Touch panel and electronic device

• US 9,182,869 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Satou, Mitsuru, Hirouchi, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyd, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/235,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133331 Cover glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A touch panel includes a first sensor panel including at least one receiving electrode, a second sensor panel including at least one transmission electrode, and overlaid on the first sensor panel, and a third sensor panel including a predetermined electrode at least a part of which overlaps with the one transmission electrode, and overlaid on the second sensor panel. A transmission signal identical to that for the one transmission electrode can be applied on the predetermined electrode.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch panel that detects a grasp by detecting an approach of a body part outside an edge of the touch panel, and detects a contact of a body part on the touch panel; and

a vibration device,

wherein, while the touch panel detects the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, the vibration device vibrates at least a portion of the electronic device for a predetermined time; and

wherein, while the touch panel does not detect the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, no portion of the electronic device vibrates.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration device is at least one of a vibrator, a piezo actuator, and a vibration actuator.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display device,

wherein, while the touch panel does not detect the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, the display device performs a predetermined display operation.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device,

wherein, while the touch panel does not detect the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, the display device performs a predetermined display operation for a predetermined time.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising

a sound emitter,

wherein, while the touch panel does not detect the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, the sound emitter emits a predetermined sound.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sound emitter,

wherein, while the touch panel does not detect the grasp, when the touch panel detects the contact, the sound emitter emits a predetermined sound for a predetermined time.

7. A vibration control method employable in an electronic device including a vibration device, and a touch panel, the method comprising:

detecting, by the touch panel, a grasp by detecting an approach of a body part outside an edge of the touch panel;

detecting, by the touch panel, a contact of a body part on the touch panel;

vibrating the vibration device for a predetermined time, when the touch panel detects the contact, while the touch panel detects the grasp; and

vibrating no portion of the electronic device, when the touch panel detects the contact, while the touch panel detects the grasp.