Sensor controller, electronic device, and control method of sensor controller

A control method of a sensor controller connected to a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes, the control method comprising:

• generating, by a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential;
• outputting the signal waveform generated by each of the transmission drivers as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes;
• outputting, from an intermediate potential supply unit having a potential generation circuit including a voltage source or a capacitive element separate from the transmission drivers, an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential at first timings at which a potential of the signal waveform generated by at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential;
• supplying the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal or the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers;
• transmitting, by a control circuit, a control signal,
• wherein an output side of the potential generation circuit is connected to two or more of the plurality of transmission drivers,
• wherein each of the transmission drivers has an output mode for outputting the transmission signal and a stop mode for stopping supply of the second potential from a power supply line to the positive power supply terminal and supply of the first potential from a reference line to the negative power supply terminal to shift a state of output to a high impedance state;
• controlling, by the control circuit, the transmission drivers to enter the stop mode at the first timings and controls the transmission drivers to enter the output mode at second timings after a predetermined time period from the first timings, and
• wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes:
• a plurality of first short-circuit control elements, wherein each of the first short-circuit control elements has two ends short-circuited or opened according to the control signal, a first one of the two ends being connected to a corresponding positive power supply terminal, and a second one end of the two ends being connected to the output side of the potential generation circuit, and
• a plurality of second short-circuit control elements, wherein each of the second short-circuit control elements has two ends short-circuited or opened according to the control signal, a first one of the two ends being connected to a corresponding negative power supply terminal, and a second one end of the two ends being connected to the output side of the potential generation circuit;
• controlling, by the control circuit, at least one of the first short-circuit control elements or the second short-circuit control elements to short-circuit at the first timings;
• and
• controlling, by the control circuit, the at least one of the first short-circuit control elements or the second short-circuit control elements short-circuited at the first timings to open at the second timings.

A control method of a sensor controller connected to a touch sensor having a plurality of detection electrodes, the control method comprising:

• generating, by a plurality of transmission drivers each having a negative power supply terminal supplied with a first potential and a positive power supply terminal supplied with a second potential higher than the first potential, a signal waveform that transitions between the first potential and the second potential;
• outputting the signal waveform generated by each of the transmission drivers as a transmission signal to a corresponding one of the detection electrodes;
• generating, by an intermediate potential supply unit, an intermediate potential between the first potential and the second potential;
• supplying, by the intermediate potential supply unit, the intermediate potential to at least one of the positive power supply terminal or the negative power supply terminal of at least one of the transmission drivers in a period from a time point that a potential of the signal waveform generated by the at least one of the transmission drivers starts to transition from the first potential to the second potential or from the second potential to the first potential to a time point that the potential of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential;
• and
• stopping, by the intermediate potential supply unit, the supplying of the intermediate potential at a timing at which the potential of at least one of the positive power supply terminal and the negative power supply terminal of the at least one of the transmission drivers reaches the intermediate potential,
• wherein the intermediate potential supply unit includes a plurality of first output control circuits and a plurality of second output control circuits,
• discharging, by each of the first output control circuits, electricity from a corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of a corresponding transmission driver falls;
• and
• supplying, by each of the second output control circuits, the intermediate potential to the corresponding transmission driver at a timing at which the potential of the signal waveform of the corresponding transmission driver rises.