Touch control position determining method control pad

• US 6,707,448 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2000
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Masato, Kunimatsu, Yoshimasa, Nagasaka, Chikao
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moyer, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/587,338
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 345/172-175, 345/169, 178/18.09, 250/221, 340/365, 340/712
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

The present invention provides a touch control position determining method which allows the touch control position to be determined precisely regardless of the modes of control. When a touch control is made on an input pad, it is confirmed whether or not the upper and lower vertical position detecting lines are in the non-detected state in which infrared rays are not intercepted to determine whether the touch control position is located at the upper side, the center or the lower side (Steps 100 through 112). Next, it is confirmed whether or not the right and next horizontal position detecting lines are in the non-detected state to determine whether the touch control position along the horizontal direction is located at the left side, the center or the right side (Steps 114 through 122). Thus, the touch control position in the vertical and horizontal directions is determined and the determination result is outputted (Step 124).

Claims

1. A method for determining a touch control position on a control pad, comprising the steps of:

(a) continuously providing a plurality of horizontal position detecting lines and a plurality of vertical position detecting lines across said control pad;

(b) detecting at least one of said plurality of horizontal position detecting lines, which are formed in parallel in a vertical direction on the control pad by beams irradiated in the vertical direction from light emitting sections to light receiving sections, and at least one of said plurality of vertical position detecting lines, which are formed in a parallel in a horizontal direction of the control pad by beams irradiated in the horizontal direction from light emitting sections to light receiving sections;

(c) detecting an interception of at least one of the plurality of horizontal position detecting lines or at least one of the plurality of vertical position detecting lines, and

(d) determining a control position on said control pad on the basis of positions of said intercepted lines and at least one of said horizontal position detecting lines which is not intercepted and at least one of said vertical position detecting lines which is not intercepted.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which said control pad is divided into three areas in the horizontal direction:

said Step (c) detects interception of at least one of horizontal position detection lines which are respectively formed in the vertical direction at both horizontal direction end portions of the control pad; and

said Step (d) determines control to be at one of said three areas, on the basis of a position of at least one of said horizontal position detection lines which is not intercepted.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in a case in which all of the horizontal position detecting lines respectively formed at the both end portion are not intercepted, said Step (d) determines that the control position is a center area.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein in a case in which, of the horizontal position detection lines respectively formed at the both end portions, only one horizontal position detection line at one end portion is not intercepted, said Step (d) determines that the control position is an area portion at another end portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, in a case in which said control pad is divided into three areas in the vertical direction:

said Step (c) detects interception of at least one of vertical position detection lines which are respectively formed in the horizontal direction at both vertical direction end portions of the control pad; and

said Step (d) determines control to be at one of said three areas, on the basis of a position of at least one of said vertical position detection lines which is not intercepted.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, in a case in which all of the vertical position detecting lines respectively formed at the both end portions are not intercepted, said Step (d) determines that a center area is the control position.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein in a case in which, of the vertical position detection lines respectively formed at the both end portions, only one vertical position detection line at one end portion is not intercepted, said Step (d) determines that the control position is an area portion at another end portion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said Step (d) determines a horizontal control position on said control pad on the basis of a position of at least one horizontal position detecting line which is not intercepted, and then determines a vertical control position on said control pad based on the basis of a position of at least one vertical position detecting line which is not intercepted.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, when detecting whether or not said vertical position detecting lines are intercepted, the vertical position detecting lines are detected in order from one endmost vertical position detecting line toward another endmost vertical position detecting line.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of horizontal and vertical position detecting lines are provided by a plurality of light emitting sources.

11. A control pad, comprising:

a plurality of horizontal position detecting lines formed in parallel in a vertical direction of said control pad by beams irradiated in the vertical direction from a plurality of light emitting sources to a plurality of light receiving detectors;

a plurality of vertical position detecting lines formed in parallel in a horizontal direction of said control pad by beams irradiated in the horizontal direction from a plurality of light emitting sources to a plurality of light receiving detectors;

a detector for detecting interception of at least one of the plurality of horizontal position detecting lines and at least one of the plurality of vertical position detecting lines; and

a judging means for determining a control position on said control pad both on the basis of positions of horizontal and vertical position detecting lines intercepted, and on the basis of positions of at least one of said horizontal position detecting lines which is not intercepted and at least one of said vertical position detecting lines which is not intercepted.

12. The control pad according to claim 11, wherein,

said control pad is divided into three areas in the horizontal direction,

said horizontal position detection lines are respectively formed in the vertical direction at both horizontal direction end portions of the control pad, and

in a case in which said detector detects interception of at least one of said horizontal position detection lines, said judging means determines the control position to be one of said three areas on the basis of a position of at least one of said horizontal position detection lines which is not intercepted.

13. The control pad according to claim 12, wherein, in a case in which all of the horizontal position detecting lines respectively formed at the both end portions are not intercepted, said judging means determines that the control position is a center area.

14. The control pad according to claim 12, wherein in a case in which, of the horizontal position detection lines respectively formed at the both end portions, only one horizontal position detection line at one end portion is not intercepted, said judging means determines that the control position is an area portion at another end portion.

15. The control pad according to claim 12, wherein,

said control pad is divided into three areas in the vertical direction,

said vertical position detection lines are respectively formed in the horizontal direction at both vertical direction end portions of the control pad, and

in a case in which said detector detects interception of at least one of said vertical position detection lines, said judging means determines the control position to be one of said three areas on the basis of a position of at least one of said vertical position detection lines which is not intercepted.

16. The control pad according to claim 15, wherein in a case in which all of the vertical position detecting lines respectively formed at the both end portions are not intercepted, said judging means determines that a center area is the control position.

17. The control pad according to claim 15, wherein in a case in which, of the vertical position detection lines respectively formed at the both end portions, only one vertical position detection line at one end portion is not intercepted, said judging means determines that the control position is an area portion at another end portion.

18. The control pad according to claim 11, wherein said judging means determines a horizontal control position on said control pad on the basis of a position of at least one horizontal position detecting line which is not intercepted, and then determines a vertical control position on said control pad on the basis of a position of at least one vertical position detecting line which is not intercepted.

19. The control pad according to claim 18, wherein, when detecting whether or not said vertical position detecting lines are intercepted, said detector detects the vertical position detecting lines in order from one endmost vertical position detecting line another endmost vertical position detecting line.

20. The control pad according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of light emitting sources continuously emit said beams and said plurality of light receiving detectors continuously monitor a presence or absence of said beams.