TOUCH RECOGNITION APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160349922A1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOI, Sung-do
• Granted Patent: US 10,067,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

A touch recognition apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The touch recognition apparatus includes ultrasonic sensors, and a processor configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to transmit ultrasonic signals at different respective times, detect ultrasonic signals that are reflected from an object to the ultrasonic sensors, based on the transmitted ultrasonic signals, and detect a touch point of the object based on a time of flight (ToF) of the reflected ultrasonic signals.

Claims

1. A touch recognition apparatus comprising:

ultrasonic sensors; and

a processor configured to;

control the ultrasonic sensors to transmit ultrasonic signals at different respective times;

detect ultrasonic signals that are reflected from an object to the ultrasonic sensors, based on the transmitted ultrasonic signals; and

detect a touch point of the object based on a time of flight (ToF) of the reflected ultrasonic signals.

2. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals sequentially with a time delay interval between the ultrasonic signals in a detection time period.

3. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to transmit initial ultrasonic signals simultaneously in an initial time period before the detection time period.

4. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine, in the detection time period, different detection irradiation times of the irradiation of the respective ultrasonic signals and detection reception times at which the respective ultrasonic sensors receives ultrasonic signals that are reflected or refracted from the object;

determine, in the initial time period, an initial irradiation time of the irradiation of the initial ultrasonic signals and initial reception times at which the respective ultrasonic sensors receives initial ultrasonic signals that are reflected or refracted from the object; and

detect the reflected ultrasonic signals, based on the different detection irradiation times, the detection reception times, the initial irradiation time, the initial reception times, and the time delay interval.

5. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a storage configured to store the initial irradiation time and the initial reception times,

wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve the stored initial irradiation time and the stored initial reception times.

6. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 2, wherein the time delay interval is determined to be greater than a difference of reception times of the ultrasonic signals based on a maximum moving distance recognizable by the touch recognition apparatus of the object.

7. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to:

transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective frequencies in an initial time period; and

transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective frequencies at the different respective times in a detection time period.

8. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to:

transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective phases in an initial time period; and

transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective phases at the different respective times in a detection time period.

9. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to:

transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective pulse durations in an initial time period; and

transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective pulse durations at the different respective times in a detection time period.

10. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the ultrasonic sensors to transmit third ultrasonic signals simultaneously in a third time period.

11. The touch recognition apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display,

wherein the object is touched on the display.

12. A method of controlling a touch recognition apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling ultrasonic sensors to transmit ultrasonic signals at different respective times;

detecting ultrasonic signals that are reflected from an object to the ultrasonic sensors, based on the transmitted ultrasonic signals; and

detecting a touch point of the object based on a time of flight (ToF) of the reflected ultrasonic signals.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals sequentially with a time delay interval between the ultrasonic signals in a detection time period.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit initial ultrasonic signals simultaneously in an initial time period before the detection time period.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the detecting the reflected ultrasonic signals comprises:

determining, in the detection time period, different detection irradiation times of the irradiation of the respective ultrasonic signals and detection reception times at which the respective ultrasonic sensors receives ultrasonic signals that are reflected or refracted from the object;

determining, in the initial time period, an initial irradiation time of the irradiation of the initial ultrasonic signals and initial reception times at which the respective ultrasonic sensors receives initial ultrasonic signals that are reflected or refracted from the object; and

detecting the reflected ultrasonic signals, based on the different detection irradiation times, the detection reception times, the initial irradiation time, the initial reception times, and the time delay interval.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the initial irradiation time and the initial reception times,

wherein the determining the initial irradiation time and the initial reception times comprises retrieving the stored initial irradiation time and the stored initial reception times.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the time delay interval is determined to be greater than a difference of reception times of the ultrasonic signals based on a maximum moving distance recognizable by the touch recognition apparatus of the object.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective frequencies in an initial time period,

wherein the controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective frequencies at the different respective times in a detection time period.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective phases in an initial time period,

wherein the controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective phases at the different respective times in a detection time period.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit initial ultrasonic signals having different respective pulse durations in an initial time period,

wherein the controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises controlling the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic signals having different respective pulse durations at the different respective times in a detection time period.