Touch input device which detects a magnitude of a touch pressure

• US 9,804,703 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HiDeep Inc.
• Original Assignee: HiDeep Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Bonkee, Kim, Seyeob, Yoon, Sangsic, Kwon, Sunyoung, Moon, Hojun, Kim, Taehoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Ilana
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERMANN, KIRK W
• Application Number:
  US15/409,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20170131834A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

In one embodiment, a touch input device includes a cover layer; a touch sensor; a display panel which is located under the cover layer; a pressure electrode which is located under the display panel; and a first converter which converts a signal comprising information for electrical characteristics outputted from the pressure electrode to a digital signal; wherein a driving signal is applied to the touch sensor and a touch position is detected from a sensing signal which is outputted from the touch sensor; and wherein a magnitude of a touch pressure is detected from the digital signal converted by the first converter.

Claims

1. A touch input device comprising:

a cover layer;

a touch sensor;

a display panel which is located under the cover layer;

a pressure electrode which is located under the display panel; and

a first converter which converts an analogue signal to a digital signal, the analogue signal comprising information for electrical characteristics outputted from the pressure electrode;

wherein a driving signal is applied to the touch sensor and a touch position is detected from a sensing signal which is outputted from the touch sensor;

wherein a magnitude of a touch pressure is detected from the digital signal converted by the first converter; and

wherein the sensing signal is passed through an integrator or an amplifier and then is converted into a digital signal by a second converter, the second converter being separate from the first converter.

2. The touch input device of claim 1, wherein the cover layer and the display panel are bent according to the touch.

3. The touch input device of claim 1, further comprising a spacer layer located in at least one place among a place between the pressure electrode and a shielding member located under the pressure electrode and a place between the pressure electrode and the display panel.

4. The touch input device of claim 3,

wherein the shielding member is a reference potential layer;

wherein the electrical characteristics comprise capacitance; and

wherein the capacitance changes depending on a distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer.

5. The touch input device of claim 4, wherein the distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer is changed as the display panel bends.

6. The touch input device of claim 3,

wherein a reference potential layer is located within the display panel;

wherein the electrical characteristics comprise capacitance; and

wherein the capacitance changes depending on a distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer.

7. The touch input device of claim 6, wherein the distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer is changed as the display panel bends.

8. The touch input device of claim 1, wherein the display panel is a LCD panel or OLED panel.

9. The touch input device of claim 1, wherein the pressure electrode comprises a plurality of electrodes constituting a plurality of channels.

10. The touch input device of claim 9, wherein the touch input device detects a pressure of each touch of a multi touch by using the plurality of channels.

11. The touch input device of claim 1, wherein the pressure electrode is formed as a sheet.

12. The touch input device of claim 1, wherein the touch position is detected from the digital signal converted by the second converter.

13. A touch input device comprising:

a cover layer;

a touch sensor;

a display panel which is located under the cover layer;

a pressure electrode which is located under the display panel;

a first converter which converts an analogue signal to a digital signal, the analogue signal comprising information for electrical characteristics outputted from the pressure electrode;

a drive unit which applies a driving signal to the touch sensor;

a sensing unit which receives a sensing signal from the touch sensor and detects a touch position; and

a pressure detector which detects a magnitude of a touch pressure from the digital signal converted by the first converter;

wherein the first converter and the pressure detector are provided as separate components; and

wherein the sensing signal is passed through an integrator or an amplifier and then is converted into a digital signal by a second converter, the second converter being separate from the first converter.

14. The touch input device of claim 13, wherein the cover layer and the display panel are bent according to the touch.

15. The touch input device of claim 13, further comprising a spacer layer located in at least one place among a place between the pressure electrode and a shielding member located under the pressure electrode and a place between the pressure electrode and the display panel.

16. The touch input device of claim 15,

wherein the shielding member is a reference potential layer;

wherein the electrical characteristics comprise capacitance; and

wherein the capacitance changes depending on a distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer.

17. The touch input device of claim 16, wherein the distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer is changed as the display panel bends.

18. The touch input device of claim 15,

wherein a reference potential layer is located within the display panel;

wherein the electrical characteristics comprise capacitance; and

wherein the capacitance changes depending on a distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer.

19. The touch input device of claim 18, wherein the distance between the pressure electrode and the reference potential layer is changed as the display panel bends.

20. The touch input device of claim 13, wherein the display panel is a LCD panel or OLED panel.

21. The touch input device of claim 13, wherein the pressure electrode comprises a plurality of electrodes constituting a plurality of channels.

22. The touch input device of claim 21, wherein the touch input device detects a pressure of each touch of a multi touch by using the plurality of channels.

23. The touch input device of claim 13, wherein the pressure electrode is formed as a sheet.

24. The touch input device of claim 13, wherein the touch position is detected from the digital signal converted by the second converter.