Touch panel data entry device for thin film electroluminescent panels
First Claim
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1. A display system with touch-panel, soft-key switch for discrete data identification and touch selection, comprising:
- a TFEL panel display having an electro-luminescent member and a non-conductive, transparent substrate through which said display is viewed;
a matrix of electrodes within said TFEL display arranged to be responsive to electrical scanning signals;
scanning means connected to said matrix to provide said scannig signals for producing a moving electric field normal to the plane of said luminescent member in synchronism with an externally supplied time base for image production;
and a flexible, transparent, insulating, touch membrane arranged parallel to said non-conductive, transparent substrate, and spaced therefrom, said membrane including a transparent conductive layer facing said transparent substrate whereby capacitance coupled signals produced by said scanning signals are extant at said conductive layer and appear in greater amplitude corresponding to the increased capacitive coupling at a location where said membrane is depressed toward said transparent substrate andmean conductively attached to said membrane conductive layer to provide a signal output terminal.
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Abstract
A touch-sensitive device for computer data entry from the presentation on a scanned, thin-film, electroluminescent display. A transparent conductive film is suspended over the display face. Touching that film at a predetermined point in the display capacitively couples scanning voltages (which are time-base synchronous and related to the touched point) to an amplifier and then to a utilization device (computer, for example).
114 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A display system with touch-panel, soft-key switch for discrete data identification and touch selection, comprising:
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a TFEL panel display having an electro-luminescent member and a non-conductive, transparent substrate through which said display is viewed; a matrix of electrodes within said TFEL display arranged to be responsive to electrical scanning signals; scanning means connected to said matrix to provide said scannig signals for producing a moving electric field normal to the plane of said luminescent member in synchronism with an externally supplied time base for image production; and a flexible, transparent, insulating, touch membrane arranged parallel to said non-conductive, transparent substrate, and spaced therefrom, said membrane including a transparent conductive layer facing said transparent substrate whereby capacitance coupled signals produced by said scanning signals are extant at said conductive layer and appear in greater amplitude corresponding to the increased capacitive coupling at a location where said membrane is depressed toward said transparent substrate and mean conductively attached to said membrane conductive layer to provide a signal output terminal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18)
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2. A touch panel, soft-key switch system operatively associated with a TFEL panel display, said display including a planar luminescent member and a non-conductive transparent substrate through which said display is viewed, comprising:
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a two coordinate matrix of electrodes within said TFEL display arranged to be responsive to corresponding two-coordinate electrical scanning signals, said electrodes corresponding to each of said coordinates being electrically insulated from each other; first means responsive to an externally generated time base for generating and applying scanning signals to said matrix of electrodes to produce a moving electric field in two coordinates, said first means including means for amplitudes modulating said scanning signals to a level producing luminescence of said luminescent member in accordance with a data input signal to provide a corresponding visual data presentation on said panel display; second means comprising a flexible planar, transparent touch membrane disposed parallel to and spaced from said transparent substrate, said second means including a transparent conductive layer carried by said touch member on its surface nearest said transparent substrate; and third means comprising an amplifier having its input connected to said touch membrane conductive layer for producing an output signal including a substantially uniform fraction of said scanning signals capacitively coupled into said touch member conductive layer, said capacitively coupled signals being increased in amplitude when said touch membrane is deflected toward said transparent substrate, said signals of increased amplitude thereby corresponding to the area of said deflection on said touch membrane. - View Dependent Claims (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17)
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Specification