Touch detection circuit, electronic device and touch event processing method thereof

Abstract

To provide a touch detection circuitry.SOLUTION: A touch detection circuitry comprises: an analog-to-digital converter which is arranged to convert touch signals of a touch panel from an analog form into a digital form; a controller which is connected to the analog-to-digital converter and is arranged to calculate at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size respectively corresponding to at least one touch event on the touch panel on the basis of the touch signals; and a packet generator which is connected to the controller and is arranged to encapsulate the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size into a touch data packet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to detecting touch events of a touch operation, and more particularly to a touch detection circuit, an electronic device and a touch event processing method having the function of detecting touch events of a touch operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Panels with touch detection function have been widely applied in vehicle systems. Common applications of vehicle panels include GPS navigation display, multimedia display, application program operation, vehicle system configuration, etc. However, there is no unified packet format specification between chip suppliers and vehicle suppliers, so more time needs to be spent to study and define the packet format. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One aspect of the present invention provides a touch detection circuit including: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert a touch signal of a touch panel from an analog form to a digital form; a controller coupled to the analog-to-digital converter and configured to calculate at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size corresponding to at least one touch event on the touch panel based on the touch signal, respectively; and a packet generator coupled to the controller and configured to package the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size as a touch data packet.

[0004] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package the reservation information into a touch data packet.

[0005] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package debug information into touch data packets.

[0006] In some embodiments, the debug information includes at least one of a recalibration count value, a baseline update indicator, a palm touch event indicator, an idle mode indicator, a frequency hopping mode indicator, and a glove mode indicator.

[0007] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package a checksum into the touch data packet.

[0008] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further configured to package more than one of the at least one touch event into a touch data packet.

[0009] In some embodiments, the touch detection circuitry further includes a data communications interface coupled to the packet generator and arranged to transmit the touch data packets to an electronic device.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device comprising: a touch panel having touch detection capabilities; a touch detection circuit coupled to the touch panel, the touch detection circuit including an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert touch signals of the touch panel from an analog form to a digital form; a controller coupled to the analog-to-digital converter and configured to calculate at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size corresponding to at least one touch event on the touch panel based on the touch signals; and a packet generator coupled to the controller and configured to package the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size into a touch data packet; and an application processor configured to receive and depackage the touch data packet to obtain the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size corresponding to the at least one touch event on the touch panel.

[0011] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package the reservation information into a touch data packet.

[0012] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package debug information into touch data packets.

[0013] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further arranged to package a checksum into the touch data packet.

[0014] In some embodiments, the packet generator is further configured to package more than one of the at least one touch event into a touch data packet.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention provides a touch event processing method, including: detecting at least one touch event on a touch panel to obtain a touch signal; converting the touch signal from an analog form to a digital form; calculating at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size corresponding to the at least one touch event on the touch panel based on the touch signal, respectively; and packaging the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size into a touch data packet.

[0016] In some embodiments, the touch event processing method further includes packaging a plurality of the at least one of the pending information, the debug information, the checksum, and the at least one touch event into a touch data packet, the debug information including at least one of the recalibration count value, the baseline update indicator, the palm touch event indicator, the idle mode indicator, the frequency hopping mode indicator, and the glove mode indicator.

[0017] In some embodiments, the touch event processing method further includes transmitting the touch data packet to an electronic device; and unpackaging the touch data packet by the electronic device to obtain at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size, each corresponding to at least one touch event on the touch panel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] The above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will be more clearly and easily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a touch detection circuit and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart of a touch event processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a touch detection circuit and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention will be given. It will be understood that the embodiments provide many applicable concepts that can be implemented in a variety of specific contexts. The embodiments discussed and disclosed are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0020] The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. Unless otherwise specified, the singular terms "a" or "said" may be used to refer to the plural.

[0021] In the present disclosure, the touch detection circuit is used to detect touch events on a touch panel, and package touch signals generated from the touch events into touch data packets according to a defined packet format, and then transmit them to an electronic device for further operation. By adopting the defined packet format, it is helpful to unify the packet format specification between chip suppliers and vehicle suppliers, and save the time for both of them to further study and define the packet format.

[0022] 1 is a functional block diagram of a touch detection circuit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The touch detection circuit 100 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 101, a memory 102, a controller 103, a packet generator 104, and a data communication interface 105. The analog-to-digital converter 101 is configured to convert a touch signal of a touch panel 111 from an analog form to a digital form. The touch signal may be generated based on a touch event on the touch panel 111. The memory 102 is configured to store the touch signal in the touch detection circuit 100. The memory 102 may be a volatile memory such as a static random-access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), and / or other similar devices. The controller 103 is configured to calculate a coordinate point and a touch size corresponding to a touch event on the touch panel 111 (or multiple coordinate points and multiple touch sizes respectively corresponding to multiple touch events) based on the touch signal. The controller 103 may be, for example, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic controller (PLC), etc. The packet generator 104 is arranged to package the coordinate points and the touch size into a touch data packet. The data communication interface 105 is arranged to provide a communication path for the controller 103 to access the electronic device 110. Depending on the type of the electronic device 110, the data communication interface 105 may be, for example, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) or other suitable interface. The controller 103 can transmit the touch data packet to the electronic device 110 via the data communication interface 105.After the touch data packets are transmitted to the electronic device 110, the application processor 112 of the electronic device 110 receives and depackages the touch data packets to obtain the coordinate points and touch sizes respectively corresponding to the touch events on the touch panel 111.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, packet generator 104 is configured to encapsulate coordinate points and touch size calculated based on the touch signal by controller 103. Packet generator 104 may further be configured to package reservation information, debug information and a checksum into the touch data packet.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the debug information packaged in the touch data packet may include a recalibration count value, a baseline update indicator, a palm touch event indicator, an idle mode indicator, a frequency hopping mode indicator, and / or a glove mode indicator. The recalibration count value is used to indicate a recalibration trigger count when the touch signal from the touch panel 111 is abnormal, i.e., the touch size exceeds a reasonable range. The baseline update indicator is used to monitor whether the baseline update function is running. Since the baseline update is always performed when a valid object is not detected, a predefined value of the baseline update indicator indicates that the baseline function is enabled. The palm touch event indicator is used to indicate whether there is a palm touch event or other abnormal touch event (e.g., having a very large touch size) on the touch panel 111. The idle mode indicator is used to indicate whether the touch panel 111 is in an idle mode to save power. When the touch panel 111 is in the idle mode, the touch panel 111 enters a power-saving state, in which multiple sensitive pads on the same receiving channel of the touch panel 111 are sensed simultaneously, thereby reducing the sensing accuracy. Conversely, when the touch panel 111 is in a normal mode (versus an idle mode), the touch panel 111 leaves the power saving state and multiple sensitive pads in the same receiving channel of the touch panel 111 are sensed at different times to obtain higher sensing accuracy. The frequency hopping mode indicator is used to indicate the frequency band in which the touch panel 111 operates. The glove mode indicator is used to indicate whether the touch panel 111 has activated a glove mode (e.g., a high sensitivity mode for detecting small touch signals).

[0025] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a checksum packaged in the touch data packet is used to check the integrity of the data being transmitted. In one example, the checksum may be defined by the following formula:

number

[0026] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the packet generator 104 can process up to 10 touch events (e.g., 10 fingers of a user) on the touch panel 111, and can package 1 to 10 touch events into a touch data packet. For example, if there are 5 touch events on the touch panel 111 at the same time, the packet generator 104 can package 1 to 10 touch events into a touch data packet.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a touch event processing method 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The touch event processing method 200 is applicable to the arrangement of FIG. 1 or other similar arrangements. The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is taken as an example below. In step S202, the touch detection circuit 100 is arranged to detect a touch event, such as a touch event by a user's finger or stylus on the touch panel 111. In step S204, the analog-to-digital converter 101 is arranged to convert the touch signal from an analog form to a digital form. In step S206, the controller 103 is used to calculate a coordinate point and a touch size respectively corresponding to the touch event (or multiple coordinate points and multiple touch sizes respectively corresponding to multiple touch events) based on the touch signal. In step S208, the packet generator 104 is arranged to package the coordinate point and the touch size into a touch data packet.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the controller 103 transmits the touch data packet to the electronic device 110 via the data communication interface 105, the application processor 112 of the electronic device 110 receives and depackages the touch data packet to obtain the coordinate points and touch sizes respectively corresponding to the touch events on the touch panel 111.

[0029] 3 is a functional block diagram of a touch detection circuit 300 and an electronic device 310 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the touch detection circuit 300 includes an electronic device 310 having an analog-to-digital converter 301, a memory 302, a controller 303, a packet generator 304, a data communication interface 305, and an application processor 311. The difference from FIG. 1 is that the touch panel 320 is separate from the electronic device 310.

[0030] The electronic device 310 may be, for example, a vehicle infotainment display, a vehicle navigation device, and / or other suitable electronic device having touch detection and display capabilities. The electronic device 310 includes an application processor 311 for processing user application programs. The application processor 311 may be a system on a chip (SoC), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a microprocessor, etc. The touch panel 320 with touch detection capabilities may include touch sensors arranged in an array. The touch detection circuit 300 is coupled to the touch panel 320 and is used to drive the touch panel 320 to perform touch detection. In some alternative embodiments, the touch panel 320 with touch detection capabilities may be integrated with a display panel of the electronic device 310 to form a touch display panel. In some embodiments, the touch detection circuit 300 is a touch panel integrated display driver (TDDI) circuit and is used to drive touch detection in the touch panel 320 and display in the electronic device 310. The controller 303 of the touch detection circuit 300 can transmit the coordinate points and touch size corresponding to the touch event on the touch panel 320 to the application processor 311 for further operation, such as a map application, audio or video playback, etc.

[0031] The present invention has been disclosed as above by way of examples, but the examples do not limit the scope of the present invention, and those skilled in the art may make various amendments, substitutions and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention is based on the content specified in the following claims.

[0032] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of the present invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100, 300 Touch detection circuit 101, 301 Analog / Digital Converter 102, 302 Memory 103, 303 Controller 104, 304 Packet Generator 105, 305 Data communication interface 110, 310 Electronic equipment 111, 320 Touch Panel 112, 311 Application Processors 200 How to handle touch events S202, S204, S206, S208 process

Claims

1. an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the plurality of touch signals of the touch panel from an analog form to a digital form; a controller coupled to the analog-to-digital converter and configured to calculate at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size corresponding respectively to at least one touch event on the touch panel based on the touch signals; a packet generator coupled to the controller and configured to package the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size into a touch data packet, and further configured to package debug information and a checksum into the touch data packet, the debug information including at least one of a recalibration count value, a baseline update indicator, a palm touch event indicator, an idle mode indicator, a frequency hopping mode indicator, and a glove mode indicator; 2. A touch detection circuit comprising:

2. The touch detection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the packet generator is further configured to package multiple of the at least one touch event into the touch data packet.

3. The touch detection circuit of claim 1 , further comprising a data communications interface coupled to the packet generator and configured to transmit the touch data packets to an electronic device.

4. Detecting at least one touch event on the touch panel to obtain a plurality of touch signals; converting the plurality of touch signals from an analog form to a digital form; respectively calculating at least one coordinate point and at least one touch size corresponding to at least one touch event on the touch panel based on the plurality of touch signals; packaging the at least one coordinate point and the at least one touch size into a touch data packet; packaging debug information and a checksum into the touch data packet, the debug information including at least one of a recalibration count value, a baseline update indicator, a palm touch event indicator, an idle mode indicator, a frequency hopping mode indicator, and a glove mode indicator; Touch event handling methods including:

5. The touch event processing method of claim 4, further comprising packaging a plurality of the at least one touch event into the touch data packet.

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