Touch operation detection device and touch operation detection method

Abstract

To provide a touch operation detection device and a touch operation detection method that are capable of increasing the signal strength of a detection signal of a touch operation on a touch panel.SOLUTION: A display device includes: a drive processing unit which inputs input signals to a plurality of drive lines; an output detection processing unit that detects output signals output from a plurality of sense lines; a grouping processing unit that groups the plurality of drive lines into a plurality of groups each having a set grouped number of adjacent drive lines; and a touch operation detection processing unit that detects a touch operation on a touch panel based on a linear element sequence calculated by a matrix operation of an input sequence and an output sequence. The drive processing unit inputs the input signals having the same pattern to each of the grouped number of drive lines that have been grouped by the grouping processing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a touch operation detection device and a touch operation detection method for detecting a touch operation on a touch panel.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a capacitance-type touch operation detection device, a voltage corresponding to a code sequence is input to a plurality of drive lines, and based on an inner product operation between an output value of a sense line and the code sequence, a capacitance value formed between the drive line and the sense line is calculated (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a capacitance-type touch operation detection device, in order to accurately detect a weak change in the capacitance value due to a touch operation on the touch panel, it is required to further increase the signal strength of the detection signal.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a touch operation detection device and a touch operation detection method capable of increasing the signal strength of a detection signal for a touch operation on a touch panel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A touch operation detection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a touch operation detection device for a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines, which drives the plurality of drive lines by inputting an input signal in parallel, detects output signals from the plurality of sense lines in parallel, and detects a touch operation on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines, calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal. The touch operation detection device comprises a drive processing unit that inputs the input signal to the plurality of drive lines, a detection processing unit that detects the output signals output from the plurality of sense lines, a grouping processing unit that groups the plurality of drive lines into a plurality of groups for each set number of adjacent drive lines, and a touch operation detection processing unit that detects a touch operation on the touch panel based on the linear element sequence calculated by a matrix operation between the input sequence and the output sequence. The drive processing unit receives the same pattern of input signal for each of the number of drive lines grouped by the grouping processing unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a touch operation detection method for a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines, wherein the method drives the plurality of drive lines by inputting an input signal in parallel, detects output signals from the plurality of sense lines in parallel, and detects a touch operation on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines, which is calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal. In the touch operation detection method, one or more processors perform the following: input the input signal to the plurality of drive lines, detect the output signals output from the plurality of sense lines, group the plurality of drive lines into a plurality of groups for each set number of adjacent drive lines, detect a touch operation on the touch panel based on the linear element sequence calculated by a matrix operation between the input sequence and the output sequence, and input the same pattern of the input signal to each of the grouped drive lines. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a touch operation detection device and a touch operation detection method that can increase the signal strength of the touch operation detection signal for a touch panel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of hover operation in a display device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of hover operation in a display device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the configuration of a touch sensor according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of matrix operations in a display device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an input signal in a display device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an input signal in a display device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of matrix operations in a display device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the procedure for touch operation detection processing performed in the display device according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of the embodiments of this disclosure and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the display device 1 according to the embodiment of this disclosure comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a display panel 13, an operation unit 14, and a touch sensor 15. The display device 1 is an example of a touch operation detection device according to this disclosure.

[0012] The display device 1 is a capacitive display device capable of accepting both touch operations by the user touching the display screen 13A (hereinafter referred to as "touch operations") and non-touch operations (hereinafter referred to as "hover operations"). For example, in the case of a hover operation, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the display device 1 detects the user's finger when it approaches the display screen 13A and the distance L between the finger and the display screen 13A falls below a predetermined distance, and detects a touch operation corresponding to the position of the finger. The display device 1 then performs input processing corresponding to the user's touch operation on the display screen 13A. For example, when a user touches a predetermined position on the display screen 13A, the display device 1 detects the position on the display screen 13A corresponding to the position of the touch operation and accepts a selection operation in which the user selects an object to be selected using an input operation icon P1 displayed on the display screen 13A.

[0013] The aforementioned hover operation refers to an operation that corresponds to aligning an input operation icon P1 (such as a cursor) with a specific element (such as an object image to be selected) using an input means (such as the user's hand, fingertip, stylus pen, or support rod) on the display screen 13A, and refers to an operation in the state just before contact with the display screen 13A (a hover state in which the input means is lifted). The hover state refers to a state in which the input means is at or below a predetermined distance from the display screen 13A and the input means and the display screen 13A are not in contact, that is, a state in which the input means is brought close.

[0014] The display device 1 may be configured to accept both the touch operation and the hover operation, or it may be configured to accept either the touch operation or the hover operation.

[0015] The display panel 13 is a display that shows images, for example, a liquid crystal display. The operation unit 14 is an operating device such as a mouse or keyboard. The operation unit 14 may also be a touch panel.

[0016] The touch sensor 15 is, for example, a surface type or projection type capacitive sensor. Note that the touch sensor 15 may be constituted by a touch panel superimposed on the surface of the display panel 13. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the touch sensor 15. In the touch sensor 15, a plurality of drive electrodes arranged in a plurality in the Y direction and a plurality of sense electrodes arranged in a plurality in the X direction are arranged so as to intersect. Further, the touch sensor 15 includes a plurality of drive lines DL including a plurality of drive electrodes and arranged in parallel in the X direction, and a plurality of sense lines SL including a plurality of sense electrodes and arranged in parallel in the Y direction.

[0017] The control unit 11 inputs input signals represented by the matrix (1, -1) to the plurality of drive lines DL in parallel for driving (parallel driving) (see FIG. 4), detects the output signals from the plurality of sense lines SL in parallel, and based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal, detects a touch operation (input position) on the display screen 13A based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines DL and the plurality of sense lines SL. A specific method for detecting the touch operation based on the linear element sequence will be described later.

[0018] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various types of information. In the storage unit 12, control programs such as a touch operation detection program for causing the control unit 11 to execute a touch operation detection process (see FIG. 9) described later are stored. For example, the touch operation detection program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the display device 1 and stored in the storage unit 12. Note that the touch operation detection program may be distributed from a cloud server and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0019] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (working area) for various processes executed by the CPU. Then, the control unit 11 controls the display device 1 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0020] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as a drive processing unit 111, an output detection processing unit 112, a touch operation detection processing unit 113, and a grouping processing unit 114. Note that the control unit 11 functions as the drive processing unit 111, the output detection processing unit 112, the touch operation detection processing unit 113, and the grouping processing unit 114 by causing the CPU to execute various processes according to the touch operation detection program. Also, some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be configured by electronic circuits. Note that the touch operation detection program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

[0021] The drive processing unit 111 inputs an input signal (drive signal) to a plurality of drive lines DL. Specifically, the drive processing unit 111 drives all the drive lines DL in parallel using a matrix of an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal. For example, the drive processing unit 111 drives all the drive lines DL in parallel using a code sequence composed of a Hadamard matrix as the input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal.

[0022] The output detection processing unit 112 detects an output signal (detection signal) output from a plurality of sense lines SL. Specifically, the output detection processing unit 112 detects the output signals from the plurality of sense lines SL in parallel.

[0023] The touch operation detection processing unit 113 detects a touch operation on the touch sensor 15 based on a linear element sequence (capacitance sequence) calculated by matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal. For example, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4927216 can be used to detect the touch operation based on the linear element sequence. An example of the touch operation detection method will be explained with reference to Figure 5.

[0024] In Figure 5, for the sake of simplicity, the touch sensor 15 is assumed to have four drive lines DL1 to DL4 and four sense lines SL1 to SL4. Capacitors C11 to C44 are formed at each intersection of the drive lines DL1 to DL4 and the sense lines SL1 to SL4. Furthermore, here we show an example in which the code sequence corresponding to the input sequence is composed of a 4th-order Hadamard matrix generated by the Sylvester method.

[0025] Each sense line SL is connected to an analog integrator 16, which comprises an operational amplifier with one input coupled to a reference voltage, an integral capacitor placed between the output of the operational amplifier and the other input, three other integral capacitors connected in parallel to the integral capacitor, and three switches provided between each of the three other integral capacitors and the output of the operational amplifier.

[0026] For example, at the first drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the input signals of code sequences d1 to d4 (1,1,1,1) to each of the drive lines DL1 to DL4, and the output detection processing unit 112 detects the output signals (s11, s21, s31, s41) output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4. Next, at the second drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the input signals of code sequences d1 to d4 (1,-1,1,-1) to each of the drive lines DL1 to DL4, and the output detection processing unit 112 detects the output signals (s12, s22, s32, s42) output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4. Next, at the third drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the input signals of code sequences d1 to d4 (1,1,-1,-1) to each of the drive lines DL1 to DL4, and the output detection processing unit 112 detects the output signals (s13, s23, s33, s43) output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4. Next, at the fourth drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the input signals of code sequences d1 to d4 (1,-1,-1,1) to each of the drive lines DL1 to DL4, and the output detection processing unit 112 detects the output signals (s14, s24, s34, s44) output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4.

[0027] The touch operation detection processing unit 113 calculates a capacitance value C based on the dot product operation between the output S of the capacitance sequence and the Hadamard matrix H corresponding to the code sequence, and detects a touch operation (input position) based on the change in the capacitance value C. For example, the touch operation detection processing unit 113 calculates the capacitance value C using the matrix operation formula "CH=GS" (where G is the proportionality constant).

[0028] In the example shown in Figure 5, the touch operation detection processing unit 113 receives the output s1=(s11,s12,s13,s14) from the first capacitance sequence C1 between drive lines DL1~DL4 and sense line SL1, the output s2=(s21,s22,s23,s24) from the second capacitance sequence C2 between drive lines DL1~DL4 and sense line SL2, the output s3=(s31,s32,s33,s34) from the third capacitance sequence C3 between drive lines DL1~DL4 and sense line SL3, and the output from drive lines DL1~DL Each capacitance value is calculated based on the inner product operation between the output S, which consists of the output s4=(s41,s42,s43,s44) from the fourth capacitance sequence C4 between 4 and sense line SL4, and the Hadamard matrix H, which consists of the code sequence d1(1,1,1,1) input to drive line DL1, the code sequence d2(1,-1,1,-1) input to drive line DL2, the code sequence d3(1,1,-1,-1) input to drive line DL3, and the code sequence d4(1,-1,-1,1) input to drive line DL4. For example, the matrix operation formula is expressed as shown in equation (1) below.

[0029]

number

[0030] In this way, the control unit 11 drives all drive lines DL in parallel using a matrix (1,-1) and detects touch operations (input positions) by performing matrix operations. When multiple drive lines DL are driven in parallel using an n-th order Hadamard matrix, n times the signal strength can be obtained compared to when drive line DL1 is driven sequentially one by one (corresponding to the identity matrix).

[0031] In order to accurately detect the minute change in capacitance value caused by the touch operation in the display device 1, it is necessary to further increase the signal strength of the detection signal. Therefore, the display device 1 according to this embodiment further includes a grouping processing unit 114.

[0032] The grouping processing unit 114 groups a plurality of drive lines DL into a plurality of groups for each of the set number of adjacent grouped drive lines DL. Specifically, the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groupings based on the signal strength of the output signal detected by the output detection processing unit 112. For example, when the signal strength of the output signal is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groupings to M, and when the signal strength of the output signal is less than the threshold value, the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groupings to N (where M and N are natural numbers and M < N).

[0033] The drive processing unit 111 inputs the input signal of the same pattern for each of the drive lines DL of the number of groupings grouped by the grouping processing unit 114. For example, when the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groupings to M, the drive processing unit 111 inputs an input signal of the same code sequence for every M drive lines DL, and when the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groupings to N, the drive processing unit 111 inputs an input signal of the same code sequence for every N drive lines DL.

[0034] Hereinafter, a specific example will be given for explanation. For example, when the user performs a touch operation (e.g., a hover operation), when the user's hand performs a touch operation at a position close to the touch panel (touch sensor 15), the signal strength of the output signal detected by the output detection processing unit 112 increases. On the other hand, when the user's hand performs a touch operation at a position far from the touch panel (touch sensor 1), the signal strength of the output signal detected by the output detection processing unit 112 decreases.

[0035] The grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groups to "2" (M=2) when the user's hand is close to the touch panel and the signal strength of the output signal is above a threshold. In this case, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence input signal to each of two adjacent drive lines DL, as shown in Figure 6. For example, at each drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence input signal to drive lines DL1 and DL2, to drive lines DL3 and DL4, to drive lines DL5 and DL6, to drive lines DL7 and DL8, and to drive lines DL9 and DL10. In this case, the control unit 11 treats two adjacent drive lines DL as one drive line DL and detects the touch operation. This driving method makes it possible to improve the accuracy of touch operation position detection, for example, when a user brings their hand close to the touch panel to perform a touch operation.

[0036] In response to this, the grouping processing unit 114 sets the number of groups to "3" (N=3) when the user's hand is far from the touch panel and the signal strength of the output signal is below a threshold. In this case, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence to each of the three adjacent drive lines DL, as shown in Figure 7. For example, at each drive timing, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence to drive lines DL1, DL2, DL3, the same code sequence to drive lines DL4, DL5, DL6, and the same code sequence to drive lines DL7, DL8, DL9. In this case, the control unit 11 treats the three adjacent drive lines DL as a single drive line DL and detects the touch operation. With this driving method, the three drive lines DL can be used as a single drive electrode, so that the electric field lines formed between the drive electrode and the sense electrode can be extended to a position far from the touch panel. For this reason, for example, even when the user moves their hand away from the touch panel, it is possible to reliably detect the position of the touch operation.

[0037] In another embodiment, the drive processing unit 111 may switch between a first drive mode in which the same pattern of input signal is input to each of the M drive lines, and a second drive mode in which the same pattern of input signal is input to each of the N drive lines. For example, the drive processing unit 111 may switch to the first drive mode when the operation mode is a first operation mode (contact operation mode) that accepts touch operation by contacting the touch panel, and switch to the second drive mode when the operation mode is a second operation mode (hover operation mode) that accepts touch operation by non-contacting the touch panel. For example, when the operation mode is set to contact operation mode, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same pattern of input signal to each of the 1 drive line, and when the operation mode is set to hover operation mode, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same pattern of input signal to each of the 3 drive lines.

[0038] In another embodiment, the grouping processing unit 114 may set the number of groups to a smaller value as the user's hand moves closer to the touch panel, and set the number of groups to a larger value as the user's hand moves further away from the touch panel.

[0039] Here, we will explain an example of a matrix operation method when multiple drive lines DL are grouped together. Figure 8 shows an example where two drive lines DL are grouped together (an example where M=2). The control unit 11 treats the two grouped drive lines DL as a single drive line DL and performs matrix operations.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence d1,d2(1,1) to drive lines DL1 and DL2, and the same code sequence d3,d4(1,1) to drive lines DL3 and DL4 during the first drive timing. In this case, the input signals are represented as a 2x2 Hadamard matrix H (see equation (2) below).

[0041] The touch operation detection processing unit 113 treats the sum of capacitances C11 and C21 (C11+C21) as one capacitance, the sum of capacitances C31 and C41 (C31+C41) as one capacitance, the sum of capacitances C12 and C22 (C12+C22) as one capacitance, and the sum of capacitances C32 and C42 (C32+C42) as one capacitance. The touch operation detection processing unit 113 calculates each capacitance value based on the dot product operation between the output S, which consists of the output s1=(s11,s12) from the first capacitance sequence C1 between drive lines DL1~DL4 and sense line SL1, and the output s2=(s21,s22) from the second capacitance sequence C2 between drive lines DL1~DL4 and sense line SL2, and the 2x2 Hadamard matrix H. For example, matrix operations can be expressed as shown in equation (2) below.

[0042]

number

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the drive processing unit 111 inputs the same code sequence d1,d2(1,1) to drive lines DL1,DL2 and the same code sequence d3,d4(-1,-1) to drive lines DL3,DL4 during the second drive timing. In this case, the input signals are represented as a 2x2 Hadamard matrix H (see equation (3) below).

[0044] The touch operation detection processing unit 113 treats the sum of capacitances C13 and C23 (C13+C23) as one capacitance, the sum of capacitances C33 and C43 (C33+C43) as one capacitance, the sum of capacitances C14 and C24 (C14+C24) as one capacitance, and the sum of capacitances C34 and C44 (C34+C44) as one capacitance. The touch operation detection processing unit 113 calculates each capacitance value based on the dot product operation between the output S, which consists of the output s3=(s31,s32) from the third capacitance sequence C3 between the drive lines DL1~DL4 and the sense line SL3, and the output s4=(s41,s42) from the fourth capacitance sequence C4 between the drive lines DL1~DL4 and the sense line SL4, and the 2x2 Hadamard matrix H. For example, matrix operations can be expressed as shown in equation (3) below.

[0045]

number

[0046] In this way, the touch operation detection processing unit 113 considers multiple components in the input sequence and the capacitance sequence that correspond to each of the grouped driveline DLs as a single component, and calculates the capacitance sequence based on matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence. With the above configuration, since driveline DLs can be grouped in pairs and treated as one driveline DL, the required matrix size is halved.

[0047] [Touch operation detection process] The touch operation detection process performed by the control unit 11 of the display device 1 will be described below with reference to Figure 9.

[0048] Note that the present disclosure can be regarded as a touch operation detection method for executing one or more steps included in the touch operation detection process, and one or more steps included in the touch operation detection process described herein may be appropriately omitted. Note that the execution order of each step in the touch operation detection process may be different within the range that produces the same operational effects. Further, here, the case where the control unit 11 executes each step in the touch operation detection process is described as an example, but a touch operation detection method in which a plurality of processors execute each step in the touch operation detection process in a distributed manner is also conceivable as another embodiment.

[0049] First, in step S11, the control unit 11 detects an output signal. Specifically, the control unit 11 simultaneously inputs (parallel drives) an input signal of a code sequence to a plurality of drive lines DL, and detects an output signal output from the sense lines SL1 to SL4.

[0050] Next, in step S12, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the signal intensity of the output signal is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The signal intensity is, for example, the magnitude of the integral sum of currents flowing through the capacitances of a linear element series (capacitance array). When the control unit 11 determines that the signal intensity of the output signal is greater than or equal to the threshold value (S12: Yes), the process proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that the signal intensity of the output signal is less than the threshold value (S12: No), the process proceeds to step S121.

[0051] In step S13, the control unit 11 sets the number of groups of the drive lines DL to M. For example, the control unit 11 sets the number of groups of the drive lines DL to "two". On the other hand, in step S121, the control unit 11 sets the number of groups of the drive lines DL to N (where M and N are natural numbers and M < N). For example, the control unit 11 sets the number of groups of the drive lines DL to "three".

[0052] Next, in step S14, the control unit 11 inputs an input signal based on the set number of groupings. For example, if the control unit 11 sets the number of drive line DLs to "2", it inputs the same code sequence of input signals to each of two adjacent drive line DLs, as shown in Figure 6. Alternatively, if the control unit 11 sets the number of drive line DLs to "3", it inputs the same code sequence of input signals to each of three adjacent drive line DLs, as shown in Figure 7.

[0053] Next, in step S15, the control unit 11 detects a touch operation. Specifically, the control unit 11 calculates a capacitance value C based on the inner product of the output S of the capacitance sequence and the Hadamard matrix H corresponding to the code sequence, and detects a touch operation (input position) based on the change in the capacitance value C (see Figures 6 and 7, and equations (2) and (3)).

[0054] Next, in step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether the touch operation has ended. If the user ends the touch operation on the touch panel (display screen 13A), the control unit 11 determines that the touch operation has ended (S16: Yes) and terminates the touch operation detection process. On the other hand, if the user continues the touch operation on the touch panel, the control unit 11 determines that the touch operation has not ended (S16: No) and proceeds to step S11. In this manner, the control unit 11 executes the touch operation detection process.

[0055] As described above, the display device 1 according to this embodiment is a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines DL arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines SL arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines DL. The display device 1 drives the plurality of drive lines DL by input signals in parallel, detects output signals from the plurality of sense lines SL in parallel, and detects touch operations on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines DL and the plurality of sense lines SL, which is calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal.

[0056] Furthermore, the display device 1 inputs the input signal to multiple drive lines DL and detects the output signals output from multiple sense lines SL. The display device 1 also groups the multiple drive lines DL into multiple groups of a set number of adjacent drive lines DL, and inputs the same pattern of input signal to each of the grouped drive lines DL. Then, the display device 1 detects touch operations on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence calculated by matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence.

[0057] According to the above configuration, for example, when a user approaches the touch panel with a hand to perform a touch operation, the spatial resolution can be increased by setting the number of grouped drive lines DL to a small number, so that the position detection accuracy of the touch operation can be improved. Also, for example, when a user performs a touch operation while moving the hand away from the touch panel, by setting the number of grouped drive lines DL to a large number, the electric lines of force formed between the drive electrodes and the sense electrodes can be extended to a position far from the touch panel, and the signal strength can be increased, so that a touch operation at a position away from the touch panel can be reliably detected. That is, the distance (hover distance) from the touch panel at which a touch operation can be detected can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both ensuring the hover distance and improving the position detection accuracy.

[0058] Also, according to the above configuration, since the touch operation can be detected by adjusting the number of grouped lines without adding hardware, the cost does not increase.

[0059] Note that the control unit 11 may dynamically (in real time) change the number of grouped lines based on the signal strength of the output signal when the user is performing a touch operation. Also, the control unit 11 may be able to receive an operation for setting the number of grouped lines from the user.

[0060] Also, as another embodiment, the control unit 11 may set the number of grouped lines to M when the distance L (operation distance) (see FIG. 3) between the user's finger and the display screen 13A is less than a predetermined distance, and set the number of grouped lines to N (where M and N are natural numbers and M < N) when the distance L is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance.

[0061] The touch operation detection device of the present disclosure may be the display device 1 or may be the control unit 11 (control device) which is a component of the display device 1. That is, the touch operation detection device of the present disclosure may include the control unit 11 and may not include the display panel 13 and the touch sensor 15 (touch panel).

[0062] [Disclosure Note] The following is an overview of the disclosures extracted from the embodiments described above. Note that each configuration and processing function described below can be selected and combined as desired.

[0063] <Note 1> A touch operation detection device for a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines, which drives the plurality of drive lines by inputting input signals in parallel, detects output signals from the plurality of sense lines in parallel, and detects a touch operation on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines, calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal, A drive processing unit that inputs the input signal to the plurality of drive lines, An output detection processing unit for detecting the output signals output from the plurality of sense lines, A grouping processing unit that groups the aforementioned multiple drive lines into multiple groups for each set number of adjacent drive lines, A touch operation detection processing unit that detects touch operations on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence calculated by matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence, Equipped with, The drive processing unit is a touch operation detection device that inputs the same pattern of input signal to each of the number of drive lines grouped by the grouping processing unit.

[0064] <Note 2> The touch operation detection processing unit calculates the linear element series based on a matrix operation between the input series and the output series, considering a plurality of components corresponding to each of the drive lines of the grouped number among the components in the input series and the linear element series as one component. The touch operation detection device according to Supplementary Note 1.

[0065] <Supplementary Note 3> The grouping processing unit sets the grouped number based on the signal intensity of the output signal detected by the output detection processing unit. The touch operation detection device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2.

[0066] <Supplementary Note 4> When the signal intensity is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the grouping processing unit sets the grouped number to M, and when the signal intensity is less than the threshold value, the grouping processing unit sets the grouped number to N (where M and N are natural numbers and M < N). The touch operation detection device according to Supplementary Note 3.

[0067] <Supplementary Note 5> The drive processing unit switches between a first drive mode in which an input signal of the same pattern is input for each of the M drive lines and a second drive mode in which an input signal of the same pattern is input for each of the N drive lines. The touch operation detection device according to Supplementary Note 4.

[0068] <Supplementary Note 6> The drive processing unit switches to the first drive mode when the operation mode is the first operation mode for accepting a touch operation by contact with the touch panel, and switches to the second drive mode when the operation mode is the second operation mode for accepting a touch operation by non-contact with the touch panel. The touch operation detection device according to Supplementary Note 5.

[0069] <Supplementary Note 7> The drive processing unit drives the plurality of drive lines in parallel using a code sequence consisting of an Hadamard matrix as the input sequence. A touch operation detection device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1:Display device 11: Control Unit 12: Storage section 13: Display Panel 13A:Display screen 14:Operation section 15: Touch sensor 16: Analog Integrator 111: Drive Unit 112: Output detection processing unit 113: Touch operation detection processing unit 114: Grouping Processing Unit DL: Driveline SL: Sense Line C1: First capacitance sequence C2: Second capacitance series C3: Third capacitance row C4: Fourth capacitance series d1: code sequence d2: code sequence d3: code sequence d4: code sequence

Claims

1. A touch operation detection device for a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines, which drives the plurality of drive lines by inputting input signals in parallel, detects output signals from the plurality of sense lines in parallel, and detects a touch operation on the touch panel based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines, calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal, A drive processing unit that inputs the input signal to the plurality of drive lines, An output detection processing unit for detecting the output signals output from the plurality of sense lines, A grouping processing unit that groups the aforementioned multiple drive lines into multiple groups for each set number of adjacent drive lines, A touch operation detection processing unit that detects touch operations on the touch panel based on the linear element sequence calculated by matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence, Equipped with, The grouping processing unit sets the number of groups based on the signal intensity of the output signal detected by the output detection processing unit. The drive processing unit is a touch operation detection device that inputs the same pattern of input signal to each of the number of drive lines grouped by the grouping processing unit.

2. The touch operation detection processing unit considers multiple components in the input sequence and the linear element sequence that correspond to each of the drive lines of the grouping number as a single component, and calculates the linear element sequence based on matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence. The touch operation detection device according to claim 1.

3. The grouping processing unit sets the number of groups to M when the signal intensity is equal to or greater than a threshold, and sets the number of groups to N (where M and N are natural numbers and M < N) when the signal intensity is less than the threshold. The touch operation detection device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The drive processing unit switches between a first drive mode in which the same pattern of input signal is input to each of the M drive lines, and a second drive mode in which the same pattern of input signal is input to each of the N drive lines. The touch operation detection device according to claim 3.

5. The drive processing unit, When the operation mode is a first operation mode that accepts touch operations by contacting the touch panel, the system switches to the first drive mode. When the aforementioned operation mode is a second operation mode that accepts non-contact touch operations on the touch panel, the system switches to the second drive mode. The touch operation detection device according to claim 4.

6. The drive processing unit drives the plurality of drive lines in parallel using a code sequence consisting of an Hadamard matrix as the input sequence. The touch operation detection device according to claim 1.

7. A touch operation detection method for a touch panel having a plurality of drive lines arranged in parallel and a plurality of sense lines arranged in parallel intersecting the plurality of drive lines, wherein input signals are input in parallel to drive the plurality of drive lines, output signals from the plurality of sense lines are detected in parallel, and a touch operation on the touch panel is detected based on a linear element sequence corresponding to the capacitance at each intersection of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines, which is calculated based on a matrix operation between an input sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the input signal and an output sequence corresponding to the magnitude of the output signal, One or more processors Inputting the input signal to the aforementioned multiple drive lines, The process involves detecting the output signals that are output from the plurality of sense lines, The aforementioned multiple drive lines are grouped into multiple groups, each group consisting of a set number of adjacent drive lines. Based on the linear element sequence calculated by matrix operations between the input sequence and the output sequence, touch operations on the touch panel are detected. The number of groups is set based on the signal strength of the output signal, The same pattern of input signal is input to each of the grouped drive lines of the aforementioned number of groups, A method for detecting touch operations to perform this action.

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