Touch control module for electronic devices

• US 20050134577A1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sentelic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sentelic Corporation
• Inventors: Chu, Lin, Shen, Chung-Yi, Hwang, Shyh-In, Lin, Jao-Ching
• Application Number:
  US10/797,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20050134577A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A touch control module includes a touch control unit operable so as to generate a contact signal in response to contact with an object, a computing unit coupled electrically to the touch control unit so as to receive the contact signal therefrom, and a transmission interface including a set of transmission lines coupled electrically to the computing unit. The computing unit is configured to generate different control signals, each of which is generated in accordance with a contact position of the object with the touch control unit. Each of the transmission lines is used to transmit a respective one of the control signals to a host unit for scrolling control of a graphical user interface display of the host unit.

Claims

1. A touch control module comprising:

a touch control unit operable so as to generate a contact signal in response to contact with an object;

a computing unit coupled electrically to said touch control unit so as to receive the contact signal therefrom, said computing unit being configured to generate different control signals, each of which is generated in accordance with a contact position of the object with said touch control unit; and

a transmission interface including a set of transmission lines coupled electrically to said computing unit, each of said transmission lines being used to transmit a respective one of the control signals;

whereby, said transmission interface is adapted to provide the control signals to a host unit for scrolling control of a graphical user interface display of the host unit.

2. The touch control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch control unit includes first and second contact regions, said computing unit generating a first one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said first contact region, and a second one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said second contact region.

3. The touch control module as claimed in claim 2, wherein said touch control unit further includes third and fourth contact regions, said computing unit generating a third one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said third contact region, and a fourth one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said fourth contact region.

4. The touch control module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first, second, third and fourth contact regions are interconnected to form a closed loop.

5. The touch control module as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first, second, third and fourth contact regions are interconnected to form a rectangular loop.

6. The touch control module as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

said first and second contact regions are in the form of strips that extend along parallel first and second axes, respectively,

said third and fourth contact regions being in the form of strips that extend along parallel third and fourth axes, respectively,

said third and fourth axes being transverse to the first and second axes.

7. The touch control module as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of said first, second, third and fourth contact regions is formed with a plurality of parallel scan lines, each of which is transverse to the axis of the respective one of said contact regions.

8. The touch control module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first and second contact regions are interconnected at one end, and said third and fourth contact regions are connected to said one end of said first and second contact regions.

9. The touch control module as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first and second contact regions are in the form of strips that extend along a first axis, and said third and fourth contact regions are in the form of strips that extend along a second axis transverse to the first axis.

10. The touch control module as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said first, second, third and fourth contact regions is formed with a plurality of parallel scan lines, each of which is transverse to the axis of the respective one of said contact regions.

11. The touch control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch control unit includes a first contact region, said computing unit generating a first one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said first contact region in a first direction, and a second one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said first contact region in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

12. The touch control module as claimed in claim 11, wherein said touch control unit further includes a second contact region, said computing unit generating a third one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said second contact region in a third direction, and a fourth one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said second contact region in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction.

13. The touch control module as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first contact region is connected at one end to said second contact region.

14. The touch control module as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first contact region is in the form of a strip that extends along a first axis, and said second contact region is in the form of a strip that extends along a second axis transverse to the first axis.

15. The touch control module as claimed in claim 14, wherein each of said first and second contact regions is formed with a plurality of parallel scan lines, each of which is transverse to the axis of the respective one of said contact regions.

16. The touch control module as claimed in claim 2, wherein said touch control unit further includes a third contact region, said computing unit generating a third one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said third contact region in a first direction, and a fourth one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said third contact region in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

17. The touch control module as claimed in claim 16, wherein said third contact region has opposite ends connected respectively to said first and second contact regions.

18. The touch control module as claimed in claim 17, wherein:

said first and second contact regions are in the form of strips that extend along parallel first and second axes, respectively,

said third contact region being in the form of a strip that extends along a third axis transverse to the first and second axes.

19. The touch control module as claimed in claim 18, wherein each of said first, second and third contact regions is formed with a plurality of parallel scan lines, each of which is transverse to the axis of the respective one of said contact regions.

20. The touch control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the control signals is a pulse signal that contains at least one pulse.

21. The touch control module as claimed in claim 20, wherein each of the control signals contains displacement information of the object on said touch control unit.

22. The touch control module as claimed in claim 21, wherein each of the control signals contains a number of pulses indicative of the displacement information.

23. The touch control module as claimed in claim 20, wherein the pulse signal is a square wave signal.

24. An electronic device comprising:

a host unit including an operating system and a graphical user interface (GUI) display having a scroll bar feature and operably associated with said operating system;

a touch control unit operable so as to generate a contact signal in response to contact with an object;

a computing unit coupled electrically to said touch control unit so as to receive the contact signal therefrom, said computing unit being configured to generate different control signals, each of which is generated in accordance with a contact position of the object with said touch control unit; and

a transmission interface including a set of transmission lines interconnecting electrically said computing unit and said host unit, each of said transmission lines being used to transmit a respective one of the control signals to said host unit;

said operating system of said host unit being responsive to the control signal received from said transmission interface for scrolling control of said GUI display.

25. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said touch control unit includes first and second contact regions, said computing unit generating a first one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said first contact region, and a second one of the control signals in response to contact of the object with said second contact region.

26. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, wherein said touch control unit includes a first contact region, said computing unit generating a first one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said first contact region in a first direction, and a second one of the control signals in response to movement of the object along said first contact region in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

27. The electronic device as claimed in claim 24, wherein each of the control signals is a pulse signal that contains at least one pulse.

28. The electronic device as claimed in claim 27, wherein each of the control signals contains displacement information of the object on said touch control unit.

29. The electronic device as claimed in claim 28, wherein each of the control signals contains a number of pulses indicative of the displacement information.

30. The electronic device as claimed in claim 27, wherein the pulse signal is a square wave signal.