Touch panel controller, touch panel system and method of operating touch panel system

Abstract

A touch panel system in which power consumption is reduced, detection sensitivity is enhanced, a controller for the touch panel system, and a method of operating the system. Touch panel system includes status detecting portion having status signal generating portions generating a status signal indicative of a close status of an indicator, a position calculating portion processing the status signal, thereby calculating a position of the indicator on a detecting surface, and a region setting portion for updating an effective region set in the detecting surface P based on the position of the indicator which is calculated by the position calculating portion. A first operation causes the status signal generating portions SL and DL to selectively generate a status signal and a second operation causes the position calculating portion to selectively process the status signals generated by the status signal generating portions SL and DL.

1 . A touch panel controller comprising:
 a driving portion for driving a plurality of parallel drive lines provided along a detecting surface;   a position calculating portion for processing a status signal generated on a plurality of parallel sense lines provided along the detecting surface and solid crossing the drive lines, thereby calculating a position of an indicator on the detecting surface; and   a region setting portion for updating an effective region set in the detecting surface to set a new effective region based on the position of the indicator calculated by the position calculating portion, wherein   the driving portion selectively drives the drive line passing through the effective region set currently, and   the position calculating portion selectively processes the status signal generated on the sense line passing through the effective region set currently.   
     
     
         2 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the driving portion applies a peculiar driving signal set every drive line to each of the drive lines passing through the effective region, and
 does not apply the driving signal to each of the drive lines not passing through the effective region.   
     
     
         3 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the position calculating portion includes an amplifying portion for selectively amplifying the status signal generated on the sense line passing through the effective region. 
     
     
         4 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the position calculating portion includes a signal acquiring portion for selectively acquiring the status signal generated on the sense line passing through the effective region and outputting the status signal in a time division. 
     
     
         5 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the region setting portion sets a new effective region including the position of the indicator calculated by the position calculating portion. 
     
     
         6 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the region setting portion sets a new effective region which is the whole detecting surface when the position calculating portion does not calculate the position of the indicator. 
     
     
         7 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the region setting portion sets a new effective region based on the position of the indicator calculated by the position calculating portion when a first mode is selected, and
 the region setting portion continuously sets a new effective region which is the whole detecting surface when a second mode is selected.   
     
     
         8 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the region setting portion sets a new effective region based on the positions of the indicators calculated by the position calculating portion when the position calculating portion calculates the positions of the indicators. 
     
     
         9 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 8 , wherein the region setting portion sets a plurality of new effective regions corresponding to the positions of the respective indicators when setting the new effective regions based on the positions of the indicators calculated by the position calculating portion. 
     
     
         10 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 8 , wherein an upper limit is set to the number of the new effective regions set by the region setting portion. 
     
     
         11 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 8 , wherein the region setting portion sets the new effective region which is the whole detecting surface at every predetermined timing. 
     
     
         12 . A touch panel system comprising:
 the touch panel controller according to  claims 1 ;   the drive lines;   the sense lines; and   a mounting surface obtained by wiring the drive lines and the sense lines to a panel body.   
     
     
         13 . A method of operating a touch panel system, comprising:
 a status detecting step of driving a plurality of parallel drive lines provided along a detecting surface, thereby generating a status signal on a plurality of parallel sense lines provided along the detecting surface and solid crossing the drive lines;   a position calculating step of processing the status signal generated on the sense lines, thereby calculating a position of the indicator on the detecting surface; and   an effective region setting step of updating an effective region set in the detecting surface to set a new effective region based on the position of the indicator calculated at the position calculating step, wherein the drive line passing through the effective region set currently is selectively driven at the status detecting step; and   the position calculating portion selectively processes the status signal generated on the sense line passing through the effective region set currently at the position calculating step.