Electronic device with touch input function and touch input method thereof

• US 8,289,292 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sip, Kim-Yeung
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US12/649,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1.1, 345/104, 345168-184, 345/158, 178/18.09, 178/18.05, 178/20.01, 178/20.02, 178/19.04, 358/1.15, 358/1.13, 358/1.9
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic device, includes a first touch panel, a second touch panel, a processing unit, a first touch controller and a second touch controller, the first and the second touch controller are used to determine touch information according to touch signals produced by the first touch panel and the second touch panel respectively. The processing unit determines the touch mode is a single-surface touch mode if only receives the touch information from the first touch controller, and determines gesture according to the touch information and executes the function associated with the gesture. The processing unit determines the touch mode is a double-surface touch mode if receives the touch information from both the first touch controller and the second touch controller, determines an combined gesture according to the touch information from the first and the second touch controller, and executes function associated with the combined gesture.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first touch panel and a second touch panel both configured to produce touch signals in response to user operations;

a first touch controller connected to the first touch panel and configured to determine touch information including a touch position and a touch path when receiving the touch signals from the first touch panel;

a second touch controller connected to the second touch panel and configured to determine touch information including a touch position and a touch path when receiving the touch signals from the second touch panel; and

a processing unit connected to both the first touch controller and the second touch controller, the processing unit comprising;

a receiving module configured to receive touch information from the first touch controller and the second touch controller;

a startup module configured to enable the second touch controller when the receiving module receives the touch information from the first touch controller;

a mode switching module configured to set the electronic device to single-surface touch mode when the receiving module only receives the touch information from the first touch controller, and set the electronic device to double-surface touch mode when the receiving module receives the touch information both from the first touch controller and the second touch controller;

an identifying module configured to determine a gesture according to the touch information from the first touch controller in the single-surface touch mode or determine a combined gesture according to the touch information from the first touch controller and the second touch controller in the double-surface touch mode; and

an executing module configured to execute the function associated with the gesture in the single-surface touch mode or the function associated with the combined gesture in the double-surface touch mode.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a storage unit, wherein the storage unit stores a first mapping table defining relationship between functions and gestures in the single-surface touch mode and a second mapping table defining relationship between functions and gestures in the double-surface touch mode;

the executing module executes the function associated with the gesture according to the first mapping table in the single-surface mode and executes the function associated with the gesture according to the second mapping table in the double-surface mode.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display unit, wherein the first touch panel is a transparent touch panel and located above the display unit, and the first touch panel combines with the display unit to form a touch screen, the second touch panel is located at the back of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the first touch panel and the second touch panel both are multipoint touch panels.

5. A touch input method used for an electronic device, the electronic device comprises a first touch panel and a second touch panel;

wherein the method comprising;

determining the first touch panel is touched by user;

enabling the second touch panel to detect user operations after the first touch panel is touched by user;

detecting whether the first touch panel and the second touch panel are touched by user after the first is touched by user;

setting the electronic device to double-surface touch mode if the first touch panel and the second touch panel are both touched by user;

determining a combined gesture according to touch signals from the first touch panel and the second touch panel;

determining the function associated with the combined gesture in the double-surface touch mode and executing the function accordingly;

setting the electronic device into single-surface touch mode if only the first touch panel is touched by user;

determining a gesture according to touch signal from the first touch panel; and

determining the function associated with the gesture in the single-surface touch mode and executing the function accordingly.