Touchscreen panel with heating function

An information processing system comprising:

• a touchscreen panel having:
• a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer;
• a touch sensor having a receiving element and a transmitting element, each arranged on the LCD layer and together configured to establish mutual capacitance therebetween to thereby detect an impending touch of the touch sensor via a hover system and a touch event in a touch-detecting mode;
• a conducting element arranged on the LCD layer, having multiple electric connections to each of the receiving element and the transmitting element along the receiving and transmitting elements' respective lengths, and configured to deliver electrical current to each of the receiving and transmitting elements;
• and
• a temperature sensor arranged on the touch sensor and configured to detect a temperature of the LCD layer;
• wherein at least one of the receiving element and the transmitting element is in operative communication with the temperature sensor and configured to operate as a heating element by generating a heat energy input to the LCD layer in a heating mode when the impending touch of the touch sensor is not detected and the detected temperature of the LCD layer is below a predetermined value;
• and
• a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) configured to:
• regulate the voltage across the heating element;
• switch the touch sensor from the touch-detecting mode to a heating mode, if the impending touch of the touch sensor is not detected and the detected temperature of the LCD layer is below a predetermined value;
• and
• apply, in the heating mode, a voltage across the heating element to thereby generate the heat energy input to the LCD layer and accelerate responsiveness of the LCD layer to the touch event.

A method of controlling a touchscreen panel having a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer, the method comprising:

• detecting a temperature of the LCD layer via a temperature sensor, wherein the touchscreen panel includes a touch sensor having a receiving element and a transmitting element, each arranged on the LCD layer, together configured to establish mutual capacitance therebetween to thereby detect an impending touch of the touch sensor via a hover system and a touch event in a touch-detecting mode, and at least one of the receiving element and the transmitting element is configured to operate as a heating element by generating a heat energy input to the LCD layer in a heating mode when the impending touch of the touch sensor is not detected;
• delivering electrical current to each of the receiving element and the transmitting element via a conducting element arranged on the LCD layer and having multiple electric connection along each of the receiving and transmitting elements' respective lengths;
• scanning for the impending touch of the touch sensor via the hover system;
• assessing, via a controller, if the impending touch of the touch sensor has been detected via the hover system and if the detected temperature of the LCD layer is below a predetermined value;
• switching, via a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) in operative communication with the controller, from the touch-detecting mode to the heating mode, if the impending touch of the touch sensor has not been detected and the assessed temperature of the LCD layer is below a predetermined value;
• and
• regulating, in the heating mode, via the PMIC, a voltage across the heating element to thereby generate the heat energy input to the LCD layer and accelerate responsiveness of the LCD layer to the touch event.