System and method for communication through touch screens

• US 9,448,669 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eGalax_eMPIA Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: eGalax_eMPIA Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Chin-Fu
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Lin
• Application Number:
  US13/650,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-174, 370/261, 370/312, 375/377, 398/41, 398/115, 455/418, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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

Abstract

The invention discloses a system and method for communication through touch screens that uses a first touch screen and a second touch screen for communication to form a communication system. The first and the second touch screens have a detecting mode for detecting an approach or touch of an external conductive object. In addition, the first and the second touch screens have a communication mode in which capacitively coupled communications between the first and the second touch screens are performed in order to exchange or communicate a message.

Claims

1. A method for communication through touch screens comprising:

providing a first touch screen and a second touch screen;

individually determining whether there is an approach or a touch of an external conductive object during a detecting mode of the first and the second touch screens;

calculating a position of the external conductive object if it is determined by the first and/or second touch screens; and

performing capacitively coupled communications between the first and the second touch screens during a communication mode of the first and the second touch screens in order to exchange or communicate a message,

wherein during communication, at least a portion of the first touch screen and at least a portion of the second touch screen are provided with different ground potentials, respectively, such that the ground potentials of the first and the second screen are made to be closer to each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch screen has a transparent insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the message is transmitted by capacitive coupling from the conductive layer to the second touch screen with the transparent insulating layer disposed therebetween.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second touch screen has a transparent insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the message is transmitted by capacitive coupling from the conductive layer to the first touch screen with the transparent insulating layer disposed therebetween.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens is a direct capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens facing each other, wherein areas of the first and the second touch screens facing each other include a first area and a second area, and the first and the second touch screens perform half-duplex or full-duplex communications through capacitive coupling between the first and the second areas.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and the second touch screens both have a plurality of conductive strips, and the conductive strips in the first area of the first touch screen do not overlap with the conductive strips in the second area of the second touch screen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch screen is a surface capacitive touch screen, and the second touch screen is a projected capacitive touch screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the capacitive coupling between the first touch screen and the second touch screen is a capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens through a capacitive coupling between the first touch screen and at least an external conductive object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and the second touch screens both have a plurality of first conductive strips that will be provided with the driving signal and a plurality of second conductive strips that will provide capacitive signals as a result of the driving signal during the detecting mode, and in the communication mode, the first and the second touch screens communicate with each other by a first conductive strip and/or a second conductive strip touched or approached by the external conductive object.

9. A system for communication through touch screens comprising:

a first touch screen and a second touch screen;

wherein whether there is an approach or a touch of an external conductive object is individually determined during a detecting mode of the first and the second touch screens, a position of the external conductive object is calculated if it is determined by the first and/or second touch screen, and capacitively coupled communications between the first and the second touch screens are performed during a communication mode of the first and the second touch screens in order to exchange or communicate a message,

wherein during communication, at least a portion of the first touch screen and at least a portion of the second touch screen are provided with different ground potentials, respectively, such that the ground potentials of the first and the second screen are made to be closer to each other.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first touch screen has a transparent insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the message is transmitted by capacitive coupling from the conductive layer to the second touch screen with the transparent insulating layer disposed therebetween.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the second touch screen has a transparent insulating layer and a conductive layer, and the message is transmitted by capacitive coupling from the conductive layer to the first touch screen with the transparent insulating layer disposed therebetween.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens is a direct capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens facing each other, wherein areas of the first and the second touch screens facing each other include a first area and a second area, and the first and the second touch screens perform half-duplex or full-duplex communications through capacitive coupling between the first and the second areas.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first and the second touch screens both have a plurality of conductive strips, and the conductive strips in the first area of the first touch screen do not overlap with the conductive strips in the second area of the second touch screen.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the first touch screen is a surface capacitive touch screen, and the second touch screen is a projected capacitive touch screen.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the capacitive coupling between the first touch screen and the second touch screen is a capacitive coupling between the first and the second touch screens through a capacitive coupling between the first touch screen and at least an external conductive object.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first and the second touch screens both have a plurality of first conductive strips that will be provided with the driving signal and a plurality of second conductive strips that will provide capacitive signals as a result of the driving signal during the detecting mode, and in the communication mode, the first and the second touch screens communicate with each other by a first conductive strip and/or a second conductive strip touched or approached by the external conductive object.

17. A controller of a first communication device, wherein the first communication device comprises a first touch screen including a transparent insulating layer, a plurality of driving strips and a plurality of sensing strips, wherein the transparent insulating layer covers the driving and sensing strips, wherein the controller, coupled to the plurality of driving and sensing strips of the touch screen, is configured for doing the followings:

determining whether there is an approach or a touch of an external conductive object in a detecting mode;

calculating a position of the external conductive object if it is determined in the detecting mode;

providing ground potential to at least a portion of the first touch screen in a communication mode;

receiving capacitively coupled electric signals from a second touch screen of a second communication device by at least one of the sensing strips in the communication mode; and

transmitting electric signals to the second touch screen of the second communication device by at least one of the driving strips in the communication mode.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the first touch screen and the second touch screen are face-to-face directly.

19. The controller of claim 17, wherein the electric signals are transmitted by a plurality of groups of the driving strips and the transmitted signals are received by a plurality of groups of sensing strips of the second touch screen, and the electric signals transmitted by each of the group of the driving strips and received by corresponding group of the sensing strips of the second group are encoded.

20. The controller of claim 17, wherein the electric signals simultaneously transmitted by two groups of the driving strips are complemented.