Sensor system and its control method

Abstract

In dual-screen models, finger touch input will be given priority over palm touch input. [Solution] The sensor system according to the present invention comprises a first integrated circuit connected to and positioned on a first panel surface, which performs a touch input detection operation on the first panel surface, and a second integrated circuit connected to a second group of sensor electrodes positioned on a second panel surface, which performs a touch input detection operation on the second panel surface. The first integrated circuit acquires the size of a first touch area corresponding to the touch input detected on the first panel surface, and the second integrated circuit acquires the size of a second touch area corresponding to the touch input detected on the second panel surface. Based on the acquired sizes of the first and second touch areas, the sensor system restricts the touch input detection operation by either the first or second integrated circuit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor system, and more particularly to a sensor system for a dual-screen model. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the development of electronic devices with two screens has progressed. Hereafter, this type of electronic device will be referred to as a "dual-screen model." Along with the development of dual-screen models, the development of technologies that enable stylus input (hereinafter referred to as "pen input") and finger input (hereinafter referred to as "touch input") on each of the two screens is also progressing.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of such technology. As shown in Patent Document 1, the dual-screen model is provided with a sensor system that includes an integrated circuit and sensor electrode group for the first screen, an integrated circuit and sensor electrode group for the second screen, and a host processor connected to each integrated circuit, and this sensor system enables pen input and touch input. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-133487 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Incidentally, some styluses are configured to receive uplink signals emitted from the screen and operate in accordance with the received uplink signals. To make this type of stylus usable in a dual-screen model, it is necessary to prevent interference between the uplink signals emitted from each of the two screens.

[0006] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a sensor system that can prevent interference of uplink signals transmitted from each of two screens provided in a dual screen model.

[0007] Also, when using pen input in a dual screen model, it is preferable that it can be continuously used even when the pen tip moves to the other screen after starting to use the stylus on one screen.

[0008] Therefore, another objective of the present invention is to provide a sensor system that enables continuous use of the stylus between two screens constituting a dual screen model.

[0009] Also, when using touch input in a dual screen model, if the user touches both of the two screens simultaneously, there is a possibility that a finger touch detection signal transmitted by one integrated circuit may be received by the other integrated circuit. Since such reception causes malfunction of the integrated circuit and the host processor, it is necessary to avoid it.

[0010] Therefore, yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a sensor system that can prevent a finger touch detection signal transmitted by one integrated circuit from being received by the other integrated circuit.

[0011] Also, conventionally, since two integrated circuits in a dual screen model operated without synchronizing with each other, the host processor might incorrectly process the order of position data supplied from each integrated circuit, which could affect the drawing result.

[0012] Therefore, yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a sensor system that can correctly process the order of position data supplied from each integrated circuit by the host processor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0013] A sensor system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a first group of sensor electrodes and a first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes, and a second group of sensor electrodes and a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes, wherein the first and second integrated circuits are controlled such that a first uplink signal transmitted by the first integrated circuit via the first group of sensor electrodes and a second uplink signal transmitted by the second integrated circuit via the second group of sensor electrodes are not transmitted at the same time.

[0014] A sensor system according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a first group of sensor electrodes and a first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes, and a second group of sensor electrodes and a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes, wherein the first integrated circuit shares pairing information with the second integrated circuit when paired with a stylus.

[0015] A third aspect of the present invention is a sensor system comprising a first group of sensor electrodes and a first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes, and a second group of sensor electrodes and a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes, wherein when one of the first and second integrated circuits is performing a touch input detection operation, the other of the first and second integrated circuits is restricted from performing a touch input detection operation.

[0016] A sensor system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a first group of sensor electrodes and a second group of sensor electrodes, a first integrated circuit that performs a touch input detection operation by supplying a first finger touch detection signal to the first group of sensor electrodes, and a second integrated circuit that performs a touch input detection operation by supplying a second finger touch detection signal to the second group of sensor electrodes, wherein the first and second finger touch detection signals are pulse signals configured such that the temporal positions of the edges of the pulse sections are different from each other.

[0017] A sensor system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a first group of sensor electrodes and a first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes, and a second group of sensor electrodes and a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes, wherein the first and second integrated circuits perform touch input detection operations in synchronous manner with respect to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to a first aspect of the present invention, since the first and second uplink signals are not transmitted at the same time, it becomes possible to prevent interference between the uplink signals transmitted from each of the two screens provided in the dual-screen model.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present invention, since pairing information is shared between the first and second integrated circuits, continuous stylus use between the two screens constituting the dual-screen model becomes possible.

[0020] According to a third aspect of the present invention, while one integrated circuit is performing a touch input detection operation, the touch input detection operation of the other integrated circuit is restricted, thereby preventing the finger touch detection signal sent by one integrated circuit from being received by the other integrated circuit.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since the temporal positions of the pulse interval edges of the first finger touch detection signal and the second finger touch detection signal are different from each other, it is possible to prevent the finger touch detection signal transmitted by one integrated circuit from being received by the other integrated circuit.

[0022] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, since the first and second integrated circuits perform touch input detection operations in a synchronized manner, the host processor can correctly process the order of position data supplied from each integrated circuit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0023] [Figure 1]This figure shows the external appearance of the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of the sensor system 3 provided in the electronic device 1. [Figure 3] This is a timing diagram showing an overview of the operation of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the principle of touch detection operation (TD). [Figure 5] Figures (a) and (b) show specific waveform examples of signals s1 to sK that constitute the finger touch detection signal FDS, respectively. [Figure 6] This is a timing diagram of the signals transmitted and received by the first integrated circuit 13, the second integrated circuit 23, and the stylus P, respectively. [Figure 7] This figure shows a state in which the user has their hand H on the second panel surface 21 and is sliding their finger F on the first panel surface 11. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the limitations of touch detection operation (TD). [Figure 9] Figures (a) and (b) show the waveforms of the finger touch detection signal FDS according to the second embodiment of the present invention, respectively. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 shows the external appearance of an electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure also shows the stylus P and finger F that are to be detected by the electronic device 1. Figure 2 shows the configuration of a sensor system 3 provided inside the electronic device 1 for detecting the stylus P and finger F.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 1 is configured to have a first housing 10 and a second housing 20 connected by a connecting part 2. The connecting part 2 includes a hinge and a flexible substrate, and the first housing 10 is configured to be rotatable 360° around the connecting part 2, as shown by the dashed arrow A in the figure. The flexible substrate is configured to deform at an angle corresponding to the relative positions of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, and wiring for connecting the wiring inside the first housing 10 and the wiring inside the second housing 20 is arranged inside it.

[0027] The first housing 10 is provided with a first panel surface 11, and the second housing 20 is provided with a second panel surface 21. The surfaces of the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 are flat, and the user can slide the tip of the stylus P and their finger F on the surfaces of the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21. Furthermore, the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 are positioned on the surfaces of each housing so that they face the same direction when the first housing 10 is set at a 180° position. In addition, both the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 are rectangular, and when the first housing 10 is set at a 180° position, their respective long sides are positioned perpendicular to the alignment direction of the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21.

[0028] Here, the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 may or may not serve as display surfaces for the display. Specific methods for combining the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 with the display surfaces for the display include an in-cell method in which a portion of the electrodes for driving pixels in the display (for example, the common electrodes of a liquid crystal display) are also used as part of a group of sensor electrodes described later (for example, a plurality of sensor electrodes 12x or a plurality of sensor electrodes 22x described later), an on-cell method in which a group of sensor electrodes described later is provided within the display, but the sensor electrodes are provided separately from the electrodes for driving pixels in the display, and an out-cell method in which a group of sensor electrodes described later is placed on the display panel. When both the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 are used as display surfaces for the display, the electronic device 1 becomes the dual-screen model described above.

[0029] Referring to Figure 2, the sensor system 3 comprises a first group of sensor electrodes 12x, 12y, a first integrated circuit 13, first lead wires 14x, 14y, a second group of sensor electrodes 22x, 22y, a second integrated circuit 23, a second lead wire 24x, 24y, and a host processor 30. Of these, the first group of sensor electrodes 12x, 12y, the first integrated circuit 13, and the first lead wires 14x, 14y are arranged inside the first housing 10, while the second group of sensor electrodes 22x, 22y, the second integrated circuit 23, the second lead wires 24x, 24y, and the host processor 30 are arranged inside the second housing 20. Note that the arrangement of the host processor 30 inside the second housing 20 is merely an example; it may also be arranged inside the first housing 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 are interconnected by wiring 31. Furthermore, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 are connected to the host processor 30 by wirings 32 and 33, respectively. Parts of these wirings 31 and 32 extend into the flexible substrate described above. Note that although wirings 31-33 are depicted as single lines in Figure 2, in reality, each is a collection of multiple wirings.

[0031] The first sensor electrode groups 12x and 12y are arranged inside the first panel surface 11, as shown in Figure 1. Similarly, the second sensor electrode groups 22x and 22y are arranged inside the second panel surface 21. The first sensor electrode groups 12x and 12y each consist of a plurality of sensor electrodes 12x that extend along the long side direction of the first panel surface 11 and are arranged at equal intervals along the short side direction of the first panel surface 11, and a plurality of sensor electrodes 12y that extend along the short side direction of the first panel surface 11 and are arranged at equal intervals along the long side direction of the first panel surface 11. Furthermore, the second sensor electrode groups 22x and 22y each consist of a plurality of sensor electrodes 22x that extend along the long side direction of the second panel surface 21 and are arranged at equal intervals along the short side direction of the second panel surface 21, and a plurality of sensor electrodes 22y that extend along the short side direction of the second panel surface 21 and are arranged at equal intervals along the long side direction of the second panel surface 21.

[0032] The first integrated circuit 13 is connected to each sensor electrode 12x by a first lead wire 14x provided for each sensor electrode 12x, and is also connected to each sensor electrode 12y by a first lead wire 14y provided for each sensor electrode 12y. Similarly, the second integrated circuit 23 is connected to each sensor electrode 22x by a second lead wire 24x provided for each sensor electrode 22x, and is also connected to each sensor electrode 22y by a second lead wire 24y provided for each sensor electrode 22y.

[0033] The first integrated circuit 13 has the function of detecting a stylus P and a finger F present on the first panel surface 11, deriving the position of the detected stylus P or finger F within the first panel surface 11 and supplying position data indicating the derived position to the host processor 30, and the function of transmitting and receiving signals bidirectionally with the stylus P via the first sensor electrode groups 12x and 12y. Similarly, the second integrated circuit 23 has the function of detecting a stylus P and a finger F present on the second panel surface 21, deriving the position of the detected stylus P or finger F within the second panel surface 11 and supplying position data indicating the derived position to the host processor 30, and the function of transmitting and receiving signals bidirectionally with the stylus P via the second sensor electrode groups 22x and 22y. The first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 are configured to execute these functions in a synchronized state with each other by control of the host processor 30 or by communicating with each other via the wiring 31.

[0034] In the following explanation, the signal transmitted by the first integrated circuit 13 to the stylus P is referred to as the first uplink signal US1, and the signal transmitted by the second integrated circuit 23 to the stylus P is referred to as the second uplink signal US2. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2, they may be collectively referred to as the uplink signal US. Furthermore, the signal transmitted by the stylus P is referred to as the downlink signal DS.

[0035] Region US1a shown in Figure 1 is the reachable range of the first uplink signal US1. Region US2a shown in Figure 1 is the reachable range of the second uplink signal US2. As is clear from Figure 1, depending on the angle between the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, regions US1a and US2a will overlap. A stylus P located within this overlapping region can receive both the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2. Therefore, the electronic device 1 needs to prevent interference between the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2.

[0036] Returning to Figure 2, the host processor 30 is the central processing unit of the electronic device 1, which executes the operating system and various applications of the electronic device 1 by reading and executing programs stored in memory (not shown). The host processor 30 also plays a role in receiving pen input from a stylus P or touch input from a finger F via the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, and supplying it to the operating system or applications. Applications that operate in response to pen input or touch input include, for example, drawing applications. In this type of application, stroke data is generated and drawing is performed based on the pen input or touch input.

[0037] Figure 3 is a timing diagram illustrating the general operation of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23. As shown in the figure, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 are configured to alternately and repeatedly perform a pen detection operation PD for detecting a stylus P and a touch detection operation TD for detecting a finger F at the same timing.

[0038] The following describes the outlines of the pen detection operation PD and the touch detection operation TD. While the first integrated circuit 13 is used as an example, the same applies to the second integrated circuit 23.

[0039] First, the pen detection operation PD will be explained. As shown in Figure 3, the section in which the pen detection operation PD is performed consists of a transmission / reception section P1 for the uplink signal US and a transmission / reception section P2 for the downlink signal DS. Of these, the transmission / reception section P2 for the downlink signal DS is divided into multiple time slots TS1 to TSn, and multiple styluses P are configured to transmit the downlink signal DS by time division multiplexing. Although not shown in the figures, in addition to time division multiplexing, or instead of time division multiplexing, other multiplexing methods such as frequency division multiplexing or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing may be used. In the following, the explanation will continue using the cases in which time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing are used as examples.

[0040] The first integrated circuit 13 is configured to periodically transmit a first uplink signal US1, which includes pairing information that identifies the local pen ID, time slot, and frequency to be assigned to a newly detected stylus P, using the transmit / receive section P1 of the uplink signal US. If a stylus P that receives this first uplink signal US1 has not yet been paired with any integrated circuit, it transmits a downlink signal DS, which includes the pen ID stored in its memory, using the time slot and frequency indicated by the first uplink signal US1, and also stores the pairing information contained in the first uplink signal US1 in its memory.

[0041] Here, each time slot within the transmit / receive section P2 is assigned a number in advance, and the first integrated circuit 13 is configured to identify the time slot by identifying this number. The stylus P is configured to determine the temporal position of each time slot based on the reception timing of the first uplink signal US1, and then transmit the downlink signal DS in the time slot assigned by the pairing information. Figure 3 illustrates an example where time slots TS2, TS4, and TSn are assigned by the pairing information.

[0042] Upon receiving the downlink signal DS, the first integrated circuit 13 stores the received pen ID in its memory, associating it with the pairing information described above. This completes the pairing between the first integrated circuit 13 and the stylus P. Subsequently, the first integrated circuit 13 instructs the paired stylus P to transmit data by sending a first uplink signal US1, which includes the local pen ID and commands, as needed.

[0043] The stylus P is configured to transmit a position signal, which is a burst signal, and a data signal, which is obtained by modulating a predetermined carrier signal with data indicated by the first uplink signal US1, as the downlink signal DS. The first integrated circuit 13 derives the position of the stylus P based on the received intensity of the position signal at each sensor electrode 12x, 12y, and acquires the data transmitted by the stylus P by receiving and demodulating the data signal. It then outputs the position data indicating the derived position and the data acquired from the stylus P to the host processor 30.

[0044] Next, we will explain the touch detection operation TD. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the touch detection operation TD. For simplicity, only four sensor electrodes 12x are shown in the figure, but in reality, more sensor electrodes 12x are arranged. The following explanation will proceed assuming that the number of sensor electrodes 12x is K.

[0045] When performing a touch detection operation TD, the first integrated circuit 13 supplies a finger touch detection signal FDS to each sensor electrode 12x. As shown in Figure 4, the finger touch detection signal FDS consists of K signals s1~s, each consisting of K pulses represented by "1" or "-1". K It is composed of signals s1~s K Each nth pulse (n=1 to K) is part of pulse group p n It constitutes one pulse group p n Each pulse constituting the signal is input in parallel to each sensor electrode 12x.

[0046] The following explanation assumes that the number of sensor electrodes 12x is 4 (i.e., K=4), but the same applies to cases where the number of sensor electrodes 12x is 3 or less or 5 or more. When the number of sensor electrodes 12x is 4, the signals s1~s KThey are each composed of pulses represented by four "1"s or "-1"s. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the signal s1 is composed of "1,1,1,1", the signal s2 is composed of "1,1,-1,-1", the signal s3 is composed of "1,-1,-1,1", and the signal s4 is composed of "1 -1,1,-1", respectively.

[0047] The first integrated circuit 13 is configured to include a shift register 13a and a correlator 13b. The shift register 13a is a storage unit in the FIFO format and is configured to be able to store the same number of data (i.e., K pieces) as the number of sensor electrodes 12x. When new data is stored in the shift register 13a, the data stored K times ago is erased. The first integrated circuit 13 repeats, for each sensor electrode 12y, the operation of selecting one sensor electrode 12y and sequentially inputting the pulse groups p1 to p4 to each sensor electrode 12x. As a result, four levels L1 to L4 corresponding to the pulse groups p1 to p4 will sequentially appear on the selected sensor electrode 12y. The first integrated circuit 13 sequentially acquires the levels L1 to L4 that appear on the sensor electrode 12y in this way and stores them in the shift register 13a each time.

[0048] Regarding the specific content of the levels L1 to L4, the case where the sensor electrode 12y1 shown in FIG. 4 is selected will be taken as an example for detailed explanation. In the following explanation, the capacitances formed between the sensor electrode 12y1 and each of the four sensor electrodes 12x1 to 12x4 are each C 11 ~C 41 respectively.

[0049] First, the level L1 stored in the shift register 13a corresponding to the pulse group p1 is the inner product of the capacitance vector (C 11 , C 21 , C 31 , C 41 ) and the vector (1,1,1,1) representing the pulse group p1. This inner product, as also shown in FIG. 4, is C 11 + C 21 + C 31 + C 41It is calculated as follows. Similarly, the level L2 stored in the shift register 13a corresponding to the pulse group p2 is the capacitance vector (C 11 ,C 21 ,C 31 ,C 41 ) and the inner product of the vector (1,1,-1,-1) representing the pulse group p1 is C 11 +C 21 -C 31 -C 41 The level L3, which is calculated and stored in the shift register 13a corresponding to the pulse group p3, is the capacitance vector (C 11 ,C 21 ,C 31 ,C 41 ) and the inner product of the vector (1,-1,-1,1) representing the pulse group p3 is C 11 -C 21 -C 31 +C 41 The level L4, which is calculated and stored in the shift register 13a corresponding to the pulse group p4, is the capacitance vector (C 11 ,C 21 ,C 31 ,C 41 ) and the inner product of the vector (1,-1,1,-1) representing pulse group p4 is C 11 -C 21 +C 31 -C 41 This is how it is calculated.

[0050] The first integrated circuit 13 uses a correlator 13b to sequentially calculate correlation values ​​T1 to T4 for each of the four pulse groups p1 to p4 with levels L1 to L4 stored in the shift register 13a. The specific details of the correlation values ​​T1 to T4 thus calculated are shown in Figure 4, and are 4C each. 11 ,4C 21 ,4C 31 ,4C 41This means that the correlation values ​​T1 to T4 reflect the change in capacitance formed at the intersection of the sensor electrodes 12x1 to 12x4 and the sensor electrode 12y1, respectively. Therefore, the first integrated circuit 13 can detect the position of finger F by referring to the correlation values ​​T1 to T4 calculated for each sensor electrode 12y. Specifically, it is possible to determine the region within the first panel surface 11 where the change in capacitance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and detect, for example, its center position as the position of finger F. The first integrated circuit 13 is configured to output position data indicating the position thus detected to the host processor 30.

[0051] Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show the signals s1 to s that constitute the finger touch detection signal FDS, respectively. K This figure shows a specific example of the waveform. The signal s1~s in the first example shown in Figure 5(a) K This consists of signals where a relatively high voltage represents "1" and a relatively low voltage represents "-1". On the other hand, the signals s1~s in the second example shown in Figure 5(b) K This is the signal s1~s according to the first example. K It is composed of signals obtained by Manchester coding. Specifically, the signal represents a single value, consisting of a first part that represents "1" or "-1" based on high or low voltage, and a second part that has an intermediate voltage. In the following, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the section in which the value "1" or "-1" is reflected in the voltage may be referred to as a single pulse section PS.

[0052] Next, the configuration of the sensor system 3, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 8.

[0053] Figure 6 is a timing diagram of the signals transmitted and received by the first integrated circuit 13, the second integrated circuit 23, and the stylus P. The figure shows the state in which the first integrated circuit 13 and the stylus P are paired.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, the sensor system 3 according to this embodiment controls the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 so that the first uplink signal US1 transmitted by the first integrated circuit 13 via the first sensor electrode groups 12x, 12y and the second uplink signal US2 transmitted by the second integrated circuit 23 via the second sensor electrode groups 22x, 22y are not transmitted at the same time. Specifically, the host processor 30 may control the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 so that the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 are not transmitted at the same time, or the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 may communicate with each other to control the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 so that the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 are not transmitted at the same time.

[0055] As a result of this processing, in the example in Figure 6, the first uplink signal US1 is transmitted within a period of time T1 from the beginning of the section in which the pen detection operation PD is performed, while the second uplink signal US2 is transmitted after a time period T2 (>T1) longer than time period T1 has elapsed from the beginning of the pen detection operation PD. In this way, the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 are not transmitted at the same time, making it possible to prevent interference between the uplink signals US transmitted from the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21, respectively.

[0056] Furthermore, the first integrated circuit 13 controls the paired stylus P so that it does not perform receiving operations (indicated as "R" in Figure 6) except during the period when it is transmitting the first uplink signal US1. Specifically, the first integrated circuit 13 notifies the stylus P of the time interval INT of the transmission interval of the uplink signal US shown in the figure during pairing, and after the stylus P receives the uplink signal US, it operates to stop receiving operations for the notified time interval INT. In this way, it is possible to prevent the stylus P, which is paired with the first integrated circuit 13, from receiving the uplink signal US transmitted by the second integrated circuit 23.

[0057] The same applies to the second integrated circuit 23, but it is preferable that the second integrated circuit 23 further notifies the stylus P of the illustrated time length T3 (the time length from the end of transmission of the second uplink signal US2 to the start of the touch detection operation TD) and time length T4 (the time length of the section in which the touch detection operation TD is performed) during pairing. This makes it possible for the stylus P to determine the temporal position of each time slot for transmitting the downlink signal DS, excluding the section in which the touch detection operation TD is performed, based on the reception timing of the second uplink signal US2.

[0058] Furthermore, when one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 is paired with the stylus P, the pairing information related to the pairing is shared with the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23. This sharing may be performed by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 transmitting the pairing information to the host processor 30, and the host processor 30 transmitting this pairing information to the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, or by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 directly transmitting the pairing information to the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23. In this way, there is no need to perform pairing again when the stylus P moves between the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21, so that the stylus P can be used continuously between the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21.

[0059] Furthermore, the sensor system 3 according to this embodiment is configured to restrict the touch detection operation TD performed by the other integrated circuit 13 when one of the first integrated circuit 13 or the second integrated circuit 23 is performing a touch detection operation TD. This point will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 7.

[0060] Figure 7 shows a state in which a user places their hand H on the second panel surface 21 and slides their finger F across the first panel surface 11. When a user performs this action, electrostatic coupling occurs not only between the sensor electrodes 12x, 12y and the hand H in region A1 (the contact area of ​​the finger F) within the first panel surface 11, but also between the sensor electrodes 22x, 22y and the hand H in region A2 (the contact area of ​​the palm) within the second panel surface 21. As a result, the finger touch detection signal FDS sent by the second integrated circuit 23 is received by the first integrated circuit 13 via the illustrated path B. Such reception can cause malfunctions in the first integrated circuit 13 and the host processor 30, and therefore must be avoided.

[0061] Therefore, the sensor system 3 according to this embodiment is configured to restrict the touch detection operation TD performed by the other integrated circuit 13 when one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 is performing a touch detection operation TD. This restriction may be implemented by the host processor 30 restricting the touch detection operation TD performed by the other integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 when the coordinates of a finger F are supplied from one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, or by the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 notifying the other of the finger F that it is detecting. In this way, it is possible to prevent the finger touch detection signal FDS sent by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 from being received by the other integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23.

[0062] Furthermore, it is preferable that the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 or the host processor 30 detect the area of ​​the region where touch is detected (regions A1 and A2 shown in Figure 7), and select an integrated circuit to be restricted from the touch detection operation TD based on the detected area. Generally, the area detected by fingertip contact is smaller than the area detected by palm contact, so by selecting the integrated circuit in this way, it becomes possible to prioritize touch input by finger F.

[0063] Furthermore, specific limitations on the touch detection operation TD can be achieved, in one example, by completely stopping the touch detection operation TD performed by the selected integrated circuit. In another example, if the selected integrated circuit is the second integrated circuit 23, the touch detection operation TD can be achieved by controlling the second integrated circuit 23 to perform the touch detection operation TD without using some of the sensor electrodes 22x (sensor electrodes 22x in region C shown in Figure 7) that are close to the first sensor electrode group 12x, 12y.

[0064] Figure 8 shows yet another example of the limitation of the touch detection operation TD. In this example, when the first integrated circuit 13 is performing the touch detection operation TD, the second integrated circuit 23 does not perform the touch detection operation TD, and when the second integrated circuit 23 is performing the touch detection operation TD, the first integrated circuit 13 does not perform the touch detection operation TD. To achieve this operation, it is preferable that one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 notifies the other of the start and end timings of the touch detection operation TD, either directly or via the host processor 30.

[0065] As described above, with the sensor system 3 according to this embodiment, the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 are not transmitted at the same time, making it possible to prevent interference between the uplink signals US transmitted from the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21, respectively.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the sensor system 3 of this embodiment, since pairing information is shared between the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, continuous use of the stylus P between the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 becomes possible.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the sensor system 3 of this embodiment, while one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 is performing a touch detection operation TD, the touch detection operation TD by the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 is restricted. This prevents the finger touch detection signal FDS being received by the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23.

[0068] Furthermore, according to the sensor system 3 of this embodiment, since the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 perform the touch detection operation TD in a synchronized state with each other, the host processor 30 can correctly process the order of the finger position data F supplied from the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, respectively.

[0069] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it addresses the problem described with reference to Figure 7, but is otherwise similar to the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0070] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) show the waveforms of the finger touch detection signal FDS according to this embodiment, respectively. Figure 9(a) shows the case where the finger touch detection signal FDS is constructed using the signal waveform shown in Figure 5(a), and Figure 9(b) shows the case where the finger touch detection signal FDS is constructed using the signal waveform shown in Figure 5(b).

[0071] The first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 are configured to receive the finger touch detection signal FDS by detecting a change in the signal at the edge (start time) of each pulse interval PS. In this embodiment, the first finger touch detection signal FDS supplied by the first integrated circuit 13 to each sensor electrode 12x (hereinafter referred to as the first finger touch detection signal FDS) and the second finger touch detection signal FDS supplied by the second integrated circuit 23 to each sensor electrode 22x (hereinafter referred to as the second finger touch detection signal FDS) are configured such that the temporal positions of the edges of the pulse interval PS are different for the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS, respectively.

[0072] In a typical example, the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS can be composed of pulse signals with different phases. For example, as shown in Figures 9(a) and 9(b), the first and second finger touch detection signals FDS can be composed of pulse signals with phase differences of half the time PS / 2 of the aforementioned pulse interval PS. By doing so, the temporal positions of the edges of the pulse interval PS (timing indicated by black triangles in Figures 9(a) and 9(b)) can be made to differ between the first and second finger touch detection signals FDS.

[0073] In this way, by configuring the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS such that the temporal positions of the edges of the pulse section PS are different for each other, when one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 performs a signal change detection operation, the signal corresponding to the other will always remain unchanged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the finger touch detection signal FDS being sent by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 from being received by the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23.

[0074] Alternatively, instead of differentiating the phases of the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS, their frequencies (i.e., the duration of the pulse interval PS) may be made different from each other. Even in this way, although not perfectly, it is possible to substantially (i.e., for most timings) make the temporal positions of the edges of the pulse interval PS different for the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS.

[0075] Furthermore, the first finger touch detection signal FDS and the second finger touch detection signal FDS may be configured such that their rising and falling time lengths are different from each other. Additionally, a bandpass filter that allows only signals of a specific frequency to pass through may be used to configure the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 to receive only finger touch detection signals FDS of a specific frequency. In this way, it is possible to prevent the finger touch detection signal FDS transmitted by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 from being received by the other.

[0076] Also, the signals s1~s mentioned above K If it is acceptable for the bit length to be longer, the signals s1~s transmitted by the first integrated circuit 13 K The second integrated circuit 23 transmits signals s1~s K All of these may be composed of mutually orthogonal code sequences. In this way, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 can distinguish and receive each signal by calculating the correlation with the orthogonal code sequences they have stored in advance. Thus, as described above, it becomes possible to prevent the finger touch detection signal FDS transmitted by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 from being received by the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23.

[0077] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its essence.

[0078] For example, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 may each transmit the same uplink signal US at the same time. In other words, the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 may be operated as a single unit. By doing so, it is possible to prevent interference between the uplink signals US transmitted from the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21. In this case as well, with respect to the touch detection operation TD, it is preferable to ensure that the finger touch detection signal FDS transmitted by one of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 is not received by the other of the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23, as described above.

[0079] Furthermore, when both the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 are configured with the in-cell type touch display described above, and when the first integrated circuit 13 and the second integrated circuit 23 transmit the same uplink signal US at the same timing as described above, it is preferable to synchronize the vertical synchronization signal VSync, which indicates the screen refresh timing. That is, in an in-cell type touch display, the sensor system 3 can perform the pen detection operation PD and the touch detection operation TD only during blank periods when no pixel driving operations are performed. Therefore, in order to transmit the uplink signal US from both the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 at the same timing, the temporal positions of the blank periods must coincide between the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21. By synchronizing the vertical synchronization signal VSync as described above, it becomes possible to coincide the temporal positions of the blank periods.

[0080] Alternatively, the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 may be composed of signals modulated using mutually orthogonal code sequences. In this way, the stylus P can distinguish and receive the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 by calculating the correlation with the orthogonal code sequences stored in advance, and thus, as described above, interference between the uplink signals US transmitted from the first panel surface 11 and the second panel surface 21 can be prevented. In this case, if both the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 are received by the stylus P, it is preferable to select one of them and perform pairing with the integrated circuit corresponding to the selected one. For example, one of the first uplink signal US1 and the second uplink signal US2 can be selected based on the strength of the received signal. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1 Electronic equipment 2 Connecting part 3 Sensor System 10. First cabinet 11. First panel surface 12x, 12y First sensor electrode group 13. The first integrated circuit 13a Shift register 13b Correlator 14x, 14y First Outlet Wiring 20 Second cabinet 21 Second panel surface 22x, 22y Second sensor electrode group 23 Second Integrated Circuit 24x, 24y Second Outlet Wiring 30 host processors 31-33 Wiring A1 Contact area of ​​finger F A2 The contact area of ​​the palm DS Downlink Signal F finger FDS (Finger Touch Detection) signal H hand INT Uplink signal US transmission interval length P Stylus P1 Uplink signal US transmission and reception section P2 Downlink signal DS transmission and reception section p1~p4 pulse group PD pen detection operation PS pulse interval s1~s K signal T1 Duration of transmission period of the first uplink signal US1 T1-T4 correlation values T2: Time duration from the start of the pen detection operation PD until the transmission of the second uplink signal US2 begins. T3: Time duration from the end of transmission of the second uplink signal US2 until the start of the touch detection operation TD. T4 Time length of the interval in which touch detection operation TD is performed TD Touch Detection Operation TS1~TSn Time Slots US Uplink Signal US1 First uplink signal US1a Reachable range of the first uplink signal US1 US2 Second Uplink Signal US2a Second uplink signal US2 reachable range

Claims

1. It is a sensor system, The first panel surface and A first group of sensor electrodes arranged on the first panel surface, A first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes and performing a touch input detection operation on the first panel surface, The second panel surface, The second group of sensor electrodes arranged on the second panel surface, The system comprises a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes, which performs a touch input detection operation on the second panel surface, The first integrated circuit obtains the size of the first touch area corresponding to the touch input detected on the first panel surface. The second integrated circuit obtains the size of the second touch area corresponding to the touch input detected on the second panel surface. Based on the acquired sizes of the first and second touch regions, the touch input detection operation by either the first integrated circuit or the second integrated circuit is restricted. Sensor system.

2. The first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit restrict the detection operation of touch input by the integrated circuit corresponding to the larger of the first touch area and the second touch area. The sensor system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned limitation is either stopping the touch input detection operation or stopping the touch input detection operation in a portion of the corresponding panel surface. The sensor system according to claim 1.

4. The system further comprises a control unit for controlling the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit, The control unit performs a process to restrict the touch input detection operation by at least one of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit based on the size of the first touch area and the second touch area. The sensor system according to claim 1.

5. Based on the sizes of the first touch area and the second touch area, one of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit performs a process to restrict the touch input detection operation by the other of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit. The sensor system according to claim 1.

6. The first panel surface and A first group of sensor electrodes arranged on the first panel surface, A first integrated circuit connected to the first group of sensor electrodes and performing a touch input detection operation on the first panel surface, The second panel surface, The second group of sensor electrodes arranged on the second panel surface, A control method for a sensor system comprising: a second integrated circuit connected to the second group of sensor electrodes and performing a touch input detection operation on the second panel surface, The first integrated circuit obtains the size of a first touch area corresponding to a touch input detected on the first panel surface, The steps include obtaining the size of a second touch area corresponding to a touch input detected on the second panel surface using the second integrated circuit, A step of limiting the touch input detection operation by at least one of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit based on the size of the acquired first touch area and the second touch area, A control method including

7. The restricting step involves restricting the touch input detection operation by the integrated circuit corresponding to the larger of the first touch area and the second touch area, among the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit. The control method according to claim 6.

8. The aforementioned limitation is either stopping the touch input detection operation or stopping the touch input detection operation in a portion of the corresponding panel surface. The control method according to claim 6.

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