POSITION DETECTING METHOD FOR TOUCHSCREEN PANEL, TOUCHSCREEN PANEL, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20100271322A1
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Nobuyoshi, Nakajima, Takashi, Endo, Norio, Ichikawa, Daisuke, Hayama, Masanobu, Kondoh, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A position detecting method for a touchscreen panel includes the steps of (a) determining the presence or absence of contact with the touchscreen panel on a conductive film divided into multiple conductive regions; (b) measuring a time after the detection of the absence of the contact and determining whether the measured time is less than a predetermined time if step (a) determines the absence of the contact; and (c) determining the continuance of the contact if the measured time is less than the predetermined time.

Claims

1. A position detecting method for a touchscreen panel, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a presence or absence of a contact with the touchscreen panel on a conductive film divided into a plurality of conductive regions;

(b) measuring a time after a detection of the absence of the contact and determining whether the measured time is less than a predetermined time if said step (a) determines the absence of the contact; and

(c) determining a continuance of the contact if the measured time is less than the predetermined time. 20

2. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

outputting a signal indicating the presence of the contact for a predetermined period after the detection of the absence of the contact, if said step (a) determines the absence of the contact.

3. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the conductive film is divided into at least two units in each of a widthwise direction and a lengthwise direction into the conductive regions.

4. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

detecting a coordinate position of each of a plurality of contact positions of the conductive film and an additional conductive film facing the conductive film in the touchscreen panel.

5. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

an interval between the conductive regions is less than or equal to 100 μ

m.

6. A position detecting method for a touchscreen panel, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a presence or absence of a contact with the touchscreen panel in an adjacent two of a plurality of conductive regions into which a conductive film of the touchscreen panel is divided;

(b) calculating coordinates of two positions of the contact in the adjacent two of the conductive regions if said step (a) determines the presence of the contact;

(c) calculating an interval between the two positions of the contact based on the coordinates of the two positions, and comparing the calculated interval with a predetermined distance; and

(d) calculating an average of the coordinates of the two positions and determining the average as coordinates of a position of the contact if the calculated interval is less than the predetermined distance.

7. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

the conductive film is divided into at least two units in each of a widthwise direction and a lengthwise direction into the conductive regions.

8. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

an interval between the adjacent two of the conductive regions is less than or equal to 100 μ

m.

9. A position detecting method for a touchscreen panel, comprising the steps of:

(a) sequentially scanning a plurality of conductive regions, into which a conductive film of the touchscreen panel is divided, on a one-by-one basis for detecting a first position of a contact with the touchscreen panel in the conductive regions;

(b) sequentially scanning the conductive regions on the one-by-one basis for detecting a second position of the contact with the touchscreen panel in the conductive regions after said step (a); and

(c) determining a relationship between the first position and the second position based on a presence or absence of the second position within a predetermined region around the first position as a center, if the first position and the second position are detected in said step (a) and said step (b), respectively.

10. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

said step (c) determines that the contact has moved from the first position to the second position in a case of the presence of the second position within the predetermined region.

11. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

said step (c) determines that the second position is of a new contact with the touchscreen panel in a case of the absence of the second position within the predetermined region.

12. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

said step (c) determines that the contact is lost in a case of the absence of the second position within the predetermined region.

13. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

if the first position is detected in each of two or more of the conductive regions in said step (a) and the second position is outside the predetermined regions around the first positions, said step (c) determines that the contact has moved from one of the first positions closest to the second position to the second position.

14. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

if the second position is detected in each of two or more of the conductive regions in said step (b) and the second positions are outside the predetermined region around the first position, said step (c) determines that the contact has moved from the first position to one of the second positions closest to the first contact position.

15. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the determination of said step (c) is based further on the presence or absence of the second position within an additional predetermined region around the first position as the center, the additional predetermined region including the predetermined region, and

said step (c) determines that the contact has moved from first position to the second position if the second position is outside the predetermined region and inside the additional predetermined region.

16. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

if the second position is detected in each of two or more of the conductive regions in said step (b) and the second positions are outside the predetermined region and inside the additional predetermined region around the first position, said step (c) determines that the contact has moved from the first position to one of the second positions having a smallest one of angles thereof relative to a reference vector determined from a trace of the contact up to the first position.

17. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

said step (c) determines that the second position is of a new contact with the touchscreen panel in a case of the absence of the second position within the additional predetermined region.

18. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 15, wherein:

said step (c) determines that the contact is lost in a case of the absence of the second position within the additional predetermined region.

19. The position detecting method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

sequentially scanning the divided conductive regions for detecting a position of the contact is repeated,

said step (a) is determined as a previous step of scanning the conductive regions,

said step (b) is determined as a current step of scanning the conductive regions,

the first position is determined as a previous position of the contact, and

the second position is determined as a current position of the contact.

20. A touchscreen panel, comprising:

a first electrode substrate having a first conductive film formed on a first substrate, the first conductive film being divided into a plurality of conductive regions;

a second electrode substrate having a second conductive film formed on a second substrate, the second conductive film facing toward the first conductive film; and

an electrode provided along four sides of the second conductive film to generate an electric potential distribution therein; and

a driver circuit configured to drive the touchscreen panel, the driver circuit including a process part configured to prolong an outputting of a signal indicating a presence of a contact with the touchscreen panel in the conductive regions for a predetermined time in response to switching of the presence to an absence of the contact in the conductive regions.

21. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

the first conductive film is divided into at least two units in each of a widthwise direction and a lengthwise direction into the conductive regions.

22. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 20, wherein:

an interval between the conductive regions is less than or equal to 100 μ

m.

23. A touchscreen panel, comprising:

a first electrode substrate having a first conductive film formed on a first substrate, the first conductive film being divided into a plurality of conductive regions;

a second electrode substrate having a second conductive film formed on a second substrate, the second conductive film facing toward the first conductive film; and

an electrode provided along four sides of the second conductive film to generate an electric potential distribution therein; and

a driver circuit configured to drive the touchscreen panel, the driver circuit including a process part configured to calculate an average of coordinates of two positions of a contact with the touchscreen panel in an adjacent two of the conductive regions and to determine the average as coordinates of a position of the contact if the touchscreen panel is contacted in the adjacent two of the conductive regions.

24. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 23, wherein:

the first conductive film is divided into at least two units in each of a widthwise direction and a lengthwise direction into the conductive regions.

25. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 23, wherein:

an interval between the conductive regions is less than or equal to 100 μ

m.

26. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a touchscreen panel including

a first electrode substrate having a first conductive film formed on a first substrate, the first conductive film being divided into a plurality of conductive regions;

a second electrode substrate having a second conductive film formed on a second substrate, the second conductive film facing toward the first conductive film; and

an electrode provided along four sides of the second conductive film to generate an electric potential distribution therein; and

a driver circuit configured to drive the touchscreen panel, the driver circuit including a process part configured to prolong an outputting of a signal indicating a presence of a contact with the touchscreen panel in the conductive regions for a predetermined time in response to switching of the presence to an absence of the contact in the conductive regions.

27. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a touchscreen panel including

a first electrode substrate having a first conductive film formed on a first substrate, the first conductive film being divided into a plurality of conductive regions;

a second electrode substrate having a second conductive film formed on a second substrate, the second conductive film facing toward the first conductive film; and

an electrode provided along four sides of the second conductive film to generate an electric potential distribution therein; and

a driver circuit configured to drive the touchscreen panel, the driver circuit including a process part configured to calculate an average of coordinates of two positions of a contact with the touchscreen panel in an adjacent two of the conductive regions and to determine the average as coordinates of a position of the contact if the touchscreen panel is contacted in the adjacent two of the conductive regions.