Touch control apparatus, control method thereof and electronic device having touch control apparatus

• US 9,658,705 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanwang Technology Co Limited (Hanwang Technology)
• Original Assignee: Hanwang Technology Co Limited (Hanwang Technology)
• Inventors: Zhong, Jian, Liang, Yihai, Wang, Xianjun, Song, Baijun, Xiang, Guowei, Li, Yanqing, Yang, Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Tony
• Application Number:
  US14/005,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 345170-174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• 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 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A touch control apparatus, a control method thereof and an electronic device having the touch control apparatus are disclosed, which belong to the technical field of touch control. The touch control apparatus comprises: a panel (1); a transmitting antenna (2) arranged on the panel (1) and configured to transmit a detection wave for detecting whether the panel (1) is being touched; at least three resonant circuits arranged on the panel and configured to sense the detection wave and generate resonant waves; and a control processing unit (6) configured to control to process the resonant waves and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain corresponding touch information comprising at least a touch pressure and a touch position. The touch control apparatus, the control method thereof and the electronic device enable touch control of the panel by a general object through utilizing the resonant circuits. The present disclosure can be advantageously implemented by simple process at low cost and have wide usage prospect in the touch control field.

Claims

1. A touch control apparatus, comprising:

a panel;

a transmitting antenna arranged on the panel and configured to transmit an electromagnetic detection wave for detecting whether the panel is being touched;

at least three resonant circuits arranged on the panel and configured to sense the electromagnetic detection wave, which is generated by the transmitting antenna, so as to generate electromagnetic resonant waves; and

a control processing unit configured to control to process the electromagnetic resonant waves and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain corresponding touch information comprising at least a touch pressure and a touch position, wherein;

the control processing unit comprises;

a band-pass filter configured to pass the electromagnetic resonant waves, the resonant circuits are connected with an input of the band-pass filter directly or via a MUX analog switch in the control processing unit;

an integration circuit having an input connected with an output of the band-pass filter;

an analog-to-digital conversion circuit having an input connected with an output of the integration circuit; and

a main control circuit configured to process signals output from the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain the touch information.

2. The touch control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the resonant circuits comprises:

a receiving antenna; and

at least one signal sheet connected with the receiving antenna, wherein the signal sheet is a sheet-like component having a pressure-sensitive capacitance or a sheet-like component having an acousto-electric or electric-acoustic characteristic.

3. The touch control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting antenna and the resonant circuits are arranged at a back or lateral side of the panel, or embedded in the panel.

4. An electronic device comprising a touch control apparatus according to claim 1.

5. A control method of a touch control apparatus comprising a panel, a transmitting antenna and at least three resonant circuits arranged on the panel, and a control processing unit, the control method comprising:

an electromagnetic detection wave transmission step for transmitting, by the transmitting antenna, an electromagnetic detection wave for detecting whether the panel is being touched;

an electromagnetic resonant wave generation step for sensing, by the resonant circuits, the electromagnetic detection wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting antenna, when the resonant circuits are being touched to generate electromagnetic resonant waves; and

a touch information obtaining step for controlling, by the control processing unit, to process the electromagnetic resonant waves and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain corresponding touch information comprising at least a touch pressure and a touch position, the touch information obtaining step comprising;

outputting the electromagnetic resonant waves from the resonant circuits to a band-pass filter configured to pass the electromagnetic resonant waves, directly or via a MUX analog switch in the control processing unit;

outputting the electromagnetic resonant waves from the band-pass filter in the control processing unit to an integration circuit of the control processing unit;

outputting the output signal from integration circuit in the control processing unit to the analog-to-digital conversion circuit; and

processing, using a main control circuit in the control processing unit, signals output from the analog-to-digital conversion circuit and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain the touch information.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein in the electromagnetic detection wave transmission step, the electromagnetic detection wave comprises a square wave signal having a base frequency equal a frequency of the electromagnetic resonant waves or a sinusoid wave signal having a frequency equal the frequency of the electromagnetic resonant waves.

7. The control method according to claim 6, wherein in the touch information obtaining step, the control processing unit selects at least three resonant circuits having largest signal strength variations induced by a touch and calculates conic approximation using signal strengths and position information of the selected resonant circuits as initial parameters of a conic curve to obtain the corresponding touch information comprising at least the touch pressure and the touch position.

8. A touch control apparatus, comprising:

a panel;

a transmitting antenna arranged on the panel and configured to transmit an electromagnetic detection wave for detecting whether the panel is being touched;

an electromagnetic stylus configured to sense the electromagnetic detection wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting antenna, when it approaches or touches the panel and generate a first electromagnetic resonant wave;

at least three first receiving antennas arranged on the panel and configured to receive the first electromagnetic resonant wave;

at least three resonant circuits arranged on the panel and configured to sense the electromagnetic detection wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting antenna, when the panel is being touched by a second object different from the electromagnetic stylus and generate respective second electromagnetic resonant waves; and

a control processing unit configured to control to process the first electromagnetic resonant wave and position information of the first receiving antennas or to process the second electromagnetic resonant waves and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain corresponding touch information, the control processing unit comprising;

a first band-pass filter configured to pass the first electromagnetic resonant wave; and

a second band-pass filter configured to pass the second electromagnetic resonant waves.

9. The touch control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the resonant circuits comprises:

a second receiving antenna; and

at least one signal sheet connected with the second receiving antenna, wherein the signal sheet is a sheet-like component having a pressure-sensitive capacitance or a sheet-like component having an acousto-electric or electric-acoustic characteristic.

10. The touch control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the transmitting antenna, the first receiving antennas, and the resonant circuits are arranged at a back or lateral side of the panel, or embedded in the panel; and

/or

the transmitting antenna is also configured as the receiving antennas by transmitting the detection wave and receiving the first electromagnetic resonant wave in a time-divisional manner under control of the control processing unit.

11. The touch control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first receiving antennas are connected with an input of the first band-pass filter directly or via a MUX analog switch in the control processing unit.

12. The touch control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the resonant circuits are connected with an input of the second band-pass filter directly or via a MUX analog switch in the control processing unit.

13. The touch control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control processing unit further comprises:

a first integration circuit having an input connected with an output of the first band-pass filter;

a first analog-to-digital conversion circuit having an input connected with an output of the first integration circuit;

a second integration circuit having an input connected with an output of the second band-pass filter;

a second analog-to-digital conversion circuit having an input connected with an output of the second integration circuit; and

a main control circuit configured to process signals output from the first analog-to-digital conversion circuit and position information of the first receiving antennas or to process signals output from the second analog-to-digital conversion circuit and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain the touch information.

14. A control method of a touch control apparatus comprising a panel, a transmitting antenna, at least three first receiving antennas, and at least three resonant circuits arranged on the panel, an electromagnetic stylus, and a control processing unit, the control method comprising:

an electromagnetic detection wave transmission step for transmitting, by the transmitting antenna, an electromagnetic detection wave for detecting whether the panel is being touched;

a first electromagnetic resonant wave generation step for sensing, by the electromagnetic stylus, the electromagnetic detection wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting antenna, when the electromagnetic stylus approaches or touches the panel to generate a first electromagnetic resonant wave;

a first electromagnetic resonant wave receiving step for receiving, by the first receiving antennas, the first electromagnetic resonant wave;

a second electromagnetic resonant wave generation step for sensing, by the resonant circuits, the electromagnetic detection wave, which is transmitted from the transmitting antenna, when the resonant circuits are being touched by a second object different from the electromagnetic stylus to generate respective second electromagnetic resonant waves;

passing the first electromagnetic wave through a first bandpass filter in the control processing unit;

passing the second electromagnetic wave through a second band pass filter in the control processing unit; and

a touch information obtaining step for controlling, by the control processing unit, to process the first electromagnetic resonant wave and position information of the first receiving antennas or to process the second electromagnetic resonant waves and position information of the resonant circuits to obtain corresponding touch information comprising at least a touch pressure and a touch position.

15. The control method according to claim 14, wherein in the detection wave transmission step, the detection wave comprises:

a square wave signal having a base frequency equal a frequency of the second electromagnetic resonant waves;

or

a sinusoid wave signal having a frequency equal that of the second electromagnetic resonant waves and a sinusoid wave signal having a frequency equal that of the first electromagnetic resonant wave, which are transmitted by the transmitting antenna alternately.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein a difference between the frequency of the first electromagnetic resonant wave and that of the second electromagnetic resonant waves is large enough that the first electromagnetic resonant wave and the second electromagnetic resonant waves do not interfere each other.

17. The control method according to claim 14, wherein in the touch information obtaining step, the control processing unit selects at least three first receiving antennas or at least three resonant circuits having largest signal strength variations induced by a touch and calculates conic approximation using respective signal strengths and position information of the selected first receiving antennas or resonant circuits as initial parameters of a conic curve to obtain the corresponding touch information comprising at least the touch pressure and the touch position.