Touch screen device with guiding surface

• US 7,893,927 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Keiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): BODDIE, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US10/664,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20040056847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,715 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, D14/318, D14/389, 715/733, 701/36
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

In a display touch sensor, there configured a guide shape which protrudes from a surface of the touch sensor placed on a display surface of a display and fringes with the surface of the touch sensor with a line using a concave portion as a vertex, and a main CPU for setting a position of the touch sensor corresponding to the vertex of the line of the guide shape to a reference position and changing an adjustment value based on a direction of a slide operation from the reference position.

Claims

1. An electronic equipment comprising:

a display device configured to display information and including a display surface;

a touch sensor arranged on at least a part of the display surface;

a guide portion configured to protrude from a surface of the touch sensor and to fringe the surface with a line configured by a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions,

each of the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions including a fixed reference position on a surface of the touch sensor graphically identified on said display surface and located between a vertex and a center of a corresponding concave portion or convex portion; and

a controller configured to control each of a plurality of adjustment values in accordance with a direction of a slide operation along the corresponding concave portion or convex portion of said guide portion from a corresponding fixed reference position;

wherein said plurality of adjustment values is controlled after said corresponding fixed reference position is depressed by a touch operation.

2. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller sets the adjustment value to a predetermined reference value when the fixed reference position is depressed.

3. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller changes the adjustment values from the reference value when the slide operation is performed after the fixed reference position is depressed.

4. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a notification unit configured to provide a notification that the fixed reference position is depressed.

5. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller controls an adjustment value of an output level of an acoustic signal.

6. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch sensor includes one of a display function and a switch function.

7. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein said touch sensor arranged on said at least a part of said display surface is configured to be proximate to said guide portion.

8. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a graphical image displayed on said display device in said surface of said touch sensor, wherein said graphical image corresponds to said fixed reference position.

9. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 8, wherein said graphical image represents an initial value in a parameter adjustment range.

10. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 9, comprising:

second and third graphical images displayed on said display device in said surface of said touch sensor on either side of said graphical image, wherein said second and third graphical images represent one of a value to be increased and a value to be decreased from said initial value in a parameter adjustment range.

21. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit which stores a current adjustment value when the fixed reference position is depressed.

22. The electronic equipment according to claim 21, further comprising:

a timer which counts a predetermined time period from a time when the fixed reference position is depressed,

wherein the controller controls the adjustment values in accordance with the slide operation starting during the predetermined time period.

23. The electronic equipment according to claim 22, wherein, when the timer finishes counting of the predetermined time period, the controller sets the adjustment value to the current adjustment values stored in the storage unit if no slide operation is performed during the predetermined time period.

24. The electronic equipment according to claim 22, wherein, when the timer finishes counting of the predetermined time period, the controller sets the adjustment values to a predetermined reference value if no slide operation is performed during the predetermined time period.

25. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of concave portions are arranged along a straight line and said plurality of convex portions are arranged along a straight line.

26. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frame, which holds the display device and the touch sensor,

wherein the frame has an opening through which the display surface of the display device is exposed,

wherein the guide portion is provided on the opening of the frame, and

wherein the guide portion protrudes from the surface of the touch sensor farther than the frame.

11. A method of controlling electronic equipment, a touch sensor arranged on at least a part of a display surface, a guide portion configured to protrude from a surface of said touch sensor and to fringe said surface with a line configured by a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions,

each of the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions including a fixed reference position on a surface of the touch sensor graphically identified on said display surface and located between a vertex and a center of a corresponding concave portion or convex portion, said method comprising:

guiding a finger along said guide portion to said fixed reference position;

depressing said fixed reference position to initiate control of each of a plurality of adjustment values in accordance with a direction of a slide operation along the corresponding concave portion or convex portion of the guide portion from a corresponding fixed reference position; and

receiving a contact input on said surface of said touch sensor adjacent to said fixed reference position based on guiding said finger along said guide portion from said fixed reference position.

12. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a graphical image on said display device in said surface of said touch sensor, wherein said graphical image represents an initial value in a parameter adjustment range and corresponds to said fixed reference position.

13. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

displaying second and third graphical images displayed on said display device in said surface of said touch sensor on either side of said graphical image, wherein said second and third graphical images represent one of a value to be increased and a value to be decreased from said initial value in a parameter adjustment range.

14. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving sliding contact input on said surface of said touch sensor adjacent to said fixed reference position; and

inputting said adjustment value to a controller based on receiving said sliding contact input.

15. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein receiving sliding contact input on said surface of said touch sensor in a first direction inputs a positive adjustment value to a controller.

16. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein receiving sliding contact input on said surface of said touch sensor in a second direction inputs a negative adjustment value to a controller.

17. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

storing a present value of an adjustment parameter in response to receiving said contact input on said surface of said touch sensor adjacent to said fixed reference position.

18. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether said slide operation is performed on said surface of said touch sensor.

19. The method of controlling electronic equipment as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

adding said adjustment values to said stored present value of an adjustment parameter in response to determining whether said slide operation is performed; and

controlling an output parameter based on adding said adjustment values to said stored present value of an adjustment parameter.

20. An electronic equipment comprising:

display means for displaying information, said display means including a display surface;

touch sensor means for sensing a touch, said touch sensor means being arranged on at least a part of said display surface means;

guide means configured to protrude from a surface of the touch sensor means and to fringe the surface with a line configured by a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions,

each of the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions including a fixed reference position on a surface of the touch sensor means graphically identified on said display surface and located between a vertex and a center of a corresponding concave portion or convex portion; and

control means for controlling each of a plurality of adjustment values in accordance with a direction of a slide operation along the corresponding concave portion or convex portion of said guide means from a corresponding fixed reference position;

wherein said plurality of adjustment values is controlled after said fixed reference position is depressed by a touch operation.