TOUCH SENSOR DEVICE

• US 20110199327A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Inventors: Hong, Jae-Surk, Joung, Chul-Yong, Lee, Bang-Won, Jung, Duck-Young, Shin, Young-Ho, Lee, Sang-Jin, Lee, Jei-Hyuk, Lee, Ju-Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

A touch sensor device is provided. The touch sensor device includes a touch panel including a plurality of touch mark-keys indicating a position touched by a touch object, a plurality of first touch pads disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of touch mark-keys of the touch panel and generating touch information of the touch object as a first electrical signal, a plurality of second touch pads disposed between the plurality of first touch pads and generating touch information of a conductive material on the touch object as a second electrical signal, and a touch sensing unit receiving the first electrical signal, outputting a plurality of sensing signals to allow an electronic device to perform predetermined operations corresponding to the touched touch mark-keys, and determining whether the touch of the touch object is a normal one using the first and second electrical signals.

Claims

1. A touch sensor device, comprising:

a touch panel including a plurality of touch keys indicating a position touched by a touch object;

a plurality of first touch pads disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of touch keys of the touch panel and generating touch information of the touch object as a first electrical signal;

a plurality of second touch pads disposed adjacent the plurality of first touch pads and generating touch information of a conductive material on the touch object as a second electrical signal; and

a touch sensing unit receiving the first electrical signal, outputting a plurality of sensing signals to allow an electronic device to perform predetermined operations corresponding to the touched touch keys, and determining whether the touch of the touch object is a normal one using the first and second electrical signals.

2. The touch sensor device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing unit comprises:

a touch sensor generating a measurement digital signal, a first signal by delaying the measurement digital signal for a first period of time, and a second signal by delaying the measurement digital signal for more than the first period of time during touch of the touch object, and latching the second signal in synchronization with the first signal, thus generating the plurality of sensing signals; and

a normal touch determination unit determining that the touch of the touch object is an abnormal one when a plurality of the first electrical signals and the second electrical signal are received, and outputting an operation control signal to ignore the plurality of first electrical signals.

3. The touch sensor device of claim 2, wherein the normal touch determination unit determines that the touch of the touch object is a normal one when the first electrical signal is received from one of the plurality of first touch pads and the second electrical signal is received from one of the plurality of second touch pads, or when the first electrical signal is received from another one of the plurality of first touch pads and the second electrical signal is received from one second touch pad.

4. The touch sensor device of claim 2, wherein the normal touch determination unit determines whether the touch of the touch object is a normal one by receiving a sensing signal output in response to the second electrical signal among the plurality of sensing signals and comparing a high level period with a predetermined threshold time, outputs the operation control signal at a high level during normal touch in which the high level period is longer than the predetermined threshold time, and outputs the operation control signal at a low level during abnormal touch in which the high level period is shorter than the threshold time.

5. The touch sensor device of claim 4, wherein the normal touch determination unit detects the abnormal touch by selecting a sensing signal having a period shorter than that of the plurality of sensing signals during the normal touch and maintained at a high level for a period of time shorter than the predetermined threshold time during the abnormal touch.

6. The touch sensor device of claim 5, wherein the touch sensor comprises:

a reference signal generator generating the measurement digital signal as a reference signal;

a first signal generator generating the first signal by delaying the reference signal for the first period of time regardless of whether there is a touch of the touch object;

a second signal generator not delaying the reference signal when there is no touch from the touch object and generating the second signal when there is a touch of the touch object; and

a sensing signal generator latching the second signal in synchronization with the first signal and generating the plurality of sensing signals.

7. The touch sensor device of claim 6, further comprising:

a micro-control unit (MCU) controlling the electronic device to perform the predetermined function in response to the operation control signal or shutting down the generation of the reference signal; and

an abnormal touch notifying unit notifying that the plurality of first touch pads are abnormally touched in response to the operation control signal.

8. The touch sensor device of claim 7, wherein the MCU outputs a device control signal to control the electronic device to perform the predetermined operation in response to the operation control signal at a high level and outputs a shutdown signal so that the reference signal generator does not generate the reference signal in response to the operation control signal at a low level.

9. The touch sensor device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of first touch pads are used for the electronic device to perform the predetermined operations, and the plurality of second touch pads are used for the touch sensing unit to detect the abnormal touch.

10. The touch sensor device of claim 7, wherein the abnormal touch notifying unit notifies the abnormal touch state by an audible alarm or a visible light-emitting diode (LED) in response to the operation control signal at a low level.

11. The touch sensor device of claim 8, wherein the touch sensor device requires an input of a password to restart the reference signal generator in which the generation of the reference signal is shut down.

12. The touch sensor device of claim 8, further comprising:

a reset switch resetting the shutdown signal to restart the reference signal generator in which the generation of the reference signal is shut down.

13. The touch sensor device of claim 6, wherein the normal touch determination unit detects the presence of foreign substances by comparing the high level periods of the plurality of sensing signals with a predetermined maximum touch time or a result value of automatic impedance calibration, thus determining the abnormal touch.

14. A touch sensor device, comprising:

a touch panel including a touch pattern in which a plurality of touch pads are connected in series by a connecting line;

a touch delay time processor generating and applying a measurement digital signal to one end of the touch pattern, generating a pulse measurement digital signal by receiving a delayed measurement digital signal delayed while passing through the plurality of touch pads from the other end of the touch pattern, and outputting a delay time difference between the pulse measurement digital signal and the measurement digital signal;

a delay time threshold value storage unit storing touch delay time threshold values of the plurality of touch pads to be compared with actual touch delay times and the delay time difference during touch of a touch object; and

a normal touch determination unit detecting a chronological order in which the plurality of touch pads are touched, by receiving the delay time difference and comparing the delay time difference with the touch delay time threshold values, detecting a position of the touch pad which was first touched, and outputting touch position data.

15. The touch sensor device of claim 14, wherein the touch delay time processor comprises:

a measurement digital signal generator generating and outputting the measurement digital signal through a measurement digital output pin;

a delay signal detecting unit generating the pulse measurement digital signal by receiving the delayed measurement digital signal through a measurement digital input pin and detecting a signal level of the delayed measurement digital signal; and

a comparing unit receiving and comparing the pulse measurement digital signal and the measurement digital signal and outputting the delay time difference.

16. The touch sensor device of claim 14, wherein the touch pattern has a structure in which the plurality of touch pads are arranged in a two-dimensional layout to reduce malfunction caused when the touch object is abnormally in contact with a touch pad adjacent to the touch pad that the touch object is intended to touch because a touch area of the touch object is greater than the area of each of the plurality of touch pads or the touch area of the touch object gradually increases with the passage of time.

17. The touch sensor device of claim 16, wherein the touch panel comprises:

pattern lines of a plurality of channels disposed in parallel at a sufficient distance from each other on the same surface to prevent the plurality of touch pads from being simultaneously touched; and

an insulating material insulating the connecting lines at each intersecting point where the plurality of channels intersect each other to prevent the connecting lines from being short-circuited.

18. The touch sensor device of claim 17, wherein a bypass conductive material is used as the insulating material when the pattern lines of the plurality of channels are arranged on a single layer, and a via-hole is used as the insulating material when the pattern lines of the plurality of channels are arranged on two layers.

19. The touch sensor device of claim 17, wherein the normal touch determination unit calculates positions at which the touch object is in contact with the respective channels of the pattern lines and determines that the touch is effectively made in one touch area only if the touch positions have a difference of less than a predetermined distance on the coordinate plane.

20. The touch sensor device of claim 15, wherein, in the touch pattern, the plurality of touch pads are arranged circularly with a predetermined curvature by a circular layout to reduce malfunction due to an abnormal touch.

21. The touch sensor device of claim 20, wherein, in the touch panel, the plurality of touch pads are arranged in a circular pattern as a first channel, and a plurality of touch pads are arranged circularly between the plurality of touch pads with the same curvature such that the touch panel has the plurality of channels.

22. A touch sensor device, comprising:

a touch panel including a touch pattern in which a plurality of touch pads are connected in series by a connecting line;

a touch delay time processor generating and applying a measurement digital signal to one end of the touch pattern, generating a pulse measurement digital signal by receiving a delayed measurement digital signal delayed while passing through the plurality of touch pads from the other end of the touch pattern, and outputting a delay time difference between the pulse measurement digital signal and the measurement digital signal;

a delay time threshold value storage unit storing touch delay time threshold values of the plurality of touch pads to be compared with actual touch delay times and the delay time difference during touch of a touch object; and

a normal touch determination unit selecting a touch pad in which the delay time exceeds the touch delay time threshold value and is maintained for a predetermined time by receiving the touch delay time threshold values and comparing the touch delay time threshold values with the delay times, detecting a position of the touch pad which is first touched, and outputting touch position data.

23. The touch sensor device of claim 22, wherein the touch delay time processor comprises:

a measurement digital signal generator generating and outputting the measurement digital signal through a measurement digital output pin;

a delay signal detecting unit generating the pulse measurement digital signal by receiving the delayed measurement digital signal through a measurement digital input pin and detecting a signal level of the delayed measurement digital signal; and

a comparing unit receiving and comparing the pulse measurement digital signal and the measurement digital signal and outputting the delay time difference.

24. The touch sensor device of claim 23, wherein, when the touch area of the touch object is extended to an adjacent touch pad, the touch sensor device detects a position of the touch pad which is first touched based on the touch pad in which the touch delay time threshold value is exceeded and according to whether the increment of the delay time is reduced.

25. The touch sensor device of claim 24, wherein the touch sensor device detects a touch pad which is abnormally touched based on the delay time difference to reduce malfunction due to an abnormal touch