Touch sensor and terminal device

• US 10,558,304 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Tomonori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ketema, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US15/473,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20170300145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

A touch sensor includes a sensor and a processor. The sensor detects touch operations on first, second, and third regions of a sensor region disposed along a longitudinal direction of an outer edge portion of a terminal device. The second and third regions are on opposite sides of the first region. The processor identifies the orientation of the terminal device as a first orientation where the sensor region is located at the top or bottom of the terminal device or a second orientation where the sensor region is located at the right or left of the terminal device, and makes a different determination as to whether the first region is depressed based on whether the identified orientation is the first or second orientation, in response to detection of the touch operation on at least one of the second and third regions together with the touch operation on the first region.

Claims

1. A touch sensor, comprising:

a sensor region divided into a first region, a second region, and a third region that are disposed along an outer edge portion of a terminal device, the second region and the third region being positioned on opposite sides of the first region;

a sensor configured to detect touch operations on the first region, the second region, and the third region;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, and when the sensor region is depressed with one finger, the processor being configured to;

identify whether an orientation of the terminal device is a first orientation in which the sensor region is located at a top or a bottom of the terminal device or a second orientation in which the sensor region is located at a right or a left of the terminal device so as to provide an identified orientation;

make a first determination that the first region is depressed, in response to detection of the touch operation on the first region;

make a second determination as to whether to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed based on whether the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation or the second orientation, in response to detection of the touch operation on at least one of the second region and the third region together with the touch operation on the first region; and

transmit a signal indicating a state in which the first region is depressed, when the first determination has been made and the second determination not to cancel the first determination has been made,

wherein, in response to the detection of the touch operation on the at least one of the second region and the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor is configured to determine not to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation, and to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation.

2. The touch sensor as claimed in claim 1,

wherein, in response to detection of the touch operation on the second region and the touch operation on the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor is configured to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation.

3. A terminal device, comprising:

the touch sensor as set forth in claim 1;

another memory; and

another processor coupled to said another memory, and configured to perform an operation for executing a function correlated to the first region in response to determining, by the processor of the touch sensor, that the first region is depressed.

4. The terminal device as claimed in claim 3,

wherein, in response to the detection of the touch operation on the at least one of the second region and the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor of the touch sensor is configured to determine not to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation, and to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation.

5. The terminal device as claimed in claim 4,

wherein, in response to detection of the touch operation on the second region and the touch operation on the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor of the touch sensor is configured to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation.

6. A touch sensor, comprising:

a sensor region divided into a first region, a second region, a third region, a fourth region, and a fifth region that are disposed along an outer edge portion of a terminal device, the second region and the third region being positioned on opposite sides of the first region, the fourth region being positioned between the first region and the second region, the fifth region being positioned between the first region and the third region;

a sensor configured to detect touch operations on the first region, the second region, the third region, the fourth region, and the fifth region;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, and when the sensor region is depressed with one finger, the processor being configured to;

identify whether an orientation of the terminal device is a first orientation in which the sensor region is located at a top or a bottom of the terminal device or a second orientation in which the sensor region is located at a right or a left of the terminal device so as to provide an identified orientation;

make a first determination that the first region is depressed, in response to detection of the touch operation on the first region;

make a second determination as to whether to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed based on whether the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation or the second orientation, in response to detection of the touch operation on the fourth region or the fifth region together with the touch operation on the first region; and

transmit a signal indicating a state in which the first region is depressed, when the first determination has been made and the second determination not to cancel the first determination has been made,

wherein, in response to the detection of the touch operation on the fourth region or the fifth region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor is configured to determine not to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation, and to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation.

7. A terminal device, comprising:

the touch sensor as set forth in claim 6;

another memory; and

another processor coupled to said another memory, and configured to perform an operation for executing a function correlated to the first region in response to determining, by the processor of the touch sensor, that the first region is depressed.

8. The terminal device as claimed in claim 7,

wherein, in response to the detection of the touch operation on the fourth region or the fifth region together with the touch operation on the first region, the processor of the touch sensor is configured to determine not to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation, and to determine to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a program for causing a computer to execute a depression detecting process, the depression detecting process comprising:

identifying whether an orientation of a terminal device is a first orientation in which a sensor region is located at a top or a bottom of the terminal device or a second orientation in which the sensor region is located at a right or a left of the terminal device so as to provide an identified orientation, the sensor region being divided into a first region, a second region, and a third region that are disposed along an outer edge portion of the terminal device, the second region and the third region being positioned on opposite sides of the first region, wherein touch operations on the first region, the second region, and the third region are detected by a sensor;

when the sensor region is depressed by one finger, making a first determination that the first region is depressed, in response to detection of the touch operation on the first region, and making a second determination as to whether to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed based on whether the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation or the second orientation, in response to detection of the touch operation on at least one of the second region and the third region together with the touch operation on the first region; and

transmitting a signal indicating a state in which the first region is depressed, when the first determination has been made and the second determination not to cancel the first determination has been made,

wherein, in response to the detection of the touch operation on the at least one of the second region and the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, said making the second determination determines not to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation, and determines to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the first orientation.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium as claimed in claim 9,

wherein, in response to detection of the touch operation on the second region and the touch operation on the third region together with the touch operation on the first region, said making the second determination determines to cancel the first determination according to a state in which the first region is depressed when the identified orientation of the terminal device is the second orientation.