CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM OF TOUCH PANEL

• US 20130016046A1
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Yung-Hsiang, Li, Cheng-Hao, Chou, Li-Chung, Tsai, Leonard
• Application Number:
  US13/239,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016046A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A control method and system of a touch panel are provided. In the present method, at least one active area on the touch panel is selected first, and the remaining area of the touch panel is defined as an inactive area of the touch panel. Then, the inactive area is disabled. Thereafter, a corresponding action is executed on an electronic device according to a touch operation performed on the at least one active area. As a result, the power consumption can be reduced by disabling the inactive area while the electronic device is controlled by the at least one active area of the touch panel.

Claims

1. A control method of a touch panel, comprising:

selecting at least one active area on the touch panel, and defining the remaining area as an inactive area of the touch panel;

disabling the inactive area; and

executing an action on an electronic device according to a first touch operation performed on the at least one active area.

2. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the at least one active area on the touch panel comprises:

dividing the touch panel into a plurality of predetermined areas; and

determining the at least one active area according to at least one second touch operation performed on at least one of the predetermined areas.

3. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the at least one active area on the touch panel comprises:

determining the at least one active area according to at least one closed area generated by at least one third touch operation performed continuously on the touch panel.

4. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of disabling the inactive area comprises:

turning off a power provided to the inactive area.

5. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of touch sensors, and the step of turning off the power provided to the inactive area comprises:

turning off the power provided to the touch sensors disposed in the inactive area.

6. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of disabling the inactive area comprises:

turning off at least one of a touch function and a signal transmission function of the inactive area.

7. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of disabling the inactive area comprises:

not processing a touch signal detected by or from the inactive area.

8. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch panel corresponds to a display area of a display, and after the step of selecting the at least one active area on the touch panel, the method further comprises:

executing a positioning calibration program to redefine a position correlation of the at least one active area and the display area.

9. The control method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the action comprises at least a pointer movement action, an object selection action, an object drag action, an object open action, and a character input action.

10. A control system of a touch panel, comprising:

a touch panel;

a control chip coupled to the touch panel; and

a managing module coupled to the control chip,

wherein the managing module selects at least one active area on the touch panel, and defines the remaining area as an inactive area of the touch panel, the managing module notifies the control chip to disable the inactive area, and the managing module executes an action on an electronic device according to a first touch operation performed on the at least one active area.

11. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the managing module divides the touch panel into a plurality of predetermined areas, and when the touch panel detects at least one second touch operation performed on at least one of the predetermined areas, the control chip transmits at least one area selection command corresponding to the at least one second touch operation to the managing module, and the managing module determines the at least one active area corresponding to the at least one second touch operation.

12. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein when the touch panel detects at least one third touch operation performed continuously on the touch panel, the control chip transmits at least one area selection command corresponding to the at least one third touch operation to the managing module, and the managing module determines the at least one active area corresponding to at least one closed area generated by the at least one third touch operation.

13. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control chip turns off a power provided to the inactive area to disable the inactive area.

14. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 13, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of touch sensors, and when the control chip turns off the power provided to the inactive area, the control chip turns off the power provided to the touch sensors disposed in the inactive area.

15. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control chip turns off at least one of a touch function and a signal transmission function of the inactive area to disable the inactive area.

16. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control chip notifies the managing module to not process a touch signal detected by or from the inactive area to disable the inactive area.

17. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the touch panel corresponds to a display area of a display, and after the managing module selects the at least one active area, a positioning calibration program is executed to redefine a position correlation of the at least one active area and the display area.

18. The control system of the touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the action comprises at least a pointer movement action, an object selection action, an object drag action, an object open action, and a character input action.