Touch system including optical touch panel and touch pen, and method of controlling interference optical signal in touch system

• US 9,035,914 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lim, Sang-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELSEN, NATHAN ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/737,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20140085266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1803, 178/18.09, 178/19.01, 178/19.05, 345/156, 345/173, 345/175, 345180-183
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A touch system including an optical touch panel and a touch pen, and a method of controlling an interference optical signal in the touch system. The optical touch panel device includes: a pattern analyzer detecting a pattern of an optical signal by scanning an optical touch panel, and comparing a detected pattern with patterns designated to button functions of a touch pen; a touch location detector recognizing a detected location of the optical signal as a touch location, if the detected pattern corresponds to a first pattern designated to a button function; an interference controller determining the optical signal as an interference signal, if a detected region of the optical signal exceeds a critical range; and a wireless transmitter outputting a control signal to the touch pen so that the touch pen may change the first pattern designated to the button function to a second pattern.

Claims

1. An optical touch panel device comprising:

a pattern analyzer configured to detect a pattern of an optical signal by scanning an optical touch panel and comparing a detected pattern with patterns designated to button functions of a touch pen;

a touch location detector configured to recognize a detected location of the optical signal as a touch location when the detected pattern corresponds to a first pattern designated to a button function;

an interference controller configured to determine whether or not the optical signal is an interference signal when a detected region of the optical signal exceeds a critical range; and

a wireless transmitter configured to output a control signal to the touch pen so that the touch pen may change the first pattern designated to the button function to a second pattern.

2. The optical touch panel device of claim 1,

wherein the interference controller is configured to change an operation clock of the optical touch panel when the optical signal is determined as the interference signal, and

wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to output a notification of an operation clock change of the optical touch panel as the control signal.

3. The optical touch panel device of claim 1,

wherein the interference controller is configured to change the first pattern to the second pattern when the optical signal is determined as the interference signal, and wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to output a pattern change notification as the control signal.

4. The optical touch panel device of claim 1, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern have an optical signal output period that is an integer multiple greater than or equal to a scanning period corresponding to an operation clock of the optical touch panel.

5. The optical touch panel device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to output a synchronization signal, which comprises information about an operation clock of the optical touch panel, to the touch pen to perform synchronization with the touch pen.

6. A touch pen comprising:

a wireless receiver configured to receive a control signal from an optical touch panel requesting change of a first pattern, which corresponds to a pattern of an optical signal that is determined as an interference signal in an optical touch panel, designated to a button function to a second pattern;

a pattern generator configured to change the first pattern designated to the button function to the second pattern according to the control signal; and

a light-emitting device configured to generate an optical signal corresponding to the second pattern so that the optical touch panel performs the button function.

7. The touch pen of claim 6,

wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive a notification of an operation clock change of the optical touch panel as the control signal, and

wherein the pattern generator is configured to generate the second pattern according to the changed operation clock of the optical touch panel.

8. The touch pen of claim 6,

wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive a notification of the change of the pattern designated to the button function as the control signal from the optical touch panel, and

wherein the pattern generator is configured to change the first pattern designated to the button function to the second pattern.

9. The touch pen of claim 6, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern have an optical signal output period that is an integer multiple greater than or equal to a scanning period corresponding to an operation clock of the optical touch panel.

10. The touch pen of claim 6, wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive a synchronization signal, which comprises information about an operation clock of the optical touch panel, from the optical touch panel in order to perform synchronization with the optical touch panel.

11. A method of controlling an interference optical signal in an optical touch panel device, the method comprising:

detecting a pattern of an optical signal by scanning an optical touch panel and comparing a detected pattern of the optical signal to patterns designated to button functions of a touch pen;

recognizing a detected location of the optical signal as a touch location when the detected pattern corresponds to a first pattern designated to a button function;

determining the optical signal is an interference signal when a detected region of the optical signal exceeds a critical range; and

wirelessly outputting a control signal to the touch pen so that the touch pen changes the first pattern designated to the button function to a second pattern.

12. The method of claim 11,

wherein the determining of the interference signal comprises changing an operation clock of the optical touch panel when the optical signal is determined as the interference signal, and

wherein the outputting of the control signal comprises outputting an operation clock change notification of the optical touch panel as a control signal.

13. The method of claim 11,

wherein the determining of the interference signal comprises changing the first pattern to the second pattern when the optical signal is determined as the interference signal, and

wherein the outputting of the control signal comprises outputting a pattern change notification as the control signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern have an optical signal output period that is an integer multiple greater than or equal to a scanning period corresponding to an operation clock of the optical touch panel.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising wirelessly outputting a synchronization signal comprising information about an operation clock of the optical touch panel to the touch pen to perform synchronization with the touch pen.

16. A method of controlling an interference optical signal in a touch pen, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving a control signal requesting a change of a first pattern, which corresponds to a pattern of an optical signal that is determined as an interference signal in an optical touch panel, designated to a button function to a second pattern from the optical touch panel;

changing the first pattern designated to the button function to the second pattern according to the control signal; and

generating an optical signal corresponding to the second pattern so that the optical touch panel performs the button function.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the receiving of the control signal comprises receiving an operation clock change notification of the optical touch panel from the optical touch panel, and

wherein the changing of the pattern comprises generating the second pattern according to the changed operation clock of the optical touch panel.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein the receiving of the control signal comprises receiving a change notification of the pattern designated to the button function from the optical touch panel, and

wherein the changing of the pattern comprises changing the first pattern designated to the button function to the second pattern.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern have an optical signal output period that is an integer multiple greater than or equal to a scanning period that is based on an operation clock of the optical touch panel.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a synchronization signal comprising information about an operation clock of the optical touch panel from the optical touch panel in order to perform synchronization with the optical touch panel.