Optical touch sensing device and touch signal determination method thereof

• US 10,078,396 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Chun-Chao, Chen, Yu-Yen
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/586,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 345175
• 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 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

An optical touch sensing device and a touch signal determining method thereof are provided. The optical touch sensing device includes a light source module, at least one image capturing element and a processing unit. The light source module disposed on a touch surface provides a detecting light to the touch surface. The image capturing element captures an optical touch data along the touch surface based on the detecting light. The processing unit recognizes the optical touch data according to a recognition threshold to obtain multiple touch signals. When a object spacing between the touch signals is no bigger than a palm spacing, the processing unit compares the covering parameters corresponding to the touch signals to select a largest covering parameter among the covering parameters, and determines whether to ignore the touch signal corresponding to the largest covering parameter according to the largest covering parameter and an area threshold.

Claims

1. An optical touch sensing device, comprising:

a light source module, disposed on a touch surface and providing a detecting light to the touch surface;

at least one image capturing element, capturing an optical touch data along the touch surface based on the detecting light; and

a processing unit, coupled to the at least one image capturing element to receive the optical touch data, recognizing the optical touch data according to a recognition threshold to obtain a plurality of touch signals and a plurality of touch coordinates and a plurality of covering parameters corresponding to the touch signals, wherein each covering parameter is positively related to a spatial occupation of the corresponding touch signal, and each touch signal is corresponding to one of the touch coordinates and one of the covering parameters,

wherein the processing unit determines an object spacing between each two touch coordinates and selects a plurality of candidate touch signals from the touch signals according to the object spacing, wherein the object spacing between each two touch coordinates corresponding to the candidate touch signals is smaller than or equal to a palm spacing,

wherein after the candidate touch signals have been selected, the processing unit obtains an area threshold by multiplying the second largest covering parameter of the candidate touch signals by a magnification value which is greater than 1 and is not greater than 1.5,

wherein the processing unit determines whether the largest covering parameter of the candidate touch signal is greater than the area threshold, and ignores the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter when it is determined that the largest covering parameter is greater than the area threshold.

2. The optical touch sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing unit compares a plurality of signal strengths of the candidate touch signals, and ignores the candidate touch signal corresponding to the lower signal strength when a difference between the signal strengths is greater than a signal strength threshold.

3. The optical touch sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein after obtaining the touch signals and the touch coordinates and the covering parameters corresponded thereto, the processing unit counts an amount of the touch signals, and executes a touch action according to the touch signal when the amount is equal to 1.

4. The optical touch sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the processing unit determines a relative positional relationship between the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter and the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the second largest covering parameter, and ignores the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter when the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter are located below the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the second largest covering parameter.

5. The optical touch sensing device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one edge strip, disposed around the touch surface for reflecting, diverging or absorbing the detecting light.

6. The optical touch sensing device as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the covering parameters is a width value of the corresponding touch signal in the optical touch data or an area value formed by using at least to image capturing elements.

7. A touch signal determining method for an optical touch sensing device, comprising:

receiving an optical touch data based on a detecting light on a touch surface through using at least one image capturing element;

recognizing the optical touch data to obtain a plurality of touch signals and a plurality of touch coordinates and a plurality of covering parameters corresponding to the touch signals according to a recognition threshold, wherein each covering parameter is positively related to a spatial occupation of the corresponding touch signal, and each touch signal is corresponding to one of the touch coordinates and one of the covering parameters;

determining an object spacing between each two touch coordinates;

selecting a plurality of candidate touch signals from the touch signals according to the object spacing, wherein the object spacing between each two touch coordinates corresponding to the candidate touch signals is smaller than or equal to a palm spacing;

after the candidate touch signals have been selected, obtaining an area threshold by multiplying the second largest covering parameter of the candidate touch signals by a magnification value which is greater than 1 and is not greater than 1.5;

determining whether the largest covering parameter of the candidate touch signal is greater than the area threshold; and

ignoring the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter when it is determined that the largest covering parameter is greater than the area threshold.

8. The touch signal determining method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

comparing a plurality of signal strengths of the candidate touch signals; and

ignoring the candidate touch signal corresponding to the lower signal strength when a difference of between the signal strengths is greater than a signal strength threshold.

9. The touch signal determining method as recited in claim 7, wherein after obtaining the touch signals and the touch coordinates and the covering parameters corresponded thereto, further comprising:

counting an amount of the touch signal; and

executing a touch action according to the touch signal when the amount is equal to 1.

10. The touch signal determining method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

determining a relative positional relationship between the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter and the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the second largest covering parameter; and

ignoring the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter when the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the largest covering parameter are located below the touch coordinates of the candidate touch signal having the second largest covering parameter.

11. The touch signal determining method as recited in claim 7, wherein each of the covering parameters is a width value of the corresponding touch signal in the optical touch data or an area value formed by using at least to image capturing elements.