RESISTIVE TOUCH APPARATUS

• US 20110157083A1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: TABACHNIK, Boaz, HERSHMAN, Ziv, TOVCHIGRECHKO, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US12/979,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157083A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

The subject matter discloses an apparatus, comprising a first resistive sheet and a second resistive sheet disposed in proximity to the first resistive sheet, such that pressure applied at a first touch point and at a second touch point on the first resistive sheet causes flow of electrical current between the first resistive sheet and the second resistive sheet. The apparatus further comprises a control unit coupled to a first terminal and to a second terminal, and configured to measure a first resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal; and configured to estimate a distance between the first touch point and the second touch point. The apparatus further estimates the location of the first touch point and the second touch point.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first resistive sheet;

a second resistive sheet, the second resistive sheet is disposed in proximity to the first resistive sheet, such that pressure applied at a first touch point and at a second touch point on the first resistive sheet causes flow of electrical current between the first resistive sheet and the second resistive sheet;

a control unit coupled to a first terminal and to a second terminal, and configured to measure a first resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

configured to estimate a distance between the first touch point and the second touch point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are coupled to the first resistive sheet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are coupled to the second resistive sheet.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to measure a second resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal, the first terminal is coupled to the first resistive sheet and the second terminal is coupled to the second resistive sheet.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to measure a voltage at the first terminal and at the second terminal;

and wherein the control unit is further configured to estimate a location of the first touch point and the second touch point.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprises a storage device configured to store a look up table associating measured electronic attributes and data related to the distance between the first touch point and the second touch point.

7. A method for estimating a distance between a first touch point and a second touch point on a resistive sheet, the method comprising:

measuring a first resistance value between two terminals connected to the resistive sheet selected from a group consisting of a first resistive sheet and a second resistive sheet; and

estimating the distance between the first touch point and the second touch point based on the resistance value.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the resistance value is in at least one direction.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprises a step of performing a learning process of the first resistive sheet and the second resistive sheet.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprises a step of determining that the first resistive sheet is in contact at the first touch point and the second touch point.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprises a step of measuring a voltage at a first terminal and at the second terminal and further comprising a step of estimating a location of the first touch point and of the second touch point on the resistive sheet based on the resistance value and the voltage.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprises a step of determining a location of a middle point representing an average of X coordinates and Y coordinates of the first touch point and of the second touch point.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein estimating the location of the first touch point and of the second touch point comprises a step of converting at least one measured resistance value into the distance using a look-up table.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein the estimation of the distance between the first touch point and the second touch point is based on polynomial approximation.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the estimation of the location of the first touch point and of the second touch point on the resistive sheet is based on polynomial approximation.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprises a step of measuring a second resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal, the first terminal is coupled to the first resistive sheet and the second terminal is coupled to the second resistive sheet.