Apparatus, method, and medium for multi-touch decision

• US 20080087477A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Wook, Park, Joon-ah, Soh, Byung-seok, Cho, Seong-Il, Kang, Kyoung-ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,717,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/18.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A multi-touch decision apparatus, method, and medium are provided. The apparatus includes a sensor to sense an object contacting a specific position corresponding to one among a plurality of sensing channels arranged in a predetermined array, a detector to detect at least one of information about signal strength of the sensing channel in which the object is sensed and information about the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding a first threshold, and a controller to determine whether a single touch or a multi touch has been sensed based on the detected information.

Claims

1. A multi-touch decision apparatus comprising:

a sensor to sense an object contacting a specific position corresponding to one among a plurality of sensing channels arranged in a predetermined array;

a detector to detect at least one of information about signal strength of the sensing channel in which the object is sensed and information about the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding a first threshold; and

a controller to determine whether a single touch or a multi touch has been sensed based on the detected information.

2. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the number of sensing channels having the signal strength exceeding the first threshold is greater than a second threshold, the controller determines that a multi touch has been sensed.

3. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first threshold is a predetermined value based on the signal strengths obtained by measuring variations in signal strength when an object contacts a sensing channel.

4. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second threshold is a predetermined value based on the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding the first threshold.

5. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the sum of the signal strengths exceeds a predetermined value, the controller decides that a multi touch has been sensed.

6. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the sum of the signal strengths and the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding the first threshold respectively exceed predetermined values, the controller decides that a multi touch has been sensed.

7. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the sensing channels is a 2-D capacitive position sensor.

8. The multi-touch decision apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first threshold is a predetermined reference value, which corresponds to a particular one among the sensing channels.

9. A multi-touch decision method comprising:

sensing an object contacting a specific position corresponding to one among a plurality of sensing channels arranged in a predetermined array;

detecting at least one of information about signal strength of the sensing channel in which the object is sensed and information about the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding a first threshold; and

deciding whether a single touch or a multi touch has been sensed based on the detected information.

10. The multi-touch decision method of claim 9, wherein when the number of sensing channels having the signal strength exceeding the first threshold is greater than a second threshold, multi-touch sensing is decided to have occurred.

11. The multi-touch decision method of claim 10, wherein the first threshold is a predetermined value based on the signal strengths obtained by measuring variations in signal strength when an object contacts a sensing channel.

12. The multi-touch decision method of claim 11, wherein the second threshold is a predetermined value based on the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding the first threshold.

13. The multi-touch decision method of claim 9, wherein when the sum of the signal strengths exceeds a predetermined value, multi-touch sensing is decided to have occurred.

14. The multi-touch decision method of claim 9, wherein when the sum of the signal strengths and the number of sensing channels having a signal strength exceeding the first threshold respectively exceed predetermined values, multi-touch sensing is decided to have occurred.

15. The multi-touch decision method of claim 9, wherein each of the sensing channels is a 2-D capacitive position sensor.

16. The multi-touch decision method of claim 9, wherein the first threshold is a predetermined reference value, which corresponds to a particular one among the sensing channels.

17. At least one computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 9.