TOUCH RIM CONTROL METHOD AND ASSOCIATED DEVICE

• US 20160124601A1
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: HSIAO, Chih-Hsiang, KUO, Chung-Jen, WANG, Wei-Ting
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• 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 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 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A portable device is provided. The portable device includes: a display; a controller, a processor, a housing, and a touch rim. The controller and the processor are installed inside the housing. The touch rim is configured to detect a gesture performed on the touch rim to generate at least one touch detection signal. The controller is configured to receive at least one detection signal from the touch rim, and to transmit the touch detection signal to the processor. The processor analyzes the touch detection signal to determine the gesture performed on the touch rim, and performs an operation associated with the gesture.

Claims

1. A portable device, comprising:

a display;

a controller;

a processor;

a housing, wherein the controller and the processor are disposed inside the housing; and

a touch rim, configured to detect a gesture performed on the touch rim to generate at least one touch detection signal,

wherein the controller is configured to receive the at least one detection signal from the touch rim, and transmit the at least one touch detection signal to the processor,

wherein the processor analyzes the at least one touch detection signal to determine the gesture performed on the touch rim, and performs an operation associated with the gesture.

2. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch rim is disposed on the upper section of the housing.

3. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch rim is disposed around the housing.

4. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch rim is disposed surrounding the display.

5. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch rim comprises a rim, and the rim is made of a non-conductive material.

6. The portable device as claimed in claim 5, wherein a conductive material is coated or covered on a plurality of segments of the rim, and the coated rim is divided into a plurality of conductive segments and a plurality of non-conductive segments, and each two neighboring conductive segments are separated by one of the non-conductive segments.

7. The portable device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a contact node is disposed at the bottom side of each conductive segment, and the touch detection signal from each conductive segment is transmitted to the controller via the contact node.

8. The portable device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rim is divided into a plurality of conductive segments, and each conductive segment is implemented by coating or covering a conductive material on an interior side of the rim, and each two neighboring conductive segments are separated by a non-conductive segment.

9. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein when the processor determines that both the first touch detection signal and the second touch detection signal indicate pressing on the touch rim for a predetermined time, the processor determines a first gesture.

10. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein when the processor determines that the first touch detection signal indicates pressing on the touch rim and the second touch detection signal indicates tapping on the touch rim a predetermined number of times, the processor determines a second gesture.

11. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein when the processor determines that the first touch detection signal and the second detection signal indicate sliding on the touch rim clockwise or counterclockwise, the processor determines a third gesture.

12. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein when the processor determines that the first touch detection signal and the second detection signal indicate sliding on the touch rim clockwise or counterclockwise, the processor determines a fourth gesture.

13. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein when the processor determines that the first touch detection signal indicates pressing on the touch rim and the second touch detection signal indicates sliding on the touch rim clockwise or counterclockwise, the processor determines a fifth gesture.

14. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one touch detection signal comprises a first touch detection signal, and a second touch detection signal, wherein the at least one touch detection signal further comprises a third touch detection signal, and when the processor determines that the first touch detection signal and the second touch detection signal indicate pressing on the touch rim and the third touch detection signal indicates tapping on the touch rim a predetermined number of times, the processor determines a sixth gesture.

15. The portable device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a back printed circuit board, wherein the controller is disposed on a bottom side of the back printed circuit board.

16. A portable device, comprising:

a touch rim, configured to detect a gesture performed on the touch rim to generate at least one touch detection signal; and

a controller is configured to receive the at least one detection signal from the touch rim.

17. The portable device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the touch rim comprises a rim, and the rim is made of a non-conductive material.

18. The portable device as claimed in claim 17, wherein a conductive material is coated or covered on a plurality of segments of the rim, and the coated rim is divided into a plurality of conductive segments and a plurality of non-conductive segments, and each two neighboring conductive segments are separated by one of the non-conductive segments.

19. The portable device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a contact node is disposed at the bottom side of each conductive segment, and the touch detection signal from each conductive segment is transmitted to the controller via the contact node.

20. The portable device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the rim is divided into a plurality of conductive segments, and each conductive segment is implemented by coating or covering a conductive material on an interior side of the rim, and each two neighboring conductive segments are separated by a non-conductive segment.