Method and device for controlling operation according to damage to touch area of electronic device

• US 10,055,055 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Junho, Koh, Myunggeun
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahi, Towfiq
• Application Number:
  US14/694,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20150309660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method of controlling an operation of an electronic device having a damaged touch area is included. The method includes detecting a damaged area in a touch area, identifying information on a location and a width of the damaged area, and performing a touch compensation function when a touch is to be compensated for based on the information.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an operation of an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining whether a damaged area exists in a touch panel, the damaged area being an area where a touch input is not detected;

in response to determining the damaged area exists in the touch panel, identifying information on a location and a width of the damaged area;

determining whether to activate a touch compensation function based on the location and the width of the damaged area; and

in response to determining to activate the touch compensation function, activating the touch compensation function,

wherein the activating the touch compensation function comprises;

detecting the touch input,

determining whether the touch input includes a multi-touch including at least two touch inputs generated on opposite sides of the damaged area,

determining a location of the touch input based on a location of each of touch inputs included in the multi-touch, and

processing the multi-touch into a single touch based on a distance by which the multi-touch is separated from the damaged area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the damaged area comprises at least one damaged touch line of touch lines constituting the touch area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of the multi-touch into the single touch comprises:

deducing a coordinate of an unrecognized touch point by obtaining a particular point between coordinates of the multi-touch.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing display settings of a screen when a touch is not to be compensated for based on the information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the changing of the display settings of the screen is performed when one of the damaged area comprises a touch line located on an outermost side of the touch area based on the information or the width of the damaged area is greater than a threshold value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the changing of the display settings of the screen comprises:

displaying the screen having a changed size in an undamaged area when the damaged area comprises the touch line located on the outermost side of the touch area based on the identified information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the changing of the display settings of the screen comprises:

dividing and displaying the screen in undamaged areas on opposite sides of the damaged area based on the width of the damaged area.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the changing of the display settings of the screen comprises:

displaying a portion of the screen in an undamaged area based on the width of the damaged area.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a touch panel; and

at least one processor configured to;

determine whether a damaged area exists in a touch panel, the damaged area being an area where a touch input is not detected,

identify information on a location and a width of the damaged area within the touch panel,

determine whether to activate a touch compensation function based on the location and the width of the damaged area, and

in response to determining to activate the touch compensation function, activate the touch compensation function,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to;

detect the touch input,

determine whether the touch input includes a multi-touch including at least two touch inputs generated on opposite sides of the damaged area,

determine a location of the touch input based on a location of each of touch inputs included in the multi-touch, and

process the multi-touch into a single touch based on a distance by which the multi-touch is separated from the damaged area.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor comprises a touch area damage identification module configured to identify whether the damaged area exists.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to deduce a coordinate of an unrecognized touch point by obtaining a particular point between coordinates of the multi-touch when processing the multi-touch into the single touch.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change display settings of a screen when a touch is not to be compensated for based on the information.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change the display settings of the screen based on at least one of when it is determined based on the information that the damaged area comprises a touch line located on an outermost side of the screen of the touch panel or when a width of the damaged area is greater than a threshold value.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display the screen in an undamaged area when determining that the damaged area comprises the touch line located on the outermost side of the touch panel based on the information.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display a portion of the screen in undamaged areas on opposite sides of the damaged area when determining that the width of the damaged area is greater than a threshold value based on the identified information.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

display a portion of the screen having a same size in undamaged areas, and

move the screen according to a user'"'"'s selection to display the portion of the screen in the undamaged area when determining that the width of the damaged area is greater than a threshold value based on the identified information.

17. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the coordinate is deduced by calculating a mean of a first touch point on a first side of the damaged area and a second touch point on a second side of the damaged area.

18. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium with a program recorded thereon, the program when executed by at least one processor performs a method of controlling an operation of an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining whether a damaged area exists in a touch panel, the damaged area being an area where a touch input is not detected,

identifying information on a location and a width of the damaged area,

determining whether to activate a touch compensation function based on the location and the width of the damaged area, and

in response to determining to activate the touch compensation function, activating the touch compensation function,

wherein the activating the touch compensation function comprises;

detecting the touch input,

determining whether the touch input includes a multi-touch including at least two touch inputs generated on opposite sides of the damaged area,

determining a location of the touch input based on a location of each of touch inputs included in the multi-touch, and

processing the multi-touch into a single touch based on a distance by which the multi-touch is separated from the damaged area.