MULTIMODE TOUCHSCREEN DEVICE

• US 20110115732A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: CONI, Philippe, SONTAG, Yves
• Application Number:
  US12/948,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115732A1
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

The invention provides a touchscreen device including at least one multiplexed touchscreen, control electronics and acquisition and processing electronics, the touchscreen including a first rigid substrate having a plurality of conducting rows, a second flexible substrate having a plurality of conducting columns perpendicular to the rows. The control electronics has a generator of a high-frequency voltage for supplying a first multiplexer for addressing the plurality of conducting rows. The acquisition and processing electronics includes a second multiplexer for addressing the plurality of conducting columns and a synchronous demodulator which operates at the same frequency as the high-frequency voltage generator and delivers a plurality of output voltages on each column and calculation means making it possible to calculate the impedance existing between each output voltage and the input voltage. The acquisition and processing electronics also includes means for analysing the impedance making it possible to calculate its resistive part and its capacitive part.

Claims

1. A touchscreen device comprising at least one multiplexed touchscreen, control electronics and acquisition and processing electronics, the touchscreen comprising:

a first rigid substrate comprising a plurality of conducting rows; and

a second flexible substrate comprising a plurality of conducting columns perpendicular to the said rows, the control electronics comprising a first multiplexer addressing the plurality of conducting rows, the acquisition and processing electronics comprising a second multiplexer addressing the plurality of conducting columns, wherein

the control electronics comprises a generator of a high-frequency voltage supplying the first multiplexer in such a way that each row is subjected to an input voltage, and

the acquisition and processing electronics comprises;

a synchronous demodulator operating at the same frequency as the high-frequency voltage generator and delivering a plurality of output voltages on each column; and

means of calculation, storage and checking making it possible to calculate the impedance existing between each output voltage and the input voltage, to store it, to simultaneously determine its resistive and capacitive component, to deduce therefrom the type of action of the user on the touchpad.

2. The touchscreen device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises first storage means making it possible to carry out a mapping of the values of the various impedances over the entirety of the touchscreen in the absence of the hand of a user in the vicinity of the touchscreen and second storage means making it possible to carry out a mapping of the variations of the values of the various impedances over the entirety of the touchscreen in the presence of the hand of a user in the vicinity of the touchscreen.

3. The touchscreen device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for analysing the impedance making it possible to calculate the resistive part and the capacitive part of the said impedance.

4. The touchscreen device according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises securing or monitoring means comprising means for comparing the resistive part and the capacitive part of each impedance with a predetermined value so as to deduce therefrom a possible cutoff of the row or column corresponding to the said impedance.

5. The touchscreen device according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for recognizing the stroking also called pull-down of the touchscreen by a user finger, said pull-down corresponding to a local increase in the said capacitive part of the impedance.

6. The touchscreen device according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for recognizing the physical contact also called pull-up of the touchscreen by a user finger, said pull-up corresponding to a local decrease in the said resistive part of the impedance.

7. The touchscreen device according to claim 5, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for calculating the respective barycentres of the various pull-downs.

8. The touchscreen device according to claim 7, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for calculating the position of the user'"'"'s hand on the basis of the position of the respective barycentres of the various pull-downs.

9. The touchscreen device according to claim 7, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means of determining on the basis of the position of the respective barycentres of the various pull-downs whether the user'"'"'s hand is a right hand or a left hand.

10. The touchscreen device according to claim 6, wherein, in at least one zone of the touchscreen, the acquisition and processing electronics takes into account only the pull up function so as to create a virtual keyboard in the said zone.

11. The touchscreen device according to claim 5, wherein, in at least one zone of the touchscreen, the acquisition and processing electronics takes into account only the pull-down function so as to create a touch-sensitive surface of touch-pad type in the said zone.

12. A viewing device comprising at least one viewing screen and a touchscreen device according to claim 1.

13. The viewing device according to claim 12, wherein the device is an aircraft instrument panel viewing unit intended to be used separately or simultaneously by a pilot and a copilot.

14. The touchscreen device according to claim 6, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for calculating the respective barycentres of the various pull-ups.

15. The touchscreen device according to claim 14, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means for calculating the position of the user'"'"'s hand on the basis of the position of the respective barycentres of the various pull-ups.

16. The touchscreen device according to claim 14, wherein the acquisition and processing electronics comprises means of determining on the basis of the position of the respective barycentres of the various pull-ups whether the user'"'"'s hand is a right hand or a left hand.