Touch Sensor Electrode Control for Folded Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensors face challenges in efficiently detecting touch positions on large-area display devices, particularly when the devices are folded or curved, due to increased complexity and the need for multiple signal channels.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a touch sensor system with a plurality of driving electrodes and sensing electrodes, where a touch controller supplies driving signals to either some or multiple adjacent driving electrodes, and detects touch positions using sensing signals from specific electrodes or reference electrodes, optimizing signal distribution and detection efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If driving signals are supplied to all driving electrodes simultaneously, then touch detection accuracy is improved, but the number of signal channels and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is divided into multiple regions, and driving signals are supplied to driving electrodes in each region sequentially or selectively based on the folding state. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high touch detection accuracy in the active region while reducing the number of simultaneously active signal channels, thereby resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch controller dynamically adjusts which driving electrodes receive signals based on the folding state of the display device. When folded, only driving electrodes in the unfolded region are activated, while electrodes in the folded region are deactivated. This dynamic adaptation maintains detection accuracy in the usable area while reducing overall system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If all sensing electrodes are used for touch detection, then touch position detection accuracy is improved, but the detection time and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and uses only the sensing electrodes located in the unfolded region for touch detection when the display is folded. By taking out and utilizing only the necessary sensing electrodes rather than all electrodes, the system maintains accurate touch position detection in the active area while reducing detection time and processing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the display have different functional qualities - the unfolded region is optimized for touch detection while the folded region is optimized for display functionality. The system applies local quality by activating sensing electrodes only in the unfolded region, ensuring high detection accuracy where needed while minimizing processing overhead.
3Ease of operation
If the display device is folded or curved, then portability and user convenience are improved, but touch detection reliability deteriorates due to electrode misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to the folding state by detecting which region is unfolded and activating only the driving and sensing electrodes in that region. This dynamic adjustment ensures that touch detection remains reliable and accurate regardless of the display's physical state, maintaining reliability while enabling portable folding configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch controller receives feedback about the folding state and adjusts electrode activation accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that only electrodes in the unfolded, touch-sensitive region are activated, maintaining reliable touch detection while allowing the device to be folded for portability.
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 approach reduces the number of signal channels required, enabling efficient touch position detection even on large-area displays, and allows for fast and accurate detection when the device is folded or curved.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitive touch sensor senses a point at which capacitance is changed as a user's hand or object is in contact therewith, thereby detecting a touch position
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes: a display panel including a first surface on which an image is displayed and a second surface opposing the first surface, and a touch sensor, wherein the touch sensor includes a plurality of driving electrodes, a plurality of sensing electrodes disposed to intersect the plurality of driving electrodes, and a touch controller supplying driving signals to the plurality of driving electrodes, wherein, as the display panel is folded or curved, the touch controller sequentially supplies driving signals to the plurality of driving electrodes or simultaneously supplies the driving signals to at least two driving electrodes among the plurality of driving electrodes.