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 status signal generating portions each of which generates a status signal indicative of a close status of an indicator to an assigned detecting region;   a position calculating portion for processing the status signal, thereby calculating a position of the indicator on a detecting surface constituted by a combination of detecting regions; 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 and to set a new effective region which is the whole detecting surface at every predetermined timing, 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,   the touch panel controller carrying out at least one of:   a first operation for causing the driving portion to selectively drive the status signal generating portion in which at least a part of the assigned detecting region is included in the effective region set currently, thereby generating the status signal selectively; and   a second operation for causing the position calculating portion to selectively process the status signal generated by the status signal generating portion in which at least a part of the assigned detecting region is included in the effective region set currently.   
     
     
         2 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein the status signal generating portions are constituted by:
 a plurality of parallel drive lines provided along the detecting surface; and   a plurality of parallel sense lines provided along the detecting surface, the sense lines solid crossing the drive lines, each of the sense lines generating the status signal; and   the driving portion drives the drive line, thereby generating the status signal on the sense line solid crossing the driven drive line.   
     
     
         3 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 2 , wherein the driving portion selectively drives the drive line passing through the effective region. 
     
     
         4 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 3 , 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.   
     
     
         5 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 2 , wherein the position calculating portion selectively processes the status signal generated on the sense line passing through the effective region. 
     
     
         6 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 5 , 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. 
     
     
         7 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 5 , 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. 
     
     
         8 . 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. 
     
     
         9 . 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. 
     
     
         10 . 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.   
     
     
         11 . 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. 
     
     
         12 . The touch panel controller according to  claim 1 , wherein an upper limit is set to the number of the new effective regions set by the region setting portion. 
     
     
         13 . A touch panel system comprising:
 the touch panel controller according to  claim 1 ; and   the plurality of status signal generating portions.   
     
     
         14 . The touch panel system according to  claim 13 , wherein the status signal generating portions are constituted by:
 a plurality of parallel drive lines provided along the detecting surface; and   a plurality of parallel sense lines provided along the detecting surface, the sense lines solid crossing the drive lines, each of the sense lines generating the status signal; and   includes a mounting surface obtained by wiring the drive lines and the sense lines to a panel body.   
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a touch panel system, comprising:
 a status detecting step of generating a status signal indicative of a close status of an indicator to a detecting region;   a position calculating step of processing the status signal, thereby calculating a position of the indicator on a detecting surface constituted by a combination of detecting regions; 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 and to set a new effective region which is the whole detecting surface at every predetermined timing, wherein   a new effective region based on the positions of the indicators calculated at the position calculating step is set at the effective region setting step when the positions of the indicators are calculated at the position calculating step,   there is carried out at least one of:   a first operation for selectively generating the status signal indicative of the close status of the indicator to the detecting region having at least a part included in the effective region set currently at the status detecting step; and   a second operation for selectively processing the status signal indicative of the close status of the indicator to the detecting region having at least a part included in the effective region set currently at the position calculating step.