Electronic apparatus and input interface thereof

• US 8,773,362 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Ou, Tsung-Yuan, Huang, Hsing-Chiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US12/337,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: 360/173, 360/174, 341/15, 340/815.4, 200/600
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes an input interface, a controller and a processor. The input interface includes a central touch sensing region and a peripheral touch sensing region. The central touch sensing region has a central touch pad disposed therein, and the peripheral sensing region surrounds the central touch sensing region and includes a plurality of peripheral touch pads disposed therein. The controller is configured for detecting a touch on the central touch pad and at least one of the peripheral touch pads and generating a central detecting signal and at least one peripheral detecting signal. The processor is electrically coupled to the controller. When receiving the central detecting signal and the at least one peripheral detecting signal, the processor performs a corresponding function according to the variation of signal strengths of the central detecting signal and the peripheral detecting signal.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

an input interface, comprising;

a central touch sensing region having a central touch pad disposed therein, wherein the central touch pad is a capacitive touch pad; and

a peripheral touch sensing region surrounding the central touch sensing region and having a plurality of peripheral touch pads disposed therein, wherein the plurality of peripheral touch pads are arranged in a radial array and separated from the central touch pad by a distance, wherein the peripheral touch pads are all capacitive touch pads;

a controller, electrically coupled to the central touch pad in the central touch sensing region and each peripheral touch pad in the peripheral touch sensing region, for detecting an touch on the central touch pad and generating a central sensing signal according to the touch on the central touch pad, and for detecting the touch on at least one of the plurality of peripheral touch pads and generating at least one peripheral sensing signal according to the touch on the at least one of the plurality of peripheral touch pads; and

a processor, electrically coupled to the controller, for receiving the central sensing signal and the at least one peripheral sensing signal, wherein when the processor receives the central sensing signal and the at least one peripheral sensing signal, the processor executes a corresponding function according to the signal strength of the received central sensing signal and the signal strength of the received peripheral sensing signal;

wherein when the processor determines that the signal strength of the received central sensing signal is decreased and the signal strength of the received peripheral sensing signal is increased, the processor executes the corresponding function.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, which is a hand-held electronic apparatus and further comprises:

a display, disposed on a front surface of the electronic apparatus, for displaying information, wherein the input interface is disposed adjacent to the display, and the central touch sensing region is disposed with a central line of the display goes therethrough.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the corresponding function is panning an image on the display.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the peripheral touch sensing region has a flat surface, and the central touch sensing region has a concave surface concaved adjacent to the flat surface.

5. An input interface for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a central touch sensing region having a central touch pad disposed therein, wherein the central touch pad is a capacitive touch pad; and

a peripheral touch sensing region surrounding the central touch sensing region and having a plurality of peripheral touch pads disposed therein, wherein the plurality of peripheral touch pads are arranged in a radial array and separated from the central touch pad by a distance, wherein the peripheral touch pads are all capacitive touch pads;

wherein when the signal strength of a received central sensing signal generated from the central touch pad is decreased and the signal strength of a received peripheral sensing signal generated from the peripheral touch sensing region is increased, a corresponding function is executed.

6. The input interface of claim 5, wherein the peripheral touch sensing region has a flat surface, and the central touch sensing region has a concave surface concaved adjacent to the flat surface.