Touch Input Device

Abstract

To prevent a phenomenon in which touch driving and sensing time become long by additional firmware calculation of a processor, whenever a touch input device is driven.SOLUTION: A touch input device includes a touch sensor, and a control unit for controlling the touch sensor, wherein the touch sensor includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, the first electrodes are arranged in a first direction, the second electrodes are arranged in a second direction different from the first direction, and includes a second a electrode pattern arranged adjacent to the first electrode and a second b electrode pattern arranged separated from the first electrode by a predetermined distance, and the control unit matches a plurality of programmed codes with a plurality of addresses, respectively, stores the matched codes in a code block table, receives application of the plurality of stored codes according to a scan mode, generates a driving signal and outputs the generated driving signal to the plurality of second electrodes, receives a sense signal output from the plurality of first electrodes, and detects a touch position of the object positioned on the touch sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch input device, and more particularly to a touch input device capable of performing various touch sensing operations using a touch controller alone by pre-storing various code values ​​in a code book according to a touch scan mode. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of input devices are used to operate computing systems, such as buttons, keys, joysticks, and touch screens. The ease and convenience of touch screens has led to an increasing use of touch screens when operating computing systems.

[0003] A touch sensor can be provided on a display panel as a type of information input device. For example, the touch sensor can be attached to one surface of the display panel or manufactured integrally with the display panel. A user can input information by touching the touch sensor while viewing an image displayed on the screen of the display panel.

[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a conventional octa-type stacked structure.

[0005] OCTA, a type of touch screen panel technology, is an abbreviation for On Cell Touch AMOLED, and is a type of touch screen panel (TSP) in which a touch sensor is directly deposited on the AMOLED display cell as shown in Figure 1.

[0006] In other words, it is a technology that incorporates the touchscreen function of smartphones / tablets into OLED panels. As there is no tempered glass between the cell and the touch sensor, it has the effect of providing higher clarity than existing general TSPs.

[0007] Y-OCTA is a touchscreen panel with a touch sensor directly deposited on the cell. Y-OCTA is named by adding the Y from "YOUM," Samsung Display's flexible OLED brand name, to "OCTA."

[0008] Y-OCTA technology is applied to the thin film encapsulation (TFE) process in the OLED manufacturing process. It realizes the touch screen by patterning an aluminum metal mesh sensor used as a touch sensor between the organic material for thin film encapsulation and the polarizer.

[0009] Y-OCTA can solve the visibility problem that occurs at curved edges by attaching the polarizer close to the cover window. Also, by removing the support film, the panel thickness can be reduced and the cost can be reduced by omitting the lamination process.

[0010] A touch input device equipped with a conventional WY / OCTA touch screen panel has a problem in an LGM (Low Ground Mass) situation. The problem is that when a touch sensor is implemented with a single layer or double layer of driving electrodes and receiving electrodes, and a specific touch occurs when the touch input device equipped with the touch sensor is not held by the user (floating state), a signal that should be detected normally from the perspective of the touch input device disappears or is split and detected as a touch at two or more points.

[0011] On the other hand, a codebook is an indexed collection of predetermined code vectors used to capture a sufficiently large number of diverse patterns for encoding and / or decoding data.

[0012] In the conventional touch input device, if a codebook is not used in the driving and sensing means, there is a limitation that a user's desired code pattern cannot be created or only fixed code patterns can be used.

[0013] If firmware were to intervene to solve this problem, additional firmware operations would be required every time the device is run or whenever a code change is required.

[0014] In this case, an intermediate intervention by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) becomes unavoidable, which causes a problem of prolonging the touch driving and sensing time of the touch input device.

[0015] In addition, because the central processing unit must operate during code changes, other operations such as executing noise filtering algorithms and coordinate calculations cannot be performed, resulting in reduced operating efficiency. This eventually leads to problems such as increased power consumption and a decrease in reporting rates. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0016] An object of the present invention is to provide a touch input device that can prevent a phenomenon in which touch driving and sensing time is extended due to additional firmware calculations by a processor each time the touch input device is driven, and can prevent a decrease in operating efficiency and an increase in power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a touch input device comprising: a touch sensor; and a controller for controlling the touch sensor. The touch sensor comprises a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, the first electrodes being arranged along a first direction and the second electrodes being arranged along a second direction different from the first direction, and a second a electrode pattern being arranged adjacent to the first electrodes and a second b electrode pattern being arranged at a predetermined distance from the first electrodes but not adjacent to the first electrodes. The controller matches a plurality of codes programmed by built-in firmware with a plurality of addresses and stores the codes in a code book table, receives the stored codes according to a scan mode, generates drive signals and outputs the drive signals to the plurality of second electrodes, and receives sensing signals output from the plurality of first electrodes to detect a touch position of an object placed on the touch sensor.

[0018] The touch input device according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the plurality of first electrodes are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of second electrodes.

[0019] The touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a touch controller that pre-stores a plurality of codes and outputs a predetermined code from the plurality of codes to the plurality of second electrodes through touch scanning.

[0020] The touch controller of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including: a control unit that performs the touch scan so that a drive signal is applied to at least two or more second electrodes among the plurality of second electrodes; and a driving and sensing unit that matches the predetermined code to the at least two or more second electrodes and outputs the predetermined code in response to control of the control unit through the touch scan.

[0021] The driving and sensing unit of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a codebook table that stores the plurality of codes programmed by firmware built into the control unit by matching them with each of a plurality of addresses, a driving signal generating unit that receives the stored plurality of codes according to a scan mode, generates driving signals, and outputs the driving signals to the plurality of second electrodes, and a plurality of sensing sensors that receive sensing signals output from the plurality of first electrodes.

[0022] A touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel including a plurality of scan lines, a touch sensor including a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of receiving electrodes arranged perpendicular to the plurality of drive electrodes, and a touch controller that pre-stores a plurality of codes and outputs a predetermined code from the plurality of codes to the plurality of drive electrodes through touch scanning.

[0023] The touch controller of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including: a control unit that performs the touch scan so that a drive signal is applied to at least two of the plurality of drive electrodes; and a driving and sensing unit that matches the predetermined code to the at least two drive electrodes and outputs the predetermined code in response to control of the control unit through the touch scan.

[0024] The driving and sensing unit of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including: a codebook table that matches and stores the plurality of codes programmed by firmware built into the control unit with each of a plurality of addresses; a driving signal generating unit that receives the stored plurality of codes according to a scan mode, generates driving signals, and outputs the driving signals to the plurality of driving electrodes; and a plurality of sensing sensors that receive sensing signals output from the plurality of receiving electrodes.

[0025] The driving and sensing unit of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a first register that receives and temporarily stores the addresses and data matched to each address in the codebook table.

[0026] The control unit of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including: a processor that sets a start codebook address when scanning according to a scan mode through the firmware and programs the plurality of codes; an external serial interface that transmits data calculated by the processor to a host; and a second register that temporarily stores data input or output through a general-purpose input / output unit.

[0027] The control unit of the touch input device according to the embodiment of the present invention sequentially performs the touch scan multiple times on all of the driving electrodes.

[0028] Each of the driving signals of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that vector values ​​expressed as one or more of -1, 0, and 1 are consecutive for each of the plurality of driving electrodes for each predetermined time period.

[0029] The processor of the touch input device according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that every time the driving and sensing unit is touch-driven, the processor reads a corresponding code from the codebook table and increments a codebook address for each time slot.

[0030] The touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a gate driving circuit that sequentially outputs display scan signals on the plurality of scan lines to control driving timings of the plurality of sub-pixels, a data driving circuit that receives image data and converts the image data into analog data voltages, and a display control unit that transmits the image data and controls the gate driving circuit and the data driving circuit.

[0031] The display panel of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a plurality of data lines arranged perpendicular to the plurality of scan lines, and the plurality of sub-pixels are located in areas where the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines intersect.

[0032] The data driving circuit of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it outputs a data voltage to each of the plurality of data lines in accordance with a timing at which a scan signal is applied through the plurality of scan lines, and drives each of the plurality of sub-pixels to display brightness according to image data.

[0033] The codebook table of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a table that collects code vectors for encoding and decoding data stored in the internal and external memories or registers of the touch controller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0034] According to the present invention, various code values ​​are pre-stored in a code book according to touch scan modes in a touch input device, thereby enabling various touch sensing operations using a touch controller alone.

[0035] This eliminates the need for additional firmware calculations each time the touch input device is touched or whenever a code change is required, thereby reducing the touch driving and sensing time of the touch input device.

[0036] In particular, the central processing unit can perform other important operations when the code is changed, thereby increasing the operating efficiency of the central processing unit, reducing power consumption, and preventing a drop in the reporting rate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0037] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a conventional octa-type stacked structure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a touch input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of one embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 3 separated into layers. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating electrical connections between the plurality of receiving electrodes shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 6 separated into layers. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating electrical connections between the plurality of receiving electrodes shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 9 separated into layers. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 11 separated into layers. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a touch input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a partial plan view of one embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a partial plan view of another embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. [Figure 17]FIG. 17 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. [Figure 20] 20A and 20B are diagrams for explaining multi-driving of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a touch controller within the touch input device shown in FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 shows the output waveform of the driving signal generating unit in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG. 21 and the corresponding codebook matrix. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 shows the output waveform of the driving signal generating unit in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG. 21 and the corresponding codebook table. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows an output waveform of the driving signal generating unit operating according to exemplary values ​​of the codebook table in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] The following detailed description of the present invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that various embodiments of the present invention, although different from one another, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein in connection with one embodiment may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims, if properly interpreted, are entitled. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate the same or similar functionality throughout the various aspects.

[0039] The touch input device according to various embodiments of the present document may include, as an electronic device, at least one of, for example, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer, a vehicle display device, a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a laptop personal computer, a netbook computer, a mobile medical device, a camera, or a wearable device.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a touch input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a display panel 100, a touch controller 200, and a display controller 300. As shown in FIG.

[0041] The display panel 100 includes a touch sensor 150 , the touch controller 200 includes a driving and sensing unit 210 and a control unit 220 , and the display controller 300 includes a gate driving circuit 310 , a display control unit 320 , and a data driving circuit 330 .

[0042] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining multi-driving of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0043] The operation of the touch input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0044] The touch controller 200 controls the touch sensor 150 .

[0045] The touch controller 200 can sequentially supply drive signals to the plurality of drive electrodes of the touch sensor 150, or can simultaneously supply a predetermined drive signal to at least two or more of the plurality of drive electrodes. The former is called a sequential drive method, and the latter is called a multi-drive method.

[0046] The touch controller 200 receives sensing signals output from a plurality of receiving electrodes of the touch sensor 150. Here, the sensing signals may include information on the amount of capacitance change between each receiving electrode and its adjacent driving electrode, an LGM noise signal, a display noise signal, etc.

[0047] The touch controller 200 may perform analog-to-digital conversion on the sensing signals output from the plurality of receiving electrodes and output digital sensing signals.

[0048] The touch controller 200 may output a differential signal between two of the sensing signals output from the plurality of receiving electrodes and may output the output signal after analog-to-digital conversion. To this end, the touch controller 200 may include a comparator and an ADC. The touch controller 200 may detect the presence or absence of a touch and / or the touch position based on the output digital signal.

[0049] 2, the touch controller 200 may be implemented as a single module, unit, or chip. However, without being limited thereto, the touch controller 200 may be divided into a driving and sensing unit 210 that applies driving signals to driving electrodes of the touch sensor 150 and receives sensing signals from receiving electrodes of the touch sensor 150, and a control unit 220 that controls the driving and sensing unit 210. Alternatively, the driving and sensing unit 210 and the control unit 220 may be implemented as a single module, unit, or chip.

[0050] The touch input device shown in FIG. 2 may include a display panel 100 .

[0051] A number of scan lines (or gate lines) and a number of data lines may be arranged on the display panel 100. Sub-pixels may be located at the intersections of the scan lines and the data lines.

[0052] The display panel 100 may include an active area where a number of sub-pixels are arranged and an inactive area located outside the active area. The active area may constitute a display screen of a touch input device. The display screen may have a rectangular shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical length.

[0053] The touch input device shown in FIG. 2 may include a display controller 300 including a gate driving circuit 310 for driving various signal lines arranged on the display panel 100, a data driving circuit 330, and a display control unit 320 to drive the display panel 100.

[0054] The gate driving circuit 310 is controlled by the display controller 320 and sequentially outputs display scan signals to a plurality of scan lines arranged on the display panel 100, thereby controlling the driving timing of a plurality of sub-pixels.

[0055] The data driving circuit 330 receives image data from the display controller 320 and converts the image data into an analog data voltage. The data driving circuit 330 outputs a data voltage (Vdata) to each data line in accordance with the timing at which a scan signal is applied through the scan line, and controls each sub-pixel to display brightness according to the image data.

[0056] The display control unit 320 may supply various control signals to the gate driving circuit 310 and the data driving circuit 330 to control the operations of the gate driving circuit 310 and the data driving circuit 330. The display control unit 320 may be configured separately from or integrally with the control unit 220 shown in FIG.

[0057] Various embodiments of the touch sensor 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

[0058] FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of one embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0059] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 3 separated into layers.

[0060] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating electrical connections between the plurality of receiving electrodes shown in FIG.

[0061] 3 to 5, a touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention may be disposed on or within a display panel.

[0062] The touch sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes. Among the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes, electrodes to which a driving signal is applied may be driving electrodes, and the remaining electrodes may be receiving electrodes.

[0063] In the following description, the plurality of first electrodes are the plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, . . . , and the plurality of second electrodes are the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, .

[0064] The plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... may include a zeroth drive electrode TX0, a first drive electrode TX1, a second drive electrode TX2, and a third drive electrode TX3, where the plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... correspond to the plurality of drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... shown in FIG.

[0065] The plurality of receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ... may include a zeroth receiving electrode RX0, a first receiving electrode RX1, a second receiving electrode RX2, a third receiving electrode RX3, and a fourth receiving electrode RX4, where the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ... correspond to the plurality of receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, Rx3, Rx4, ... shown in FIG.

[0066] The plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... may be arranged along a second direction (or vertical direction) and extend along a first direction (or horizontal direction) perpendicular to the second direction. The plurality of receive electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ... may be arranged along the second direction. Conversely, the plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... may be arranged along the first direction (or horizontal direction), and the plurality of receive electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ... may be arranged along the second direction (or vertical direction).

[0067] A predetermined capacitance may be formed between the plurality of driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... and the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, .... This capacitance changes when a touch input occurs at or around the corresponding point. Therefore, by detecting the amount of change in capacitance from signals output from the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ..., it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a touch and the touch input.

[0068] Each of the multiple drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... may have a rectangular pattern or a bar pattern extending in the first direction, and may have multiple openings O arranged adjacent to each other along the first direction.

[0069] One receiving electrode may be disposed within each opening O. The shape of each opening O corresponds to the shape of one receiving electrode disposed adjacent to it.

[0070] For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the openings O may have a diamond shape except for the openings located at the left and right ends, and the openings located at the left and right ends may have a triangular shape. Although not shown in the drawing, all of the openings O may have a diamond shape. Alternatively, the openings O may have various shapes such as a polygon, a rectangle, a circle, or an ellipse.

[0071] Each of the receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, RX4, ... includes a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b, RX1a, RX1b, RX2a, RX2b, RX3a, RX3b, RX4a, RX4b and connection patterns P0, P1, P2, P3, P4. Here, some of the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b, RX1a, RX1b, RX2a, RX2b, RX3a, RX3b, RX4a, RX4b may correspond to some of the receiving electrodes Rx0a, Rx1a, Rx2a, Rx3a, ... shown in FIG. 2, and the remaining receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, RX4b may correspond to the remaining receiving electrodes Rx0b, Rx1b, Rx2b, Rx3b, ... shown in FIG. 2.

[0072] As shown in (a) of Figure 4, a plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... and a plurality of receive electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b, RX1a, RX1b, RX2a, RX2b, RX3a, RX3b, RX4a, RX4b may be arranged together on a first layer.

[0073] Here, the plurality of driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... and the plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b, RX1a, RX1b, RX2a, RX2b, RX3a, RX3b, RX4a, RX4b arranged on the first layer may be embodied as a metal mesh.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 4(b), a plurality of connection patterns P0a, P0b, P1a, P1b, P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P4a, and P4b may be disposed on a second layer. The second layer is a layer different from the first layer of FIG. 4(a) and is electrically insulated from the first layer. Here, the plurality of connection patterns P0a, P0b, P1a, P1b, P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P4a, and P4b may be embodied as a metal mesh. The first layer of FIG. 4(a) may be disposed on the second layer of FIG. 4(b), and vice versa.

[0075] The plurality of receiving electrode patterns included in each receiving electrode can be divided into at least two or more groups. The receiving electrode patterns of one group are alternately arranged with the receiving electrode patterns of another group. The receiving electrode patterns of one group are electrically isolated from the receiving electrode patterns of the other group.

[0076] Here, the receiving electrode pattern in one group may be named a first receiving electrode pattern, and the receiving electrode pattern in the other group may be named a second receiving electrode pattern.

[0077] The plurality of connection patterns included in each receiving electrode include a first connection pattern that electrically connects first receiving electrode patterns in one group and a second connection pattern that electrically connects second receiving electrodes in another group.

[0078] For example, the zeroth receiving electrode RX0 may include a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b and a plurality of connecting patterns P0. The plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b may include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX0a and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX0b arranged alternately one by one along the second direction. The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX0a and the second group of receiving electrode patterns RX0b may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0079] The 0th connecting pattern P0 may include a first connecting pattern P0a electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX0a of the first group and a second connecting pattern P0b electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX0b of the second group.

[0080] The first receiving electrode RX1 may include a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX1a, RX1b and a plurality of connecting patterns P1. The plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX1a, RX1b may include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX1a and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX1b arranged alternately one by one along the second direction. The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX1a and the second group of receiving electrode patterns RX1b may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0081] The first connecting pattern P1 may include a first connecting pattern P1a electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX1a of the first group and a second connecting pattern P1b electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX1b of the second group.

[0082] The second receiving electrode RX2 may include a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX2a, RX2b and a plurality of connecting patterns P2. The plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX2a, RX2b may include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX2a and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX2b arranged alternately one by one along the second direction. The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX2a and the second group of receiving electrode patterns RX2b may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0083] The second connecting pattern P2 may include a first connecting pattern P2a electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX2a of the first group and a second connecting pattern P2b electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX2b of the second group.

[0084] The third receiving electrode RX3 may include a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX3a, RX3b and a plurality of connecting patterns P3. The plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX3a, RX3b may include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX3a and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX3b arranged alternately one by one along the second direction. The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX3a and the second group of receiving electrode patterns RX3b may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0085] The third connecting pattern P3 may include a first connecting pattern P3a electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX3a of the first group and a second connecting pattern P3b electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX3b of the second group.

[0086] The fourth receiving electrode RX4 may include a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX4a, RX4b and a plurality of connecting patterns P4. The plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX4a, RX4b may include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX4a and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX4b arranged alternately one by one along the second direction. The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX4a and the second group of receiving electrode patterns RX4b may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0087] The fourth connecting pattern P4 may include a first connecting pattern P4a electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX4a of the first group and a second connecting pattern P4b electrically connecting the receiving electrode patterns RX4b of the second group.

[0088] The multiple receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX0b, RX1a, RX1b, RX2a, RX2b, RX3a, RX3b, RX4a, and RX4b are arranged adjacent to the multiple openings O of the multiple driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, .... One receiving electrode pattern is arranged adjacent to one opening O. The shape of each receiving electrode pattern corresponds to the shape of the corresponding opening.

[0089] In any given receiving electrode RX1, between a receiving electrode pattern RX1a in the first group and a receiving electrode pattern RX1b in the second group that are arranged adjacent to each other, a portion of the driving electrode TX0 immediately adjacent to the periphery of the receiving electrode pattern RX1a in the first group and a portion of the driving electrode TX1 immediately adjacent to the periphery of the receiving electrode pattern RX1b in the second group are both arranged.

[0090] Any drive electrode TX0 is arranged immediately adjacent to the periphery of one group of receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, and RX4a, and other drive electrodes TX1 arranged immediately adjacent to the periphery of another group of receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b are arranged so as to be separated from the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, and RX4a of the one group by the arbitrary drive electrode TX0.

[0091] Each of the connection patterns P0a, P0b, P1a, P1b, P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P4a, and P4b may have a bar pattern shape extending along the second direction and include at least one conductive via v. The conductive via v may be disposed at both ends of each of the connection patterns.

[0092] In the 0th receiving electrode RX0, each of the first connecting patterns P0a electrically connects two adjacent receiving electrode patterns RX0a of the first group through a conductive via v, and is arranged so as to overlap under a receiving electrode pattern RX0b of the second group arranged between the two adjacent receiving electrode patterns RX0a.

[0093] Each of the second connecting patterns P0b electrically connects two adjacent receiving electrode patterns RX0b of the second group through a conductive via v, and is arranged so as to overlap under the receiving electrode pattern RX0a of the first group arranged between the two adjacent receiving electrode patterns RX0b.

[0094] The first connecting patterns P1a, P2a, P3a, and P4a and the second connecting patterns P1b, P2b, P3b, and P4b of the remaining receiving electrodes RX1, RX2, RX3, and RX4 are also arranged in the same manner as previously described.

[0095] The following will describe in detail the operation when a drive signal is applied to at least one of the plurality of drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3.

[0096] For ease of understanding, the operation of the first receiving electrode RX1 and the operation of the driving and sensing unit 210 of FIG. 2 will be described in detail.

[0097] When driving signals are applied to the driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3 sequentially or simultaneously, two sensing signals are output through the first connecting pattern P1. The first signal is output through the first connecting pattern P1a, and the second signal is output through the second connecting pattern P1b.

[0098] Therefore, first and second signals of two channels are output from each of the receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, and RX4. The first and second signals may be output simultaneously, and may be output to the driving and sensing unit 210 of FIG.

[0099] Depending on the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, ... to which the drive signals are applied, either the first signal or the second signal may become an active channel signal (or an active reception signal ARX), and the remaining one may become a dummy channel signal (or a dummy reception signal DRX).

[0100] Specifically, when a driving signal is applied to the driving electrodes (TX0 and / or TX2) on which the first group of receiving electrode patterns RX1a is arranged, the first signal output through the first connecting pattern P1a becomes an active channel signal, and the second signal output through the second connecting pattern P1b becomes a dummy channel signal.

[0101] On the other hand, when a driving signal is applied to the driving electrodes (TX1 and / or TX3) where the receiving electrode pattern RX1b of the second group is arranged, the second signal output through the second connecting pattern P1b becomes an active channel signal, and the first signal output through the first connecting pattern P1a becomes a dummy channel signal.

[0102] 3, assuming that an object (dotted line) is close to or in contact with the intersection of the first driving electrode TX1 and the first receiving electrode RX1, when a driving signal is applied to the first driving electrode TX1, the capacitance (or mutual active capacitance) formed between the first driving electrode TX1 and the receiving electrode pattern RX1b belonging to the second group of the first receiving electrode RX1 changes. A second signal including information on the amount of change in capacitance is output as an active channel signal via the second connecting pattern P1b.

[0103] Meanwhile, the capacitance (or dummy capacitance) formed between the receiving electrode patterns RX1a belonging to the first group of the first receiving electrode RX1 also changes, and the first signal including the capacitance change amount information is output as a dummy channel signal via the first connecting pattern P1a.

[0104] The driving and sensing unit 210 shown in FIG. 2 can cancel out all or most of the cathode retransmission noise signal, the LGM noise signal, and the display noise signal input to the receiving electrode pattern RX1b belonging to the second group and the receiving electrode pattern RX1a belonging to the first group by subtracting the first signal output through the first connecting pattern P1a from the second signal output through the second connecting pattern P1b.

[0105] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0106] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 6 separated into layers.

[0107] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating electrical connections between the plurality of receiving electrodes shown in FIG.

[0108] The touch sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 6 to 8 differs from the touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5 in terms of the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0', RX1', RX2', RX3', and RX4'.

[0109] In particular, the structure of the plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX1a' included in each of the receiving electrodes RX0', RX1', RX2', RX3', and RX4' is different. The structure of the plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX1a' will be described in detail below, and the remaining configuration will be replaced with the content previously described.

[0110] Each of the receiving electrodes RX0', RX1', RX2', RX3', and RX4' includes a plurality of receiving electrode patterns RX1a' having an opening O' therein and including a dummy pattern DX1a disposed inside the opening O'. Here, the dummy pattern DX1a may have a shape corresponding to the opening O'.

[0111] The dummy pattern DX1a is not electrically connected to the connecting patterns P0a, P0b, P1a, P1b, P2a, P2b, P3a, P3b, P4a, and P4b, and maintains an electrically floating state.

[0112] The operation of the touch sensor according to the other embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 is the same as the operation of the touch sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS.

[0113] Therefore, touch input devices including touch sensors according to other embodiments of the present invention shown in Figures 6 to 8 also have the advantage of being able to remove various noises that may occur during touch sensing, such as cathode retransmission noise signals, display noise, and LGM noise.

[0114] FIG. 9 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0115] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 9 separated into layers.

[0116] The touch sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 9 and 10 differs from the touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5 in the number of receiving electrodes RX0'', RX1'', RX2'', RX3'', RX4''.

[0117] In particular, the layout structure and shape of the plurality of connection patterns P0', P1', P2', P3', and P4' included in each of the receiving electrodes RX0'', RX1'', RX2'', RX3'', and RX4'' are different. The layout structure and shape of each connection pattern P0', P1', P2', P3', and P4' will be described in detail below, and the remaining configuration will be replaced with the content previously described.

[0118] Each of the concatenated patterns P0', P1', P2', P3', and P4' includes a first concatenated pattern P0a', P1a', P2a', P3a', and P4a' and a second concatenated pattern P0b', P1b', P2b', P3b', and P4b'.

[0119] Each of the first connecting patterns P0a', P1a', P2a', P3a', and P4a' electrically connects two receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, and RX4a of the first group, but is arranged so as not to overlap with the receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b of the second group that are arranged between the two receiving electrode patterns.

[0120] For example, at least a portion of each of the first connecting patterns P0a', P1a', P2a', P3a', and P4a' may be arranged between the receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b of the second group and the driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3 arranged immediately adjacent to the receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b of the second group, so as not to overlap with the receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b of the second group.

[0121] On the other hand, the remaining portions may be arranged so as to overlap with the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3.

[0122] Each of the second connecting patterns P0b', P1b', P2b', P3b', and P4b' electrically connects two receiving electrode patterns RX0b, RX1b, RX2b, RX3b, and RX4b of the second group, but is arranged so as not to overlap with the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, and RX4a of the first group that are arranged between the two receiving electrode patterns.

[0123] For example, at least a portion of each second connecting pattern P0b', P1b', P2b', P3b', P4b' may be arranged between the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, RX4a of the first group and the driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3 arranged immediately adjacent to the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, RX4a of the first group, so as not to overlap with the receiving electrode patterns RX0a, RX1a, RX2a, RX3a, RX4a of the first group.

[0124] On the other hand, the remaining portions may be arranged so as to overlap with the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3.

[0125] The touch sensor according to this further embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to reduce the capacitance value between the first connecting pattern and the second group of receiving electrode patterns, or between the second connecting pattern and the first group of receiving electrode patterns, compared to the touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5.

[0126] Meanwhile, although not shown in a separate drawing, the dummy pattern DX1a shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may also be applied to a touch sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0127] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0128] FIG. 12 is a plan view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 11 separated into layers.

[0129] The touch sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 11 and 12 differs from the touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5 in terms of the plurality of receiving electrodes RX0''',RX1''',RX2''',RX3'''.

[0130] In particular, the structures and arrangements of the multiple receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3a-1, RX3a-2, RX3b-1, RX3b-2 included in each receiving electrode RX0''', RX1''', RX2''', and RX3''' and the multiple connecting patterns P0'', P1'', P2'', and P3'' are different.

[0131] Below, the structures and arrangements of the receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3a-1, RX3a-2, RX3b-1, RX3b-2 and the connecting patterns P0'', P1'', P2'', P3'' will be described in detail, and the remaining configurations will be replaced with the contents previously described.

[0132] The multiple receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3a-1, RX3a-2, RX3b-1, RX3b-2 of each receiving electrode RX0''',RX1''',RX2''',RX3''' include a first group of receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX3a-1, RX3a-2 and a second group of receiving electrode patterns RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3b-1, RX3b-2 arranged alternately one by one along the second direction.

[0133] The receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX3a-1, RX3a-2 of the first group and the receiving electrode patterns RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3b-1, RX3b-2 of the second group may be electrically isolated from each other.

[0134] The first group of receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX3a-1, and RX3a-2 includes first receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX1a-1, RX2a-1, and RX3a-1 and second receiving electrode patterns RX0a-2, RX1a-2, RX2a-2, and RX3a-2. The first receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX1a-1, RX2a-1, and RX3a-1 and the second receiving electrode patterns RX0a-2, RX1a-2, RX2a-2, and RX3a-2 are respectively arranged in two openings O adjacent to each other in the first direction in the driving electrodes TX0 and TX2.

[0135] One first or second receiving electrode pattern is arranged in the openings located at both ends of the multiple openings O of each driving electrode TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, and in the remaining openings, a second receiving electrode pattern of a receiving electrode pattern of a first group of one receiving electrode of the multiple receiving electrodes RX0''',RX1''',RX2''',RX3''', and a first receiving electrode pattern of a receiving electrode pattern of a first group of one receiving electrode that is different from the second receiving electrode pattern of a receiving electrode of a first group of one receiving electrode are arranged together but spaced apart from each other.

[0136] Each of the connection patterns P0'', P1'', P2'', and P3'' includes first connection patterns P0a'', P1a'', P2a'', and P3a'' that electrically connect the receiving electrode patterns RX0a-1, RX0a-2, RX1a-1, RX1a-2, RX2a-1, RX2a-2, RX3a-1, and RX3a-2 of the first group, and second connection patterns P0b'', P1b'', P2b'', and P3b'' that electrically connect the receiving electrode patterns RX0b-1, RX0b-2, RX1b-1, RX1b-2, RX2b-1, RX2b-2, RX3b-1, and RX3b-2 of the second group.

[0137] Each of the first connecting patterns P0a'', P1a'', P2a'', P3a'' and second connecting patterns P0b'', P1b'', P2b'', P3b'' is constructed and arranged to connect two adjacent receiving electrode patterns in each group with the shortest distance.

[0138] For example, each of the first connecting patterns P0a'', P1a'', P2a'', P3a'' and the second connecting patterns P0b'', P1b'', P2b'', P3b'' may have one end connected to one side of a lower end of one of two adjacent receiving electrode patterns in one group, and the other end connected to one side of an upper end of the remaining receiving electrode pattern. The remaining portions excluding the one and other ends extend in the second direction, do not overlap with receiving electrode patterns of other groups arranged between the one receiving electrode pattern and the remaining receiving electrode pattern, and are arranged such that the largest cross-sectional area overlaps with the opening O of the driving electrode.

[0139] In addition, each of the first connecting patterns P0a'', P1a'', P2a'', and P3a'' further includes a receiving connecting pattern that electrically connects the first receiving electrode pattern and the second receiving electrode pattern of the first group of receiving electrode patterns, and each of the second connecting patterns P0b'', P1b'', P2b'', and P3b'' further includes a receiving connecting pattern that electrically connects the first receiving electrode pattern and the second receiving electrode pattern of the second group of receiving electrode patterns.

[0140] Compared to the touch sensor according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 3 to 5, the touch sensor according to this further embodiment of the present invention has the advantage that the capacitance value between the first connecting pattern and the second group of receiving electrode patterns, or between the second connecting pattern and the first group of receiving electrode patterns, can be reduced, and the resistance value of each connecting pattern can also be reduced.

[0141] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a portion of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0142] A touch sensor according to yet another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13 includes a plurality of driving electrodes TX0 and a plurality of receiving electrodes RX0.

[0143] Each driving electrode TX0 includes diamond-shaped pattern portions arranged in one direction, and a connecting pattern portion connecting two adjacent pattern portions of the pattern portions to each other.

[0144] Each receiving electrode RX0 includes a first electrode portion RX0a and a second electrode portion RX0b arranged in a direction different from the one direction. The first electrode portion RX0a and the second electrode portion RX0b may have a triangular shape. One first electrode portion RX0a and one second electrode portion RX0b arranged adjacent to each other may have an overall diamond shape.

[0145] The first electrode portion RX0a is disposed so as to be relatively closer to the driving electrode TX0 than the second electrode portion RX0b, and the second electrode portion RX0b is disposed so as to be relatively closer to the other driving electrodes than the first electrode portion RX0a.

[0146] The first electrode portion RX0a may be electrically connected via a plurality of conductive traces, and the second electrode portion RX0b may also be electrically connected via a plurality of conductive traces.

[0147] Meanwhile, FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a touch input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0148] The touch input device shown in FIG. 14 has the following differences compared to the touch input device according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0149] Specifically, the touch sensor 150' of the touch input device shown in FIG. 14 includes electrodes of a predetermined shape, and the predetermined electrodes include a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes.

[0150] In the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 2, the multiple first electrodes become multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... and the multiple second electrodes become multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ..., but in the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. 14, conversely, the multiple first electrodes become multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ... and the multiple second electrodes become multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ....

[0151] In other words, compared to the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 2, the touch sensor 150′ shown in FIG. 14 has the multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... replaced by multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ..., and the multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ... replaced by multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ....

[0152] The control unit 220 may control whether the first electrodes are a plurality of driving electrodes as shown in FIG. 2 or a plurality of receiving electrodes as shown in FIG.

[0153] When the control unit 220 applies a driving signal to a plurality of first electrodes, the plurality of first electrodes become a plurality of driving electrodes, and when the control unit 220 applies a driving signal to a plurality of second electrodes, the plurality of second electrodes become a plurality of receiving electrodes.

[0154] The plurality of drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... and the plurality of receive electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ... may be arranged to intersect with each other. Each of the drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... may extend in a second axis direction, and each of the receive electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ... may extend in a first axis direction different from the first axis direction. Here, the first axis direction may be perpendicular to the second axis direction.

[0155] Some of the drive electrodes Tx0a, Tx1a, Tx2a, Tx3a, ... among the multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... may be arranged so that a mutual capacitance Cm is formed with some even-numbered receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ... among the multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx2, Rx4, Rx6, ..., and the remaining drive electrodes Tx0b, Tx1b, Tx2b, Tx3b, ... among the multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... may be arranged so that a mutual capacitance Cm is formed with the remaining odd-numbered receiving electrodes Rx1, Rx3, Rx5, Rx7, ... among the multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ....

[0156] Some of the driving electrodes Tx0a, Tx1a, Tx2a, Tx3a, ... among the multiple driving electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... may be arranged so as to be immediately adjacent to some of the even-numbered receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx2, Rx4, Rx6, ... among the multiple receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ..., and may be arranged so as to be not immediately adjacent to the remaining odd-numbered receiving electrodes Rx1, Rx3, Rx5, Rx7, ... but to be spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0157] Here, at least one other electrode may be disposed between some of the drive electrodes Tx0a, Tx1a, Tx2a, Tx3a, ... and the remaining odd-numbered receiving electrodes Rx1, Rx3, Rx5, Rx7, .... The other electrodes may be some of the even-numbered receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx2, Rx4, Rx6, ....

[0158] The remaining drive electrodes Tx0b, Tx1b, Tx2b, Tx3b, ... of the multiple drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, ... may be arranged immediately adjacent to the remaining odd-numbered receive electrodes Rx1, Rx3, Rx5, Rx7, ... of the multiple receive electrodes Rx0, Rx1, Rx2, ..., and may be arranged not immediately adjacent to some of the even-numbered receive electrodes Rx0, Rx2, Rx4, Rx6, ... but at a predetermined distance apart.

[0159] Here, at least one other electrode may be arranged between the remaining drive electrodes Tx0b, Tx1b, Tx2b, Tx3b, ... and some of the even-numbered receiving electrodes Rx0, Rx2, Rx4, Rx6, .... The other electrodes may be the remaining odd-numbered receiving electrodes Rx1, Rx3, Rx5, Rx7, ....

[0160] The drive signals applied to the remaining drive electrodes Tx0b, Tx1b, Tx2b, Tx3b, ... may be inverted drive signals in which only the phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the drive signals applied to some of the drive electrodes Tx0a, Tx1a, Tx2a, Tx3a, ...

[0161] For example, for the two drive electrodes Tx0a and Tx0b of the 0th drive electrode TX0, the drive signal applied to Tx0b is an inverted drive signal obtained by inverting the drive signal applied to Tx0a.

[0162] The touch input device shown in FIG. 14 is capable of multi-driving in which drive signals are simultaneously applied to all drive electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, Tx3, ... of the touch sensor 150', and has the advantage that such multi-driving does not cause flicker problems in the display panel.

[0163] In addition, since all driving electrodes Tx0, Tx1, Tx2, Tx3, etc. can be multi-driven, the driving time for performing mutual sensing can be reduced. Furthermore, the turn-on time of the analog front end (AFE) can also be reduced, further reducing power consumption.

[0164] FIG. 15 is a partial plan view of one embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG.

[0165] An embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. 15 has the same electrode structure as an embodiment of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 3, but differs in that the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, and TX4 to which drive signals are applied and the receive electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, and RX3 to which receive signals are output are configured in reverse.

[0166] 15, the controller 220 shown in Fig. 14 can control a predetermined driving signal to be simultaneously applied to the connection patterns P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, ... of the plurality of driving electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, TX3, TX4, .... Here, the driving signal applied to the second connecting pattern P0b of each connecting pattern P0 is an inverted driving signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the driving signal applied to the first connecting pattern P0a.

[0167] 14 can receive reception signals having information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance from the plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and output differential signals from the received reception signals. Then, the control unit 220 can integrate the differential signals to reconstruct the reception signals received from the plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and determine the touch position of an object based on information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance obtained by processing the sign of the reconstructed reception signals.

[0168] FIG. 16 is a partial plan view of another embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG.

[0169] Another embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. 16 has the same electrode structure as the embodiment of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 2, but differs in that the drive electrodes to which the drive signal is applied and the receiving electrodes to which the received signal is output are configured in reverse.

[0170] 16, the controller 220 shown in FIG. 14 can control a predetermined driving signal to be simultaneously applied to the connection patterns P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, ... of the plurality of driving electrodes TX0', TX1', TX2', TX3', TX4', .... Here, the driving signal applied to the second connecting pattern P0b of each connecting pattern P0 is an inverted driving signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the driving signal applied to the first connecting pattern P0a.

[0171] The control unit 220 shown in FIG. 14 can receive reception signals having information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance from a plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and output a differential signal from the received reception signals.

[0172] The differential signals can then be integrated to reconstruct the received signals from the multiple receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and the touch position of the object can be determined based on information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance obtained by processing the sign of the reconstructed received signals.

[0173] FIG. 17 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG.

[0174] Another embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. 17 has the same electrode structure as another embodiment of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 9, but differs in that the drive electrodes to which the drive signal is applied and the receiving electrodes to which the received signal is output are configured in reverse.

[0175] 17, the control unit 220 shown in FIG. 14 can control a predetermined driving signal to be simultaneously applied to the connection patterns P0', P1', P2', P3', P4', ... of the plurality of driving electrodes TX0'', TX1'', TX2'', TX3'', TX4'', .... Here, the driving signal applied to the second connecting pattern P0b of each connecting pattern P0' is an inverted driving signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the driving signal applied to the first connecting pattern P0a.

[0176] The control unit 220 shown in FIG. 14 can receive reception signals having information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance from a plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and output a differential signal from the received reception signals.

[0177] The differential signals can then be integrated to reconstruct the received signals from the multiple receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and the touch position of the object can be determined based on information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance obtained by processing the sign of the reconstructed received signals.

[0178] FIG. 18 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG.

[0179] Another embodiment of the touch sensor 150' shown in FIG. 18 has the same electrode structure as another embodiment of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 11, but differs in that the drive electrodes to which the drive signal is applied and the receiving electrodes to which the received signal is output are configured in reverse.

[0180] 18, the control unit 220 shown in FIG. 14 can control a predetermined driving signal to be simultaneously applied to the connection patterns P0'', P1'', P2'', P3'',... of the plurality of driving electrodes TX0''',TX1''',TX2''',TX3''',... Here, the driving signal applied to the second connecting pattern P0b of each connecting pattern P0'' is an inverted driving signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the driving signal applied to the first connecting pattern P0a.

[0181] The control unit 220 shown in FIG. 14 can receive reception signals having information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance from a plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and output a differential signal from the received reception signals.

[0182] The differential signals can then be integrated to reconstruct the received signals from the multiple receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and the touch position of the object can be determined based on information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance obtained by processing the sign of the reconstructed received signals.

[0183] FIG. 19 is a partial plan view of yet another embodiment of touch sensor 150' shown in FIG.

[0184] Another embodiment of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 19 has the same structure of multiple electrodes as another embodiment of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 18, but differs in that the drive electrodes to which the drive signal is applied and the receiving electrodes to which the receiving signal is output are configured in reverse.

[0185] Referring to FIG. 19, the touch controller 200 shown in FIG. 14 can control a predetermined driving signal to be simultaneously applied to the first driving electrode unit Tx0a and the second driving electrode unit Tx0b of the plurality of driving electrodes TX0.

[0186] Here, the drive signal applied to the first drive electrode unit Tx0a is an inverted drive signal whose phase is inverted by 180 degrees from the phase of the drive signal applied to the second drive electrode unit Tx0b.

[0187] The touch controller 200 shown in FIG. 14 can receive reception signals having information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance from a plurality of reception electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and output a differential signal from the received reception signals.

[0188] The differential signals can then be integrated to reconstruct the received signals from the multiple receiving electrodes RX0, RX1, RX2, RX3, ..., and the touch position of the object can be determined based on information on the amount of change in mutual capacitance obtained by processing the sign of the reconstructed received signals.

[0189] 20A and 20B are diagrams for explaining multi-driving of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG.

[0190] FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a touch controller in the touch input device shown in FIG. 2, which includes a driving and sensing unit 210 and a control unit 220.

[0191] The driving and sensing unit 210 includes a codebook table 211, a first register 212, a DMA 213, a driving signal generating unit 214, and a plurality of sensing sensors 215, and the control unit 220 includes a processor 221, an external serial interface 222, a general-purpose input / output unit 223, and a second register 224.

[0192] FIG. 22 shows the output waveform of the driving signal generating unit in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG. 21 and the corresponding codebook matrix.

[0193] FIG. 23 shows the output waveform of the driving signal generating unit in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG. 21 and the corresponding codebook table.

[0194] FIG. 24 shows an output waveform of the driving signal generating unit that operates according to exemplary values ​​of the codebook table in the driving and sensing unit shown in FIG.

[0195] The operation of the touch controller according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0196] As shown in (a) of FIG. 20, the multi-driving of the touch sensor 150 shown in FIG. 2 can be achieved by simultaneously applying a predetermined drive signal to four drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3 in a predetermined first time period (Touch Scan 1), simultaneously applying the drive signal to the other four drive electrodes Tx4, Tx5, Tx6, and Tx7 in a second time period after the first time period (Touch Scan 2), and simultaneously applying the drive signal to four more drive electrodes Tx8, Tx9, Tx10, and Tx11 in a third time period after the second time period (Touch Scan 3).

[0197] In addition, in a fourth time period after the third time period, the driving signal is simultaneously applied to four other driving electrodes Tx12, Tx13, Tx14, and Tx15 (Touch Scan 4), and in a fifth time period after the fourth time period, the driving signal is simultaneously applied to four other driving electrodes Tx16, Tx17, Tx18, and Tx19 (Touch Scan 5).

[0198] In (a) of FIG. 20, for convenience of explanation, each touch scan area represents an area of ​​four drive electrodes to which four drive signals are simultaneously applied during the same time period.

[0199] 20(b) shows an example of a drive signal simultaneously applied to four drive electrodes in each touch scan. Each of the drive signals may have a series of vector values ​​expressed as one or more of -1, 0, and 1 for each predetermined time period (t1, t2, t3, t4) equal to the number of the drive electrodes.

[0200] For example, in a first time interval t1, drive signals having vector values ​​(1, 1, 1, -1) are simultaneously applied to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3, in a second time interval t2, drive signals having vector values ​​(1, 1, -1, 1) are simultaneously applied to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3, in a third time interval t3, drive signals having vector values ​​(1, -1, 1, 1) are simultaneously applied to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3, in a fourth time interval t4, drive signals having vector values ​​(-1, 1, 1, 1) are simultaneously applied to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3, etc. At this time, the vector value "1" and the vector value "-1" are vector values ​​of each row and each column constituting the codebook matrix, as shown in Figure 22, where the vector value "1" maintains the phase of the drive signal and the vector value "-1" inverts the phase of the drive signal.

[0201] In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, four time intervals and four driving electrodes are illustrated, but they can be set to five or more, and therefore the rows and columns of the codebook matrix may be stored in 5x5 or more.

[0202] As shown in FIG. 23, the codebook table 211 stores a plurality of codes programmed by firmware built into the processor 221, matching them with a plurality of addresses.

[0203] Here, the codebook table is a table that can store data in internal and external memories or logic registers of the touch controller, such as SRAM and NVM, and collects code vectors for encoding and / or decoding data.

[0204] At this time, the plurality of codes may be configured by predetermined bits of binary data of the driving signal scanned for each time slot.

[0205] The first register 212 (or SRAM) may store in advance the number of codes x (number of Txs x 2) codes.

[0206] For example, if the number of TXs is set to 20 and the number of codes is set to 128, the length of the code is 128×40.

[0207] Two bits are assigned to each drive signal channel TX CH, allowing you to control the code combination.

[0208] For example, the signals may be set as 00b: a low level signal, 01b: a pulse signal, 10b: a high level signal, or 11b: an inverse pulse signal, and stored in the first register 212.

[0209] As shown in FIG. 23, when "...11010101b" is already stored at address [0] in the codebook table 211, binary values ​​

[01] ,

[01] ,

[01] , and

[11] are applied to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3 in two-bit increments, respectively.

[0210] As a result, pulse, pulse, pulse, and inverse pulse are applied as matched and set in the first register 212, which is the codebook register, and the same waveform as the top of Figure 23 is output to the drive electrodes TX0, TX1, TX2, and TX3 in each time slot.

[0211] Meanwhile, in FIG. 21, the first register 212 receives a plurality of addresses and data matching each address in the codebook table 211 and temporarily stores the addresses.

[0212] A DMA (Direct Memory Access) 213 directly accesses the first register 212 in the peripheral device and retrieves the required data without going through the processing of the built-in processor 221 .

[0213] The drive signal generating unit 214 receives a plurality of codes already stored in the codebook table 211 according to each scan mode, generates a drive signal (or Tx signal), and outputs it to the drive electrode (Tx electrode) of the touch sensor 150.

[0214] For example, assuming that two bits are assigned to each of a plurality of drive electrode channels, the drive signal may include a low level signal, a pulse signal, a high level signal, and an inverse pulse signal.

[0215] The plurality of sensors 215 senses a user's touch through the plurality of receiving electrodes and outputs a sensing signal.

[0216] The processor 221 sets a start codebook address for scanning according to a scan mode through the built-in firmware, programs each code with a combination of predetermined bits, and can read and write a corresponding code from and to the codebook table 211 every time it controls the first register 212.

[0217] For example, every time touch driving is performed, a corresponding code is read from the codebook table 211, and the codebook address is automatically incremented for each time slot.

[0218] The codebook table 211 can store various types of codes in advance according to the scan mode, and the start codebook address can be set when scanning.

[0219] The external serial interface (ESI) 222 is an input / output interface that transfers data calculated by the processor 221 to the host and receives data from the host and transfers it to the processor 221 .

[0220] The general-purpose input / output (GPIO) 223 has input and output operations controlled by the user at runtime.

[0221] The second register 224 temporarily stores data input or output via the general-purpose input / output unit 223 .

[0222] Through this, the present invention recognizes which address to start from each time scanning is performed according to each scan mode, and various operations are possible depending on the drive signal information stored and matched to the corresponding address, and drive signals can be controlled in the same time period regardless of the number of drive signals.

[0223] As described above, the present invention allows a touch input device to pre-store various code values ​​in a code book according to a touch scan mode, thereby enabling various touch sensing operations using a single touch controller.

[0224] This eliminates the need for additional firmware calculations each time the touch input device is touch-activated or each time a code change is required, thereby reducing the touch activation and sensing time of the touch input device.

[0225] In particular, when the code is changed, the central processing unit can perform different important operations, thereby increasing the operating efficiency of the central processing unit, reducing power consumption, and preventing a drop in the reporting rate.

[0226] The features, structures, effects, etc. described in the above embodiments are included in one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to only one embodiment. Furthermore, the features, structures, effects, etc. exemplified in each embodiment can be combined or modified in other embodiments by a person skilled in the art to which the embodiment belongs. Therefore, content related to such combinations and modifications should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

[0227] Furthermore, although the above description has focused on the embodiments, these are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and applications other than those illustrated above are possible within the scope of the essential characteristics of the present invention. For example, each component specifically illustrated in the embodiments can be modified and implemented. Differences related to such modifications and applications should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0228] 100, 100': Display panel 150, 150': Touch sensor 200: Touch controller 210: Driving and sensing unit 220: Control unit 300: Display controller 310: Gate drive circuit 320: Display control unit 330: Data driving circuit

Claims

1. A touch sensor; a control unit that controls the touch sensor, the touch sensor includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes; the first electrode is arranged along a first direction; the second electrodes are arranged along a second direction different from the first direction, and include a second a electrode pattern arranged to be immediately adjacent to the first electrodes, and a second b electrode pattern arranged at a predetermined distance apart from the first electrodes but not immediately adjacent to them; The control unit A plurality of codes programmed by the built-in firmware are matched with a plurality of addresses, respectively, and stored in a code book table; a touch sensor that receives the stored codes according to a scan mode, generates driving signals, outputs the driving signals to the second electrodes, receives sensing signals output from the first electrodes, and detects a touch position of an object located on the touch sensor; Touch input device.

2. The plurality of first electrodes are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of second electrodes. The touch input device of claim 1.

3. a touch controller that stores a plurality of codes and outputs a predetermined code from the plurality of codes to the plurality of second electrodes in response to a touch scan; Further comprising: The touch input device of claim 1.

4. The touch controller the control unit performing the touch scan so that a driving signal is applied to at least two of the second electrodes; a driving and sensing unit that matches the predetermined code with the at least two second electrodes in response to control of the control unit by the touch scan and outputs the predetermined code; characterized in that it comprises The touch input device of claim 3.

5. The driving and sensing unit a codebook table that stores the plurality of codes programmed by firmware built in the control unit by matching them with a plurality of addresses; a drive signal generator configured to receive the stored codes in accordance with a scan mode, generate drive signals, and output the drive signals to the second electrodes; a plurality of sensing sensors receiving sensing signals output from the plurality of first electrodes; characterized in that it comprises The touch input device of claim 4.

6. a display panel including a plurality of scan lines; a touch sensor including a plurality of drive electrodes and a plurality of receiving electrodes arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of drive electrodes; a touch controller that stores a plurality of codes and outputs a predetermined code from the plurality of codes to the plurality of drive electrodes by touch scanning; Including, The touch controller a control unit that performs the touch scan so that a driving signal is applied to at least two of the plurality of driving electrodes; a driving and sensing unit that matches the predetermined code to the at least two driving electrodes and outputs the predetermined code in response to control of the control unit by the touch scan; characterized in that it comprises Touch input device.

7. The driving and sensing unit a codebook table that stores the plurality of codes programmed by firmware built in the control unit by matching them with a plurality of addresses; a drive signal generator that receives the stored codes according to a scan mode, generates drive signals, and outputs the drive signals to the drive electrodes; a plurality of sensing sensors receiving sensing signals output from the plurality of receiving electrodes; characterized in that it comprises The touch input device of claim 6.

8. The driving and sensing unit The method further includes a first register for temporarily storing the addresses and data matched to each address in the codebook table.

8. The touch input device of claim 7.

9. the driving and sensing unit includes a codebook table that stores the plurality of codes programmed by firmware built in the control unit by matching them with a plurality of addresses, respectively; The control unit a processor that sets a start codebook address when scanning according to a scan mode through the firmware and programs the plurality of codes; an external serial interface for transmitting data calculated by the processor to a host; a second register for temporarily storing data input or output via the general-purpose input / output unit; characterized in that it comprises The touch input device of claim 6.

10. The control unit The touch scan is performed sequentially for all of the plurality of driving electrodes a plurality of times. The touch input device of claim 6.

11. Each of the drive signals is A vector value expressed by one or more of -1, 0, and 1 for each predetermined time interval is consecutive as many as the number of the plurality of driving electrodes. The touch input device of claim 6.

12. The control unit includes a processor that sets a start codebook address when scanning according to a scan mode via the firmware and programs the plurality of codes, and the processor Each time the driving and sensing unit is touch-driven, the code is read from the codebook table, and the codebook address is incremented for each time slot.

8. The touch input device of claim 7.

13. a gate driving circuit that sequentially outputs display scan signals to the plurality of scan lines to control driving timings of the plurality of sub-pixels; a data driving circuit that receives image data and converts the image data into an analog data voltage; a display control unit that transmits the video data and controls the gate drive circuit and the data drive circuit; Further comprising: The touch input device of claim 6.

14. The display panel comprises: a plurality of data lines arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of scan lines; further comprising a plurality of sub-pixels are located in areas where the plurality of scan lines and the plurality of data lines intersect, 9. The touch input device of claim 8.

15. a data driving circuit for receiving image data and converting the image data into an analog data voltage; The data driving circuit a data voltage is output to each of the plurality of data lines in accordance with timing at which a scan signal is applied through the plurality of scan lines, and each of the plurality of sub-pixels is driven to display brightness according to image data; 9. The touch input device of claim 8.

16. The codebook table is A table that collects code vectors for encoding and decoding data stored in the internal and external memories or registers of the touch controller.

8. The touch input device of claim 7.

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