TOUCH PANEL

• US 20090159343A1
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Chung, Tzu-Chiang
• Application Number:
  US12/233,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20090159343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/18.50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch panel is provided. The touch panel includes a resistance panel module and a detecting module. The resistance panel module includes a first conducting path and a second conducting path. When an event of multiple-point touching occurs, the first conducting path is electrically connected to the second conducting path. The detecting module is coupled to the touch panel. The detecting module detects a variation of the resistance value between the first conducting path and the second conducting path to estimate the event of multiple-point touching. Therefore, the variation of the resistance value can serve as an input signal of an interface between humans and machines to control an electronic device.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a resistance panel module including a first conducting path and a second conducting path;

a voltage dividing resistance, one end of the voltage dividing resistance receiving a voltage source;

a selector connecting the other end of the voltage dividing resistance and connecting two ends of the first conducting path and two ends of the second conducting path; and

a detecting module coupled to the selector,

wherein when an event of multiple-point touching occurs, the first conducting path is electrically connected to the second conducting path at multiple points, the selector selects the first conducting path to connect the voltage dividing resistance in series, and the detecting module detects the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate the event of multiple-point touching.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the selector comprises:

a first multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the first end of the first conducting path, the first end of the second conducting path, and the voltage dividing resistance;

a second multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the first end of the first conducting path, the first end of the second conducting path, and the detecting module; and

a third multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the second end of the first conducting path, the second end of the second conducting path, and the detecting module.

3. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the detecting module is an analog-to-digital converter having a first input terminal and a second input terminal respectively coupled to the output terminal of the second multiplexer and the output terminal of the third multiplexer.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the detecting module detecting the two ends of the first conducting path means detecting the voltage at the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate a relative distance of the event of multiple-point touching.

5. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the detecting module detects the two ends of the first conducting path means detecting the resistance values at the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate a relative distance of the event of multiple-point touching.

6. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein a table is constructed based on the result of estimating the event of multiple-point touching according to the resistance value, and the relative distance corresponding to the resistance value is obtained by looking up the table.

7. The touch panel according to claim 6, wherein when no matching data are found in the table, two resistance values adjacent to the resistance value are based to perform an interpolation method to obtain the corresponding relative distance.

8. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the event of multiple-point touching is the touch panel being touched at two points.

9. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the resistance panel module comprises:

a first conductive substrate having the first conducting path along a first direction; and

a second conductive substrate parallel to the first conductive substrate, the second conductive substrate having the second conductive path along a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

10. The touch panel according to claim 9, wherein the resistance panel module is a 4-wire type resistance panel module.

11. A touch panel, comprising:

a resistance panel module including a first conducting path and a second conducting path;

a first voltage dividing resistance, one end thereof being coupled to the first conducting path;

a second voltage dividing resistance, one end thereof being coupled to the second conducting path;

a selector receiving a voltage source, wherein the selector connects the other end of the first voltage dividing resistance and the other end of the second voltage dividing resistance, and connects two ends of the first conducting path and two ends of the second conducting ends; and

a detecting module coupled to the selector;

wherein when an event of multiple-point touching occurs, the first conducting path is electrically connected to the second conducting path at multiple points, the selector selects the voltage source to couple the first voltage dividing resistance, and the detecting module detects the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate the event of multiple-point touching.

12. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the selector comprises:

a first multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the other end of the first voltage dividing resistance, the other end of the second voltage dividing resistance, and the voltage source;

a second multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the first end of the first conducting path, the first end of the second conducting path, and the detecting module; and

a third multiplexer having a first input terminal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal respectively connected to the second end of the first conducting path, the second end of the second conducting path, and the detecting module.

13. The touch panel according to claim 12, wherein the detecting module is an analog-to-digital converter having a first input terminal and a second input terminal respectively coupled to the output terminal of the second multiplexer and the output terminal of the third multiplexer.

14. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the detecting module detecting the two ends of the first conducting path means detecting the voltage at the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate a relative distance of the event of multiple-point touching.

15. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the detecting module detects the two ends of the first conducting path means detecting the resistance values at the two ends of the first conducting path, so as to estimate a relative distance of the event of multiple-point touching.

16. The touch panel according to claim 15, wherein a table is constructed based on the result of estimating the event of multiple-point touching according to the resistance value, and the relative distance corresponding to the resistance value is obtained by looking up the table.

17. The touch panel according to claim 16, wherein when no matching data are found in the table, two resistance values adjacent to the resistance value are based to perform an interpolation method to obtain the corresponding relative distance.

18. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the event of multiple-point touching is the touch panel being touched at two points.

19. The touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the resistance panel module comprises:

a first conductive substrate having the first conducting path along a first direction; and

a second conductive substrate parallel to the first conductive substrate, the second conductive substrate having the second conductive path along a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

20. The touch panel according to claim 19, wherein the resistance panel module is a 4-wire type resistance panel module.