Timing Controller Touch Detection Without Physical Buttons
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display devices face challenges in detecting user touch interactions without a touch panel, especially as the bezel area decreases, making it difficult to accommodate user control buttons and requiring innovative solutions to recognize user inputs.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a panel of subpixels, a characteristic sensing circuit that generates coordinate data when a subpixel's characteristic value differs from a reference, and a host controller that recognizes user manipulations based on this data, eliminating the need for physical buttons and touch panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the bezel area is decreased to achieve thinner display device edges, then the aesthetic appearance and modern design are improved, but the space available for disposing user control buttons is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the user control button functionality with the touch panel by integrating touch-sensitive control elements directly into the display surface. This allows control buttons to be disposed on the touch panel rather than requiring separate bezel space, resolving the contradiction between thin bezel design and button placement availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch panel serves multiple functions: it acts as both the display interface and the control input interface. By making the touch panel universal for both viewing and control operations, the patent eliminates the need for separate physical control buttons in the bezel area, thus maintaining thin bezel design while preserving control functionality.
2Ease of operation
If user control buttons are disposed in the bezel area, then user input functionality is provided, but the bezel area must be sufficiently large to accommodate these buttons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical physical buttons with a touch-sensitive interface. Instead of using mechanical buttons that require physical space in the bezel, the system uses touch-sensitive elements on the display surface that detect user input through capacitance or resistance changes, eliminating the need for mechanical button structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the control interface from the lateral dimension (bezel area) to the vertical dimension (display surface). By disposing control elements on the touch panel surface rather than on the side bezels, the system utilizes the display area itself for control functions, effectively transitioning the control interface to a different spatial dimension.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a touch panel is used to detect user manipulation, then user touch interaction can be sensed, but the cost increases and the bezel area requirement is not reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the display panel itself serve the dual purpose of display and touch detection. The display panel's existing structure and materials are utilized for touch sensing functionality, allowing it to detect user manipulation without requiring a separate, dedicated touch panel layer. This self-service approach reduces overall system complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical parameters of the display panel to enable touch detection functionality. By modifying the electrical characteristics (such as adding conductive layers or changing material properties) of the existing display panel, the system gains touch sensing capability without adding a completely separate touch panel subsystem, thereby reducing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a display device and a timing controller. The display device includes a panel on which a number of subpixels are disposed and a characteristic sensing circuit sensing characteristic values of the number of subpixels. When a difference between the characteristic value of a specific subpixel among the number of subpixels and a reference value exceeds a predetermined range, the characteristic sensing circuit generates coordinate data of the specific subpixel. The display device includes a host controller recognizing a user manipulation based on the coordinate data.