Touch panel and touch information determining method of touch panel

• US 9,041,666 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hong, Won-Ki, Nam, Seung-Ho, Lee, Kang-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/403,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20130063372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A touch panel and a contact information determining method of the touch panel. A touch panel includes a plurality of transmitting members arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween, and a first sensor and a second sensor positioned respectively at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member, wherein a transmission signal is transmitted to the first sensor and the second sensor, in response to a contact on the transmitting member.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a plurality of transmitting members arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween;

a first sensor and a second sensor positioned respectively at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member, and

a wave absorption member positioned at the first and second terminals of the transmitting member,

wherein a transmission signal is transmitted to the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, in response to a contact on the transmitting member.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein

the transmitting member is flexible, and

the transmission signal comprises a material wave.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein

at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor generates a sensing signal corresponding to a contact pressure.

4. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein

at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor includes a reference resistor and a sensing resistor coupled in series between a first voltage and a second voltage, and

the sensing signal is output at a node between the reference resistor and the sensing resistor.

5. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein

a resistance of the sensing resistor is variable according to a magnitude of the transmission signal.

6. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein

a magnitude of the sensing signal is proportional to the magnitude of the transmission signal.

9. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a first support positioned at the first terminal of the transmitting member and positioned outwardly from the first sensor; and

a second support positioned at the second terminal of the transmitting member and positioned outwardly from the second sensor.

10. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a protection film positioned on the transmitting member.

7. A touch panel comprising:

a plurality of transmitting members arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween; and

a first sensor and a second sensor positioned respectively at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member,

wherein

a transmission signal is transmitted to the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, in response to a contact on the transmitting member,

at least one of a number of a first sensing signal generated by the first sensor and a number of a second sensing signal generated by the second sensor determines a number of a contact position to the touch panel,

at least one of a temporal position of the first sensing signal and a temporal position of the second sensing signal determines a coordinate of the contact position, and

at least one of a magnitude of the first sensing signal and a magnitude of the second sensing signals and the coordinate of the contact positions determines a contact intensity.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein

when it is determined that neighboring transmitting members are simultaneously contacted by the first and the second sensors of corresponding neighboring transmitting members, an average of coordinates of the corresponding transmitting members, each of which is determined based on the at least one of the temporal position of the first sensing signal and a temporal position of the second sensing signal, is output as the coordinate of the contact position.

11. A touch panel comprising:

a plurality of transmitting members arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween; and

a first sensor and a second sensor positioned respectively at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member,

wherein

a transmission signal is transmitted to the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, in response to a contact on the transmitting member,

the plurality of the transmitting members are connected to each other alternately at a left terminal or a right terminal thereof, and

the first sensor and the second sensor are respectively positioned at first or second terminals of first and second transmitting members connected to each other, the first transmitting member being positioned at a top portion and the second transmitting member being positioned at a bottom portion.

12. A touch panel comprising:

a plurality of transmitting members arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween;

a first sensor and a second sensor positioned respectively at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member; and

an absorption member positioned between the plurality of the transmitting members,

wherein a transmission signal is transmitted to the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively, in response to a contact on the transmitting member.

13. A method of determining contact information in a touch panel including a plurality of transmitting members that are arranged with a predetermined interval therebetween, and a first sensor and a second sensor respectively positioned at a first terminal and a second terminal of a transmitting member, the method comprising:

sensing a transmission signal transmitted by the transmitting member, using the first sensor and the second sensor, respectively;

generating a first sensing signal and a second sensing signal based on the sensed transmission signal;

determining a number of a contact position on the transmitting member based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal;

determining a coordinate of the contact position by using a temporal position of the first sensing signal and a temporal position of the second sensing signal; and

determining a contact intensity based on at least one of a magnitude of the first sensing signal and a magnitude of the second sensing signal and the coordinate of the contact position.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein,

when the number of the contact position is at least two,

the determining of the coordinate of the contact position includes respectively calculating a coordinate of at least two contact positions.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein,

when the number of the contact position is at least two,

the determining of the coordinate of the contact position includes:

calculating a coordinate of a reference position among at least two contact positions; and

calculating a distance between the reference position and other contact position among the at least two contact positions.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a first axis coordinate of a contact position based on a temporal position of the first sensing signal and a temporal position of the second sensing signal; and

determining a second axis coordinate of the contact position based on a position of the transmitting member where the transmission signal is generated.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein

when it is determined that neighboring transmitting members are simultaneously contacted, an average of coordinates of corresponding transmitting members is output as a coordinate of the contact position.

18. A method of determining a contact position in a touch panel including a plurality of transmitting members, each of which extending in a first direction and being arranged in a second direction to have a predetermined interval therebetween, and a sensor positioned at each transmitting member, the method comprising:

measuring a time period required for a touch signal to reach the sensor, wherein the touch signal is generated in response to a contact pressure applied to a transmitting member;

determining a first coordinate of the contact position along the first direction based on the measured time period, wherein the sensor is a reference point for the first coordinate;

determining a second coordinate of the contact position based on a position, along the second direction, of the transmitting member to which the contact pressure is applied,

wherein a wave absorption member is positioned at first and second terminals of the transmitting member.