Patent ID: 7973777

Claim:
An apparatus to drive a display panel including a photo sensing circuit and a pressure sensing circuit, the apparatus comprising: a first amplifier configured to be inputted a photo sensing signal from the photo sensing circuit; a second amplifier configured to be inputted a pressure sensing signal from the pressure sensing circuit; a first parallel-to-serial converter coupled with the first amplifier and selectively coupled with the second amplifier; a second parallel-to-serial converter selectively coupled with the second amplifier; and an analog-to-digital converter coupled with the first parallel-to-serial converter and the second parallel-to-serial converter, wherein the first and second amplifier, the first and second parallel-to-serial converter, and the analog-to-digital converter are configured to operate in one of a normal mode and a power saving mode based on the pressure sensing signal, and wherein the pressure sensing circuit senses a pressure by closing a switch under a pressure initiated by a touch exerted on a surface of the display panel, and when in the normal mode, the first amplifier amplifies the photo sensing signal, the second amplifier amplifies the pressure sensing signal, the first parallel-to-serial converter is coupled with the first amplifier and the second amplifier, and converts the amplified photo sensing signal and the amplified pressure sensing signal into first serial sensing signals, and the analog-to-digital converter converts the first serial sensing signals into first digital sensing signals, and when in the power saving mode, the first amplifier is not provided with power, the second amplifier amplifies the pressure sensing signal, the second parallel-to serial converter is coupled with the second amplifier, and converts the amplified pressure sensing signal into a second serial sensing signal, and the analog-to-digital converter converts the second serial sensing signal into a second digital sensing signal.