Touch panel device

• US 20060139341A1
• Filed: 12/14/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Columbia Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Funasaka, Tsukasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,659,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

A touch panel device including: a substrate; a first sender element for sending surface acoustic wave, which is placed along a first direction on the substrate; a second sender element for sending surface acoustic wave, which is placed along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, on the substrate; a receiver element for receiving the surface acoustic wave from the second sender element, which is placed along the second direction on the substrate while facing the second sender element with an interval in between; and a reflector, which is placed on the substrate, for achieving the receiver element'"'"'s reception of the surface acoustic wave from the first sender element by reflecting the surface acoustic wave from the first sender element, wherein a position of a contact body touching on a contact surface is detected by transmitting the surface acoustic wave that is sent from the sender element through the contact surface and receiving the surface acoustic wave on the receiver element.

Claims

1. A touch panel device, comprising:

a substrate;

a first sender element for sending surface acoustic wave, which is placed along a first direction on the substrate;

a second sender element for sending surface acoustic wave, which is placed along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, on the substrate;

a receiver element for receiving the surface acoustic wave from the second sender element, which is placed along the second direction on the substrate while facing the second sender element with an interval in between; and

a reflector, which is placed on the substrate, for achieving the receiver element'"'"'s reception of the surface acoustic wave from the first sender element by reflecting the surface acoustic wave from the first sender element,

wherein a position of a contact body touching on a contact surface is detected by transmitting the surface acoustic wave that is sent from the sender element through the contact surface and receiving the surface acoustic wave on the receiver element.

2. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the reflectors are placed along the first direction on the substrate while facing the first sender element with an interval in between.

3. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the receiver elements are placed along the second direction.

4. The touch panel device according to claim 3, wherein each of the reflectors has an individual set angle for achieving the corresponding receiver element'"'"'s reception of the surface acoustic wave from the first sender element.

5. The touch panel device according to claim 4, wherein each of the reflectors has a plurality of reflecting units and the plurality of reflecting units are placed in parallel at intervals along the second direction.