TOUCH DETECTION DEVICE, DISPLAY DEVICE WITH TOUCH DETECTION FUNCTION, AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20170242541A1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Iuchi, Shinya, Togashi, Masahiro, Kurasawa, Hayato, Yamamoto, Michio, Nagai, Tatsunori
• Granted Patent: US 10,788,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

According to an aspect, a touch detection device includes: first detectors that output first signal values corresponding to contact of detection target objects with first regions; at least one second detector that outputs at least one second signal value corresponding to at least one first force applied by the detection target objects to press at least one second region corresponding to the first regions; and a controller that calculates at least one third signal value corresponding to at least one second force applied by at least one of the detection target objects to the at least one second region, based on the first signal values, the at least one second signal value, and at least one reference value corresponding to a third force per at least one of the first signal values.

Claims

1. A touch detection device comprising:

a plurality of first detectors configured to output a plurality of first signal values corresponding to contact of a plurality of detection target objects with a plurality of first regions;

at least one second detector configured to output at least one second signal value corresponding to at least one first force applied by the plurality of detection target objects to press at least one second region corresponding to the plurality of first regions; and

a controller configured to calculate at least one third signal value corresponding to at least one second force applied by at least one of the plurality of detection target objects to the at least one second region, based on the plurality of first signal values, on the at least one second signal value, and on at least one reference value corresponding to a third force per at least one of the plurality of first signal values detected from at least one of the plurality of first regions.

2. The touch detection device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of first detectors are each configured to output one of the plurality of first signal values corresponding to contact of the plurality of detection target objects with one of the plurality of first regions.

3. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second detector is each configured to output one of the at least one second signal value corresponding to one of the at least one first force applied by the plurality of detection target objects to one of the at least one second region.

4. The touch detection device according to claim 1,

further comprising a plurality of first electrodes,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes are each configured to:

serve as one of the plurality of first detectors to output one of the plurality of first signal values, and

serve as one of the at least one second detector to output one of the at least one second signal value.

5. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first regions is smaller than one of the at least one second region.

6. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one second detector is a plurality of second detectors,

the plurality of second detectors are configured to output a plurality of second signal values corresponding to a plurality of first forces applied by the plurality of detection target objects to a plurality of second regions corresponding to the plurality of first regions, and

the controller is configured to calculate a plurality of third signal values corresponding to a plurality of second forces applied by at least one of the plurality of detection target objects to the plurality of second regions, based on the plurality of first signal values, on the plurality of second signal values, and on the at least one reference value.

7. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one reference value includes a plurality of sub-reference values,

the plurality of sub-reference values each correspond to a type of each of the plurality of detection target objects, and

the controller comprises:

a detection target object type determinator configured to determine the type of each of the plurality of detection target objects based on the plurality of first signal values detected from the plurality of first regions; and

a force calculator configured to calculate the at least one third signal value, based on at least one of the plurality of sub-reference values corresponding to the type of each of the plurality of detection target objects determined by the detection target object type determinator, on the plurality of first signal values, and on the at least one second value.

8. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one third signal value is a plurality of third signal values,

the at least one reference value includes a first sub-reference value corresponding to a first type object of the plurality of detection target objects, and

the controller comprises:

a detection target object type determinator configured to determine, based on the plurality of first signals,

a first object region with which the first type object of the plurality of detection target objects is in contact, and

a second object region with which a second type object of the plurality of detection target objects contacts is in contact; and

a force calculator configured to calculate one of the plurality of third signal values for the first object region, based on the plurality of first signal values and on the first sub-reference value, and to calculate another of the plurality of third signal values for the second object region, based on the at least one second signal value, and on the one of the plurality of third signal values for the first object region.

9. The touch detection device according to claim 8, wherein a first change rate of the third force of the first type object is relatively smaller than a second change rate of the third force of the second type object.

10. The touch detection device according to claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a reference acquiring unit configured to calculate the at least one reference value based on the plurality of first signal values and on the at least one second signal value.

11. A display device with a touch detection function comprising:

a plurality of first detectors configured to output a plurality of signal values corresponding to contact of a plurality of detection target objects with a plurality of first regions;

a display unit configured to display an image toward an input surface;

at least one second detector configured to output at least one second signal value corresponding to at least one first force applied by the plurality of detection target objects to press at least one second region corresponding to the plurality of first regions; and

a controller configured to calculate at least one third signal value corresponding to at least one second force applied by at least one of the plurality of detection target objects to the at least one second region, based on the plurality of first signal values, on the at least one second signal value, and on at least one reference value corresponding to a third force per at least one of the plurality of first signal values detected from at least one of the plurality of first regions.

12. The display device with a touch detection function according to claim 11,

further comprising a plurality of first electrodes,

wherein the plurality of first electrodes are each configured to:

serve as one of the plurality of first detectors to output one of the plurality of first signal values, and

serve as one of the at least one second detector to output one of the at least one second signal value.

13. The display device with a touch detection function according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of first regions is smaller than one of the at least one second region.

14. The display device with a touch detection function according to claim 11, wherein

the at least one second detector is a plurality of second detectors,

the plurality of second detectors are configured to output a plurality of second signal values corresponding to a plurality of first forces applied by the plurality of detection target objects to a plurality of second regions corresponding to the plurality of first regions, and

the controller is configured to calculate a plurality of third signal values corresponding to a plurality of second forces applied by at least one of the plurality of detection target objects to the plurality of second regions, based on the plurality of first signal values, on the plurality of second signal values, and on the at least one reference value.

15. The display device with a touch detection function according to claim 11, wherein

the at least one reference value includes a plurality of sub-reference values,

the plurality of sub-reference values each correspond to a type of each of the plurality of detection target objects, and

the controller comprises:

a detection target object type determinator configured to determine the type of each of the plurality of detection target objects based on the plurality of first signal values; and

a force calculator configured to calculate the at least one third signal value, based on at least one of the plurality of sub-reference values corresponding to the type of each of the plurality of detection target objects determined by the detection target object type determinator, on the plurality of first signal values, and on the at least one second value.

16. A control method comprising, based on a plurality of first signal values output from a plurality of first detectors and corresponding to contact of a plurality of detection target objects with a plurality of first regions, on at least one second signal value output from at least one second detector and corresponding to at least one first force applied by the plurality of detection target objects to press at least one second region corresponding to the plurality of first regions, and on at least one reference value corresponding to a third force per at least one of the plurality of first signal values detected from at least one of the plurality of first regions, calculating at least one third signal value corresponding to at least one second force applied by at least one of the plurality of detection target objects to the at least one second region.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein

the at least one reference value includes a plurality of sub-reference values,

the plurality of sub-reference values each correspond to a type of each of the plurality of detection target objects, and

the control method further comprises the steps of:

determining a type of each of the detection target objects based on the plurality of first signal values; and

calculating the at least one third signal value, based on at least one of the plurality of sub-reference values corresponding to the type of each of the plurality of detection target objects determined by the detection target object type determinator, on the plurality of first signal values, and on the at least one second value.

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein

the determination step includes determining whether the plurality of detection target objects include an object that has a small large change rate of the third force, and

when it is determined in the determination step that the detection target objects include the object that has the relatively small change rate, the at least one third signal value corresponding to the at least one second force applied by the object among the detection target objects that has the relatively small change rate to the at least one second region is calculated based on at least one of the plurality of sub-reference values and on the plurality of first signal values corresponding to the contact of the object among the detection target objects that has the relatively small change rate with the plurality of first regions.

19. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring each of the plurality of sub-reference values based on the plurality of first signal values; and

calculating, until the acquisition step has been executed a predetermined number of times, the at least one third signal value by proportionally distributing the at least one second signal value among the plurality of first regions, based on the plurality of first signal values.