Touch Driving Circuit with Shared Analog Front Ends for Smaller TICs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and large size of touch integrated circuits (TICs) in touch display panels due to the large number of analog front-end circuits, which contribute to increased overall size and cost of the touch driving circuit and chip.
Innovation Solution
A touch driving circuit design where the number of analog front-end circuits is equal to or less than the number of second touch signal terminals, with each front-end circuit connected to multiple first touch signal terminals, and a time-sharing mode is used to transmit detection signals, reducing the overall number of required front-end circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If each touch signal terminal is connected to a dedicated analog front-end circuit, then touch detection performance is improved, but the number of analog front-end circuits increases, leading to increased cost and chip area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each analog front-end circuit universal by enabling it to serve multiple touch signal terminals through time-division multiplexing. The switching circuit allows a single analog front-end circuit to sequentially connect to and process signals from multiple touch terminals, making the circuit multi-functional rather than dedicated to a single terminal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple touch signal processing functions into a single analog front-end circuit by using switching circuits to combine multiple input paths. Instead of having separate circuits for each terminal, the switching circuit merges the signal paths, allowing one analog front-end circuit to handle multiple terminals in a time-division manner.
2Measurement precision
If the number of analog front-end circuits is increased to match the number of touch signal terminals, then touch detection accuracy is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The analog front-end circuit is designed to be universal and reusable across multiple terminals. By implementing time-division multiplexing with switching circuits, a single analog front-end circuit can be reused for multiple touch signal terminals, reducing the total number of circuits needed and thereby lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic time-division multiplexing where the analog front-end circuit periodically connects to different touch terminals in sequence. This periodic switching allows one circuit to service multiple terminals over time, reducing component count and manufacturing cost while preserving the ability to detect touches at all terminals with appropriate accuracy.
3Productivity
If more analog front-end circuits are used, then touch signal processing capability is improved, but the overall size of the touch driving circuit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple touch signal processing capabilities into a single analog front-end circuit by introducing switching circuits that combine multiple terminal input paths. This merging approach allows one circuit to perform the work of multiple dedicated circuits, improving signal processing capability across all terminals while keeping the overall circuit size compact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic switching capability that allows the analog front-end circuit to dynamically reconfigure its connections to different touch terminals based on operational needs. This dynamic switching enables a single circuit to adaptively serve multiple terminals, providing flexible signal processing capability without the static overhead of multiple dedicated circuits.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch driving circuit includes first touch signal terminals, second touch signal terminals and analog front-end circuits. A number of the first touch signal terminals is greater than a number of the second touch signal terminals, and a number of the analog front-end circuits is equal to the number of the second touch signal terminals. Each analog front-end circuit in at least one analog front-end circuit is connected to at least two first touch signal terminals, and the analog front-end circuit connected to the at least two first touch signal terminals is configured to receive first touch detection signals from the at least two first touch signal terminals in a time-sharing mode. An analog front-end circuit is connected to a second touch signal terminal, and the analog front-end circuit is configured to receive a second touch detection signal from the second touch signal terminal.