Touch inputting device controlling apparatus and touch inputting device controlling method

• US 9,710,094 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirata, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, CORY A
• Application Number:
  US14/415,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• 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 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A driving unit successively selects one drive line from among a plurality of drive lines of a touch inputting device and applies a driving voltage to the selected drive line. A voltage detection unit successively selects one sensing line from among a plurality of sensing lines and detects an output voltage of the selected sensing line. An arithmetic operation unit determines a resistance value of a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage. The driving unit applies 0 volts or a bias voltage equal to or lower than the driving voltage to the other drive lines than the selected drive line.

Claims

1. A touch inputting device controlling apparatus, comprising:

a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other;

a driving unit configured to successively select one drive line from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction, and apply a driving voltage to the selected drive line;

a voltage detection unit configured to successively select one sensing line from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction, and detect an output voltage of the selected sensing line; and

an arithmetic operation unit configured to determine a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage, wherein

the driving unit applies a bias voltage equal to or lower than the driving voltage to the other drive lines than the selected drive line,

the voltage detection unit carries out, when the voltage detection unit detects an output voltage equal to or lower than the bias voltage, a cancellation process of discarding the detection result

a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

computing a final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage, and

a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other is determined based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage.

2. A touch inputting device controlling apparatus, comprising:

a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other;

a driving unit configured to successively select one drive line from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction, and apply a driving voltage to the selected drive line;

a voltage detection unit configured to successively select one sensing line from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction, and detect an output voltage of the selected sensing line; and

an arithmetic operation unit configured to determine a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage, wherein;

a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line by the driving unit and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line by the voltage detection unit, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the drive line selected by the driving unit differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

the arithmetic operation unit arithmetically operates a first output voltage detected by the voltage detection unit in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected by the voltage detection unit in the scanning operation at the second stage to determine a final output voltage, and determines a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage

in the scanning operation at the first stage, the voltage detection unit detects the first output voltage of the selected sensing line in a state in which the driving unit applies the bias voltage equal to or lower than the driving voltage to the other drive lines than the selected drive line,

in the scanning at the second stage, the voltage detection unit detects the second output voltage of the selected sensing line in a state in which the driving unit places the other drive lines than the selected drive line in a high impedance state,

the arithmetic operation unit arithmetically operates the first output voltage and the second output voltage to determine the final output voltage, and determines a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage,

when, in the scanning operation at the first stage, the voltage detection unit detects an output voltage equal to or lower than the bias voltage, the voltage detection unit carries out a cancellation process of discarding the detection result, and

the arithmetic operation unit computes the final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage.

3. A touch inputting device controlling method, comprising:

successively selecting, from within a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other, one drive line from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction, and applying a driving voltage to the selected drive line;

successively selecting one sensing line from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction, and detecting an output voltage of the selected sensing line; and

determining a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage, wherein

a bias voltage equal to or lower than the driving voltage is applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line,

when an output voltage equal to or lower than the bias voltage is detected, a cancellation process of discarding the detection result is carried out,

a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

computing a final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage, and

a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other is determined based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage.

4. A touch inputting device controlling method, comprising:

successively selecting, from within a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other, one drive line from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction, and applying a driving voltage to the selected drive line;

successively selecting one sensing line from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction, and detecting an output voltage of the selected sensing line;

determining a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage,

wherein a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

computing a final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage, and

wherein a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other is determined based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage.

5. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium containing a computer program for causing a computer to carry out actions, comprising:

receiving, in a state in which, in a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other, a driving voltage is applied to a drive line successively selected from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction and a bias voltage lower than the driving voltage is applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line, an output voltage detected from a sensing line successively selected from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction;

determining a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage; and

carrying out, when an output voltage equal to or lower than the bias voltage is detected, a cancellation process of discarding the detection result, wherein

a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

computing a final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage, and

a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other is determined based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage.

6. A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium containing a computer program for causing a computer to carry out actions, comprising:

receiving, in a state in which, in a touch inputting device including a plurality of conductor lines disposed in each of a first direction and a second direction and a pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at a location at which two of the conductor lines cross with each other, a driving voltage is applied to a drive line successively selected from among a plurality of drive lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the first direction, an output voltage detected from a sensing line successively selected from among a plurality of sensing lines provided as the conductor lines disposed in the second direction;

determining a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other based on the driving voltage and the output voltage,

wherein a scanning operation, which includes supply of the driving voltage to the drive line and detection of the output voltage from the sensing line, is carried out at two stages such that the electric state to be applied to the other drive lines than the selected drive line differs between the scanning operation at the first stage and the scanning operation at the second stage,

computing a final output voltage as proportional to a product of a first output voltage in the scanning operation at the first stage and a second output voltage detected in the scanning operation at the second stage, and

wherein a resistance value of the pressure-sensitive resistive element provided at the location at which the selected drive line and the selected sensing line cross with each other is determined based on the driving voltage and the final output voltage.