Touch control method for touch panel, touch panel, active stylus for touch panel, and touch display apparatus including touch panel

• US 10,481,718 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ding, Xiaoliang, Dong, Xue, Wang, Haisheng, Liu, Yingming, Liu, Wei, Wang, Pengpeng, Han, Yanling, Xu, Rui, Li, Changfeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Kwang-Su
• Application Number:
  US15/573,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20180348938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 962 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A touch control method, including receiving a touch input, driving a first common electrode to output a voltage for generating a display, detecting a first signal, determining a position of the touch input based on the detected first signal and a position of a second common electrode detecting the first signal, and detecting a pressure signal to determine an amount of pressure applied by the touch input. The technical solution also relates to an active stylus for a touch panel, a touch panel, and a touch display apparatus.

Claims

1. A touch control method for a touch display apparatus comprising a touch panel and an active stylus, wherein the touch panel comprises a common electrode array and is configured to generate a display, determine a touch input position of a touch input by the active stylus, and determine a touch input pressure of the touch input, the touch control method comprising:

detecting the touch input;

generating the display, the generating the display comprising driving at least a first common electrode of the common electrode array to output a display voltage;

determining the touch input position, the determining the touch input position comprising detecting a first signal transmitted at a first frequency from the active stylus through at least a second common electrode of the common electrode array, and determining the touch input position based on the detected first signal and a position of the at least the second common electrode; and

determining the touch input pressure, the determining the touch input pressure comprising detecting a pressure signal transmitted at a second frequency from the active stylus and determining the touch input pressure based on the detected pressure signal,

wherein;

each of the detecting the touch input, the generating the display, the determining the touch input position, and the determining the touch input pressure is performed by the touch panel,

during a time period of one frame of images, the first signal is detectable for a first time period and the pressure signal is detectable for a second time period, and the second time period is longer than or equal to t₁+2t₂, t₁ being a time for the generating the display, and t₂ being a time for transmitting the pressure signal in the second time period.

2. The touch control method according to claim 1, wherein:

during the time period of one frame of images, for the first time period, the touch panel alternates between the generating the display and the determining the touch input position at least once;

after the first time period, the touch panel transmits a trigger signal at a third frequency to the active stylus, the trigger signal triggering the transmission of the pressure signal from the active stylus to the touch panel; and

the third frequency is different from the first frequency and the second frequency.

3. The touch control method according to claim 2, wherein:

after the first time period, the touch panel switches to the detecting the pressure signal; and

the first frequency and the second frequency are different.

4. The touch control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the touch panel determines the touch input position simultaneously as the touch input pressure,

during the time period of one frame of images, the touch panel alternates between the generating the display and the simultaneous determining the touch input position and touch input pressure at least once;

the pressure signal is detectable after the first time period, and

the first frequency and the second frequency are different.

5. The touch control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the time for transmitting the pressure signal in the second time period is shorter than half of a time for the determining the touch input pressure.

6. The touch control method according to claim 1, comprising:

during the time period of one frame of images, the touch panel alternates between the generating the display and detecting a touch input mode at least once,

wherein the detecting the touch input mode comprises determining whether the touch input is from a finger touch or the active stylus.

7. A driving method for an active stylus, comprising:

transmitting a first signal at a first frequency to a touch panel configured to interact with the active stylus, the first signal signaling the touch panel to determine a position of a touch input on the touch panel; and

transmitting a pressure signal at a second frequency to the touch panel, the pressure signal signaling the touch panel to determine a pressure of the touch input on the touch panel,

wherein during a time period of one frame of images, the first signal is detectable for a first time period and the pressure signal is detectable for a second time period, and the second time period is longer than or equal to t₁+2t₂, t₁ being a time for generating a display by the touch panel, and t₂ being a time for transmitting the pressure signal in the second time period.

8. The driving method according to claim 7, wherein:

after the first time period, the pressure signal is transmitted; and

the first frequency and the second frequency are different.

9. The driving method according to claim 7, wherein:

the time for transmitting the pressure signal in the second time period is shorter than half of a time for the determining the touch input pressure.

10. The driving method according to claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a trigger signal transmitted at a third frequency from the touch panel, the trigger signal signaling the active stylus to transmit the pressure signal, and

transmitting the pressure signal after a delay between the detecting the trigger signal and the transmitting the pressure signal,

wherein the third frequency is different from the first frequency and the second frequency.

11. An active stylus for a touch panel, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

transmit a first signal at a first frequency to a touch panel configured to interact with the active stylus, the first signal signaling the touch panel to determine a position of a touch input on the touch panel; and

transmit a pressure signal at a second frequency to the touch panel, the pressure signal signaling the touch panel to determine a pressure of the touch input on the touch panel,

wherein during a time period of one frame of images, the first signal is detectable for a first time period and the pressure signal is detectable for a second time period, and the second time period is longer than or equal to t₁+2t₂, t₁ being a time for generating a display by the touch panel, and t₂ being a time for transmitting the pressure signal in the second time period.

12. The active stylus according to claim 11, further comprising a signal receiver configured to receive a trigger signal transmitted from the touch panel.

13. The active stylus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the pressure signal after a delay between the detecting the trigger signal and the transmitting the pressure signal.

14. The active stylus according to claim 11, wherein:

the processor is configured to, after the first time period, transmit the pressure signal; and

the first frequency and the second frequency are different.