TOUCH SYSTEM, ITS TOUCH DEVICE AND INPUT DEVICE, AND ITS SIGNAL TRANSMISSION METHOD

• US 20200133436A1
• Filed: 10/17/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: CHEN, HAN-WEI, TSENG, HSUAN-WEN, TAO, YI-HSIN, LIN, CHIA-HSING, HOU, CHEN-YU, CHEN, CHIEH-WEN
• Granted Patent: US 10,921,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A touch system has a touch device and an input device. The touch system executes a first mode and a second mode at different times. In the first mode, the touch device transmits a modulation signal to drive the touch electrodes and to be used as an uplink signal. The input device receives the modulation signal. In the second mode, the touch device receives the downlink signal from the input device. Thus, the touch device does not have to transmit the driving signal and the uplink signal at different times. Then the time is saved for the rest work periods so that every work periods get longer length of time.

Claims

1. A signal transmission method for a touch system, wherein the touch system comprises an input device and a touch device having a touch operation area, multiple first electrode units, multiple second electrode units and a control unit, and the method comprises steps of:

executing a first mode and a second mode in a time division manner by the touch device;

in the first mode, providing a modulation signal to at least one of the first electrode units for being used as a driving signal and an uplink signal transmitted to the input device; and

in the second mode, receiving a downlink signal from the input device through the first and second electrode units.

2. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch device provides the modulation signals to two of the first electrode units in the first mode;

the modulation signal provided to one of the two of the first electrode units has a first modulation characteristic;

the modulation signal provided to another one of the two of the first electrode units has a second modulation characteristic; and

the first and second modulation characteristics are different but are orthogonal to each other.

3. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two of the first electrode units are adjacent or spaced apart from each other by n rows of the first electrode units, and n is greater than or equal to 1.

4. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit of the touch device divides the touch operation area of the touch device into a first area and a second area according to a position of the input device when the touch device receives the downlink signal from the input device;

the first area is an area where the input device hovers over or contacts the touch device;

the second area is another area other than the first area, the first electrode units in the first area are driven by the modulation signal in subsequent first mode;

the first electrode units in the second area are driven by an auxiliary signal in subsequent first mode; and

the modulation signal is different to the auxiliary signal.

5. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the auxiliary signal is a signal with a constant potential.

6. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the modulation signal and the auxiliary signal have different waveforms, different spreading codes, different coding ways or different phases.

7. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input device transmits a beacon message at predetermined time intervals;

the input device ends an original frame and then enters a synchronization frame when the input device receives the modulation signal sent by the touch device; and

then the input device sends the beacon message during the synchronization frame.

8. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a time period or a frequency of sending the beacon message by the input device during the synchronization frame is greater than a time period or a frequency of sending the beacon message by the input device during the original frame.

9. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the modulation signal sent by the touch device in the first mode has a third modulation characteristic when the touch device does not receive the beacon message from the input device;

the modulation signal sent by the touch device in the subsequent first mode has a fourth modulation characteristic when the touch device receive the beacon message from the input device; and

the first and second modulation characteristics are different.

10. The signal transmission method for a touch system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second modulation characteristics being different means that the first and second modulation characteristics have different spreading codes or are coded in different ways.

11. A touch system comprising:

a touch device having

a touch operation area;

multiple first electrode units arranged under the touch operation area;

multiple second electrode units arranged under the touch operation area along different direction to the first electrode units; and

a control unit electrically connecting to the first and second electrode units; and

an input device having;

a controller; and

an electrode assembly electrically connecting to the controller;

wherein the touch device executes a first mode and a second mode in a time division manner;

wherein in the first mode, providing a modulation signal to at least one of the first electrode units for being used as a driving signal and an uplink signal transmitted to the input device; and

wherein in the second mode, the first and second electrode units receive a downlink signal from the input device.

12. The touch system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrode assembly has a transmitting and receiving electrode unit and separately executes a sending operation of the downlink signal and a receiving operation of the modulation signal in a time division manner.

13. The touch system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrode assembly has a third electrode unit and a fourth electrode unit;

the input device transmits the downlink signal through the third electrode unit, and receives the modulation signal through the fourth electrode unit.

14. The touch system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the touch device provides the modulation signals to two of the first electrode units in the first mode;

the modulation signal provided to one of the two of the first electrode units has a first modulation characteristic;

the modulation signal provided to another one of the two of the first electrode units has a second modulation characteristic; and

the first and second modulation characteristics are different but are orthogonal to each other.

15. A signal transmission method for a touch device, wherein the touch device comprises a touch operation area, multiple first electrode units, multiple second electrode units and a control unit, and the method comprising a step of:

executing a first mode by providing a modulation signal to at least one of the first electrode units for being used as a driving signal and an uplink signal transmitted to an input device.

16. The signal transmission method for a touch device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the touch device provides the modulation signals to two of the first electrode units in the first mode;

the modulation signal provided to one of the of the first electrode units has a first modulation characteristic;

the modulation signal provided to another one of the two of the first electrode units has a second modulation characteristic; and

the first and second modulation characteristics are different but are orthogonal to each other.

17. The signal transmission method for a touch device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the two of the first electrode units are adjacent or spaced apart from each other by n rows of the first electrode units, and n is greater than or equal to 1.

18. The signal transmission method for a touch device as claimed in claim 15 further comprising a step of executing a second mode by proceeding capacitive sensing through the first electrode units and the second electrode units simultaneously, wherein the first mode and the second mode are executed in a time division manner;

the control unit of the touch device divides the touch operation area of the touch device into a first area and a second area according to a position of the input device when the touch device receives the downlink signal from the input device;

the first area is an area where the input device hovers over or contacts the touch device;

the second area is another area other than the first area, the first electrode units in the first area are driven by the modulation signal in subsequent first mode;

the first electrode units in the second area are driven by an auxiliary signal in subsequent first mode; and

the modulation signal is different to the auxiliary signal.

19. The signal transmission method for a touch device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the auxiliary signal is a signal with a constant potential.

20. The signal transmission method for a touch device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the modulation signal and the auxiliary signal have different waveforms, different spreading codes, different coding ways or different phases.

21. A touch device comprising:

a touch operation area;

multiple first electrode units arranged under the touch operation area;

multiple second electrode units arranged under the touch operation area along different direction to the first electrode units; and

a control unit electrically connecting to the first and second electrode units

wherein the touch device executes a first mode by providing a modulation signal to at least one of the first electrode units for being used as a driving signal and an uplink signal transmitted to an input device.

22. The touch device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the touch device provides the modulation signals to two of the first electrode units in the first mode;

the modulation signal provide to one of the two of the first electrode units has a first modulation characteristic;

the modulation signal provided to another one of the two of the first electrode units has a second modulation characteristic; and

the first and second modulation characteristics are different but are orthogonal to each other.