Integrated Touch Display Controller Sharing Analog Front-End
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current touch display systems require multiple semiconductor chips for touch controllers and display drivers, leading to increased system complexity and circuit area, which complicates the integration of touch sensing and display functionality.
Innovation Solution
A touch display controller and system design that integrates a touch controller, display driver, and pixel compensation circuit into a single semiconductor chip, sharing analog circuits and processing paths to simplify the system configuration and reduce circuit area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If touch controller and display driver are implemented as separate semiconductor chips, then each chip can be optimized independently, but system complexity and circuit area increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touch controller and display driver into a single integrated semiconductor chip. The controller includes a processing unit that handles both touch sensing operations and display driving operations, along with shared memory units and data buses. This integration eliminates the need for separate chips while maintaining independent optimization capabilities through modular internal architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing unit in the integrated controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes touch sensing data from the touch sensor panel, generates display driving signals for the display panel, and manages data exchange between different components. This multi-functional design allows a single chip to replace multiple specialized chips while maintaining optimization flexibility.
2Ease of manufacture
If touch controller and display driver are implemented as separate semiconductor chips, then each chip can be optimized independently, but circuit area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the touch controller and display driver into a single semiconductor chip, consolidating what would previously require separate chips into one unified device. The integrated controller includes shared processing units, memory, and data buses that handle both touch sensing and display driving functions, thereby reducing the total circuit area occupied by multiple discrete components.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated controller employs a hierarchical architecture where the processing unit contains nested functional blocks for touch processing and display driving. Memory units are organized in nested structures with different levels of cache and buffer, allowing efficient space utilization. This nested organization enables compact layout while maintaining independent optimization of each functional block.
3Productivity
If separate chips are used for touch controller and display driver, then system configuration becomes complex, but individual component performance can be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the touch controller and display driver into a single integrated unit with a processing unit that handles both types of operations. The integrated design includes specialized processing blocks for touch sensing and display driving that are organized within a unified architecture, reducing system configuration complexity while preserving the ability to optimize individual functional blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
Within the integrated controller, the processing unit is segmented into distinct functional blocks: a touch processing block for handling touch sensor data, a display driving block for generating display signals, and shared resources like memory and data buses. This segmentation allows each block to be independently optimized while maintaining a simplified overall system configuration compared to separate chips.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch display controller, panel and system may include a select circuit having a first selectable input terminal connected to touch sensors, a second selectable input terminal connected to display pixels, and an output terminal; an analog front-end circuit coupled to the output terminal of the select circuit to receive a raw analog signal, and having a shared processing path for analog signals from both the touch sensors and the display pixels; and a control circuit configured to control the an analog front-end circuit based on which type of element among the touch sensors or the display pixels is connected to the analog front-end circuit.