CN110489021B - Touch sensor, electronic paper display panel and electronic paper display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a touch sensor for sensing a touch object. The touch sensor includes a sensing element and a sensing circuit. The sensing element includes a substrate, sensing electrodes, sensing common electrodes and a shielding layer. The sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes are configured on the substrate. The shielding layer is configured on the sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes. The sensing circuit is electrically connected to the sensing element. The sensing circuit includes a resistive element. The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of the touch sensor depends on the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching an object. Touching objects are conductors. In addition, an electronic paper display panel and an electronic paper display device including the above-mentioned touch sensor are also proposed.

Description

Touch sensor, electronic paper display panel and electronic paper display device

technical field

The present invention relates to a sensor, a display panel and a display device, in particular to a touch sensor, an electronic paper display panel and an electronic paper display device.

Background technique

In recent years, electronic paper display devices have been widely used in electronic readers (such as e-books, electronic newspapers) or other electronic components (such as electronic tags) due to their advantages of thinness, durability, energy-saving and environmental protection, and low power consumption. ). On the other hand, if the electronic paper display device has a touch sensing function, it will provide an intuitive input method for the user and improve the user experience.

Generally speaking, the touch sensor must be exposed to the air, and its internal layered structure should not include, for example, an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) conductive film or other similar conductive layers to avoid covering other The layered structure causes shielding effect, so that the touch sensor cannot perform touch sensing operation. However, the panel of the electronic paper display device usually includes an ITO conductive film or other similar conductive layers. When the touch sensor is integrated into the panel of the electronic paper display device, it is easy to make the touch sensor unable to perform touch sensing operation.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides a touch sensor, an electronic paper display panel and an electronic paper display device, which include a shielding layer and can provide a touch sensing function.

The touch sensor of the present invention is used for sensing touch objects. The touch sensor includes a sensing element and a sensing circuit. The sensing element includes a substrate, sensing electrodes, sensing common electrodes and a shielding layer. The sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes are configured on the substrate. The shielding layer is configured on the sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes. The sensing circuit is electrically connected to the sensing element. The sensing circuit includes a resistive element. The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of the touch sensor is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching an object, wherein the touching object is a conductor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned touch sensor operates in an operating frequency range between the first frequency and the second frequency. The second frequency is greater than the first frequency.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sensing electrodes and sensing common electrodes form a first capacitive element. The shielding layer and the sensing electrodes form a second capacitive element. The shielding layer and the sensing common electrode form a third capacitive element. The touch object touches the touch sensor to form a fourth capacitive element and a fifth capacitive element with the shielding layer respectively.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above sensing circuit receives a reference voltage. The reference voltage is switched between the first voltage and the second voltage, and charges and discharges the first terminal of the first capacitive element to generate a relaxation signal. The relaxation signal oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above sensing circuit further includes an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input terminal receives a reference voltage. The output end is coupled to the first end of the resistance element. The second input end is coupled to the second end of the resistance element and the first end of the first capacitance element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned shielding layer includes a conductive layer.

The electronic paper display device of the present invention has a touch sensing function. The electronic paper display device includes an electronic paper display panel. The electronic paper display panel includes a plurality of touch sensors. Each touch sensor includes a sensing element and a sensing circuit. The sensing element includes a substrate, sensing electrodes, sensing common electrodes and a shielding layer. The sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes are configured on the substrate. The shielding layer is configured on the sensing electrodes and the sensing common electrodes. The sensing circuit is electrically connected to the sensing element. The sensing circuit includes a resistive element. The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching an object, wherein the touching object is a conductor. The touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display device is a segmented electronic paper display device (segmented electronic paper display). The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display device is a thin film transistor electronic paper display device (thin film transistor electronic paper display). The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element.

The electronic paper display panel of the present invention has a touch sensing function. The electronic paper display panel includes a plurality of pixel units. The pixel units are arranged in an array. The pixel unit is electrically connected to one or more sensing circuits. The pixel unit is used to sense the touch object. Each sensing circuit includes a resistive element. The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the pixel unit. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching an object, wherein the touching object is a conductor. The touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each pixel unit includes a first transistor circuit and a second transistor circuit. In the display mode, the first scan signal turns on the transistors in the first transistor circuit, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation. In the sensing mode, the second scan signal turns on the transistors in the second transistor circuit, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation. The second transistor circuit is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit and the one or more sensing circuits. The second transistor circuit includes a touch capacitive element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned touching object touches the pixel unit to form a sensing capacitive element with the pixel unit. The second transistor circuit also includes a sensing capacitive element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of first scan lines and a plurality of second scan lines. The first scan line is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit. Each first scan line is used for providing a first scan signal to the first transistor circuit. The second scan line is electrically connected to the second transistor circuit. Each second scan line is used for providing a second scan signal to the second transistor circuit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of data lines. The data line is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit. Each data line is used for providing data signal to the first transistor circuit. In the display mode, the transistors in the first transistor circuit are turned on, so that the pixel unit displays image data according to the data signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned second transistor circuit is electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits through a data line. In the sensing mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuits are turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element through the data line to generate a relaxation signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of sensing lines. The sensing line is electrically connected to the second transistor circuit. The second transistor circuit is electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits through the sensing line. In the sensing mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuits are turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element through the sensing line to generate a relaxation signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of first common electrode lines and a plurality of second common electrode lines. The first common electrode line is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit. Each first common electrode line is used to provide a first common electrode signal to the first transistor circuit. In the display mode, the transistors in the first transistor circuit are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation according to the first common electrode signal. The second common electrode line is electrically connected to the second transistor circuit. Each second common electrode line is used for providing a second common electrode signal to the second transistor circuit. In the sensing mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuit are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation according to the second common electrode signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each pixel unit above further includes a third transistor circuit. The third transistor circuit is electrically connected between the first transistor circuit and the second transistor circuit. In the display mode, the third scan signal turns on transistors among the third transistor circuits to transfer data signals to the third transistor circuits. In display mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuit are not conductive.

In an embodiment of the present invention, in the sensing mode, the above-mentioned third scan signal does not turn on the transistors in the third transistor circuit. In the sensing mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuit are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of third scan lines. The third scan line is electrically connected to the third transistor circuit. Each third scan line is used for providing a third scan signal to the third transistor circuit. In the display mode, the third scan signal turns on the transistors in the third transistor circuit, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of sensing lines. The sensing line is electrically connected to the second transistor circuit. The second transistor circuit is electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits through the sensing line. In the sensing mode, the transistors in the second transistor circuits are turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element through the sensing line to generate a relaxation signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of first common electrode lines. The first common electrode line is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit and the third transistor circuit. Each first common electrode line is used to provide a first common electrode signal to the first transistor circuit and the third transistor circuit. In the display mode, the transistors in the first transistor circuit and the third transistor circuit are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation according to the first common electrode signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the above-mentioned one or more sensing circuits receives a reference voltage, and charges and discharges the first end of each touch capacitive element to generate a relaxation signal. The reference voltage is switched between a first voltage and a second voltage. The relaxation signal oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above sensing circuit further includes an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input end receives the reference voltage, the output end is coupled to the first end of the resistance element, and the second input end is coupled to the second end of the resistance element and the first end of the touch capacitive element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned pixel unit is divided into one or more pixel unit groups, and each of the one or more pixel unit groups is electrically connected to the corresponding one or more sensing circuits. a sensing circuit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel has a touch sensing function. The electronic paper display panel includes a plurality of pixel units. The pixel units are arranged in an array to sense touch objects. Each pixel unit includes a first transistor, a pixel capacitance element, a storage capacitance element, a second transistor, a touch capacitance element and a sensing capacitance element. The first transistor has a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal. The first end of the first transistor is electrically connected to the data line. The control end of the first transistor is electrically connected to the first scan line. The pixel capacitive element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first end of the pixel capacitance element is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor. The second end of the pixel capacitance element is electrically connected to a first common electrode line. The storage capacitor element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first end of the storage capacitor element is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor. The second end of the storage capacitor element is electrically connected to the first common electrode line. The second transistor has a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal. The first end of the second transistor is electrically connected to the data line. The control end of the second transistor is electrically connected to the second scan line. The touch capacitive element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the touch capacitive element is electrically connected to the second terminal of the second transistor. The second terminal of the touch capacitive element is electrically connected to the second common electrode line. The sensing capacitive element has a first terminal and a second terminal. The first end of the sensing capacitive element is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor. The second end of the sensing capacitive element is electrically connected to the second common electrode line. The data line is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the one or more sensing circuits. The sensing circuit includes a resistive element. The relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the pixel unit. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching an object, wherein the touching object is a conductor. The touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each pixel unit includes a third transistor. The third transistor has a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal. The first terminal of the third transistor is electrically connected to the second terminal of the second transistor. The second terminal of the third transistor is electrically connected to the second terminal of the first transistor. The control end of the third transistor is electrically connected to the third scan line. The first end of the second transistor is electrically connected to the sensing line.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a first scan line, a second scan line, a data line, a first common electrode line and a second common electrode line. The first scan line, the second scan line and the first common electrode line are arranged in the first direction. The data lines and the second common electrode lines are arranged in the second direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned electronic paper display panel further includes a plurality of third scanning lines and a plurality of sensing lines. The third scan lines are aligned in the first direction. The sensing lines are arranged in the second direction.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sensing circuit receives a reference voltage, and charges and discharges the first end of the touch capacitive element to generate a relaxation signal. The reference voltage is switched between a first voltage and a second voltage. The relaxation signal oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above sensing circuit further includes an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input terminal receives a reference voltage. The output end is coupled to one end of the resistance element. The second input end is coupled to the other end of the resistance element and the first end of the touch capacitive element.

Based on the above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensor includes a shielding layer, the relaxation frequency of which is determined according to the resistance value of the resistive element and the capacitance value of the capacitive element, and changes in response to the touching object, which can provide a good sense of touch. measure quality. In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit. An electronic paper display panel including a touch sensor and an electronic paper display device can provide a touch sensing function.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the sensing element of the embodiment of Fig. 1;

3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of equivalent circuits of the touch sensor in the embodiment of FIG. 1 at different operating frequencies;

5 is a schematic diagram of an operating frequency range when the touch sensor of FIG. 1 performs a touch sensing operation;

Fig. 6 is a schematic waveform diagram of a relaxation signal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic paper display panel of the embodiment in FIG. 7;

9 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the electronic paper display panel of the embodiment in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are schematic diagrams of the pixel unit in the embodiment of FIG. 9 in different operation modes;

13 is a schematic circuit diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

14 is a schematic circuit diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are respectively schematic diagrams of the pixel unit in the embodiment of FIG. 14 in different operation modes;

17 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

18 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention;

19 is a schematic diagram of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

20 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of a touch sensor operating at any frequency in the operating frequency range according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 21 is a schematic diagram of a driver device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 22 is a schematic diagram of the sensing device of the embodiment of Fig. 21;

Explanation of reference signs

100, 2100: touch sensor;

110: sensing element;

112: substrate;

114: sensing electrodes;

116: sensing common electrodes;

118: shielding layer;

120, 420, 620, 820, 1113, 1113_1, 1113_2, 1113_3, 1113_8, 2120, 2220: sensing circuit;

122, 422, 622, 822, 2222: amplifier circuit;

200: touch an object;

222: latch circuit;

224: the first comparator circuit;

226: the second comparator circuit;

230, 320, 1110: driver device;

232: touch drive block;

234: display driver block;

300, 1100: electronic paper display device;

310, 400, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1120: electronic paper display panel;

410, 610, 810, 910, 1010: pixel unit;

412, 414, 612, 614, 616, 812, 814: transistor circuits;

510, 520, 710, 720: signal transmission path;

920, 1020: pixel unit group;

930, 1030: common electrode;

1111, 1111_1, 1111_3, 1111_6: scanning circuit;

1112: scanning device;

1114, 2214: sensing device;

1122, 1122_33, 2110: sensing block;

2230: selector circuit;

C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, Cf, Cst, Cp, Ctc: capacitive elements;

Q1, Q2, Q3: transistors;

R: resistance element;

N: endpoint;

Vref: reference voltage;

V1, V2: voltage;

f1, f2: frequency;

BW: operating frequency range;

S: relaxation signal;

GT: during sensing;

DL1: data line;

DL2: sensing line;

SL1, SL2, SL3: scan lines;

CL1, CL2: common electrode line;

X, Y: direction;

Sctrl: control signal;

Ssyn: Synchronization signal.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, several examples are presented to illustrate the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. Appropriate combinations are also allowed between the embodiments. As used throughout the specification of this application, including the claims, the term "coupled" may refer to any means of connection, direct or indirect. For example, if it is described in the text that a first device is coupled to a second device, it should be interpreted that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected through other devices or some kind of connection means. indirectly connected to the second device. Additionally, the term "signal" may refer to at least one current, voltage, charge, temperature, data, electromagnetic wave, or any other signal or signals.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the sensing element of the embodiment in FIG. 1 . 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of equivalent circuits of the touch sensor in the embodiment of FIG. 1 at different operating frequencies. Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , the touch sensor 100 of this embodiment is used to sense a touch object 200 . The touch object 200 is a conductor, such as a user's finger or a touch control tool. In this embodiment, the touch sensor 100 includes a sensing element 110 and a sensing circuit 120 . The sensing circuit 120 is electrically connected to the sensing element 110 . The sensing circuit 120 is used to charge and discharge the sensing element 110 to generate a relaxation signal, which is the operating frequency of the relaxation frequency touch sensor 100 . In this embodiment, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of the touch sensor 100 is changed by touching the object 200 . When the touching object 200 touches the sensing element 110 , the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal will change accordingly. Therefore, whether the touch object 200 touches the touch sensor 100 can be determined according to the magnitude of the pulse wave variation of the relaxation signal.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the sensing element 110 includes a substrate 112 , a sensing electrode 114 , a sensing common electrode 116 and a shielding layer 118 . The sensing electrodes 114 and the common sensing electrodes 116 are disposed on the substrate 112 . The sensing electrode 114 and the sensing common electrode 116 form a first capacitive element C1. In the present embodiment, the sensing electrodes 114 are used for transmitting sensing signals, and the sensing common electrodes 116 are, for example, coupled to a ground voltage for providing a reference voltage during a touch sensing operation. In an embodiment, the sensing common electrode 116 may also be coupled to a preset common electrode signal, or remain in a floating state, which is not limited by the present invention. In this embodiment, the shielding layer 118 is disposed on the sensing electrode 114 and the sensing common electrode 116 . The shielding layer 118 and the sensing electrode 114 form a second capacitive element C2. The shielding layer 118 and the sensing common electrode 116 form a third capacitive element C3. In this embodiment, the shielding layer 118 is a transparent conductive film, such as an indium tin oxide conductive film or other similar conductive layers. In one embodiment, the shielding layer 118 includes, for example, a nano silver wire layer. The present invention does not limit the material and type of the shielding layer 118 . In this embodiment, the touching object 200 touches the sensing element 110 to form a fourth capacitive element C4 and a fifth capacitive element C5 with the shielding layer 118 respectively. In this embodiment, the capacitance values of the above-mentioned capacitive elements are determined according to the material properties of each layer, for example.

In this embodiment, the sensing circuit 120 includes an amplifier circuit 122 and a resistance element R. As shown in FIG. The amplifier circuit 122 has a first input terminal (non-inverting terminal), a second input terminal (inverting terminal) and an output terminal. The first input terminal receives a reference voltage Vref. The output end is coupled to one end of the resistance element R. The second input end is coupled to the other end of the resistive element R and one end N of the first capacitive element C1. In this embodiment, the sensing circuit 120 includes, for example, a relaxation oscillator (relaxation oscillator), but its architecture is only for illustration, and the sensing circuit 120 can be implemented by any sensing circuit architecture in the technical field. The invention is not limited. Its detailed architecture and implementation methods can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from those in the technical field, so details are not repeated here.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of operating frequency intervals when the touch sensor of FIG. 1 performs a touch sensing operation. FIG. 6 is a schematic waveform diagram of a relaxation signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 , the touch sensor 100 of this embodiment, for example, operates in the operating frequency range BW between the first frequency f1 and the second frequency f2 , wherein the second frequency f2 is greater than the first frequency f1 . For example, in this embodiment, the operating frequency range BW is between 2 megahertz (MHz) and 3.6 megahertz (MHz), but these two values are not used to limit the present invention. In one embodiment, the operating frequency is greater than approximately 780 kilohertz (KHz). In this embodiment, for example, the touch sensor 100 can be applied in an electronic paper display device, such as FIG. 7 , to perform touch sensing. In an application where the electronic paper display device is a segment code electronic paper display device, and its operating frequency is greater than about 750 kilohertz (KHz), the relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor 100 is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R. Decide. In the application of the electronic paper display device thin film transistor electronic paper display device, its operating frequency range BW is between 2 million hertz (MHz) to 3.6 million hertz (MHz), for example, the relaxation signal of each touch sensor 100 The relaxation frequency is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R and the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element 110 . In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of the touch sensor 100 operating at any frequency other than the operating frequency range BW. In FIG. 3 , when operating at any frequency other than the frequency range BW, the fourth capacitive element C4 and the fifth capacitive element C5 are shielded. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of the touch sensor 100 operating at any frequency in the operating frequency range BW. In FIG. 4 , the touch sensor 100 operates at any frequency in the operating frequency range BW, and the second capacitive element C2 and the third capacitive element C3 are in a short-circuit state.

In FIG. 4 , when the touch object 200 does not touch the touch sensor 100 , the fourth capacitive element C4 and the fifth capacitive element C5 do not exist. At this time, the reference voltage Vref is set to, for example, the second voltage V2, the amplifier circuit 122 charges the terminal N of the first capacitive element C1 through the resistive element R, and the signal waveform of the relaxation signal S increases toward the second voltage V2. When the voltage at the terminal N is equal to the second voltage V2, the reference voltage Vref is set to switch to the first voltage V1, for example, the amplifier circuit 122 discharges the terminal N of the first capacitive element C1 through the resistive element R, and the signal S is relaxed. The signal waveform decreases towards the first voltage V1. Repeatedly, the reference voltage Vref switches between the first voltage V1 and the second voltage V2, and charges and discharges the terminal N of the first capacitive element C1 to generate the relaxation signal S. The relaxation signal S oscillates between the first voltage V1 and the second voltage V2, and in the embodiment of the segment code electronic paper display device, its relaxation frequency is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R. In an embodiment of the TFT electronic paper display device, its relaxation frequency is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R and the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element 110 . In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit.

In FIG. 4 , when the touch object 200 touches the touch sensor 100 , the fourth capacitive element C4 and the fifth capacitive element C5 exist. At this time, since the equivalent capacitance from the terminal N to the ground has changed, the relaxation frequency changes in response to the touching object 200 , for example, becomes smaller. During the sensing period GT, the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S will decrease. Therefore, in this embodiment, one of ways to determine whether the relaxation frequency has changed is, for example, to determine whether the pulse number of the relaxation signal S has changed within the sensing period GT. In other words, in this embodiment, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S is changed by touching an object (such as touching a conductor). Whether the touch object 200 touches the touch sensor can also be determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S, for example.

In this embodiment, one of the ways to judge whether the pulse number of the relaxation signal S has changed during the sensing period GT is, for example, to transmit the relaxation signal S to a counter circuit (not shown) or other similar circuits . For example, the counter circuit is electrically connected to the output of the comparator 122 to receive the relaxation signal S, and GT counts the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S during the sensing period. The counter circuit may be, for example, an external circuit different from the sensing circuit 120 , or may also be a counter circuit provided inside the sensing circuit 120 . In this embodiment, the counter circuit can be implemented by any counter circuit structure in the technical field, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Its detailed architecture and implementation methods can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from those in the technical field, so details are not repeated here.

In this embodiment, whether the touch object 200 touches the touch sensor 100 can be determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S. In the application of multiple touch sensors, for example, the multiple touch sensors are arranged in an array on a substrate to form a touch sensing panel. The touch position of the touch object 200 on the touch sensing panel can be determined according to whether the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal S of each touch sensor changes.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic paper display panel of the embodiment in FIG. 7 . Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the electronic paper display device 300 of this embodiment has a touch sensing function. The electronic paper display device 300 includes an electronic paper display panel 310 and a driver device 320 . The driver device 320 is electrically connected to the electronic paper display panel 310 . The driver device 320 is used to drive the electronic paper display panel 310 to display image frames and perform touch sensing operations.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the electronic paper display panel 310 includes a plurality of touch sensors 100 as shown in FIG. 1 . Wherein, what is shown in FIG. 8 is that the electronic paper display panel 310 includes a plurality of sensing elements 110 . The sensing circuit 120 may be disposed in the driver device 320 , or integrated with the electronic paper display panel 310 , or disposed in other external circuits. The present invention does not limit the location of the sensing circuit 120 . In this embodiment, the relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor 110 is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R in the sensing circuit 120 and/or the parasitic resistance value in the sensing element 110 . When the touch object 200 touches the electronic paper display panel 310 , the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by the touch object 200 . Therefore, the touch position of the touch object 200 on the electronic paper display panel 310 is determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor 100 . In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit. In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the description of the embodiment in FIGS.

In this embodiment, the electronic paper display device 300 is, for example, a segment code electronic paper display device or a thin film transistor electronic paper display device, but not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the design of the driver device 320 is adjusted to be adapted to the electronic paper display device 300 , which can be implemented by a suitable circuit structure in the technical field, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the electronic paper display panel 310 includes the shielding layer 118 . The shielding layer 118 includes an indium tin oxide conductive film, or a silver nano wire layer or other similar conductive layers, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the electronic paper display device 300 determines the touch position of the touch object 200 on the electronic paper display panel 310 according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor 100 . The existence of the shielding layer 118 does not affect the touch sensing operation of the electronic paper display device 300 .

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram of the electronic paper display panel of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 . Please refer to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the electronic paper display panel 400 of this embodiment includes multiple first scan lines SL1, multiple second scan lines SL2, multiple data lines DL1, multiple first common electrode lines CL1, multiple a second common electrode line CL2 and a plurality of pixel units 410.

In this embodiment, the pixel units 410 are arranged in an array, and are electrically connected to one or more sensing circuits 420 through the data line DL1. In this embodiment, the sensing circuit 420 may be integrated on the electronic paper display panel 310, or disposed in other external circuits. The pixel unit 410 is used for sensing the touching object 200 as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 8 . In this embodiment, the pixel units 410 in the same column are connected to the same sensing circuit 420 . In an embodiment, pixel units located in different rows may also be connected to the same sensing circuit. Alternatively, in an embodiment, the pixel units can also be properly grouped, and the pixel units in the same group share the same sensing circuit. The present invention does not limit the number of sensing circuits 420 .

In this embodiment, the pixel unit 410 includes a first transistor circuit 412 and a second transistor circuit 414 . The first transistor circuit 412 includes a first transistor Q1, a pixel capacitor Cp, and a storage capacitor Cst. The second transistor circuit 414 includes a second transistor Q2, a touch capacitive element Ctc, and a sensing capacitive element Cf. In this embodiment, the touch capacitive element Ctc includes a first capacitive element C1 , a second capacitive element C2 and a third capacitive element C3 as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the touch capacitive element Ctc is, for example, an equivalent capacitive element in which the first capacitive element C1 , the second capacitive element C2 , and the third capacitive element C3 are alone or combined in series or in parallel. In this embodiment, the sensing capacitive element Cf includes a fourth capacitive element C4 and a fifth capacitive element C5 as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the sensing capacitive element Cf is, for example, the equivalent capacitive element of the fourth capacitive element C4 and the fifth capacitive element C5 alone or a combination of both in series or in parallel.

In this embodiment, the first end of the first transistor Q1 is electrically connected to the data line DL1. The second end of the first transistor Q1 is electrically connected to the first end of the pixel capacitance element Cp and the first end of the storage capacitance element Cst. The control end of the first transistor is electrically connected to the first scan line SL1. The first end of the pixel capacitive element Cp is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor Q1. The second end of the pixel capacitive element Cp is electrically connected to the first common electrode line CL1. The first terminal of the storage capacitor Cst is electrically connected to the second terminal of the first transistor Q1. The second end of the storage capacitor Cst is electrically connected to the first common electrode line CL1. In this embodiment, the first scan line SL1 and the first common electrode line CL1 are used to provide the first scan signal and the first common electrode signal to the first transistor Q1 respectively. In the display mode, the data line DL1 is used to provide a data signal to the first transistor Q1. The first scan signal is transmitted through the first scan line SL1, and in the display mode, the first transistor Q1 is turned on, so that the pixel unit 410 performs an image display operation according to the data signal and the first common electrode signal, and displays image data.

In this embodiment, the first end of the second transistor Q2 is electrically connected to the data line DL1. The second end of the second transistor Q2 is electrically connected to the first end of the touch capacitive element Ctc and the first end of the sensing capacitive element Cf. The control terminal of the second transistor Q2 is electrically connected to the second scan line SL2. The first end of the touch capacitive element Ctc is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor Q2. The second end of the touch capacitive element Ctc is electrically connected to the second common electrode line CL2. The first end of the sensing capacitive element Cf is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor Q2. The second end of the sensing capacitive element Cf is electrically connected to the second common electrode line CL2. In this embodiment, the second scan line SL2 and the second common electrode line CL2 are used to provide the second scan signal and the second common electrode signal to the second transistor Q2 respectively. The second scan signal is transmitted through the second scan line SL2 and turns on the second transistor Q2 in the sensing mode, so that the pixel unit 410 performs a touch sensing operation according to the second common electrode signal to sense the touching object 200 . In the sensing mode, the second transistor Q2 is turned on, and the sensing circuit 420 charges and discharges the first terminal of the touch capacitive element Ctc through the data line DL1 to generate the relaxation signal S as shown in FIG. 6 . In addition, the method of generating the relaxation signal S in this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 , so details are not repeated here.

In this embodiment, the first scan line SL1 , the second scan line SL2 and the first common electrode line CL1 are arranged in the first direction Y. The data line DL1 and the second common electrode line CL2 are arranged in the second direction X. The first direction Y is different from the second direction X, and they are perpendicular in FIG. 10 .

11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of the pixel unit in the embodiment of FIG. 9 in different operation modes, respectively. Please refer to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 , FIG. 11 shows that the pixel unit 410 operates in the display mode, and FIG. 12 shows that the pixel unit 410 operates in the sensing mode. In FIG. 11 , when the pixel unit 410 operates in the display mode, the first scan signal turns on the first transistor Q1 , and the second scan signal turns off the second transistor Q2 . The data signal is transmitted to the first transistor circuit 412 by the signal transmission path 510 . The pixel unit 410 performs an image display operation according to the data signal and the first common electrode signal, and displays image data.

In FIG. 12 , when the pixel unit 410 operates in the sensing mode, the first scan signal does not turn on the first transistor Q1 , and the second scan signal turns on the second transistor Q2 . The sensing circuit 420 charges and discharges the first terminal of the touch capacitive element Ctc through the data line DL1 to generate the relaxation signal S as shown in FIG. 6 . The relaxation signal S is transmitted on the signal transmission path 520 . In this embodiment, the relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit 410 is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R and/or the parasitic resistance value therein. Moreover, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching the object 200 . When the touching object 200 touches the pixel unit 410 , it will form a sensing capacitive element Cf with the pixel unit 410 . The touch position of the touch object 200 on the electronic paper display panel 400 can be determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit 410 . In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit. In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the description of the embodiment in FIGS.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10 , the second transistor circuit 414 shares the data line DL1 with the first transistor circuit 412 for transmitting the relaxation signal S, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the second transistor circuit 414 can also use other signal lines to transmit the relaxation signal S.

FIG. 13 is a schematic circuit diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 13, the electronic paper display panel 800 of this embodiment is similar to the electronic paper display panel 400 of the embodiment of FIG. line DL2 , and the second transistor circuit 814 uses the sense line DL2 to transmit the relaxation signal S.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the sensing line DL2 is electrically connected to the second transistor circuit 814 . The second transistor circuit 814 is electrically connected to the sensing circuit 820 via the sensing line DL2. In the sensing mode, the second transistor Q2 is turned on, and the sensing circuit 820 charges and discharges the first terminal of the touch capacitive element Ctc through the sensing line DL2 to generate the relaxation signal S. In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the description of the embodiment in FIGS.

FIG. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 14, the electronic paper display panel 600 of this embodiment is similar to the electronic paper display panel 400 of the embodiment of FIG. The scan line SL3 and the plurality of sensing lines DL2 , and the pixel unit 610 further include a third transistor circuit 616 .

Specifically, in this embodiment, the third transistor circuit 616 is electrically connected between the first transistor circuit 612 and the second transistor circuit 614 . The third transistor circuit 616 includes a third transistor Q3. The first end of the third transistor Q3 is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor Q2. The second terminal of the third transistor Q3 is electrically connected to the second terminal of the first transistor Q1. The control terminal of the third transistor Q3 is electrically connected to the third scan line SL3. The first end of the second transistor Q2 is electrically connected to the sensing line DL2. In this embodiment, the third scan line SL3 and the first common electrode line CL1 are respectively used to provide the third scan signal and the first common electrode signal to the third transistor Q3. In the display mode, the data line DL1 is used to provide data signals to the first transistor Q1 and the third transistor Q3. The first scan signal and the third scan signal are transmitted through the first scan line SL1 and the third scan line SL3, and in the display mode, the first transistor Q1 and the third transistor Q3 are turned on, and the second transistor Q2 is not turned on, so that the pixels The unit 610 performs an image display operation according to the data signal and the first common electrode signal to display image data.

In this embodiment, the second scan line SL2 and the second common electrode line CL2 are used to provide the second scan signal and the second common electrode signal to the second transistor Q2 respectively. The second scanning signal is transmitted through the second scanning line SL2, and in the sensing mode, the second transistor Q2 is turned on, and the third transistor Q3 is not turned on, so that the pixel unit 610 performs a touch sensing operation according to the second common electrode signal, The touch object 200 is sensed. In the sensing mode, the second transistor Q2 is turned on, and the sensing circuit 620 charges and discharges the first end of the touch capacitive element Ctc through the sensing line DL2 to generate the relaxation signal S as shown in FIG. 6 . In addition, the method of generating the relaxation signal S in this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6 , so details are not repeated here.

In this embodiment, the first scan line SL1 , the second scan line SL2 , the third scan line SL3 and the first common electrode line CL1 are arranged in the first direction Y. The data line DL1 , the sensing line DL2 and the second common electrode line CL2 are arranged in the second direction X. The first direction Y is different from the second direction X, and they are perpendicular in FIG. 14 .

FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are schematic diagrams of the pixel unit in the embodiment of FIG. 14 in different operation modes, respectively. Please refer to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 , FIG. 15 shows that the pixel unit 610 operates in the display mode, and FIG. 16 shows that the pixel unit 610 operates in the sensing mode. In FIG. 15 , when the pixel unit 610 operates in the display mode, the first scan signal turns on the first transistor Q1 , the third scan signal turns on the third transistor Q3 , and the second scan signal turns off the second transistor Q2 . The data signal is transmitted to the first transistor circuit 612 and the third transistor circuit 616 through the signal transmission path 710 . The pixel unit 610 performs an image display operation according to the data signal and the first common electrode signal, and displays image data.

In FIG. 16, when the pixel unit 610 operates in the sensing mode, the first scan signal does not turn on the first transistor Q1, the third scan signal does not turn on the third transistor Q3, and the second scan signal turns on the second transistor Q2. . The sensing circuit 620 charges and discharges the first terminal of the touch capacitive element Ctc through the sensing line DL2 to generate the relaxation signal S as shown in FIG. 6 . The relaxation signal S is transmitted on the signal transmission path 720 . In this embodiment, the relaxation frequency of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit 610 is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element R and/or the parasitic resistance value therein. Moreover, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by touching the object 200 . When the touching object 200 touches the pixel unit 610 , a sensing capacitive element Cf will be formed with the pixel unit 610 . The touch position of the touch object 200 on the electronic paper display panel 600 can be determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit 610 . In an embodiment, the relaxation frequency can also be determined according to the parasitic resistance and capacitance of the pixel unit, the first voltage and the second voltage, and the parasitic resistance of the wiring on the transistor circuit. In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIGS.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9 , the electronic paper display panel 400 uses a single pixel unit 410 as the basic unit for sensing the touch object 200 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, the pixel units can also be properly grouped, and the same group of pixel units serves as the basic unit for sensing the touch object 200 .

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The electronic paper display panel 900 of this embodiment is similar to the electronic paper display panel 400 of the embodiment shown in FIG. Group 920, for example 4 groups. Specifically, in this embodiment, each pixel unit group 920 is electrically connected to a corresponding sensing circuit. For example, the pixel unit groups 920 located in the same row are electrically connected to the same sensing circuit. In addition, the pixel units 910 in each pixel unit group 920 share the same sensing circuit, for example. In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 16 , so no more details are given here.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 , in the electronic paper display panel 900 , the layout structure is such that multiple rows of pixel units 910 correspond to a common electrode 930 , and the common electrode 930 is arranged between groups of pixel unit groups. But the present invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, the common electrode may also be disposed between rows of pixel units.

FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic paper display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The electronic paper display panel 1000 of this embodiment is similar to the electronic paper display panel 900 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17 , but the main difference between the two is that the common electrode 1030 is disposed between the rows of the pixel units 610 . In this embodiment, the pixel units 1010 on the electronic paper display panel 1000 are divided into one or more pixel unit groups 1020 , for example, four groups. Each pixel unit group 1020 is electrically connected to a corresponding sensing circuit. For example, the pixel unit groups 1020 in the same row are electrically connected to the same sensing circuit. In addition, the pixel units 1010 in each pixel unit group 1020 share the same sensing circuit, for example. In addition, the touch-sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIGS.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 19 , the electronic paper display device 1100 of this embodiment has a touch sensing function. In this embodiment, the electronic paper display device 1100 includes a driver device 1110 and an electronic paper display panel 1120 . The driver device 1110 is electrically connected to the electronic paper display panel 1120 . The driver device 1110 is used to drive the electronic paper display panel 1120 to display image frames and perform touch sensing operations. The layout of the electrodes of the electronic paper display panel 1120 is, for example, that shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 18 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the driver device 1110 includes a scanning device 1112 and a sensing device 1114 . The scanning device 1112 is used for scanning a plurality of sensing blocks 1122 on the electronic paper display panel 1120 to perform a touch sensing operation. The sensing device 1114 is used to control the scanning device 1112 to scan the sensing blocks 1122 , and charge and discharge each sensing block 1122 to generate the relaxation signal S shown in FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, the sensing blocks 1122 are arranged in an array, including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. Each sensing block includes one or more sensing elements 110 as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the resolution of the electronic paper display panel 1120 is, for example, 320×240. In one embodiment, every 40 rows or columns are combined into a unit. Based on this unit, the electronic paper display panel 1120 includes, for example, 8 sensing channels And 6 scanning channels. Therefore, the electronic paper display panel 1120 of this example includes 48 sensing blocks 1122 . It should be noted that the resolution of the electronic paper display panel 1120 and the number of sensing channels, scanning channels, and sensing blocks 1122 are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this embodiment, the scanning device 1112 of the driver device 1110 for driving the electronic paper display panel 1120 includes a plurality of scanning circuits 1111 , and the sensing device 1114 includes a plurality of sensing circuits 1113 . Each of the scanning circuits 1111 is electrically connected to the sensing blocks 1122 of different columns. For example, the scanning circuit 1111 turns on the connected sensing blocks 1122 during the sensing period GT in FIG. 6 to perform a touch sensing operation. For example, in this embodiment, one of the sensing circuits 1113_1 to 1113_8 (for example, the sensing circuit 1113_1 ) outputs the control signal Sctrl to control the scanning circuits 1111_1 to 1111_6 to scan the electronic paper sequentially on a column basis from top to bottom Different columns of sensing blocks 1122 on the display panel 1120 .

In this embodiment, each of the sensing circuits 1113 charges and discharges the sensing blocks 1122 of different rows simultaneously to generate the relaxation signal S. As shown in FIG. For example, when the sensing blocks 1122 of each column are turned on sequentially, one of the sensing circuits (for example, the sensing circuit 1113_1 ) outputs a synchronous signal Ssyn to synchronize the other sensing circuits 1113_2 to 1113_8 for During the sensing period GT, the sensing blocks 1122 of different rows are charged and discharged simultaneously, so as to obtain the relaxation signals S of the sensing blocks 1122 of different rows.

Therefore, according to this scanning sensing method, the touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel 1120 can be determined. For example, when the sensing block 1122_33 is touched, the horizontal coordinate position (position in the first direction) of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel 1120 is determined according to the position of the sensing circuit 1113_3 (located in the third row). The vertical coordinate position (position in the second direction) of the object on the electronic paper display panel 1120 can be determined according to the position of the scanning circuit 1111_3 (located in the third column). In this embodiment, the electronic paper display panel 1120 can perform single-point or multi-point touch sensing operations, and its operation methods can be obtained from sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation instructions in the technical field, so details are not repeated here.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the sensing device 1114 charges and discharges each sensing block 1122 according to the first voltage V1 and the second voltage V2 of FIG. 6 to generate the relaxation signal S, for example. The pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S is changed by touching an object. The touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel 1120 is determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal S of each sensing block 1122 . In addition, the touch sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 8 , so the details are not repeated here.

In this embodiment, the circuit structure of the electronic paper display panel 1120 can be, for example, that shown in FIG. 10 , a circuit structure in which two transistors share a data line to transmit relaxation signals. Alternatively, the circuit structure of the electronic paper display panel 1120 can be, for example, that shown in FIG. 13 , a circuit structure in which two transistors do not share data lines to transmit relaxation signals. Alternatively, the circuit structure of the electronic paper display panel 1120 can be, for example, that shown in FIG. 14 , which is a circuit structure in which three transistors share a data line to transmit relaxation signals, or other similar circuit structures. The present invention does not limit the circuit structure of the electronic paper display panel 1120 .

In this embodiment, the circuit structure of the sensing circuit 1113 may be the same or similar to that of the sensing circuit 120 shown in FIG. 4 , for example. The present invention does not limit the circuit structure of the sensing circuit 1113 . In this embodiment, the sensing circuit 1113 includes, for example, a counter circuit (not shown). The counter circuit is used to set the sensing period GT to receive the relaxation signal S. The counter circuit counts the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S during the sensing period. In this embodiment, the counter circuit may be, for example, an external circuit different from the sensing circuit 1113 , or may also be a counter circuit provided inside the sensing circuit 1113 .

In one embodiment, each sensing circuit 1113 can also be realized by a single microcontroller or other similar devices, such as a Field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The microcontroller may, for example, include the functionality of a relaxation oscillator, the functionality of a counter circuit, and the like. The main microcontroller is further used to output the control signal Sctrl and the synchronization signal Ssyn to respectively control the scanning operation of the scanning circuit 1111 and synchronize the sensing operations of other sensing circuits 1113 .

In this embodiment, the circuit structure and implementation of the scanning circuit 1111 can be sufficiently taught, suggested and implemented by those in the technical field, so details are not repeated here.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of a touch sensor operating at any frequency in the operating frequency range according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 20 , the touch sensor 2100 of this embodiment is similar to the touch sensor 2100 of the embodiment of FIG. 4 , but the main difference between the two lies in the circuit structure of the sensing circuit 2120 . In this embodiment, the sensing block 2110 includes, for example, one or more sensing elements 110 as shown in FIG. 2 , so the schematic diagram of its equivalent capacitance is similar to that shown in FIG. 4 .

Specifically, in this embodiment, the sensing circuit 2120 includes a resistance element R, a latch circuit 222 , a first comparator circuit 224 and a second comparator circuit 226 . The resistance element R has a first end and a second end. The second end of the resistance element is coupled to the sensing block 2110 . The latch circuit 222 has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The output terminal of the latch circuit 222 is coupled to the first terminal of the resistor R. In one embodiment, the latch circuit 222 includes, for example, an RS latch, the first input terminal, the second input terminal and the output terminal of which are respectively the reset terminal, the set terminal and the Q terminal of the RS flip-flop. The first comparator circuit 224 has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input end of the first comparator circuit 224 is coupled to the second end of the resistance element and the sensing block 2210 . The second input terminal of the first comparator circuit 224 receives the first voltage V1. The output terminal of the first comparator circuit 224 is coupled to the first input terminal of the latch circuit 222 . The second comparator circuit 226 has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input terminal of the second comparator circuit 226 receives the second voltage V2. The second input end of the second comparator circuit 226 is coupled to the second end of the resistance element R and the sensing block 2110 . The output terminal of the second comparator circuit 226 is coupled to the second input terminal of the latch circuit 222 .

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 20. In this embodiment, when the touch object 200 touches the sensing block 2110, if the voltage at the terminal N is lower than the first voltage V1, the second voltage V2 charges the first capacitive element C1. , until the voltage at the terminal N is greater than the second voltage V2. When the voltage at the terminal N is greater than the second voltage V2 , the first capacitive element C1 discharges toward the first voltage V1 until the voltage at the terminal N is lower than the first voltage V1 . It goes round and round to generate a relaxation signal S at the terminal N, as shown in FIG. 6 . When the touch object 200 touches the sensing block 2110, the fourth capacitive element C4 and the fifth capacitive element C5 exist. At this time, since the equivalent capacitance value from the terminal N to the ground terminal has changed, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S is changed by the touching object 200 , for example, becomes smaller. During the sensing period GT, the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S will decrease. Therefore, in this embodiment, one of ways to determine whether the relaxation frequency has changed is, for example, to determine whether the pulse number of the relaxation signal S has changed within the sensing period GT. In other words, in this embodiment, the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S is changed by touching the object 200 . Whether the touch object 200 touches the sensing block 2110 can be determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal S, for example.

The touch-sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teaching, suggestion and implementation description from the description of the embodiment in FIGS. In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 19 , the circuit structure of the sensing circuit 1113 may be the same or similar to that of the sensing circuit 2120 shown in FIG. 20 , for example. The present invention does not limit the circuit structure of the sensing circuit 1113 .

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a driver device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 21 , the driver device 230 of this embodiment is, for example, an integrated chip. The driver device 230 includes a touch driving block 232 and a display driving block 234 . The display driving block 234 is electrically connected to the touch driving block 232 . In this embodiment, the scanning device and the sensing device are disposed in the touch driving block 232 .

Specifically, in this embodiment, the display driving block 234 includes a display driver, a first common electrode voltage control circuit, a first gate control circuit, and a display data control circuit. For example, the first common electrode voltage control circuit is coupled to the first common electrode line CL1 in FIG. 10 , FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 to control the supply of the first common electrode signal. The first gate control circuit is, for example, coupled to the first scan line SL1 in FIG. 10 , FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 for controlling the conduction state of the first transistor Q1 according to the first scan signal. The display data control circuit is, for example, coupled to the data line DL1 in FIG. 10 or FIG. 13 , or the data line DL1 in FIG. 14 . The display data control circuit is used to control the data signal written into the first transistor Q1 or the third transistor Q3. Therefore, the pixel unit performs an image display operation according to the data signal, and displays image data. The display driver is used to drive and control the electronic paper display panel to perform image display operations. The display driver includes various circuit elements required to drive the e-paper display panel.

In this embodiment, the touch driving block 232 includes a scanning device, a sensing device, a processor circuit, a counter circuit, a voltage generator circuit, a second common electrode voltage control circuit, and a second gate control circuit (pixel control circuit ). An example of an implementation of the scanning device and the sensing device is shown in FIG. 19 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The scanning device is, for example, coupled to the second scanning line SL2 in FIG. 10 , FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 . The sensing device is, for example, coupled to the data line DL1 in FIG. 10 and the sensing line DL2 in FIG. 13 .

In this embodiment, the voltage generator circuit includes, for example, one or more programmable voltage sources for generating the first voltage V1 and the second voltage V2. The counter circuit is used to set the sensing period GT and count the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S at the terminal N. In one embodiment, the counter circuit may include two counters to perform the above two operation steps. For example, one of the counters is used to count the number of pulses of the relaxation signal S, and the other counter is used to set the sensing period GT. The second common electrode voltage control circuit is, for example, coupled to the second common electrode line CL2 in FIG. 10 , FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 to control the supply of the second common electrode signal. The second gate control circuit is, for example, coupled to the third scan line SL3 in FIG. 14 for controlling the conduction state of the third transistor Q3 according to the third scan signal. In one embodiment, the second gate control circuit is selectively configured. For example, when the driver device 230 is used to drive the electronic paper display panels 400, 800 shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. In the case of application, the driver device 230 may not be configured with the second gate control circuit. In this embodiment, the processor circuit is used, for example, to receive the sensing result of the sensing device, and sense the relaxation signal S of the block to calculate the touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel. The touch-sensing operation of this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the descriptions of the embodiments in FIGS.

In this embodiment, the display driver, the first common electrode voltage control circuit, the first gate control circuit, the display data control circuit, the processor circuit, the voltage generator circuit, the second common electrode voltage control circuit and the second gate The design of the control circuit is adapted to be adjusted for the electronic paper display panel, which can be implemented by a suitable circuit structure in the technical field, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the devices or circuits included in each block of the integrated chip are only used for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Designers can make adaptive adjustments according to actual needs.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram of the sensing device of the embodiment in FIG. 21 . Please refer to FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 , the sensing device 2214 of this embodiment includes a plurality of sensing circuits 2220 and a plurality of selector circuits 2230 . The sensing circuit 2220 is connected to the corresponding sensing channel. The selector circuit 2230 is used for synchronously selecting the first voltage V1 or the second voltage V2 and delivering the selected voltage to the amplifier circuit 2222 . Therefore, the voltage received by the amplifier circuit 2222 can be switched between the first voltage V1 and the second voltage V2. The operation of the sensing device 2214 in this embodiment can obtain sufficient teachings, suggestions and implementation descriptions from the description of the embodiment in FIG. 19 , so details are not repeated here.

To sum up, in the embodiment of the present invention, the driver device of the electronic paper display panel is used to scan the sensing blocks, and charge and discharge the sensing blocks in different rows to perform touch sensing operation. The driver device includes multiple sensing circuits or multiple microprocessors to perform touch sensing operations. The driver device can also be integrated into an integrated chip to drive the electronic paper display panel for touch sensing operation. In an embodiment of the invention, the sensing block includes one or more touch sensors. The touch sensor includes a shielding layer. The existence of the shielding layer does not affect the touch sensing operation of the touch sensor. Whether the touch object touches the touch sensor can be determined according to the pulse wave variation value of the relaxation signal. In addition, an electronic paper display panel including a touch sensor and an electronic paper display device can provide a touch sensing function. The touch position of the touch object on the touch sensing panel can be determined according to whether the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor changes.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention The scope of protection shall prevail as defined by the claims.

Claims (28)

1. A touch sensor for sensing a touch object, the touch sensor comprising:

a sensing element including a substrate, a sensing electrode, a sensing common electrode, and a shielding layer, wherein the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode are disposed on the substrate, the shielding layer is disposed on the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode, and the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode form a first capacitive element; and

a sensing circuit electrically connected to the sensing element and including a resistive element and an amplifier circuit,

the relaxation Zhang Pinlv of the relaxation signal of the touch sensor is determined according to the resistance value of the resistive element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element, and the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by the touch object, wherein the touch object is a conductor, the amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the first input terminal receives a reference voltage, the output terminal is coupled to the first terminal of the resistive element, and the second input terminal is coupled to the second terminal of the resistive element and the first terminal of the first capacitive element.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor operates in an operating frequency interval between a first frequency and a second frequency, and the second frequency is greater than the first frequency.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the shield layer and the sense electrode form a second capacitive element, the shield layer and the sense common electrode form a third capacitive element, and the touch object touches the touch sensor to form a fourth capacitive element and a fifth capacitive element with the shield layer, respectively.

4. The touch sensor of claim 3, wherein the reference voltage is switched between a first voltage and a second voltage, the sensing circuit charging and discharging the first end of the first capacitive element to produce the relaxation Zhang Xinhao, wherein the relaxation Zhang Xinhao oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the shield layer comprises a conductive layer.

6. An electronic paper display device having a touch sensing function, the electronic paper display device comprising:

an electronic paper display panel comprising a plurality of touch sensors, wherein each of the touch sensors comprises:

a sensing element including a substrate, a sensing electrode, a sensing common electrode, and a shielding layer, wherein the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode are disposed on the substrate, the shielding layer is disposed on the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode, and the sensing electrode and the sensing common electrode form a first capacitive element; and

a sensing circuit electrically connected to the sensing element and including a resistive element and an amplifier circuit; and

the relaxation Zhang Pinlv of each touch sensor relaxation signal is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element, the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by a touch object, the touch object is a conductor, the amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the first input terminal receives a reference voltage, the output terminal is coupled to the first terminal of the resistance element, the second input terminal is coupled to the second terminal of the resistance element and the first terminal of the first capacitance element, and the touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor.

7. The electronic paper display device of claim 6, wherein the electronic paper display device is a segment code electronic paper display device, and a relaxation Zhang Pinlv of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor is determined according to a resistance value of the resistive element.

8. The electronic paper display device of claim 6, wherein the electronic paper display device is a thin film transistor electronic paper display device, and a relaxation Zhang Pinlv of the relaxation signal of each touch sensor is determined according to a resistance value of the resistance element and the parasitic resistance value of the sensing element.

9. An electronic paper display panel having a touch sensing function, the electronic paper display panel comprising:

a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array, electrically connected to one or more sensing circuits, and configured to sense a touch object, wherein each of the pixel units includes a touch capacitive element, and each of the sensing circuits includes a resistive element and an amplifier circuit,

the relaxation Zhang Pinlv of each pixel unit relaxation signal is determined according to the resistance value of the resistance element and/or the parasitic resistance value of the pixel unit, the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by the touch object, the touch object is a conductor, the amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal, the first input terminal receives a reference voltage, the output terminal is coupled to one end of the resistance element, the second input terminal is coupled to the other end of the resistance element and the first end of the touch capacitance element, and the touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit.

10. The electronic paper display panel of claim 9, wherein each of the pixel cells comprises:

a first transistor circuit in which a first scan signal turns on a transistor among the first transistor circuit in a display mode so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation; and

a second transistor circuit, in a sensing mode, a second scan signal turns on a transistor among the second transistor circuit, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation,

wherein the second transistor circuit is electrically connected to the first transistor circuit and the one or more sensing circuits, and the second transistor circuit comprises the touch capacitive element.

11. The electronic paper display panel of claim 10, wherein the touch object touches the plurality of pixel cells to form a sensing capacitive element with the plurality of pixel cells, and the second transistor circuit further comprises the sensing capacitive element.

12. The electronic paper display panel of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of first scan lines electrically connected to the plurality of first transistor circuits, each of the first scan lines for providing the first scan signal to the first transistor circuit; and

and a plurality of second scan lines electrically connected to the plurality of second transistor circuits, each of the second scan lines being configured to provide the second scan signal to the second transistor circuits.

13. The electronic paper display panel of claim 10, further comprising:

and a plurality of data lines electrically connected to the plurality of first transistor circuits, each of the data lines being configured to provide a data signal to the first transistor circuit, wherein in the display mode, a transistor of the first transistor circuits is turned on, so that the pixel unit displays the image data according to the data signal.

14. The e-paper display panel of claim 13, wherein the plurality of second transistor circuits are electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits via the plurality of data lines, and in the sensing mode a transistor among the second transistor circuits is turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element via the plurality of data lines to generate the relaxation signal.

15. The electronic paper display panel of claim 13, further comprising:

a plurality of sensing lines electrically connected to the plurality of second transistor circuits, wherein the plurality of second transistor circuits are electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits through the plurality of sensing lines, and in the sensing mode, a transistor among the second transistor circuits is turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element through the plurality of sensing lines to generate the relaxation signal.

16. The electronic paper display panel of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of first common electrode lines electrically connected to the plurality of first transistor circuits, each of the first common electrode lines being configured to provide a first common electrode signal to the first transistor circuit, wherein in the display mode, transistors in the first transistor circuits are turned on, so that the pixel units perform an image display operation according to the first common electrode signal; and

and a plurality of second common electrode lines electrically connected to the plurality of second transistor circuits, each of the second common electrode lines being configured to provide a second common electrode signal to the second transistor circuits, wherein in the sensing mode, transistors in the second transistor circuits are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation according to the second common electrode signal.

17. The electronic paper display panel of claim 10, wherein each of the pixel cells further comprises:

a third transistor circuit electrically connected between the first transistor circuit and the second transistor circuit, wherein in the display mode, a third scan signal turns on a transistor of the third transistor circuit to transmit a data signal to the third transistor circuit, and in the display mode, the transistor of the second transistor circuit is not turned on.

18. The electronic paper display panel of claim 17, wherein in the sensing mode, the third scan signal does not turn on a transistor among the third transistor circuits, and in the sensing mode, a transistor among the second transistor circuits is turned on, so that the pixel unit performs a touch sensing operation.

19. The electronic paper display panel of claim 17, further comprising:

and a plurality of third scan lines electrically connected to the plurality of third transistor circuits, each of the third scan lines being configured to provide the third scan signal to the third transistor circuit, wherein in the display mode, the third scan signal turns on a transistor in the third transistor circuit, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation.

20. The electronic paper display panel of claim 17, further comprising:

a plurality of sensing lines electrically connected to the plurality of second transistor circuits, the plurality of second transistor circuits being electrically connected to the one or more sensing circuits through the plurality of sensing lines, and in the sensing mode, a transistor among the second transistor circuits is turned on, and the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge one end of the touch capacitive element through the plurality of sensing lines to generate the relaxation signal.

21. The electronic paper display panel of claim 17, further comprising:

and a plurality of first common electrode lines electrically connected to the first transistor circuits and the third transistor circuits, each of the first common electrode lines being configured to provide a first common electrode signal to the first transistor circuits and the third transistor circuits, wherein in the display mode, transistors of the first transistor circuits and the third transistor circuits are turned on, so that the pixel unit performs an image display operation according to the first common electrode signal.

22. The e-paper display panel of claim 9, wherein the one or more sensing circuits charge and discharge the first end of each of the touch capacitive elements to generate the relaxation Zhang Xinhao, and the reference voltage is switched between a first voltage and a second voltage, wherein the relaxation Zhang Xinhao oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

23. The e-paper display panel of claim 9, wherein the plurality of pixel units are divided into one or more pixel unit groups, each of the one or more pixel unit groups being electrically connected to a corresponding one of the one or more sensing circuits.

24. An electronic paper display panel having a touch sensing function, the electronic paper display panel comprising:

a plurality of pixel units arranged in an array for sensing a touch object, wherein each of the pixel units comprises:

a first transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a data line, and the control terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first scan line;

a pixel capacitor element having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the pixel capacitor element is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor, and the second end of the pixel capacitor element is electrically connected to a first common electrode line;

a storage capacitor element having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the storage capacitor element is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor, and the second end of the storage capacitor element is electrically connected to the first common electrode line;

a second transistor having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to the data line, and the control terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to a second scan line;

a touch capacitive element having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the touch capacitive element is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor, and the second end of the touch capacitive element is electrically connected to a second common electrode line; and

a sensing capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal of the sensing capacitor is electrically connected to the second terminal of the second transistor, and the second terminal of the sensing capacitor is electrically connected to the second common electrode line,

the data line is electrically connected to a corresponding sensing circuit of one or more sensing circuits, the sensing circuit includes a resistive element and an amplifier circuit, a relaxation Zhang Pinlv of a relaxation signal of each pixel unit is determined according to a resistance value of the resistive element and/or a parasitic resistance value of the pixel unit, a pulse variation value of the relaxation signal is changed by the touch object, the touch object is a conductor, the amplifier circuit has a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal, the first input terminal receives a reference voltage, the output terminal is coupled to one end of the resistive element, the second input terminal is coupled to the other end of the resistive element and the first end of the touch capacitive element, and a touch position of the touch object on the electronic paper display panel is determined according to the pulse variation value of the relaxation signal of each pixel unit.

25. The electronic paper display panel of claim 24, wherein each of the pixel cells comprises:

a third transistor having a first end, a second end, and a control end, wherein the first end of the third transistor is electrically connected to the second end of the second transistor, the second end of the third transistor is electrically connected to the second end of the first transistor, the control end of the third transistor is electrically connected to a third scan line, and the first end of the second transistor is electrically connected to a sense line.

26. The electronic paper display panel of claim 24, further comprising the plurality of first scan lines, the plurality of second scan lines, the plurality of data lines, the plurality of first common electrode lines, and the plurality of second common electrode lines, wherein the plurality of first scan lines, the plurality of second scan lines, and the plurality of first common electrode lines are arranged in a first direction, and the plurality of data lines and the plurality of second common electrode lines are arranged in a second direction.

27. The electronic paper display panel of claim 26, further comprising a plurality of third scan lines and a plurality of sense lines, wherein the plurality of third scan lines are arranged in the first direction and the plurality of sense lines are arranged in the second direction.

28. The e-paper display panel of claim 24, wherein the sensing circuit charges and discharges the first end of the touch capacitive element to generate the relaxation Zhang Xinhao, and the reference voltage is switched between a first voltage and a second voltage, wherein the relaxation Zhang Xinhao oscillates between the first voltage and the second voltage.

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