Touch panel and method for operating the same, and electronic apparatus and method for operating the same

• US 8,717,329 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kitamura, Ryota
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suteerawongsa, Jarurat
• Application Number:
  US12/509,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 178 1801- 1806, 713320-340
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A touch panel includes n first line electrodes (n is an integer of 2 or greater) to which pulses are applied, m second line electrodes (m is an integer of 2 or greater) for use in detection, the second line electrodes being arranged to cross the first line electrodes, and a pulse generating circuit configured to apply pulses, in a selected order, to n₁ first line electrodes (n₁ is an integer of at least 1 and not greater than n) selected from among the n first line electrodes. A touched position on the touch panel is detected by detecting a change in capacitance between one of the first line electrodes and one of the second line electrodes.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

n first line electrodes to which pulses are applied, n being an integer of 2 or greater;

m second line electrodes for use in detection, m being an integer of 2 or greater, the second line electrodes being arranged to cross the first line electrodes; and

a pulse generating circuit configured (i) to be able to apply pulses in a selected order to n₁ first line electrodes selected from among the n first line electrodes, n₁ being an integer of at least 1 and not greater than n, and (ii) to be able to apply pulses to all of the n first line electrodes; and

a detecting circuit,

wherein,

the detecting circuit is configured to detect a touched position on the touch panel by detecting a change in capacitance between one of the first line electrodes and one of the second line electrodes,

the touch panel is configured to be switched between a first mode in which the pulses are applied in the selected order to the selected n₁ first line electrodes, where 1≦

n₁<

n, and a second mode in which the pulses are applied to all of the n first line electrodes,

the touch panel operates in the first mode during standby, and

the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode at least when a touch is detected once within a predetermined time limit and a duration of the touch exceeds the predetermined time limit.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein n₁=n/2.

3. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

while the touch panel operates in the first mode, when a first touch is detected and thereafter a second touch is detected within the predetermined time limit, and if a position touched first and a position touched second are approximately same, the touch panel is configured to recognize that a double click operation has been performed.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

while the touch panel operates in the first mode, when a first touch is detected and thereafter a second touch is detected within the predetermined time limit, and if a position touched first and a position touched second are relatively distant from each other, the touch panel is configured to recognize that a slide operation has been performed.

5. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

while the touch panel operates in the first mode, when the touch is detected once within the predetermined time limit and the duration of the touch does not exceed the predetermined time limit, the touch panel is configured to recognize that a single click operation has been performed.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein

the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode to process a drag operation.

7. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode, the pulses are applied to the selected n₁ first line electrodes in the order in which the first line electrodes are arranged.

8. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode, the pulses are applied to the selected n₁ first line electrodes in such a manner that the pulses are applied to every given ordinal number of first line electrodes.

9. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode, the pulses are applied to the selected n₁ first line electrodes in such a manner that the pulses are applied to respective groups of plural first line electrodes.

10. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode, the pulses are applied in the selected order to a first plurality of selected n₁ first line electrodes during a first line scan, and then the pulses are applied in the selected order to a second plurality of selected n₁ first line electrodes during a subsequent line scan, where a start line electrode n₁ in the second plurality of selected n₁ first line electrodes to which a pulse is first applied during the subsequent line scan is made to be different from a start line electrode n₁ in the first plurality of selected n₁ first line electrodes to which a pulse is first applied during the first line scan.

11. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the n first line electrodes are arranged at equal spacings.

12. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the n first line electrodes have equal widths.

13. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the n first line electrodes vary in width.

14. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the m second line electrodes are arranged at equal spacings.

15. A method for operating a touch panel, the touch panel (i) including n first line electrodes to which pulses are applied, n being an integer of 2 or greater and m second line electrodes for use in detection, m being an integer of 2 or greater, the second line electrodes being arranged to cross the first line electrodes, and (ii) configured to detect a touched position on the touch panel by detecting a change in capacitance between one of the first line electrodes and one of the second line electrodes, the method comprising:

operating the touch panel in a first mode in which pulses are applied, in a selected order, to n₁ first line electrodes selected from among the n first line electrodes, n₁ being an integer of at least 1 and not greater than n; and

operating the touch panel in a second mode in which pulses are applied to all of the n first line electrodes,

wherein,

operating the touch panel in the first mode includes operating the touch panel in the first mode during standby, and

the method further comprises switching the touch panel from the first mode to the second mode at least when a touch is detected once within a predetermined time limit and a duration of the touch exceeds the predetermined time limit.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode to process a drag operation.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a touch panel, the touch panel including;

n first line electrodes to which pulses are applied, n being an integer of 2 or greater,

m second line electrodes for use in detection, m being an integer of 2 or greater, the second line electrodes being arranged to cross the first line electrodes, and

a pulse generating circuit configured (i) to be able to apply pulses in a selected order to n₁ first line electrodes selected from among the n first line electrodes, n₁ being an integer of at least 1 and not greater than n, and (ii) to be able to apply pulses to all of the n first line electrodes, and

a detecting circuit,

wherein,

the detecting circuit is configured to detect a touched position on the touch panel by detecting a change in capacitance between one of the first line electrodes and one of the second line electrodes,

the touch panel is configured to be switched between a first mode in which the pulses are applied in the selected order to the selected n₁ first line electrodes, where 1≦

n₁<

n, and a second mode in which the pulses are applied to all of the n first line electrodes,

the touch panel operates in the first mode during standby, and

the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode at least when a touch is detected once within a predetermined time limit and a duration of the touch exceeds the predetermined time limit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode to process a drag operation.

19. A method for operating an electronic apparatus including a touch panel, the touch panel (i) including n first line electrodes to which pulses are applied, n being an integer of 2 or greater and m second line electrodes for use in detection, m being an integer of 2 or greater, the second line electrodes being arranged to cross the first line electrodes, and (ii) configured to detect a touched position on the touch panel by detecting a change in capacitance between one of the first line electrodes and one of the second line electrodes, the method comprising:

operating the touch panel in a first mode in which pulses are applied, in a selected order, to n₁ first line electrodes selected from among the n first line electrodes, n₁ being an integer of at least 1 and not greater than n; and

operating the touch panel in a second mode in which pulses are applied to all of the n first line electrodes,

wherein,

operating the touch panel in the first mode includes operating the touch panel in the first mode during standby, and

the method further comprises switching the touch panel from the first mode to the second mode at least when a touch is detected once within a predetermined time limit and a duration of the touch exceeds the predetermined time limit.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the touch panel is switched from the first mode to the second mode to process a drag operation.