Zoom gesture determination method and touch control chip

• US 9,891,758 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2012
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Original Assignee: Novatek Microelectronics Corporation (Novatek Microelectronics Corp Limited)
• Inventors: Chang, Hui-Hung, Lai, Chih-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/557,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,029 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

A zoom gesture determination method for a touch control device includes detecting a first touch point and a second touch point; determining a position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point; and deciding a zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference.

Claims

1. A zoom gesture determination method for a touch control device, comprising:

detecting a first touch point and a second touch point, wherein the first touch point and the second touch point are simultaneously on the touch control device;

determining a position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point, comprising determining a horizontal position difference and a vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point; and

deciding a zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference, wherein the step of deciding the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference comprises;

deciding whether the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point is a zoom-in gesture or a zoom-out gesture according to whether the position difference is continuously increasing or continuously decreasing.

2. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero, utilizing a de-bounce mechanism to decide whether the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged.

3. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 2, wherein the de-bounce mechanism is to filter out a situation that two fingers touch a diagonal of the touch control device but two erroneous horizontal touch points or two erroneous vertical touch points are transiently sensed.

4. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 2, wherein the de-bounce mechanism is to decide whether one plane coordinate of the first touch point or one plane coordinate of the second touch point is outside a plane detection range of a horizontal sensing capacitor string or a vertical sensing capacitor string of the touch control device.

5. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 2, wherein the step of utilizing the de-bounce mechanism to decide whether the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged comprises:

continuously detecting the first touch point and the second touch point;

counting a number of times for which the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point is zero, to generate a cumulative value; and

comparing the cumulative value with a threshold value, and deciding the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged when the cumulative value is greater than the threshold value.

6. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 5 further comprising:

setting the cumulative value to zero when neither of the horizontal position difference and the vertical position difference is zero.

7. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 1, wherein the step of deciding the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference is performed at least for cases where none of the horizontal position difference and the vertical position difference is decided to be zero.

8. The zoom gesture determination method of claim 1, wherein when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero, the step of deciding the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference is not performed until the first touch point and the second touch point are decided to be truly horizontally or vertically arranged.

9. A touch control chip for a touch control device, the touch control chip comprising:

a detecting unit, for detecting a first touch point and a second touch point, wherein the first touch point and the second touch point are simultaneously on the touch control device;

a determining unit, for determining a position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point; and

a deciding unit, for deciding a zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference;

wherein the determining unit determines a horizontal position difference and a vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point to determine the position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point;

wherein the deciding unit decides whether the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point is a zoom-in gesture or a zoom-out gesture according to whether the position difference is continuously increasing or continuously decreasing.

10. The touch control chip of claim 9, wherein the deciding unit utilizes a de-bounce mechanism to decide whether the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero.

11. The touch control chip of claim 10, wherein the de-bounce mechanism is to filter out a situation that two fingers touch a diagonal of the touch control device but two erroneous horizontal touch points or two erroneous vertical touch points are transiently sensed.

12. The touch control chip of claim 10, wherein the de-bounce mechanism is to decide whether one plane coordinate of the first touch point or one plane coordinate of the second touch point is outside a plane detection range of a horizontal sensing capacitor string or a vertical sensing capacitor string of the touch control device.

13. The touch control chip of claim 10, wherein the deciding unit continuously detects the first touch point and the second touch point, and counts a number of times for which the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point is zero to generate a cumulative value, and after comparing the cumulative value with a threshold value, the deciding unit decides the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged when the cumulative value is greater than the threshold value.

14. The touch control chip of claim 13, wherein the deciding unit sets the cumulative value to zero when neither of the horizontal position difference and the vertical position difference is zero.

15. The touch control chip of claim 9, wherein the deciding unit decides the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference at least for cases where none of the horizontal position difference and the vertical position difference is decided to be zero.

16. The touch control chip of claim 9, wherein when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero, the deciding unit does not decide the zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference until the first touch point and the second touch point are decided to be truly horizontally or vertically arranged.

17. A zoom gesture determination method for a touch control device, comprising:

detecting a first touch point and a second touch point;

determining a position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point, comprising determining a horizontal position difference and a vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point; and

deciding a zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference; and

when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero, utilizing a de-bounce mechanism to decide whether the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged.

18. A touch control chip for a touch control device, the touch control chip comprising:

a detecting unit, for detecting a first touch point and a second touch point;

a determining unit, for determining a position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point; and

a deciding unit, for deciding a zoom gesture represented by the first touch point and the second touch point according to variations in the position difference;

wherein the determining unit determines a horizontal position difference and a vertical position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point to determine the position difference between the first touch point and the second touch point;

wherein the deciding unit utilizes a de-bounce mechanism to decide whether the first touch point and the second touch point are truly horizontally or vertically arranged when the horizontal position difference or the vertical position difference is zero.