Patents by Inventor Wei-Lun SHIH

Wei-Lun SHIH has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11423685
    Abstract: A driving apparatus and an operation method thereof are provided. The driving apparatus includes a first driving circuit and a second driving circuit. The first driving circuit performs a first driving mode on a panel. The first driving circuit performs the first driving mode during a first frame period among a plurality of frame periods and skips the first driving mode during a first skip period between the first frame period and a second frame period among the frame periods. The first driving circuit outputs timing control signal including a timing that the first driving mode is skipped. The second driving circuit is coupled to the first driving circuit to receive the timing control signal. The second driving circuit performs a fingerprint sensing operation different from the first driving mode on the panel according to the timing control signal during the first skip period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Tsen-Wei Chang, Cho-Hsuan Jhang, Chih-Peng Hsia, Cheng-Yu Chiang
  • Publication number: 20220197466
    Abstract: A control method for an optical fingerprint sensor and a touch controller is provided, for canceling or reducing capacitive loading. The optical fingerprint sensor includes a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels has a first control signal line and a second control signal line. Each of the pixels is further coupled to a first voltage source line, a second voltage source line and a sensing line. The control method includes the step of configuring at least one of the first control signal line, the second control signal line, the first voltage source line, the second voltage source line and the sensing line to be floating when the touch controller is in a touch operation period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Tsen-Wei Chang, Chih-Peng Hsia, Wei-Lun Shih, Hong-Chu Chen, Su-Wei Lien, Sheng-Wen Hsiao, Liang-Chi Cheng
  • Publication number: 20220171494
    Abstract: An integrated driving device is provided. The integrated driving device includes a touch sensing circuit and an optical sensing circuit. The touch sensing circuit is configured to perform touch sensing in a plurality of touch sensing periods during a first frame period. The optical sensing circuit is configured to perform optical sensing during at least one optical sensing period during the first frame period to obtain optical sensing signals for generating first ambient light information. The touch sensing periods and the optical sensing period are non-overlapping. Correspondingly, an operation method of an integrated driving device is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Wu-Wei Lin, Jiun-Jie Tsai, Huang-Chin Tang, Ching-Chun Lin
  • Patent number: 11320928
    Abstract: An electronic circuit is adapted to drive a display panel having touch sensors and fingerprint sensors. The electronic circuit includes a first circuit, a second circuit, a first switch circuit and a control circuit. The first circuit processes touch sensing signals from the touch sensors. The second circuit processes fingerprint sensing signals corresponding to a fingerprint from the fingerprint sensors. The first switch circuit includes a plurality of first terminals coupled to the first circuit and the second circuit and a plurality of second terminals configurable to be coupled to the display panel. The first switch circuit couples a part of the first terminals to the second terminals in a first time interval and couples the other part of the first terminals to the second terminals in a second time interval. The touch sensing signals and the fingerprint sensing signals are inputted to the electronic circuit through the second terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huan-Teng Cheng, Wei-Lun Shih, Huang-Chin Tang
  • Publication number: 20220130166
    Abstract: An electronic circuit adapted to drive a display panel is provided. The display panel includes touch sensors and fingerprint sensors. The electronic circuit includes a touch sensing circuit, a fingerprint sensing circuit and a display driving circuit. The touch sensing circuit senses a touch of a finger and determines a first area corresponding to the touch on the display panel. The fingerprint sensing circuit senses a fingerprint image of the finger corresponding to the first area. The display driving circuit drives pixels of the first area with respective first gray levels and pixels of a second area outside the first area with respective second gray levels. The display driving circuit processes respective third gray levels to obtain the respective second gray levels. The display driving circuit generates gamma voltages corresponding to the respective first gray levels and the respective second gray levels according to the same gamma curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Tzu-Wen Hsieh, Huan-Teng Cheng, Huang-Chin Tang, Yueh-Teng Mai, Shi-Hao Huang, Jung-Chung Lee
  • Patent number: 11308306
    Abstract: A control method for an optical fingerprint sensor and a touch controller are provided for canceling or reducing capacitive loading. The optical fingerprint sensor includes a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels has a first control signal line and a second control signal line. Each of the pixels is further coupled to a first voltage source line, a second voltage source line and a sensing line. The control method includes the step of applying an anti-loading driving (ALD) signal on at least one of the first control signal line, the second control signal line, the first voltage source line, the second voltage source line and the sensing line when the touch controller is in a touch operation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Tsen-Wei Chang, Chih-Peng Hsia, Wei-Lun Shih, Hong-Chu Chen, Su-Wei Lien, Sheng-Wen Hsiao, Liang-Chi Cheng
  • Publication number: 20220108557
    Abstract: An electronic circuit adapted to process fingerprint data from a panel including touch sensors and fingerprint sensors is provided. The electronic circuit includes a first circuit, a second circuit and a control circuit. The first circuit is configured to receive touch sensing signals from the touch sensors. The second circuit is configured to receive fingerprint sensing signals corresponding to at least one fingerprint imprint from the fingerprint sensors via fingerprint sensing lines. The control circuit is configured to determine a fingerprint touch area according to the touch sensing signals, and select a subset of the fingerprint sensing lines to form a fingerprint sensing zone adapted for a fingerprint sensing operation and including at least one boundary based on the determined fingerprint touch area. The subset of fingerprint sensing lines is selected based on the at least one boundary of the fingerprint sensing zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huan-Teng Cheng, Ting-Hsuan Hung, Wei-Lun Shih, Huang-Chin Tang
  • Patent number: 11295108
    Abstract: A control method for an optical fingerprint sensor is provided for canceling or reducing capacitive loading. The optical fingerprint sensor includes a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels has a first control signal line and a second control signal line. Each of the pixels is further coupled to a first voltage source line, a second voltage source line and a sensing line. The control method includes a plurality of steps, and the steps are applying a first anti-loading driving (ALD) signal on the second control signal line, and applying a second ALD signal on at least one of the first control signal line, the first voltage source line, the second voltage source line and the sensing line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microeletronics Corp.
    Inventors: Tsen-Wei Chang, Chih-Peng Hsia, Wei-Lun Shih, Hong-Chu Chen, Su-Wei Lien, Sheng-Wen Hsiao, Liang-Chi Cheng
  • Publication number: 20220092287
    Abstract: An electronic circuit adapted to control an operation of a gate driver circuit is provided. The electronic circuit includes a gate control circuit. The gate control circuit outputs control signals to the gate driver circuit in a display period and a fingerprint sensing period via the same output nodes. The control signals include a start pulse signal and a switch control signal. The switch control signal controls the gate driver circuit to operate in the display period or the fingerprint sensing period. The gate driver circuit includes a plurality of shift register groups and a switch circuit. The shift register groups output scan signals according to the start pulse signal. The switch circuit receives and outputs the scan signals to display scan lines in the display period and outputs the scan signals to fingerprint scan lines in the fingerprint sensing period according to the switch control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Wu Wei Lin, Kuei Jung Chen
  • Patent number: 11270095
    Abstract: An electronic circuit for driving a panel including touch sensors and fingerprint sensors is provided. The electronic circuit includes a touch sensing circuit, a fingerprint sensing circuit and a display driving circuit. The touch sensing circuit senses a touch of a finger and determines a first area corresponding to the touch on the panel. The fingerprint sensing circuit senses a fingerprint image of the finger corresponding to the first area of the panel. The display driving circuit drives pixels over the panel with respective first gray levels during a first phase, and drives pixels of the first area with respective second gray levels and pixels of a second area outside the first area with respective third gray levels during a second phase. The respective second gray levels are higher than the respective first gray levels, and the respective third gray levels are lower than the respective second gray levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Tzu-Wen Hsieh, Huan-Teng Cheng, Huang-Chin Tang, Yueh-Teng Mai, Shi-Hao Huang, Jung-Chung Lee
  • Patent number: 11244135
    Abstract: An electronic circuit including a touch control circuit, a fingerprint sensing circuit and a switch circuit is provided. The touch control circuit is configured to receive touch sensing signals from a panel and determine a touch area according to the touch sensing signals. The fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to receive fingerprint sensing signals corresponding to at least one fingerprint image from fingerprint sensors disposed in the panel via fingerprint sensing lines. The switch circuit is coupled to the fingerprint sensing circuit. The switch circuit is configured to be coupled to a part of the fingerprint sensing lines that is selected to form a fingerprint sensing zone for a fingerprint sensing operation according to the determined touch area. Each of the fingerprint sensing lines is selectable to be a boundary of the fingerprint sensing zone. An electronic device and a method for sensing at least one fingerprint image are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huan-Teng Cheng, Ting-Hsuan Hung, Wei-Lun Shih, Huang-Chin Tang
  • Publication number: 20210357615
    Abstract: In the invention, a fingerprint driving circuit, a fingerprint sensing device, an electronic apparatus, and an operation method of the fingerprint sensing device are provided. By keeping fingerprint sensing lines in a non-fingerprint sensing region in an electrically non-floating state, flash phenomenon in a display panel may be avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Wu Wei Lin, Ting-Hsuan Hung, Wen-Yi Hsieh
  • Patent number: 11170194
    Abstract: A control circuit configured to control a display panel under normal display includes a display driver circuit, a touch sensing circuit and a fingerprint sensing circuit. The touch sensing circuit, coupled to the display driver circuit, is configured to detect a predetermined touch gesture on the display panel and determine a position of the display panel on which the predetermined touch gesture is detected. The fingerprint sensing circuit, coupled to the touch sensing circuit, is configured to perform fingerprint sensing on at least one zone corresponding to the position when the predetermined touch gesture is detected, in order to perform a specific function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Huan-Teng Cheng, Wei-Lun Shih, Huang-Chin Tang
  • Publication number: 20210224548
    Abstract: A driving device and an operation method thereof are provided. The driving device includes a first driving circuit and a second driving circuit. The first driving circuit performs a display driving operation to a display panel. The second driving circuit performs a fingerprint sensing operation (including a sensor reset operation and an image capture operation) to the display panel according to a timing control signal of the first driving circuit. The fingerprint sensing operation is operated with a same frame polarity configuration rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Wu Wei Lin
  • Patent number: 11036952
    Abstract: A touch apparatus and a touch detection integrated circuit (IC) thereof are provided. The touch detection IC includes a driving signal generation circuit and a receiving circuit. The driving signal generation circuit is configured to control a touch panel to perform touch sensing operation and control a fingerprint sensor to perform fingerprint sensing operation. The receiving circuit receives and processes a touch signal of the touch panel during a first period when the driving signal generation circuit transmits the first driving signal for controlling the touch panel to perform touch sensing operation. The receiving circuit receives and processes a fingerprint signal of the fingerprint sensor during a second period when the driving signal generation circuit transmits the second driving signal for controlling the fingerprint sensor to perform fingerprint sensing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Ching-Ho Hung, Jiun-Jie Tsai, Ting-Hsuan Hung, Wei-Lun Shih
  • Patent number: 11030435
    Abstract: A method of sensing an image from a panel for an image sensing circuit includes the steps of: transmitting a first voltage or current to the panel; receiving a plurality of sensing signals from the panel, wherein the plurality of sensing signals correspond to the first voltage or current; determining whether the plurality of sensing signals conform to an operation range of the image sensing circuit; and adjusting the first voltage or current when the plurality of sensing signals are determined to be not conform to the operation range of the image sensing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: NOVATEK Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Ting-Hsuan Hung, Wei-Lun Shih, Wu-Wei Lin
  • Publication number: 20210081640
    Abstract: The present invention provides a control method for an optical fingerprint sensor and a touch controller. The optical fingerprint sensor includes a plurality of pixels, and each of the pixels has a first control signal line and a second control signal line. Each of the pixels is further coupled to a first voltage source line, a second voltage source line and a sensing line. The control method includes the step of applying an anti-loading driving (ALD) signal on at least one of the first control signal line, the second control signal line, the first voltage source line, the second voltage source line and the sensing line when the touch controller is in a touch operation period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Tsen-Wei Chang, Chih-Peng Hsia, Wei-Lun Shih, Hong-Chu Chen, Su-Wei Lien, Sheng-Wen Hsiao, Liang-Chi Cheng
  • Publication number: 20210073504
    Abstract: A chip, an electronic device, a panel and an operation method thereof are provided. The chip can control the panel to perform fingerprint sensing. Fingerprint sensing pixels of the panel are divided into a plurality of fingerprint zones along a column direction. The chip includes a selecting circuit and a control circuit. The selecting circuit obtains information about a selected fingerprint zone among the fingerprint zones. The control circuit provides multiple control signals for controlling the panel to perform fingerprint sensing. The control signals include multiple start pulse signals. The start pulse signals collectively indicate the selected fingerprint zone. The number of the fingerprint zones is greater than the number of the start pulse signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: Novatek Microelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Wu-Wei Lin, Huang-Chin Tang, Ting-Hsuan Hung
  • Publication number: 20210056333
    Abstract: A control circuit configured to control a display panel includes a display driver circuit, a touch sensing circuit and a fingerprint sensing circuit. The touch sensing circuit, coupled to the display driver circuit and the fingerprint sensing circuit, is configured to detect a finger touch on the display panel, determine a position of the display panel on which the finger touch is detected, and send information associated with the position to the fingerprint sensing circuit. The fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to perform fingerprint sensing on at least one zone corresponding to the position and receive fingerprint image signals from the at least one zone correspondingly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Huan-Teng Cheng, Wei-Lun Shih, Huang-Chin Tang
  • Publication number: 20210056281
    Abstract: An electronic circuit for driving a panel including touch sensors and fingerprint sensors is provided. The electronic circuit includes a touch sensing circuit, a fingerprint sensing circuit and a display driving circuit. The touch sensing circuit senses a touch of a finger and determines a first area corresponding to the touch on the panel. The fingerprint sensing circuit senses a fingerprint image of the finger corresponding to the first area of the panel. The display driving circuit drives pixels over the panel with respective first gray levels during a first phase, and drives pixels of the first area with respective second gray levels and pixels of a second area outside the first area with respective third gray levels during a second phase. The respective second gray levels are higher than the respective first gray levels, and the respective third gray levels are lower than the respective second gray levels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Wei-Lun Shih, Tzu-Wen Hsieh, Huan-Teng Cheng, Huang-Chin Tang, Yueh-Teng Mai, Shi-Hao Huang, Jung-Chung Lee