Touch panel apparatus, control apparatus and control method

• US 8,890,820 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Satoshi, Kubota, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US13/298,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1806
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a control apparatus controls a touch panel includes a first resistive film includes a first terminal and a second terminal and a second resistive film includes a third terminal and a fourth terminal, the first and second resistive films being laid on top of each other with a gap between the resistive films. The control apparatus comprises an application unit, a measurement unit and a calculation unit. The application unit is configured to apply a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal at a first timing. The measurement unit is configured to measure a voltage of each of the third and fourth terminals at the first timing. The calculation unit is configured to derive a positional relationship between two points at which the touch panel has been touched based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing.

Claims

1. A control apparatus which controls a touch panel comprising a first resistive film comprising a first terminal and a second terminal on respective opposite end sides and a second resistive film comprising a third terminal and a fourth terminal on respective opposite end sides which are orthogonal to the opposite end sides of the first resistive film, the first and second resistive films being laid on top of each other with a gap between the resistive films in such a manner that the resistive films come into contact with each other at a point at which the touch panel has been touched, the apparatus comprising:

an application unit configured to apply a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal at a first timing;

a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of each of the third and fourth terminals at the first timing; and

a calculation unit configured to derive a relative positional relationship between two points at which the touch panel has been touched based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing;

wherein

the relative positional relationship includes a first relationship in which a straight line joining coordinates of the two points slopes upwards when going from left to right and a second relationship in which the straight line joining the coordinates of the two points slopes downwards when going from left to right;

the calculation unit derives the relative positional relationship between the two points based on a magnitude relationship between the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing;

the application unit further applies a voltage between the third terminal and the fourth terminal at a second timing;

the measurement unit further measures the voltage of at least one of the first and second terminals at the first timing, and measures the voltage of at least one of the third and fourth terminals, the voltage of the first terminal, and the voltage of the second terminal at the second timing; and

the calculation unit further calculates central coordinates of the two points and at least one of a first inter-coordinates distance between the two points and a second inter-coordinates distance between the central coordinates and each of the two points, based on the voltages of the terminals measured at the first and second timings, and calculates the coordinates of the two points based on the central coordinates of the two points, at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances, and the relative positional relationship between the two points.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates the central coordinates based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing and the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the second timing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances based on at least one of the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the first timing and at least one of the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the second timing.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit outputs the central coordinates of the two points instead of the coordinates of the two points if at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

5. A touch panel apparatus comprising:

a touch panel which comprises a first resistive film comprising a first terminal and a second terminal on respective opposite end sides and a second resistive film comprising a third terminal and a fourth terminal on respective opposite end sides which are orthogonal to the opposite end sides of the first resistive film, the first and second resistive films being laid on top of each other with a gap between the resistive films in such a manner that the resistive films come into contact with each other at a point at which the touch panel has been touched;

an application unit configured to apply a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal at a first timing;

a measurement unit configured to measure a voltage of each of the third and fourth terminals at the first timing; and

a calculation unit configured to derive a relative positional relationship between two points at which the touch panel has been touched based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing;

wherein

the relative positional relationship includes a first relationship in which a straight line joining coordinates of the two points slopes upwards when going from left to right and a second relationship in which the straight line joining the coordinates of the two points slopes downwards when going from left to right;

the calculation unit derives the relative positional relationship between the two points based on a magnitude relationship between the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing;

the application unit further applies a voltage between the third terminal and the fourth terminal at a second timing;

the measurement unit further measures the voltage of at least one of the first and second terminals at the first timing, and measures the voltage of at least one of the third and fourth terminals, the voltage of the first terminal, and the voltage of the second terminal at the second timing; and

the calculation unit further calculates central coordinates of the two points and at least one of a first inter-coordinates distance between the two points and a second inter-coordinates distance between the central coordinates and each of the two points, based on the voltages of the terminals measured at the first and second timings, and calculates the coordinates of the two points based on the central coordinates of the two points, at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances, and the relative positional relationship between the two points.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit calculates the central coordinates based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing and the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the second timing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit calculates at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances based on at least one of the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the first timing and at least one of the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the second timing.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit outputs the central coordinates of the two points instead of the coordinates of the two points if at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

9. A control method which controls a touch panel comprising a first resistive film comprising a first terminal and a second terminal on respective opposite end sides and a second resistive film comprising a third terminal and a fourth terminal on respective opposite end sides which are orthogonal to the opposite end sides of the first resistive film, the first and second resistive films being laid on top of each other with a gap between the resistive films in such a manner that the resistive films come into contact with each other at a point at which the touch panel has been touched, the method comprising:

applying a voltage between the first terminal and the second terminal at a first timing;

measuring a voltage of each of the third and fourth terminals at the first timing;

deriving a relative positional relationship between two points at which the touch panel has been touched based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing, wherein

the relative positional relationship includes a first relationship in which a straight line joining coordinates of the two points slopes upwards when going from left to right and a second relationship in which the straight line joining the coordinates of the two points slopes downwards when going from left to right, and

the relative positional relationship between the two points is derived based on a magnitude relationship between the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing;

applying a voltage between the third terminal and the fourth terminal at a second timing;

measuring the voltage of at least one of the first and second terminals at the first timing, and measuring the voltage of at least one of the third and fourth terminals, the voltage of the first terminal, and the voltage of the second terminal at the second timing; and

calculating central coordinates of the two points and at least one of a first inter-coordinates distance between the two points and a second inter-coordinates distance between the central coordinates and each of the two points, based on the voltages of the terminals measured at the first and second timings, and calculating the coordinates of the two points based on the central coordinates of the two points, at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances, and the relative positional relationship between the two points.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the central coordinates are calculated based on the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the first timing and the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the second timing.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and second inter-coordinates distances is calculated based on at least one of the voltages of the first and second terminals measured at the first timing and at least one of the voltages of the third and fourth terminals measured at the second timing.