Electronic device and coordinate detecting method

• US 9,727,197 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• 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: Takizawa, Yuuichi, Takano, Tomoki, Yamaguchi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SOTO LOPEZ, JOSE R
• Application Number:
  US15/050,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20160170536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing, a display, an electrostatic-capacitance touch panel, a transparent member that protects the touch panel, and a depression detector. The touch panel is configured to detect a pair of two-dimensional coordinates indicated by an indicator having predetermined conductivity, wherein when the touch panel detects a plurality of pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects a predetermined amount of deformation, at least one pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected during a predetermined time period prior to a time when the deformation is detected is validated; and a pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected before the predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected, is not validated, wherein the predetermined time period does not include a deformation of an amount equal to or greater than the predetermined amount of deformation.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a display that is disposed inside the housing and that displays predetermined information;

an electrostatic-capacitance touch panel that allows visible light corresponding to display contents of the display to pass through the electrostatic-capacitance touch panel;

a transparent member that protects the touch panel and that allows the visible light corresponding to the display contents of the display to pass through the transparent member; and

a depression detector that detects deformation of the transparent member, wherein

the touch panel is configured to detect a pair of two-dimensional coordinates indicated by an indicator having predetermined conductivity, wherein

when the touch panel detects a plurality of pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects a predetermined amount of deformation;

at least one pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected during a predetermined time period prior to a time when the deformation is detected is validated; and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected before the predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected, is not validated,

wherein the predetermined time period does not include a deformation of an amount equal to or greater than the predetermined amount of deformation.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period does not include the time when the deformation is detected.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein,

when the touch panel detects a plurality of the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects the predetermined amount of deformation:

one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during a predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected; and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected before the predetermined time period, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is not validated, and a pair of two-dimensional coordinates, other than the one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the predetermined time period, is not validated.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein,

after the immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected, while the indicator, that indicates the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates, moves away from the touch panel at a predetermined distance, a change in the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates is trackable, and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates, newly detected after the validation and indicated by the indicator, is not validated.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is a first predetermined time period, and

when the touch panel detects a plurality of the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects the predetermined amount of deformation;

two immediate pairs of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, are selected from pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the first predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected;

when a difference between detection start times of the indicator that indicates the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates is smaller than a second predetermined time period, the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates are validated; and

when the difference between detection start times of the indicator that indicates the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates is larger than the second predetermined time period, one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the second predetermined time period is shorter than the first predetermined time period.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein, after the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates are validated, while one of indicators that indicates the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates moves away from the touch panel at the predetermined distance, a change in the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates is trackable, and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates newly detected after the validation and indicated by the indicator is not validated.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the deformation detected by the depression detector does not provide an input independent of the inputs of the pair of two-dimensional coordinates.

8. A coordinate detecting method to be used for an electronic device that includes:

a housing;

a display that is disposed inside the housing and that displays predetermined information;

an electrostatic-capacitance touch panel that allows visible light corresponding to display contents of the display to pass through the electrostatic-capacitance touch panel;

a transparent member that protects the touch panel and that allows visible light corresponding to display contents of the display to pass through the transparent member; and

a depression detector that detects deformation of the transparent member, wherein

the touch panel is configured to detect a pair of two-dimensional coordinates indicated by an indicator having predetermined conductivity,

the method comprising;

when the touch panel detects a plurality of pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects a predetermined amount of deformation after the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates are detected,

validating at least one pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected during a predetermined time period prior to a time when the deformation is detected; and

not validating a pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected before the predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected,

wherein the predetermined time period does not include a deformation of an amount equal to or greater than the predetermined amount of deformation.

10. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined time period does not include the time when the deformation is detected.

11. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 8, wherein,

when the touch panel detects a plurality of the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects the predetermined amount of deformation:

one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during a predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected; and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates detected before the predetermined time period, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is not validated, and a pair of two-dimensional coordinates, other than the one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the predetermined time period, is not validated.

12. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 11, wherein,

after the immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated, among the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected, while the indicator, that indicates the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates, moves away from the touch panel at a predetermined distance, a change in the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates is trackable, and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates, newly detected after the validation and indicated by the indicator, is not validated.

13. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 8, wherein

the predetermined time period is a first predetermined time period, and

when the touch panel detects a plurality of the pairs of two-dimensional coordinates and when the depression detector detects the predetermined amount of deformation;

two immediate pairs of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, are selected from pairs of two-dimensional coordinates detected during the first predetermined time period prior to the time when the deformation is detected;

when a difference between detection start times of the indicator that indicates the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates is smaller than a second predetermined time period, the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates are validated; and

when the difference between detection start times of the indicator that indicates the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates is larger than the second predetermined time period, one immediate pair of two-dimensional coordinates, based on the time when the deformation is detected, is validated.

14. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 13, wherein the second predetermined time period is shorter than the first predetermined time period.

15. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 13, wherein, after the two selected pairs of two-dimensional coordinates are validated, while one of indicators that indicates the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates moves away from the touch panel at the predetermined distance, a change in the validated pair of two-dimensional coordinates is trackable, and

a pair of two-dimensional coordinates newly detected after the validation and indicated by the indicator is not validated.

16. The coordinate detecting method according to claim 8, wherein the deformation detected by the depression detector does not provide an input independent of the inputs of the pair of two-dimensional coordinates.