Touch screen using pressure to control the zoom ratio

• US 20020180763A1
• Filed: 11/25/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Kung, Shao-Tsu
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touch screen that uses pressure to control the zoom ratio and the zoom area. The touch screen has a display panel, a touch sensor, and a display control. The display panel is used to display an image. The touch sensor is used to sense the position and intensity of the pressure exerted on the touch screen. The display control is connected to the display panel and the touch sensor. Pressure exerted on the touch sensor is interpreted by the display control to change the zoom area and the zoom ratio of the image on the display panel.

Claims

1. A touch screen comprising:

a display panel for displaying an image;

a touch sensor having a sensing surface for sensing intensity and position of an external force imposed thereon and generating a corresponding pressure signal and a position signal; and

a display control electrically connected to display panel and the touch sensor for controlling the image and zooming in on a portion of the image according to the pressure signal and the position signal.

2. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the touch sensor comprises:

a transparent sensing plate having a plurality of sensing units each positioned at a predetermined position on the display panel for detecting intensity of an external force; and

a pressure detector electrically connected to the sensing plate for detecting the intensity and position of the external force imposed on the sensing plate and generating corresponding pressure and position signals.

3. The touch screen of claim 2 wherein the transparent sensing plate is fixed on the display panel.

4. The touch screen of claim 2 wherein each sensing unit has a capacitor, and when an external force is imposed on one of the sensing units, capacitance of the sensing unit will change, and the pressure detector will generate the pressure signal according to the capacitance of the sensing unit and will generate the position signal according to the position of the sensing unit.

5. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the display control will zoom the portion of the image corresponding to the position of the external force detected by the touch sensor and display that portion of the image full-screen on the display panel.

6. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the display control will zoom in on the portion of the image corresponding to the position of the external force detected by the touch sensor in a fixed display frame on the display panel;

the fixed display frame has the same size for different intensities of external forces; and

the image outside of the fixed display frame will remain unchanged.

7. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the fixed display frame is displayed at a position corresponding to the position of the external force detected by the touch sensor on the display panel.

8. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the display control will zoom in on the portion of the image corresponding to the position of the external force detected by the touch sensor in a variable display frame on the display panel;

the variable display frame has a size which varies with the intensity of the external force; and

the image outside of the variable display frame will remain unchanged.

9. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the display control uses a linear conversion model to zoom in on the image.

10. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the display control uses a step conversion model to zoom in on the image;

the step conversion model has a plurality of pressure sections each having a corresponding zoom ratio; and

when receiving a pressure signal which falls within one of the pressure sections, the pressure signal will be converted to a corresponding zoom ratio.