TOUCH CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20130120286A1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Chung-Jung Liou, Shih-Peng Huang, Wei-Kuo Mai
• Inventors: MAI, Wei-Kuo, Huang, Shih-Peng, Liou, Chung-Jung
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method for controlling a touch control device includes defining a first area and a second area on a touchpad, detecting whether a touched position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object falls in the first area or the second area, and calculating the corresponding on-screen coordinates of the operating object with different sets of ratios depending on the touched position.

Claims

1. A touch control device, comprising:

an input element comprising a touchpad and a control unit, the touchpad having a first area and a second area defined thereon, the control unit being connected to the touchpad and configured for detecting a position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object, so as for the control unit to obtain first coordinates; and

a computation unit connected to the control unit, wherein if the touch by the operating object starts in the first area, the computation unit calculates, according to the first coordinates and a first set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating object on a screen; and

if the touch by the operating object starts in the second area, the computation unit calculates the corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen according to the first coordinates and a second set of ratios.

2. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the touchpad generates a detection signal in response to the touch by the operating object and sends the detection signal to the control unit, and the control unit generates the first coordinates according to the detection signal.

3. The touch control device of claim 2, wherein the control unit determines according to the detection signal whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

4. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the computation unit determines according to the first coordinates whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

5. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the first area is defined in a peripheral area of the touchpad.

6. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad and surrounded by the first area.

7. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

8. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between a control window frame on the screen and the touchpad.

9. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the computation unit has a software detection tool for detecting the number of instruction items of a currently running application software.

10. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the computation unit is connected to an operating system and is provided with an event receiver for receiving an event signal from the operating system.

11. A method for controlling a touch control device including a touchpad having a first area and a second area, the method comprising steps of:

A.) detecting a position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object, so as to obtain first coordinates;

B.) determining whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area;

C.) calculating, according to the first coordinates and a first set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating object on a screen, if the touch by the operating object starts in the first area; and

D.) calculating the corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen according to the first coordinates and a second set of ratios, if the touch by the operating object starts in the second area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step A comprises steps of:

generating a detection signal in response to the touch on the touchpad by the operating object; and

generating the first coordinates according to the detection signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step B comprises a step of determining according to the detection signal whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step B comprises a step of determining according to the first coordinates whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the step D comprises a step of defining a control window frame on the screen, and the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the control window frame and the touchpad.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the control window frame is equal to or proportional to the touchpad in shape and area.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first area is defined in a peripheral area of the touchpad.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad and surrounded by the first area.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step C further comprises a step of determining whether the operating object has moved from the first area toward the second area after the corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen are calculated.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising a step of opening an instruction window on the screen according to a movement of the operating object if the operating object has moved from the first area toward the second area.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of defining a third area correspondING to the instruction window on the touchpad after the instruction window is displayed.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the third area is defined in a peripheral area of the touchpad and has at least two borders coinciding respectively with borders of the touchpad.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising a step of calculating corresponding coordinates of the operating object in the instruction window according to coordinates of the operating object in the third area and a width ratio and a height ratio between the instruction window and the third area.

25. A touch control device, comprising:

an input element having a touchpad and a control unit, the touchpad comprising a first area and a second area, the first area being a peripheral area of the touchpad, the control unit being connected to the touchpad and configured for detecting a touch on the touchpad by an operating object and a movement of the operating object on the touchpad; and

a computation unit connected to the control unit, wherein if the computation unit determines that the operating object has moved from the first area toward the second area, an instruction window is opened on a screen.

26. The touch control device of claim 25, wherein the touchpad generates a detection signal in response to the touch by the operating object and sends the detection signal to the control unit, and the control unit generates coordinates of the operating object on the touchpad according to the detection signal.

27. The touch control device of claim 26, wherein the control unit determines according to the detection signal whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

28. The touch control device of claim 26, wherein the computation unit determines according to coordinates output from the control unit whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

29. The touch control device of claim 25, wherein the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad and surrounded by the first area.

30. The touch control device of claim 25, wherein the computation unit is connected to an operating system and is provided with an event receiver for receiving an event signal from the operating system.

31. A method for controlling a touch control device including a touchpad having a first area and a second area, the first area being a peripheral area of the touchpad, the method comprising steps of:

A.) detecting a touch on the touchpad by an operating object and a movement of the operating object on the touchpad;

B.) determining whether the operating object has moved from the first area toward the second area; and

C.) opening an instruction window on a screen according to the movement of the operating object, if the operating object has moved from the first area toward the second area.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step A comprises steps of:

generating a detection signal in response to the touch on the touchpad by the operating object; and

generating first coordinates according to the detection signal.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step A comprises a step of determining according to the detection signal whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the step A comprises a step of determining whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area according to coordinates provided by a control unit.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising a step of calculating corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen according to coordinates of the operating object on the touchpad and a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad if the touch by the operating object starts in the first area.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad and surrounded by the first area.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising a step of defining a virtual instruction area on the touchpad according to a position of the instruction window on the screen after the instruction window is opened.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the virtual instruction area is defined in the peripheral area of the touchpad and has at least two borders coinciding respectively with borders of the touchpad.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising a step of calculating corresponding coordinates of the operating object in the instruction window according to coordinates of the operating object in the virtual instruction area and a width ratio and a height ratio between the instruction window and the virtual instruction area.

40. A method for controlling a touch control device, comprising steps of:

A.) determining the number of operating objects on a touchpad;

B.) determining the number of instruction items of a currently running application program; and

C.) if there are plural said operating objects on the touchpad and if there are plural said instruction items, defining a virtual frame on a screen and calculating, according to coordinates of the operating objects on the touchpad and a third set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating objects in the virtual frame.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the third set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the virtual frame and the touchpad.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising a step of calculating corresponding second coordinates of the operating objects on the screen according to first coordinates of the operating objects on the touchpad and a first set of ratios if there are plural said operating objects on the touchpad and if there is one and only one said instruction item.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the step C comprises a step of using a reference point as a center point of the virtual frame or as one of end points of the virtual frame so as to define a position of the virtual frame, wherein the reference point is a cursor on the screen.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the virtual frame is equal to the touchpad in shape and area.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein the virtual frame is proportional in area to the touchpad and corresponds in area to a said instruction item.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein the virtual frame can be directly displayed or not displayed on the screen.

48. A method for controlling a touch control device, comprising steps of:

A) determining the number of operating objects on a touchpad;

B) determining, if there is one and only one said operating object, whether the operating object has double-clicked the touchpad;

C) detecting, if the operating object has double-clicked the touchpad, whether the operating object has displaced on the touchpad; and

D) executing a window page switching instruction if the operating object has displaced on the touchpad.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising a step of defining a control window frame on a screen and calculating corresponding first coordinates of the operating object in the control window frame according to coordinates of the operating object on the touchpad and a second set of ratios if the operating object has double-clicked the touchpad.

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising a step of generating a virtual touch control element at the first coordinates if the operating object has double-clicked the touchpad.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the control window frame and the touchpad.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising a step of using a position of a virtual touch control element or cursor last appearing on the screen as a reference coordinate position and mapping the first coordinates in the control window frame to the reference coordinate position so as to define a position of the control window frame on the screen.

53. A method for controlling a touch control device, comprising steps of:

determining the number of operating objects on a touchpad;

determining, if there is one and only one said operating object, whether the operating object has performed a touch control action on the touchpad; and

defining a control window frame on a screen and calculating, according to coordinates of the operating object on the touchpad and a second set of ratios, corresponding first coordinates of the operating object in the control window frame, if the operating object has performed the touch control action on the touchpad.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising a step of generating a virtual touch control element at the first coordinates if the touch control action is double clicking.

55. The method of claim 53, wherein the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the control window frame and the touchpad.

56. The method of claim 54, further comprising a step of using a position of a said virtual touch control element or cursor last appearing on the screen as a reference coordinate position and mapping the first coordinates in the control window frame to the reference coordinate position so as to define a position of the control window frame on the screen.

57. The method of claim 54, further comprising a step of detecting whether the operating object has displaced on the touchpad after the virtual touch control element is generated, and executing a window page switching instruction according to the displacement by the virtual touch control element if a displacement of the operating object on the touchpad is detected.