Electrical touch sensor and human interface device using the same

• US 20060007181A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Original Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Inventors: Hong, Jae-Surk, Shin, Young-Ho, Jung, Deok-Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,605,805 B2
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

An electrical touch sensor is provided. The electrical touch sensor includes: a touch detection part having at least one touch pad and generating a first signal having a same delay time regardless of whether the object is in contact with the touch pad and a second signal having a varied delay time according to whether the object is in contact with the touch pad; and a contact signal generator generating a contact signal in response to the delay time-difference between the first and second signals. Therefore, it is possible to increase operation reliability by precisely determining whether the object is in contact with the pad, when the object has charge accumulation characteristics more than a certain level, although its conductive is insufficient. In addition, the electrical touch sensor can determine whether the object is in contact with the pad using only one pad to reduce a layout area of a product.

Claims

1. An electrical touch sensor comprising:

a touch detection part having at least one touch pad and generating a first signal having a same delay time regardless of whether the object is in contact with the touch pad and a second signal having a varied delay time according to whether the object is in contact with the touch pad; and

a contact signal generator generating a contact signal in response to the delay time-difference between the first and second signals.

2. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein the object has a predetermined capacitance.

3. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 1, further comprising a reference signal generator for providing a reference signal to the touch detection part.

4. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 3, wherein the touch detection part comprises:

a first signal generator generating a first signal by delaying the reference signal by a first time; and

a second signal generator having the touch pad and generating a second signal by delaying the reference signal by a time longer than the first time when the object is in contact with the touch pad, and by delaying the reference signal by a time shorter than the first time when not in contact with the touch pad.

5. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein the first signal generator comprises a capacitor located between the first signal generator and the contact signal generators and connected to a ground voltage.

6. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 5, wherein the capacitor has a capacitance smaller than that of the object.

7. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein the first signal generator comprises a buffer buffering the reference signal delayed by the first time to generate the first signal.

8. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein the second signal generator comprises:

the touch pad delaying the reference signal by the first time when the object is in not contact with the pad, and delaying the reference signal by a time longer than the first time when in contact with the pad; and

a buffer generating the second signal by buffering the reference signal delayed by a time shorter than the first time when the object is not in contact with the pad, and buffering the reference signal by a time longer than the first time when in contact with the pad.

9. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein the contact signal generator is a flip-flop device synchronized by the first signal to latch the second signal to generate the contact signal.

10. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 9, further comprising a filter stabilizing and smoothing the contact signal to output the contact signal.

11. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein the contact signal generator comprises:

a pulse signal generator generating an output signal having a pulse width corresponding to the delay time-difference between the first and second signals; and

a DC voltage generator generating the contact signal whose a voltage is corresponding to the pulse width of the output signal of the pulse signal generator.

12. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the pulse signal generator is an exclusive OR device.

13. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the DC voltage generator is a low-band pass filter.

14. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 11, wherein the contact signal generator further comprises:

an amplifier amplifying the contact signal to have a certain extent of voltage; and

a comparator comparing the voltage of the output signal of the amplifier with a reference voltage to generate a logical value.

15. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 14, wherein the amplifier is a variable gain amplifier changing a gain in response to an external control operation.

16. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 14, wherein the reference voltage varies in response to an external control operation.

17. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 14, further comprising:

a converter converting the contact signal to a predetermined bit of digital signal; and

a comparator comparing the predetermined bit of digital signal with a reference digital signal to generate a logical value.

18. The electrical touch sensor according to claim 17, wherein the reference digital signal varies in response to an external control operation.

19. A human interface sensor comprising:

at least one electrical touch sensor having a touch pad and generating a contact signal depending on whether an object is in contact with the touch pad; and

a controller performing a power control operation in response to the contact signal, wherein the at least one electrical touch sensor comprises;

a touch detection part having at least one touch pad and changing a delay time-difference between first and second signals depending on whether an object is in contact with the touch pad; and

a contact signal generator generating a contact signal in response to the delay time-difference between the first and second signals.

20. A human interface sensor comprising:

a display part displaying data on a screen;

an electrical scroll device having a plurality of touch pads disposed in a predetermined pattern and generating at least one contact signal when an object is in contact with at least one touch pad of the touch pads; and

a controller analyzing the contact signal to detect positions of the touch pads in contact with the object, and scrolling the screen in a direction corresponding to the positions of the touch pads,

wherein the electrical scroll device comprises a plurality of electrical touch sensors having the touch pad and respectively generating a contact signal when the object is in contact with the touch pad.

21. The human interface device according to claim 20, wherein the electrical touch sensor comprises:

a touch detection part having at least one touch pad and changing a delay time-difference between first and second signals depending on whether an object is in contact with the touch pad; and

a contact signal generator generating a contact signal in response to the delay time-difference between the first and second signals.

22. The human interface device according to claim 20, wherein the controller further comprises functions of additionally storing coordinates information corresponding to the contact positions of the object, obtaining the coordinates information corresponding to the contact positions of the object according to the plurality of contact signals, and pointing a certain region of a screen according to the coordinates information.

23. The human interface device according to claim 20, wherein the controller further comprises functions of additionally storing coordinates information corresponding to the contact positions of the object, obtaining the coordinates information corresponding to the contact positions of the object according to the plurality of contact signals, and selecting data displayed on a certain region of a screen according to the coordinates information.