also includes one or more shifter register groups, such as... Figure 4 The shift register groups SR_1, SR_2, SR_3, SR_4, ..., SR_n are shown, where n is any integer according to design requirements. Depending on the design requirements, shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n can be gate driver on array (GOA) circuitry configured on the display panel 150. In other embodiments, shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n can be located within the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120. In other embodiments, depending on design requirements, part or all of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 and part or all of the GOA circuitry can be integrated or separated.

[0060] Figure 4 The fingerprint areas of the display panel 150 shown can be coupled in the column direction to multiple scan groups SG_1, SG_2, SG_3, SG_4, ..., SG_n. Each of these scan groups SG_1 to SG_n can include one or more scan lines. Each of these scan groups SG_1 to SG_n can be coupled to a corresponding shift register group SR_1 to SR_n, such as... Figure 4 As shown. Each of these shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n can receive a corresponding start pulse signal (e.g., SP_1, SP_2, SP_3, SP_4, ..., SP_n, from control circuit 121). The GOA circuit can generate or receive a clock signal CK, which can trigger the shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n to control multiple sensing units of the display panel 150. The clock signal CK can trigger these shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n. This embodiment does not limit the implementation details of these shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n. Depending on design requirements, in some embodiments, any of these shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n can be a known shift register or other shift register circuit.

[0061] Figure 5 This is a signal timing diagram illustrating the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 The illustrated embodiments can be applied to (but are not limited to) various applications. Figure 4 Examples of implementations. Figure 4 The touch area 20, target fingerprint areas Z1 to Z4, shift register group SR_2, and shift register group SR_3 shown are extracted from... Figure 5 The right side. Please refer to... Figure 4 and Figure 5 Based on the start pulse signal SP_2 and the clock signal CK, shift register group SR_2 can output scan signals SR2_1, SR2_2, ..., SR2_i to scan group SG_2, where i is any integer according to design requirements. Based on the start pulse signal SP_3 and the clock signal CK, shift register group SR_3 can output scan signals SR3_1, SR2_3, ..., SR3_i to scan group SG_3.

[0062] In some embodiments, the control circuit 121 may obtain information about the touch area 20 (including its location and / or size) from the touch circuit 130. In other embodiments, the control circuit 121 may obtain the information about the touch area 20 from the application processor 110. The control circuit 121 may perform an accelerated scanning operation based on the information about the touch area 20. Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the "accelerated scanning operation" includes the following: the control circuit 121 can skip scanning other scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n that are not coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. The "skipping" operation includes not sending any scan signals to these scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n. For example, based on the information from the touch area 20, the control circuit 121 can apply start pulses to the start pulse signals SP_2 and SP_3 of the target shift register groups SR_2 and SR_3, and not apply start pulses to the start pulse signals SP_1 and SP_4 to SP_n of the other shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n. Figure 5 As shown. That is, a start pulse is provided to trigger the target shift register groups SR_2 and SR_3 corresponding to the target scan groups SG_2 and SG_3, and no start pulse is provided to prevent triggering the shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n corresponding to other scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n that are not coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4.

[0063] exist Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, the control circuit 121 can set the scanning speed of the target scanning period SG20 corresponding to the touch area 20 to a first speed, and the scanning speed of other scanning periods besides the target scanning period SG20 to a second speed (the second speed is higher than the first speed). For example, the control circuit 121 can set the clock signal CK in the target scanning period SG20 to have a first frequency, and set the clock signal CK in other scanning periods besides the target scanning period SG20 to a second frequency (the second frequency is higher than the first frequency).

[0064] In some embodiments, the "accelerated scanning operation" includes: setting the scanning speed of target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3 coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 to a first speed, and setting the scanning speed of other scanning groups SG_1 to SG_n besides the target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3 to a second speed (the second speed is higher than the first speed). The operation of "setting the scanning speed of target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3 coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 to a first speed" includes: setting the clock signal CK to have a first frequency, wherein the first frequency is used for the target shift register groups SR_2 and SR_3 corresponding to the target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3. The operation of "setting the scanning speed of the other scanning groups in these scanning groups SG_1 to SG_n, excluding the target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3, to a second speed" includes: setting the clock signal CK to have a second frequency, wherein the second frequency is used for shift register groups (e.g., SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n) corresponding to the other scanning groups in the scanning groups SG_1 to SG_n, excluding the target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3.

[0065] Table 1: Methods to speed up group scanning

[0066]

[0067] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the "accelerated scan operation" includes operation B as shown in Table 1. In other embodiments, the "accelerated scan operation" may include operation A as shown in Table 1. For example, please refer to... Figure 4 The control circuit 121 can skip scanning other scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n that are not coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. For example, based on information from the touch area 20, the control circuit 121 does not apply pulses to the start pulse signals SP_1 and SP_4 to SP_n of the other shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n, such as... Figure 5As shown. This embodiment differs from... Figure 5 The illustrated embodiment involves scanning the entire target scan groups SG_2 and SG_3 without clock acceleration, specifically the target shift register groups SR_2 and SR_3. For example, control circuitry 121 can... Figure 5 During the target scanning period shown, the clock signal CK is set to have a first frequency in SG20. For example... Figure 5 As shown, during the target scanning period outside of SG20 in target scanning groups SG_2 and SG_3, the clock signal CK is set to have the same first frequency.

[0068] In yet another embodiment, the "accelerated scan operation" may include operation C as shown in Table 1. For example, please refer to... Figure 4 The control circuit 121 can scan other scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n, but accelerates the clock of shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n. For example, based on the information of the touch area 20, the control circuit 121 applies pulses to the start pulse signals SP_1 and SP_4 to SP_n of other shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n, and sets the clock signal CK of the other shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n to have an accelerated frequency (second frequency). The target shift register groups SR_2 and SR_3 scan the entire target scan group SG_2 and SG_3 without accelerating the clock.

[0069] In yet another embodiment, the "accelerated scan operation" may include operation D as shown in Table 1. For example, please refer to... Figure 4 The control circuit 121 can scan other scan groups SG_1 and SG_4 to SG_n, but speeds up the clock of shift register groups SR_1 and SR_4 to SR_n. The control circuit 121 can also scan the clock corresponding to the touch area 20. Figure 5 The scanning speed of SG20 during the target scanning period is set to a first speed, and the scanning speed during scanning periods other than the target scanning period SG20 is set to a second speed (the second speed is greater than the first speed). For example, the control circuit 121 can set the clock signal CK to have a first frequency during the target scanning period SG20, and set the clock signal CK to have a second frequency (where the second frequency is higher than the first frequency) during scanning periods other than the target scanning period SG20.

[0070] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the display panel 150 further includes a multiplexing circuit 122, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 further includes a fingerprint reading circuit 123. In the column direction of the display panel 150, these fingerprint areas of the display panel 150 are coupled to multiple sensing groups, such as... Figure 4 The sensor groups SN_1 and SN_2 are shown. Each of these sensor groups includes one or more sensing lines. Multiplexing circuitry 122 is coupled to these sensor groups in the fingerprint areas of the display panel 150. Fingerprint reading circuitry 123 is coupled to multiplexing circuitry 122. Depending on design requirements, multiplexing circuitry 122 can be disposed on the display panel 150. In other embodiments, multiplexing circuitry 122 can be disposed within fingerprint sensing control circuitry 120.

[0071] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to other embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6 Steps S610 and S620 shown can be referred to Figure 3 The related descriptions of steps S310 and S320 shown are omitted here. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 may include a control circuit for scanning operations and a reading circuit for reading operations. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 In step S630, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 scans the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 to control the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 to perform fingerprint sensing. The reading circuit of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 also performs an "accelerated reading operation" in step S630. The "accelerated reading operation" includes reading sensing signals (fingerprint sensing results) from the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4, and skipping other fingerprint regions on the display panel 150 besides the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4. The "skipped reading" includes not reading any sensing signals from the skipped fingerprint regions. For example, the control circuit 121 can control the multiplexing circuit 122 to turn on multiple signal paths from the target sensing groups SN_1 and SN_2 coupled to the target fingerprint regions Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 to the fingerprint reading circuit 123, and turn off multiple signal paths from other sensing groups in these sensing groups besides the target sensing groups SN_1 and SN_2 to the fingerprint reading circuit 123.

[0072] It is important to note that in different implementation examples, Figure 3 Implementation examples and Figure 6 In this embodiment, only one operation can be executed. That is, only one of the scan or read operations can be accelerated. Alternatively, Figure 3 Implementation examples and Figure 6 The implementation examples can be combined. That is, scanning and reading operations can be accelerated.

[0073] Based on the above, the sensing area of ​​the display panel 150 in this embodiment is divided into multiple fingerprint areas. When an object (e.g., one or more fingers) touches the display panel, the touch circuit 130 can perform touch detection on the display panel to identify the touch area 20. The fingerprint sensing control circuit can determine one (or more) target fingerprint areas (e.g., Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4) from these fingerprint areas of the display panel based on the touch area 20. The touch area can be located in one or more target fingerprint areas. The fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can scan the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4, and read sensing signals from the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 to perform fingerprint sensing. For fingerprint areas other than the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 in these fingerprint areas of the display panel 150, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can skip reading these other fingerprint areas to accelerate the fingerprint reading operation of the sensing area of ​​the display panel 150. By omitting the remaining fingerprint areas (where the finger is not covering the fingerprint), the transmission bandwidth between the application processor 110 and the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can be used efficiently because invalid data transmission is reduced. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the application processor 110 only activates the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 after the touch detection result of the touch circuit 130 matches a predetermined gesture. Therefore, the power consumption of the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can be effectively reduced.

[0074] Figure 7 This is a schematic flowchart of a fingerprint sensing control method according to other embodiments of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 7 In step S710, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can provide a clock signal CK to at least one of the shift register groups SR_1 to SR_n to perform a scanning operation on the fingerprint regions. In step S720, the fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 can scan the touch region 20 with a clock signal CK having a first clock frequency, and scan at least one first non-touch region with a clock signal CK having a second clock frequency higher than the first clock frequency.

[0075] In some embodiments, the touch area 20 is located in at least one target fingerprint area (e.g., the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4) among these fingerprint areas, and the at least one first non-touch area also includes the remaining areas within the at least one target fingerprint area.

[0076] In some embodiments, the at least one first non-touch area scanned with a clock signal CK having a second clock frequency further includes at least one fingerprint area other than the at least one target fingerprint area (e.g., the target fingerprint areas Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4).

[0077] In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensing control method further includes skipping scanning at least one fingerprint region other than the at least one target fingerprint region.

[0078] It is worth noting that in all embodiments herein, the clock signal CK may refer to one or more clock signals, more specifically, may be implemented as the same clock signal with an acceptable frequency adjustment, or may refer to different clock signals arranged with different frequencies.

[0079] Depending on different design requirements, the implementation of the above-mentioned application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120 and / or touch circuit 130 can be hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of the above three.

[0080] In hardware terms, the application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, and / or touch circuit 130 can be implemented as logic circuits on an integrated circuit. The functions of the application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, and / or touch circuit 130 can be implemented as hardware using hardware description languages ​​(such as Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the functions of the application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, and / or touch circuit 130 can be implemented as various logic blocks, modules, and circuits in one or more controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or other processing units.

[0081] In software and / or firmware form, the functions of the application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, and / or touch circuit 130 can be implemented as programming codes. For example, the application processor 110, fingerprint sensing control circuit 120, and / or touch circuit 130 can be implemented using general programming languages ​​(such as C, C++, or assembly language) or other suitable programming languages. The programming codes can be recorded / stored in a recording medium, which may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM), storage devices, and / or random access memory (RAM). A computer, central processing unit (CPU), controller, microcontroller, or microprocessor can read and execute the programming codes from the recording medium to achieve the relevant functions. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory computer-readable medium" can be used, such as a tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc. Furthermore, the program can be provided to the computer (or CPU) via any transmission medium (communication network or radio waves, etc.). The communication network is, for example, the Internet, wired communication, wireless communication, or other communication media.

[0082] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A fingerprint sensing control method for controlling a display panel by fingerprint sensing, characterized in that, The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions, and the fingerprint sensing control method includes: At least one target fingerprint region is determined from the plurality of fingerprint regions based on the touch area; Scanning the at least one target fingerprint region to control the at least one target fingerprint region to perform fingerprint sensing; and Performing an accelerated scanning operation, wherein the plurality of fingerprint regions are coupled to a plurality of scan groups, each of the plurality of scan groups including one or more scan lines, the accelerated scanning operation including: The scanning speed corresponding to at least one target scanning group coupled to the touch area in the at least one target fingerprint region is set as a first speed; and The scanning speed corresponding to one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group among the plurality of scanning groups is set as a second speed, wherein the second speed is higher than the first speed. The one or more scan groups, other than the at least one target scan group, intersect with the non-touch area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

2. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The target scan groups intersect only within the touch area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

3. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The target scan groups intersect over the entire area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

4. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, One or more scan groups other than the at least one target scan group also intersect with one or more fingerprint regions other than the at least one target fingerprint region in the plurality of fingerprint regions.

5. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of scan groups is respectively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of shift register groups. The operation of setting the scanning speed of the at least one target scan group to the first speed includes: The clock signal is set to have a first frequency, the first frequency being used for at least one target shift register group corresponding to the at least one target scan group; and The operation of setting the scanning speed of one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group to the second speed includes: The clock signal is set to have a second frequency, the second frequency being used for the shift register group corresponding to one or more scan groups other than the at least one target scan group among the plurality of scan groups, wherein the second frequency is higher than the first frequency.

6. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The operation of performing the accelerated scanning operation also includes: Skipping scans for at least one scan group not coupled to the at least one target fingerprint region, wherein the skipping operation includes not sending any scan signal to the at least one scan group.

7. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of scan groups is respectively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of shift register groups, and the operation of scanning the at least one target fingerprint region includes: Provide at least one start pulse to trigger at least one target shift register group corresponding to the at least one target scan group, the at least one target scan group being coupled to the at least one target fingerprint region; and The operation of skipping scanning for at least one target scan group not coupled to the at least one target fingerprint region includes: not providing the start pulse so as not to trigger the plurality of shift register groups corresponding to the at least one scan group not coupled to the at least one target fingerprint region.

8. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The operation of determining the at least one target fingerprint region from the plurality of fingerprint regions based on the touch area includes: At least one position of the at least one target fingerprint region is determined based on at least one position of the touch area.

9. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The operation of determining the at least one target fingerprint region from the plurality of fingerprint regions based on the touch area includes: The total number of the at least one target fingerprint region is determined based on at least one area of ​​the touch region.

10. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The display panel includes a fingerprint sensor, which is arranged in one of the following configurations: on-display configuration, under-display configuration, local display configuration, and global display configuration.

11. The fingerprint sensing control method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The fingerprint sensor is an optical fingerprint sensor.

12. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: A fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to be coupled to a display panel to perform fingerprint sensing control on the display panel, wherein the display panel is divided into multiple fingerprint areas and the multiple fingerprint areas are coupled to multiple scanning groups, wherein each of the multiple scanning groups includes one or more scanning lines. The fingerprint sensing control circuit determines at least one target fingerprint area from the multiple fingerprint areas based on a touch area, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit scans the at least one target fingerprint area to control the at least one target fingerprint area to perform fingerprint sensing. The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to set a scanning speed corresponding to at least one target scanning group coupled to the touch area in the at least one target fingerprint area as a first speed, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to set a scanning speed corresponding to one or more scanning groups other than the at least one target scanning group as a second speed higher than the first speed. The one or more scan groups, other than the at least one target scan group, intersect with the non-touch area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The target scan groups intersect only within the touch area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The target scan groups intersect over the entire area of ​​the at least one target fingerprint region.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, One or more scan groups other than the at least one target scan group also intersect with one or more fingerprint regions other than the at least one target fingerprint region in the plurality of fingerprint regions.

16. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The display panel includes: Multiple shift register groups, wherein each of the multiple shift register groups is respectively coupled to a corresponding one of the multiple scan groups. The fingerprint sensing control circuit provides at least one start pulse to at least one target shift register group among the plurality of shift register groups that corresponds to the at least one target scan group.

17. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The plurality of fingerprint regions are also coupled to a plurality of sensing groups, each of the plurality of sensing groups including one or more sensing lines, and the fingerprint sensing control circuit includes: The fingerprint reading circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel via a multiplexer circuit, wherein... The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to control the multiplexing circuit to select one or more signal paths from at least one target sensing group coupled to the at least one target fingerprint region to the fingerprint reading circuit.

18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to determine at least one position of the at least one target fingerprint region based on at least one position of the touch area.

19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to determine the total number of the at least one target fingerprint region based on at least one area of ​​the touch region.

20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, Also includes: A touch circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel and configured to perform touch detection on the display panel to obtain the touch area.

21. A fingerprint scanning control method for controlling a display panel via fingerprint scanning, characterized in that, The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions, and the fingerprint scanning control method includes: A clock is provided to at least one shift register to perform a scanning operation on the plurality of fingerprint regions; The touch area is scanned using the clock having a first clock frequency; and At least one non-touch region is scanned using a clock with a second clock frequency higher than the first clock frequency, or the at least one non-touch region is skipped during scanning. The touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint area among the plurality of fingerprint areas, and the at least one non-touch area includes areas within the at least one target fingerprint area other than the touch area.

22. An electronic device capable of fingerprint scanning control of a display panel, characterized in that, The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions, and the electronic device includes: The fingerprint sensing control circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel to: A clock is provided to at least one shift register to perform a scanning operation on the plurality of fingerprint regions; The touch area is scanned using the clock having a first frequency; and At least one non-touch region is scanned using the clock having a second frequency higher than the first frequency, or the at least one non-touch region is skipped during scanning. The touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint area among the plurality of fingerprint areas, and the at least one non-touch area includes areas within the at least one target fingerprint area other than the touch area.

23. The electronic device as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that, The at least one non-touch area also includes at least one fingerprint area other than the at least one target fingerprint area.

24. An electronic device capable of fingerprint sensing control of a display panel, characterized in that, The display panel includes a sensing area divided into multiple fingerprint regions, and the electronic device includes: A control circuit, configured to be coupled to the display panel, provides at least one frequency signal to the display panel, wherein the at least one frequency signal is set to a first frequency when the control circuit controls the display panel to scan a touch area, and is set to a second frequency higher than the first frequency when the control circuit controls the display panel to scan a non-touch area, wherein the touch area is located in at least one target fingerprint area among a plurality of fingerprint areas, and the non-touch area includes areas other than the touch area within the at least one target fingerprint area; and A fingerprint reading circuit is configured to be coupled to the display panel to read at least one sensing signal corresponding to the at least one target fingerprint area.

25. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that, The at least one frequency signal having the first frequency is provided during a first time period, and the at least one frequency signal having the second frequency is provided during a second time period.

26. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that, The at least one frequency signal includes a first frequency signal and a second frequency signal, wherein the first frequency signal has the first frequency and the second frequency signal has the second frequency.

27. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that, The at least one frequency signal is coupled to at least one shift register on the display panel to perform a scanning operation on the plurality of fingerprint areas.

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