Capacitive In-Cell Touch Panel Shared Sensing Line
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch panels have complex structures and high manufacturing costs due to separate sensing lines for each touch and fingerprint recognition electrode, making them inefficient for simultaneous touch point detection and fingerprint recognition.
Innovation Solution
A self-capacitive touch panel design where touch/fingerprint recognition electrodes in a row share one sensing line, simplifying the structure and reducing costs, while allowing for selective driving of touch point detection and fingerprint recognition using a driver and readout circuit with scan lines and switching transistors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate sensing lines are used for each touch and fingerprint recognition electrode, then touch detection precision and fingerprint recognition accuracy are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensing lines into a shared sensing line that serves both touch detection electrodes and fingerprint recognition electrodes. This consolidation reduces the number of sensing lines from multiple separate lines to a single shared line, thereby simplifying the overall structure while maintaining the ability to perform both touch detection and fingerprint recognition functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared sensing line is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a sensing line for touch detection electrodes during touch detection mode, and as a sensing line for fingerprint recognition electrodes during fingerprint recognition mode. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dedicated sensing lines for each function, reducing structural complexity.
2Reliability
If separate sensing lines are used for each touch and fingerprint recognition electrode, then signal interference is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing lines into one shared sensing line, reducing the total number of conductive elements that need to be manufactured and assembled. This consolidation directly lowers manufacturing complexity and cost, while the shared line is designed to maintain adequate signal quality for both touch detection and fingerprint recognition operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared sensing line is engineered to handle multiple functions sequentially and simultaneously, replacing what would traditionally require multiple dedicated lines. This multi-functionality reduces the bill of materials and assembly steps, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining operational reliability.
3Device complexity
If touch/fingerprint recognition electrodes share one sensing line, then device complexity and manufacturing cost are reduced, but signal interference may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic switching between touch detection mode and fingerprint recognition mode, where the shared sensing line is alternately assigned to different electrode groups. This time-division multiplexing approach allows the same physical line to serve different functions at different time intervals, minimizing signal interference by ensuring that touch detection and fingerprint recognition operations do not occur simultaneously on the same line.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing line configuration is made dynamic through the use of switching elements that can reconfigure the electrical connections in real-time. This dynamic switching capability allows the system to adapt the sensing line assignments based on the current operational mode, thereby managing signal interference by ensuring proper isolation between different measurement functions when they are not being performed simultaneously.
4Ease of manufacture
If touch/fingerprint recognition electrodes share one sensing line, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but operational flexibility may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The shared sensing line is designed with universal functionality to support both touch detection and fingerprint recognition operations. This multi-functional design maintains operational flexibility by allowing the system to perform either or both functions as needed, while the underlying hardware structure remains simplified with fewer sensing lines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic switching capabilities that allow real-time reconfiguration of the shared sensing line between different operational modes. This dynamic adaptability ensures that despite the simplified hardware structure, the system can flexibly respond to different operational requirements and switch between touch detection, fingerprint recognition, or both simultaneously as needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design simplifies the touch panel structure, reduces manufacturing costs, and enables effective simultaneous touch point detection and fingerprint recognition, improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a self-capacitive touch panel comprising: (m×n) sub-pixels, m and n being positive integer, respectively; and a driver configured to drive the sub-pixels
Data Source
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AI summary
A touch panel where touch/fingerprint recognition electrodes, including sub-pixels, pixels or pixel arrays in a row, share one sensing line is disclosed. The self capacitive touch panel comprises (m×n) sub-pixels, m and n being positive integer, respectively, and a driver configured to drive the sub-pixels. Here, touch/fingerprint recognition electrodes of sub-pixels in a row share one sensing line. Touch point detection and fingerprint recognition may be selectively driven through the touch panel and a readout method.