TOUCH DETECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS, AND TOUCH SCREEN SYSTEM

• US 20140368460A1
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: FocalTech Systems Co.,Ltd
• Original Assignee: FocalTech Systems Co.,Ltd
• Inventors: MO, Lianghua, LONG, Wenyong, XIE, Xiangyong
• Application Number:
  US14/080,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20140368460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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

Abstract

The application discloses a touch detection method, a touch detection apparatus and a touch screen system. The touch detection method utilizes a closure strategy to close certain detection processes among three detection processes comprising a Y-direction electrode array detection, an X-direction electrode array detection and an XY-direction electrode array detection. Specifically, when it is detected in one of the three detection processes that no touch signal is generated on the touch screen, the other two of the three detection processes are not to be started; when it is determined that the touch signal on the touch screen is a multi-touch signal, one of the Y-direction electrode array detection and the X-direction electrode array detection that has not been executed is refrained from being started.

Claims

1. A touch detection method applied to a touch screen combining mutual-capacitance detection and self-capacitance detection, the method comprising:

determining, using a detection result of a first detection process, whether a touch signal is generated on a screen body of the touch screen, to obtain a first determination result, wherein the first detection process is a Y-direction electrode array detection, an X-direction electrode array detection or an XY-direction electrode array detection;

in the case that the first determination result indicating that no touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, shielding a detection process that has not been executed, wherein the detection process that has not been executed is a detection process among three detection processes comprising the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, which is different from the first detection process;

in the case that the first determination result indicating that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, determining the touch type of the touch signal according to a detection result of the first detection process or a second detection process, to obtain a second determination result, wherein the touch type comprises single-touch and multi-touch, and the second detection process is one of the three detection processes which is different from the first detection process;

in the case that the second determination result indicating that the touch signal is a multi-touch signal is obtained, refraining from starting a self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed; and

obtaining touch information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the detection processes that have been executed.

2. The touch detection method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in the case that the second determination result indicating that the touch signal is a single-touch signal is obtained, starting the self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed.

3. The touch detection method according to claim 2, wherein in the case where the detection processes that have been executed comprise the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, obtaining touch information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the detection processes that have been executed comprises:

obtaining first coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the Y-direction electrode array detection and the X-direction electrode array detection;

obtaining second coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection result of the XY-direction electrode array detection; and

averaging the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information to obtain coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal.

4. The touch detection method according to claim 1, wherein

when the first detection process is the Y-direction electrode array detection and the second detection process is the XY-direction electrode array detection, the self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed is the X-direction electrode array detection;

when the first detection process is the X-direction electrode array detection and the second detection process is the XY-direction electrode array detection, the self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed is the Y-direction electrode array detection; and

when the first detection process is the XY-direction electrode array detection, the self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed comprises the X-direction electrode array detection and the Y-direction electrode array detection.

5. The touch detection method according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the first detection process is the Y-direction electrode array detection or the X-direction electrode array detection and the second detection process is the XY-direction electrode array detection, after determining that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen according to the detection result of the first detection process, and before starting the second detection process, the method further comprises:

determining an electrode-scanning range of the second detection process according to the detection result of the first detection process.

6. A touch detection apparatus applied to a touch screen combining mutual-capacitance detection and self-capacitance detection, comprising:

a detection process starting unit, a touch signal detecting unit, a touch signal type determining unit, a shielding unit and a touch information acquiring unit, wherein

the detection process starting unit is adapted to start a first detection process, wherein the first detection process is a Y-direction electrode array detection, an X-direction electrode array detection or an XY-direction electrode array detection;

the touch signal detecting unit is adapted to determine, according to a detection result of the first detection process, whether a touch signal is generated on a screen body of the touch screen, to obtain a first determination result;

the detection process starting unit is further adapted to start a second detection process in the case that the first determination result obtained from the touch signal detecting unit indicates that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen and the first detection process is the X-direction electrode array detection or the Y-direction electrode array detection, wherein the second detection process is any one of the three detection processes;

the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, which is different from the first detection process;

the touch signal type determining unit is adapted to determine, in the case that the first determination result indicating that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, the touch type of the touch signal according to the detection result of the first detection process or the second detection process, to obtain a second determination result, wherein the touch type comprises single-touch and multi-touch;

the shielding unit is adapted to refrain from starting a detection process that has not been executed in the case that the first determination result indicating that no touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, and to refrain from starting a self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed in the case that the second determination result indicating that the touch signal is a multi-touch signal is obtained, wherein the detection process that has not been executed is a detection process among the three detection processes comprising the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, which is different from the first detection process; and

the touch information acquiring unit is adapted to obtain touch information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the detection processes that have been executed.

7. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the detection process starting unit is further adapted to start the self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed in the case that the second determination result indicating that the touch signal is a single-touch signal is obtained.

8. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the touch information acquiring unit comprises a first coordinate acquiring unit, a second coordinate acquiring unit and a coordinate information acquiring unit;

the first coordinate acquiring unit is adapted to obtain first coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the Y-direction electrode array detection and the X-direction electrode array detection;

the second coordinate acquiring unit is adapted to obtain second coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection result of the XY-direction electrode array detection; and

the coordinate information acquiring unit is adapted to average the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information to obtain coordinate information corresponding to the touch signal.

9. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a scan range determination unit, adapted to determine an electrode-scanning range of the second detection process according to the detection result of the first detection process when the first detection process is the Y-direction electrode array detection or the X-direction electrode array detection and the second detection process is the XY-direction electrode array detection.

10. A touch screen system, comprising a screen body, a touch screen detection sub-system, a main processor and a touch detection apparatus, wherein

the touch detection apparatus comprises:

a detection process starting unit, a touch signal detecting unit, a touch signal type determining unit, a shielding unit and a touch information acquiring unit, wherein

the detection process starting unit is adapted to start a first detection process, wherein the first detection process is a Y-direction electrode array detection, an X-direction electrode array detection or an XY-direction electrode array detection;

the touch signal detecting unit is adapted to determine, according to a detection result of the first detection process, whether a touch signal is generated on a screen body of the touch screen, to obtain a first determination result;

the detection process starting unit is further adapted to start a second detection process in the case that the first determination result obtained from the touch signal detecting unit indicates that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen and the first detection process is the X-direction electrode array detection or the Y-direction electrode array detection, wherein the second detection process is any one of the three detection processes;

the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, which is different from the first detection process;

the touch signal type determining unit is adapted to determine, in the case that the first determination result indicating that a touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, the touch type of the touch signal according to the detection result of the first detection process or the second detection process, to obtain a second determination result, wherein the touch type comprises single-touch and multi-touch;

the shielding unit is adapted to refrain from starting a detection process that has not been executed in the case that the first determination result indicating that no touch signal is generated on the screen body of the touch screen is obtained, and to refrain from starting a self-capacitance detection process that has not been executed in the case that the second determination result indicating that the touch signal is a multi-touch signal is obtained, wherein the detection process that has not been executed is a detection process among the three detection processes comprising the Y-direction electrode array detection, the X-direction electrode array detection and the XY-direction electrode array detection, which is different from the first detection process; and

the touch information acquiring unit is adapted to obtain touch information corresponding to the touch signal according to the detection results of the detection processes that have been executed;

the touch screen detection sub-system is adapted to perform touch detection on the screen body of the touch screen according to a detection strategy of the touch detection apparatus, and supply the obtained detection result to the touch detection apparatus; and

the touch detection apparatus is adapted to obtain touch information corresponding to the touch signal generated on the screen body according to the detection result and supply the touch information to the main processor.

11. The touch screen system according to claim 10, wherein the touch screen detection sub-system comprises:

a sensing channel module, a channel scanning module, a channel driving module and a memory, wherein

the channel scanning module is adapted to control, according to the detection strategy of the touch detection apparatus, the channel driving module to send an excitation signal to the screen body, and control the sensing channel module to receive and detect the excitation signal;

the sensing channel module is adapted to obtain the detection result after receiving and detecting the excitation signal, and supply the detection result to the channel scanning module; and

the channel scanning module is adapted to supply the received detection result to the memory for storing.