Display device and touch-operation processing method

• US 9,785,278 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Shigeto, Ueno, Masafumi, Kimura, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US14/903,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20160147365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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

An erroneous operation is prevented in a display device detecting a touch operation for a display face and a part other than the display face. A display device (1) of the present invention includes: an operation acquiring unit (51) that acquires detection signals transmitted from detection electrodes arranged on a touch panel (14); a use form determining unit (55) that determines a holding form based on a touch position of the touch operation for an end face of the display device; and an insensitive area setting unit (58) that sets an insensitive area on the operation detecting member after the holding form is determined. The operation acquiring unit does not acquire detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes included in the set insensitive area among the detection electrodes.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display member;

an operation detecting member superimposed on the display member;

a translucent substrate superimposed on the operation detecting member, the translucent substrate comprising an outer surface, the outer surface having a plate portion;

a casing storing the display member and the operation detecting member;

a plurality of detection electrodes being arranged in the operation detecting member, the plurality of detection electrodes detecting a touch operation for a display area of the display member, and some of the plurality of detection electrodes also detecting a touch operation for an end face of the casing other than the display area,

an operation acquiring unit acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes;

a use form determining unit determining a holding form based on a touch position of the touch operation for the end face received as the operation acquiring unit acquire the detection signals;

an insensitive area setting unit setting an area including the touch position as an insensitive area not receiving the touch operation after the holding form being determined by the use form determining unit; and

a first distance and a second distance;

wherein the operation acquiring unit not acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes included in the insensitive area set by the insensitive area setting unit among the plurality of the detection electrodes;

wherein the end face is defined as the plate portion and the casing;

wherein the plate portion and the casing surround the display member other than the display area;

wherein the first distance is defined as a shortest distance between the operation detecting member and the end face, the second distance is defined as a distance between the operation detecting member and the outer surface of the translucent substrate, and the first distance is equal to or is less than in value as the second distance.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the insensitive area setting unit releases the setting of the insensitive area in a case where an event satisfying a predetermined end condition occurs in the display device, the predetermined end condition including at least one of a time when the holding form determined by the use form determining unit is changed, a time when a predetermined time elapses after the insensitive area is set, and a time when switching between screens displayed on the display member is executed.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies an insensitive area of the operation detecting member based on the touch position of the touch operation for the end face.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies a half circle area having a radius of a predetermined distance and having the touch position of the touch operation for the end face as the center of the insensitive area.

5. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage member storing insensitive area information representing a position of the insensitive area, wherein, while the insensitive area is set to be valid by the insensitive area setting unit, the operation acquiring unit does not acquire detection signals from the detection electrodes included in the insensitive area represented by the insensitive area information stored in the storage member.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein the insensitive area information represents band-shaped areas each having a predetermined width at left and right ends of the operation detecting member as the insensitive areas.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies an insensitive area of the operation detecting member based on the holding form determined by the use form determining unit.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies the insensitive area disposed at the left end of the operation detecting member to be wider than the insensitive area disposed at the right end in a case where the determined holding form is left-hand holding and specifies the insensitive area disposed at the right end of the operation detecting member to be wider than the insensitive area disposed at the left end in a case where the determined holding form is right-hand holding.

9. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a process executing unit executing a predetermined process and generating a screen including an object operable by a touch operation as a result of the execution, wherein the insensitive area setting unit excludes an area in which the object is displayed from the insensitive area.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the translucent substrate further comprising a notched portion at an end of the plate portion;

wherein the end face further defines the notched portion;

wherein the end face defining the notched portion, the plate portion, and the casing surrounds the display member other than the display area; and

wherein the first distance is the shortest distance between the operation detecting member and the notched portion of the outer surface.

11. A touch-operation processing method executed by a display device including:

a display member;

an operation detecting member superimposed on the display member;

a translucent substrate superimposed on the operation detecting member, the translucent substrate comprising an outer surface, the outer surface having a plate portion;

a casing storing the display member and the operation detecting member;

a first distance; and

a second distance, a plurality of detection electrodes being arranged in the operation detecting member, the plurality of detection electrodes detecting a touch operation for a display area of the display member, and some of the plurality of detection electrodes also detecting a touch operation for an end face of the casing other than the display area, the touch-operation processing method comprising;

acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes;

determining a holding form based on a touch position of the touch operation for the end face received as the detection signals acquired in the acquiring of detection signals;

setting an area including the touch position as an insensitive area not receiving the touch operation after the holding form being determined in the determining of a holding form; and

not acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes included in the insensitive area set in the setting of an area among the plurality of the detection electrodes

wherein the end face is defined as the plate portion and the casing;

wherein the plate portion and the casing surround the display member other than the display area;

wherein the first distance is defined as a shortest distance between the operation detecting member and the end face, the second distance is defined as a distance between the operation detecting member and the outer surface of the translucent substrate, and the first distance is equal to or is less than in value as the second distance.

12. A display device comprising:

a display member;

an operation detecting member superimposed on the display member;

a casing, the casing storing the display member and the operation detecting;

a plurality of detection electrodes being arranged in the operation detecting member, the plurality of detection electrodes detecting a touch operation for a display area of the display member, and some of the plurality of detection electrodes also detecting a touch operation for an end face of the casing other than the display area;

an operation acquiring unit acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes;

a use form determining unit determining a holding form based on a touch position of the touch operation for the end face received as the operation acquiring unit acquiring the detection signals;

an insensitive area setting unit setting an area including the touch position as an insensitive area not receiving the touch operation after the holding form being determined by the use form determining unit; and

a process executing unit;

wherein the operation acquiring unit not acquiring detection signals transmitted from the detection electrodes included in the insensitive area set by the insensitive area setting unit among the plurality of the detection electrodes;

wherein the process executing unit executes a predetermined process and generates a screen including an object operable by a touch operation as a result of the execution, wherein the application execution unit (56) arranges the object in a predetermined range corresponding to the touch position of the touch operation for the end face.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the insensitive area setting unit releases the setting of the insensitive area in a case where an event satisfying a predetermined end condition occurs in the display device, the predetermined end condition including at least one of a time when the holding form determined by the use form determining unit is changed, a time when a predetermined time elapses after the insensitive area is set, and a time when switching between screens displayed on the display member is executed.

14. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies an insensitive area of the operation detecting member based on the touch position of the touch operation for the end face.

15. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies a half circle area having a radius of a predetermined distance and having the touch position of the touch operation for the end face as the center of the insensitive area.

16. The display device according to claim 12, further comprising a storage member storing insensitive area information representing a position of the insensitive area, wherein while the insensitive area is set to be valid by the insensitive area setting unit, the operation acquiring unit does not acquire detection signals from the detection electrodes included in the insensitive area represented by the insensitive area information stored in the storage member.

17. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the insensitive area information represents band-shaped areas each having a predetermined width at left and right ends of the operation detecting member as the insensitive areas.

18. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies an insensitive area of the operation detecting member based on the holding form determined by the use form determining unit.

19. The display device according to claim 18, wherein the insensitive area setting unit specifies the insensitive area disposed at the left end of the operation detecting member to be wider than the insensitive area disposed at the right end in a case where the determined holding form is left-hand holding and specifies the insensitive area disposed at the right end of the operation detecting member to be wider than the insensitive area disposed at the left end in a case where the determined holding form is right-hand holding.

20. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the insensitive area setting unit excludes an area in which the object is displayed from the insensitive area.