Touch sensing apparatus

• US 10,503,302 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2018
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Ko, Chueh-Pin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US16/100,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20190361552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A touch sensing apparatus configured to receive an input signal of a stylus pen is provided. The touch sensing apparatus includes a display panel, a touch panel and a control circuit. The touch panel includes a substrate, a touch sensing element and a decorative element. The touch sensing element has a plurality of nodes for detecting the input signal. The control circuit is coupled to the display panel and the touch panel to activate a plurality of functions of the touch sensing apparatus through a plurality of determination steps, e.g., whether a capacitive sensing value of the node falls in a first threshold range, larger than a second threshold or larger than a third threshold, and whether the stylus pen touches the touch panel.

Claims

1. A touch sensing apparatus, configured to receive an input signal of a stylus pen, comprising:

a display panel;

a touch panel, bonded to the display panel and comprising a substrate, a touch sensing element and a decorative element, wherein the touch sensing element is located on the substrate and comprises a plurality of nodes for detecting the input signal of the stylus pen, the plurality of nodes are disposed in an active area of the substrate and are not disposed in a peripheral area of the substrate, and the decorative element covers at least a portion of the peripheral area and exposes at least a portion of the active area; and

a control circuit, coupled to the display panel and the touch panel, wherein

when the control circuit receives a tip-on signal representing that the stylus pen touches the touch sensing apparatus, and a first capacitive sensing value of a first node at an edge of the active area falls in a first threshold range, the control circuit determines that the input signal of the stylus pen is a peripheral area input signal, and sets the display panel to display a first graph corresponding to the peripheral area input signal;

when the control circuit receives the tip-on signal representing that the stylus pen touches the touch sensing apparatus, and a second capacitive sensing value of the first node at the edge of the active area is larger than a second threshold that is larger than or equal to a maximum value of the first threshold range, the control circuit determines that the input signal of the stylus pen is an active area input signal, and sets the display panel to display a second graph corresponding to the active area input signal; and

when the control circuit does not receive the tip-on signal representing that the stylus pen touches the touch sensing apparatus, and a third capacitive sensing value of the first node at the edge of the active area is larger than a third threshold, the control circuit determines that the input signal of the stylus pen is a hover input signal, and sets the display panel to display a third graph corresponding to the hover input signal.

2. The touch sensing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the decorative element further comprises a non-conductive indicating icon located in the peripheral area, and the non-conductive indicating icon is adjacent to the first node at the edge of the active area.

3. The touch sensing apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the non-conductive indicating icon is adjacent to a plurality of second nodes disposed at the edge of the active area and representing a line-shaped operation;

and

when the control circuit receives the tip-on signal representing that the stylus pen touches the touch sensing apparatus, a plurality of fourth capacitive sensing values of the plurality of second nodes at the edge of the active area fall in the first threshold range, and at least one of the fourth capacitive sensing values changes, the control circuit sets the display panel to display a fourth graph corresponding to the line-shaped operation.

4. The touch sensing apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the indicating icon is adjacent to a plurality of third nodes disposed at the edge of the active area and representing a dot-shaped operation;

and

when the control circuit receives the tip-on signal representing that the stylus pen touches the touch sensing apparatus, a plurality of fifth capacitive sensing values of the plurality of third nodes at the edge of the active area fall in the first threshold range, and none of the fifth capacitive sensing values changes, the control circuit sets the display panel to display a fifth graph corresponding to the dot-shaped operation.

5. The touch sensing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuit receives a plurality of sixth capacitive sensing values of all of the plurality of nodes in the touch sensing element, and the control circuit selects a seventh capacitive sensing value of the first node at the edge of the active area from the sixth capacitive sensing values to determine whether the input signal of the stylus pen is the peripheral area input signal, the active area input signal, or the hover input signal.

6. The touch sensing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuit receives an eighth capacitive sensing value of the first node at the edge of the active area before or after receiving a plurality of ninth capacitive sensing values of all of the plurality of nodes in the touch sensing element to determine whether the input signal of the stylus pen is the peripheral area input signal, the active area input signal, or the hover input signal.