Input system including resistance film touch panel and pushed position detecting device

• US 5,181,030 A
• Filed: 11/16/1990
• Issued: 01/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Original Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Inventors: Akebi, Kazuhiko, Nakagawa, Satoru, Itaya, Hisao, Okabe, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gray, Robert
• Application Number:
  US07/614,410
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/22, 341/24, 341/25, 341/26, 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 340/706, 340/712, 338/99, 338/114, 382/3, 382/4
• US Class Current: 341/20
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

An input system including a resistance film touch panel and a pushed position detecting device for detecting two-dimensional coordinates of a pushed position of a touch panel based on surface resistance values of resistance films, the system comprising a pair of insulating base layers opposed to each other with a certain distance therebetween; a spacer provided between the insulating base layers for keeping the layers apart but for allowing the layers to approach each other when an external force is applied to one of the layers; a first resistance film extended in first and second directions and provided on an inner surface of one of the layers, the first and second directions crossing each other perpendicularly and the first resistance film having outer connecting electrodes on both ends thereof along the second direction; and a plurality of second resistance films provided on an inner surface of the other of the layers, the second resistance films each being a lengthy strip extended in a direction crossing the second direction and having first and second outer connecting electrodes at both ends thereof.

Claims

1. An input system including a resistance film touch panel and a pushed position detecting device for detecting two-dimensional coordinates of a pushed position of a tough panel based on surface resistance values of resistance films, the system comprising:

a pair of insulating base layers opposed to each other with a certain distance therebetween;

a spacer provided between said insulating base layers for keeping said layers apart but for allowing said layers to approach each other when an external force is applied to one of said layers;

a first resistance film extended in first and second directions and provided on an inner surface of one of said layers, the first and second directions crossing each other perpendicularly and said first resistance film having outer connecting electrodes on both ends thereof along the second direction;

a plurality of second resistance films provided on an inner surface of the other of said layers, said second resistance films each being a lengthy strip extended in a direction crossing the second direction and having first and second outer connecting electrodes at both ends thereof;

first potential supplying means for supplying said first resistance film with a DC potential through one of the outer connecting electrodes of said first resistance film;

a first switch electrically connected with all the other connecting electrodes of said second resistance films one by one, alternately for said each second resistance film;

a second switch switched in synchronization with the first switch and electrically connected to the other connecting electrode which is opposed to the outer connecting electrode connected to the first switch;

second potential supplying means for supplying said second resistance films with a DC potential through the first switch; and

electric potential measuring means for measuring potentials of the second resistance films through the first switch.

2. A system of claim 1, wherein said second resistance films are extended in the first direction.

3. A system of claim 1, wherein said second resistance films each have a larger resistance value than said first resistance film.

4. An input system including a resistance film touch panel and a pushed position detecting device for detecting two-dimensional coordinates of a pushed position of a touch panel based on surface resistance values of resistance films, the system comprising:

a pair of insulating base layers opposed to each other with a certain distance therebetween;

a spacer provided between said insulating base layers for keeping said layers apart but for allowing said layers to approach each other when an external force is applied to one of said layers;

a first resistance film extended in first and second directions and provided on an inner surface of one of said layers, the first and second directions crossing each other perpendicularly and said first resistance film having outer connecting electrodes on both ends thereof along the second direction; and

a plurality of second resistance films provided on an inner surface of the other of said layers, said second resistance films each being a lengthy strip extended in a direction crossing the second direction and having first and second outer connecting electrodes at both ends thereof;

DC potential supplying means including a first switching means for supplying a DC potential to said second resistance films one by one;

second switching means switching at a speed at least twice as high as the DC potential supplying means, said second switching means being for supplying a DC potential to the outer connecting electrodes of said first resistance film alternately; and

electric potential measuring means for measuring the potential of the outer connecting electrode of said first resistance film, the electrode being opposed to the electrode supplied with the DC potential by the switching means.

5. A system of claim 4, wherein said second resistance films are extended in the first direction.

6. A system of claim 4, wherein said second resistance films each have a larger resistance value than said first resistance film.

7. A resistance film tough panel of claim 4, wherein an upper one of said pair of insulating base layers is a transparent film and a lower one of said pair of insulating base layers is a transparent and hard plate.

8. An input system including a resistance film touch panel and a pushed position detecting device for detecting two-dimensional coordinates of a pushed position of a touch panel based on surface resistance values of resistance films, the system comprising:

a pair of insulating base layers opposed to each other with a certain distance therebetween;

a spacer provided between said insulating base layers for keeping said layers apart but for allowing said layers to approach each other when an external force is applied to one of said layers;

a first resistance film extended in first and second directions and provided on an inner surface of one of said layers, the first and second directions crossing each other perpendicularly and said first resistance film having outer connecting electrodes on both ends thereof along the second direction;

a plurality of second resistance films provided on an inner surface of the other of said layers, said second resistance films each being a lengthy strip extended in a direction crossing the second direction and having an outer connecting electrode at one end thereof;

DC potential supplying means for supplying said first resistance film with a DC potential through both the outer connecting electrodes thereof;

a switch switched to a first state of supplying all the other connecting electrodes of said second resistance films with a ground-level potential and to a second state of releasing the same from the ground-level potential; and

electric potential measuring means for measuring the potentials of all the other connecting electrodes of said second resistance films both in the first and the second states.

9. A system of claim 8, wherein the pair of insulating base layers consist of a flexible upper base layer on which an external force is applied and a hard lower base layer opposed to the upper base layer with a spacer therebetween, and said first resistance film is formed on a lower surface of the upper base layer and said second resistance films are formed on an upper surface of the lower base layer.