Electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device includes a touch sensing unit and a light source. The light source and the touch sensing unit are disposed adjacent to each other. The driving signal of the light source has a voltage change period. The touch sensing unit performs sensing during the sensing period. The voltage change period and the sensing period at least partially overlap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device capable of reducing coupling interference energy. Prior Art

[0002] Conventional electronic devices may include a touch sensor and a light source, with the touch sensor positioned adjacent to the light source. However, the pulses of the driving signal used to drive the light source generate transient coupled energy, which can interfere with the operation of the touch sensor and affect its sensing performance. Therefore, a new circuit structure design is needed to address the aforementioned issues. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device including a touch sensing unit and a light source. The light source and the touch sensing unit are disposed adjacent to each other. A driving signal for the light source has a voltage variation period. The touch sensing unit performs sensing during the sensing period. The voltage variation period and the sensing period at least partially overlap. Simple diagram description

[0004] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG2 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG3 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG4 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG5 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Implementation Method

[0005] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure more readily apparent, the following examples are presented and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding and simplify the illustrations, many of the drawings in this disclosure may depict only a portion of the entire device, and certain elements in the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0006] This disclosure provides various embodiments to illustrate the technical features of various implementations of the present disclosure. The configuration, quantity, and dimensions of the components in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, any duplication of component numbers between the embodiments and the drawings is for simplification and does not imply a relationship between the different embodiments.

[0007] Furthermore, the use of ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the specification and claims to modify elements of the claims does not in itself imply or represent any previous ordinal number of the claimed component, nor does it represent the order of one claimed element and another claimed element, or the order in the manufacturing method. The use of these ordinal numbers is to enable a claimed element with a certain name to be clearly distinguished from another claimed element with the same name.

[0008] In this disclosure, the features of each embodiment may be mixed and matched as desired as long as they do not violate the spirit of the invention or conflict with each other.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the term “coupled” may include any direct and indirect electrical connection means unless otherwise defined.

[0010] In this document, the terms "substantially" and "approximately" generally indicate a range within 20%, 10%, 5%, 3%, 2%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value. The quantities given here are approximate, meaning that even without the specific wording "substantially" or "approximately," the meaning of "substantially" or "approximately" is implied.

[0011] The word "including" mentioned throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to".

[0012] Furthermore, the terms "connect" and "couple" as used herein include any direct and indirect means of connection. Therefore, when a component or layer is referred to as being "connected" to another component or layer, it can be directly connected to the other component or layer, or there can be intervening components or layers between the two. When a component is referred to as being "directly connected" to another component or layer, there are no intervening components or layers between the two. If a first device in a circuit is described as being "directly coupled" or "directly electrically connected" to a second device, this means that the first and second devices are connected only through wires or passive components (such as resistors, capacitors, etc.), and no other electronic components are connected between the first and second devices. When a first device in a circuit is described as being "coupled" or "electrically connected" to a second device, this means that other electronic components (such as active components) may be present between the first and second devices.

[0013] In one embodiment, the electronic device may include, but is not limited to, a display device, a backlight device, an antenna device, a sensing device, a splicing device, or a therapeutic diagnostic device. The electronic device may be a bendable or flexible electronic device. The display device may be a non-luminous display device or a luminous display device. The antenna device may be a liquid crystal antenna device or a non-liquid crystal antenna device. The sensing device may be a device that senses capacitance, light, heat, or ultrasound, but is not limited to these. The electronic components may include passive and active components, such as capacitors, resistors, inductors, diodes, transistors, etc. The diode may include a light-emitting diode or a photodiode. The light-emitting diode may include, but is not limited to, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a sub-millimeter light-emitting diode (mini LED), a micro LED, or a quantum dot LED (QLED). The splicing device may be, but is not limited to, a display splicing device or an antenna splicing device. It should be noted that the electronic device can be any of the aforementioned arrangements and combinations, but is not limited thereto. Below, a display device will be used as an electronic device to illustrate the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG1 , the electronic device 100 may include at least a touch sensing unit 110 and a light source 120.

[0015] The touch sensing unit 110 may include at least one touch sensor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The touch sensing unit 110 may sense a touch operation and generate a corresponding touch signal.

[0016] The light source 120 can be disposed adjacent to the touch sensing unit 110. In this embodiment, the light source 120 can be a backlight module and include at least one light-emitting diode 121, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the light-emitting diode 121 can be, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a sub-millimeter light-emitting diode (mini LED), a micro LED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), or a combination thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0017] In this embodiment, the electronic device 100 may further include a first substrate 130, a display unit 140, a second substrate 150, a first driving device 160, and a second driving device 170. The first substrate 130 may be disposed between the touch sensing unit 110 and the light source 120. Specifically, the touch sensing unit 110 may be disposed on a first side 131 of the first substrate 130, while the light source 120 may be disposed adjacent to a second side 132 of the first substrate 130, where the first side 131 may be opposite the second side 132. The electronic device 100 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1 , the display unit 140 can be disposed on the touch sensing unit 110, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the display unit 140 can be disposed adjacent to the touch sensing unit 110. More specifically, when "the display unit 140 and the touch sensing unit 110 are disposed adjacent to each other," it means that the display unit 140 may include components such as transistors, data signal lines, scan signal lines, and pixel electrodes, and the transistors may be coupled to the data signal lines, scan signal lines, and pixel electrodes. The touch sensing unit 110 may include components such as touch sensing electrodes and signal readout lines, and the touch sensing electrodes may be coupled to the signal readout lines. Furthermore, some components of the display unit 140 and some components of the touch sensing unit 110 may be disposed adjacent to each other and appear parallel or at least partially overlapping in a top view. The second substrate 150 may be disposed on the display unit 140 and the touch sensing unit 110. In this embodiment, the first substrate 130 and / or the second substrate 150 may be glass substrates, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first substrate 130 may be a flexible substrate material, and the second substrate 150 may be a flexible substrate material or a thin film layer covering the display unit 140 and the touch sensing unit 110. Furthermore, the touch sensing unit 110 and the display unit 140 may be disposed between the second substrate 150 and the first substrate 130.

[0019] The first driving device 160 may be disposed on the first side 131 of the first substrate 130 , and the first driving device 160 may be electrically connected to the display unit 140 and / or the touch sensing unit 110 to drive the display unit 140 and / or the touch sensing unit 110 .

[0020] The second driving device 170 can be disposed, but is not limited to, on a side of the light source 120 opposite the second side 131 of the first substrate 130, and can be electrically connected to the light source to drive the light source 120. In other words, the second driving device 170 can generate a driving signal to the light source 120, so that the light source 120 can generate corresponding light.

[0021] The above embodiments have described the internal components of the electronic device 100 and their configuration relationships. The following will list some embodiments to illustrate the driving signals used to drive the light source.

[0022] Figure 2 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the driving signal S1 of the light source 120 (i.e., the driving signal generated by the second driving device 170) may have a voltage variation period TP. In this embodiment, the voltage variation period TP is, for example, the period during which the driving signal S1 varies from a minimum voltage value L to a maximum voltage value H, or the period during which the driving signal S1 varies from a maximum voltage value H to a minimum voltage value L. Furthermore, the driving signal S1 is, for example, a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0023] The touch sensing unit 110 can perform sensing during a sensing period TS, and at least one voltage change period TP can at least partially overlap with the sensing period TS. In other words, the touch sensing unit 110 can perform sensing during a portion of the voltage change period TP.

[0024] In some embodiments, the voltage change period TP can be greater than or equal to 200 nanoseconds (ns) and less than or equal to 20,000 nanoseconds (ns) (200 nanoseconds ≦ TP ≦ 20,000 nanoseconds), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the sensing period TS can be greater than or equal to 5,000 nanoseconds and less than or equal to 3,000,000 nanoseconds (5,000 nanoseconds ≦ TP ≦ 3,000,000 nanoseconds), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the voltage change period TP is, for example, greater than the sensing period TS.

[0025] In some embodiments, the driving signal S1 further includes a light source switching period TV. The length of the light source switching period TV can be between the length of the voltage variation period TP and the length of the sensing period TS, and covers the shorter of the two periods. For example, in this embodiment, the light source switching period TV covers the sensing period TS. More specifically, the starting point of the light source switching period TV can be located midway between the starting point of the voltage variation period TP and the starting point of the sensing period TS, and the ending point of the light source switching period TV can be located midway between the ending point of the voltage variation period TP and the ending point of the sensing period TS. Because the maximum voltage H of the light source 120 is related to the number of LEDs 121 connected in series, the voltage change rate of the light source switching period TV during the light source switching period TV varies with the number of LEDs 121 connected in series. For example, if two LEDs 121 with a maximum voltage of 2.8 volts (V) are connected in series in the light source 120, the maximum voltage required to drive the light source 120 is 5.6 volts. To reduce interference with the touch sensing unit 110 caused by the pulses of the driving signal S1 when driving the light source 120, the average voltage change rate is reduced in this embodiment. For example, during the light source on / off period TV, the average voltage change rate of the driving signal S1 can be greater than 0 and less than 0.028 (V / nanosecond) (i.e., 5.6 V divided by 200 nanoseconds), but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Since, in this embodiment, the light source on / off period TV falls within the voltage change period TP, the voltage change rate of the driving signal S1 during the voltage change period TP is the same as the average voltage change rate during the light source on / off period TV.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the voltage change rate during the voltage change period TP is the same as the average voltage change rate during the light source switching period TV, the average voltage change rate during the light source switching period TV can be equal to the voltage change amount D1 of the driving signal S1 (the voltage difference between the highest voltage value H and the lowest voltage value L of the driving signal S1) divided by the length of the voltage change period TP (i.e., the average voltage change rate = D1 / TP). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the highest voltage value is, for example, 5.6 volts (V), and the lowest voltage value is, for example, 0 V, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0027] In some embodiments, the waveform of the driving signal S1 at the point where the voltage begins to increase has an angle θ1. Furthermore, the angle θ1 can be greater than 90 degrees and less than or equal to 150 degrees (i.e., 90 degrees < θ1 ≦ 150 degrees), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the angle θ1 can be 140 degrees.

[0028] Figure 3 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 1 and 3, the driving signal S1 of the light source 120 (i.e., the driving signal generated by the second driving device 170) may have a voltage variation period TP. In this embodiment, the voltage variation period TP is, for example, the period during which the driving signal S1 varies from a maximum voltage value H to a maximum voltage value L, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the voltage variation period TP may be the period during which the driving signal S1 varies from a minimum voltage value L to a maximum voltage value H. Furthermore, the driving signal S1 is, for example, a pulse-width modulated signal, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0029] The touch sensing unit 110 can perform sensing during the sensing period TS, and the voltage change period TP can at least partially overlap with the sensing period TS. In other words, the touch sensing unit 110 can perform sensing during part of the voltage change period TP.

[0030] This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that the voltage variation period TP is shorter than the sensing time TS, and the light source switching period TV covers the voltage variation period TP. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the minimum voltage L of the driving signal S1 is increased to reduce the voltage variation D1 of the driving signal S1. The minimum voltage L can be higher than 0 volts and lower than the voltage at which the light-emitting diode 121 in the light source 120 begins to emit light. For example, if the light-emitting diode 121 begins to emit light at a voltage of 2 volts, and the light source 120 is configured as a set of two light-emitting diodes 121 connected in series, the minimum voltage L of the driving signal should be higher than 0 volts and lower than 4 volts (equal to 2 volts multiplied by 2).

[0031] Depending on the type of LED 121 used and the number of LEDs 121 connected in series, the maximum voltage H and minimum voltage L of the driving signal S1 may also vary. In this embodiment, the voltage variation D1 of the driving signal S1 can be 10% to 90% of the maximum voltage H of the driving signal S1, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other words, in this embodiment, by increasing the minimum voltage L of the driving signal S1, the voltage variation D1 is reduced, further reducing the interference of the driving signal S1 pulses on the touch sensing unit 110.

[0032] During the light source switching period TV, the average voltage change rate can be equal to the voltage change D1 of the drive signal S1 divided by the duration of the light source switching period TV (i.e., average voltage change rate = D1 / TV). As the voltage change D1 decreases and the light source switching period TV is longer than the voltage change period TP, the average voltage change rate also decreases. Furthermore, the average voltage change rate during the light source switching period TV is less than the voltage change rate during the voltage change period TP.

[0033] In some embodiments, an angle θ2 is formed between the lowest voltage value L of the driving signal S1 and the driving signal S1 during the voltage variation period TP. Furthermore, the angle θ2 can be greater than 90 degrees and less than or equal to 150 degrees (i.e., 90 degrees < θ2 ≦ 150 degrees), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the angle θ2 can be 110 degrees. Although the voltage variation rate during the voltage variation period TP in this embodiment may be faster than that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the reduced voltage variation D1 can still reduce interference of the driving signal S1 pulse on the touch sensing unit 110.

[0034] FIG4 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The driving signal S1 in FIG4 substantially combines the driving signal S1 of the embodiment of FIG2 and the embodiment of FIG3. In other words, FIG4 simultaneously reduces the voltage variation rate during the voltage variation period TP and the voltage variation D1 of the driving signal S1. Therefore, please refer to the relevant descriptions of FIG2 and FIG3 and will not be repeated here.

[0035] Figure 5 is a waveform diagram of a driving signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. This embodiment is substantially similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, so the similarities will not be repeated. This embodiment differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 3 in that the touch sensing unit 110 can perform sensing during another sensing period TS2, and during sensing period TS2, the driving signal S1 can have no voltage change, for example, the driving signal S1 is at a minimum voltage value L or the voltage change D1 is zero. Specifically, sensing time TS2 can be between the second and third pulses. This allows the touch sensing unit 110 to perform sensing during sensing period TS (i.e., at least partially overlapping with voltage change period TP) and / or sensing period TS2 (i.e., during which the driving signal S1 has no voltage change), thereby increasing ease of use.

[0036] In Figure 5, the location of sensing period TS2 is an example embodiment of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Because the frequency of the signal driving the touch sensing unit 110 and the frequency of the driving signal S1 driving the light source 120 may not be equal, part of sensing period TS2 may be located between two adjacent pulses of the driving signal S1. In addition to the case shown in Figure 5 where sensing period TS2 is located between the second and third pulses, in some embodiments, sensing period TS2 may also be located between the first and second pulses. In other embodiments, the driving signal S1 of the light source 120 may be variable depending on the needs (for example, if the light source 120 has a variable frequency lighting function), so the interval between the second and third pulses may be greater than the interval between the first and second pulses, thereby placing sensing period TS2 between the second and third pulses.

[0037] In summary, the electronic device of the disclosed embodiment has a driving signal for the light source having a voltage variation period, the touch sensing unit performing sensing during the sensing period, and the voltage variation period and the sensing period at least partially overlap. Furthermore, during the light source on / off period of the driving signal (the length of the light source on / off period is between the length of the voltage variation period and the length of the sensing period), the average voltage variation rate of the driving signal is greater than 0 and less than 0.028 (V / ns). Furthermore, the voltage variation of the driving signal is 10% to 90% of the maximum voltage value of the driving signal. Furthermore, an angle is formed between the minimum voltage value of the driving signal and the driving signal during the voltage variation period, and this angle is greater than 90 degrees and less than or equal to 150 degrees. Thus, by changing the waveform of the driving signal, the coupling interference energy of the driving signal to the touch sensing unit can be reduced, or the impact on the sensing performance of the touch sensing unit can be reduced.

[0038] Although the present disclosure is disclosed above through embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Anyone with ordinary skill in the art may replace, reorganize, mix, or make slight adjustments, combinations, modifications, and refinements to implement other embodiments by replacing, recombining, mixing, or modifying the features of the various embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent applications.

[0039] 100: Electronic devices 110: touch sensing unit 120: Light source 121: Light-emitting diode 130: first substrate 131: First side 132: Second side 140: Display unit 150: Second substrate 160: First driving device 170: Second drive device S1: driving signal TP: Voltage change period TS: Sensing period TS2: Another sensing period TV: Light source switching period H: Maximum voltage value L: Minimum voltage value θ1,θ2: Angle D1: voltage change

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: One touch sensing unit; A light source is disposed adjacent to the touch sensing unit; wherein a driving signal of the light source has a voltage change period, the touch sensing unit performs sensing during a sensing period, and the voltage change period and the sensing period at least partially overlap, wherein the frequency of the driving signal is different from the frequency of a signal driving the touch sensing unit.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the drive signal is a pulse width modulation signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the length of the voltage change period is greater than or equal to 200 nanoseconds and less than or equal to 20,000 nanoseconds.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the length of the sensing period is greater than or equal to 5,000 nanoseconds and less than or equal to 3,000,000 nanoseconds.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the drive signal further comprises a light source switching period, the start point of the light source switching period being located at the midpoint between the start point of the voltage change period and the start point of the sensing period, the end point of the light source switching period being located at the midpoint between the end point of the voltage change period and the end point of the sensing period, and during the light source switching period, an average rate of change of voltage of the drive signal is greater than 0 and less than 0.028 (volts / nanosecond).

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a voltage change of the drive signal is the difference between a highest voltage value and a lowest voltage value of the drive signal, and the voltage change is 10% to 90% of the highest voltage value.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing unit performs sensing during another sensing period, and during that other sensing period, the drive signal has no voltage change.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the waveform of the drive signal at the point where the voltage value begins to rise has an angle, and the angle is greater than 90 degrees and less than or equal to 150 degrees.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 further includes a first substrate, wherein the touch sensing unit is disposed on the first substrate, and the first substrate is located between the touch sensing unit and the light source.

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