Touchpad controlling method and touch device using such method

• US 8,370,772 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Original Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Inventors: Chien, Chien-Pang, Chien, Chih-Feng, Liu, Chou-Liang, Lin, Hung-Ming, Chang, Chen-Ming, Zhang, Shi-Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): ULRICH, NICHOLAS S
• Application Number:
  US12/816,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 715/740, 715/856, 715/863, 345/173, 345/156
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A touchpad controlling method and a touch device using such a method are provided. The touch device is applied to an electronic appliance. The touch device includes a touchpad and a coordinate transformation program. The touchpad is used for detecting a number of touching points in response to the touching gesture on the touchpad and the position of each touching point. If the number of touching points is equal to 1, the electronic appliance is operated in a relative coordinate mode. Whereas, if the number of touching points is greater than 1, the electronic appliance is operated in an absolute coordinate mode.

Claims

1. A touchpad controlling method for moving a position of a cursor on a display screen of an electronic appliance or executing an instruction by sensing a touching gesture on a touchpad, at least one touching point being generated in response to said touching gesture on said touchpad, said touchpad controlling method comprising steps of:

detecting a number of touching points in response to said touching gesture on said touchpad and a position of each touching point;

operating said cursor and said instruction in a relative coordinate mode if said number of touching points is equal to 1; and

operating said instruction in an absolute coordinate mode if said number of touching points is greater than 1,

wherein a position coordinate of any point on said touchpad is expressed by a first coordinate system, and a position coordinate of any point on said display screen is expressed by a second coordinate system, wherein there is a first proportion between a horizontal axis of said first coordinate system and a horizontal axis of said second coordinate system, and there is a second proportion between a vertical axis of said first coordinate system and a vertical axis of said second coordinate system,

wherein a position coordinate of said cursor shown on said display screen is expressed by said second coordinate system,

wherein said absolute coordinate mode is operated by steps of;

outputting said position coordinate of each touching point, which is expressed by said first coordinate system;

selecting a datum point, wherein a position coordinate of said datum point is expressed by said first coordinate system;

shifting said first coordinate system according to said datum point, so that said first coordinate system is transformed into a third coordinate system with said datum point serving as an origin, and said position coordinate of each touching point is transformed to be expressed by said third coordinate system;

transforming said position coordinate of each touching point into said second coordinate system according to said position coordinate of said cursor, said first proportion and said second proportion, so that said position coordinate of each touching point is transformed to be expressed by said second coordinate system; and

analyzing a change of said position coordinate of each touching point, so that said instruction is executed on a neighboring region of said position coordinate of said cursor.

2. The touchpad controlling method according to claim 1 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 2, said position coordinate of said datum point is at a midpoint between position coordinates of said two touching points.

3. The touchpad controlling method according to claim 1 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 1, when a user'"'"'s finger slides on said touchpad, said cursor shown on said display screen is moved in said relative coordinate mode.

4. The touchpad controlling method according to claim 1 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 1, said instruction is executed to drag a document data shown on said display screen in said relative coordinate mode.

5. The touchpad controlling method according to claim 1 wherein if said number of touching points is greater than 1, said instruction is executed to zoom in, zoom out or rotate a document data shown on said display screen in said absolute coordinate mode.

6. A touch device touchpad for use with an electronic appliance, said electronic appliance comprising an operating system and a display screen, said touch device controlling a position of a cursor on said display screen or executing an instruction by receiving a touching gesture, said touch device comprising:

a touchpad connected to said electronic device for receiving said touching gesture, wherein at least one touching point is generated on said touchpad in response to said gesture on said touchpad, and a number of touching points in response to said touching gesture on said touchpad and a position of each touching point are detected by said touchpad, wherein said cursor and said instruction are operated in a relative coordinate mode if said number of touching points is equal to 1, and said instruction is operated in an absolute coordinate mode if said number of touching points is greater than 1; and

a coordinate transformation program installed in said electronic appliance, wherein if said number of touching points is greater than 1, said coordinate transformation program is executed for transforming said position coordinate of each touching point, so that said instruction is executed on a neighboring region of said cursor shown on said display screen by said operating system,

wherein a position coordinate of any point on said touchpad is expressed by a first coordinate system, and a position coordinate of any point on said display screen is expressed by a second coordinate system, wherein there is a first proportion between a horizontal axis of said first coordinate system and a horizontal axis of said second coordinate system, and there is a second proportion between a vertical axis of said first coordinate system and a vertical axis of said second coordinate system,

wherein a position coordinate of said cursor shown on said display screen is expressed by said second coordinate system,

wherein if said number of touching points is greater than 1, said position coordinate of each touching point is outputted from said touchpad to said coordinate transformation program, and said position coordinate of each touching point is expressed by said first coordinate system,

wherein after said position coordinate of each touching point is outputted from said touchpad to said coordinate transformation program, said coordinate transformation program selects a datum point, which is expressed by said first coordinate system, and shift said first coordinate system according to said datum point, so that said first coordinate system is transformed into a third coordinate system with said datum point serving as an origin, and said position coordinate of each touching point is transformed to be expressed by said third coordinate system, wherein said third coordinate system is further transformed into said second coordinate system by said coordinate transformation program according to said position coordinate of said cursor, said first proportion and said second proportion, so that said position coordinate of each touching point is transformed to be expressed by said second coordinate system, wherein said position coordinate of each touching point expressed by said second coordinate system is then transmitted to said operating system.

7. The touch device according to claim 6 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 2, a position coordinate of said datum point is at a midpoint between position coordinates of said two touching points.

8. The touch device according to claim 6 wherein when said position coordinate of each touching point expressed by said second coordinate system and transmitted from said coordinate transformation program is received by said operating system, a change of said position coordinate of each touching point is analyzed by said operating system, so that said instruction is executed on a neighboring region of said cursor by said operating system.

9. The touch device according to claim 6 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 1, when a user'"'"'s finger slides on said touchpad, said cursor shown on said display screen is moved in said relative coordinate mode.

10. The touch device according to claim 6 wherein if said number of touching points is equal to 1, said instruction is executed to drag a document data shown on said display screen in said relative coordinate mode.

11. The touch device according to claim 6 wherein if said number of touching points is greater than 1, said instruction is executed to zoom in, zoom out or rotate a document data shown on said display screen in said absolute coordinate mode.