Touch sensor system

• US 9,058,085 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masayuki, Yoshida, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US14/127,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The touch sensor system (1) includes: a touch panel (2) having a two-dimensional region (12) made up of a hand placing region (13) and a remainder region (14); a hand placing region processing section (3) for carrying out a process related to the hand placing region in accordance with a hand placing region touch signal corresponding to a touch to the hand placing region (13); and a plot input processing section (4) for carrying out a plot input process in accordance with a remainder region touch signal corresponding to a touch to the remainder region (14).

Claims

1. A touch sensor system comprising:

a touch panel having a two-dimensional region made up of at least one partial region and a remainder region that is other than said at least one partial region; and

a control circuit

carrying out a first process in accordance with a partial region touch signal corresponding to a touch to said at least one partial region; and

carrying out a second process in accordance with a remainder region touch signal corresponding to a touch to the remainder region, the second process being different in kind from the first process,

said at least one partial region being a hand placing region within which a hand is to be placed for input to the touch panel,

the partial region touch signal being a hand placing region touch signal corresponding to a touch within the hand placing region,

the remainder region touch signal including (i) a plot signal generated by a stylus and/or (ii) a touch signal generated by a finger,

the control circuit carrying out, in accordance with movement on the touch panel of the hand placing region touch signal, the first process of moving a position of the hand placing region or a process of changing size of the hand placing region, the process of moving a position of the hand placing region including generating the hand placing region touch signal based on a region where the hand is placed, determining a center of mass of a region where the hand is being placed during input to the touch panel using the hand placing region touch signal, and moving the hand placing region such that the hand placing region follows movement of the center of mass,

the control circuit carrying out, in accordance with the remainder region touch signal, the second process based on (a) a plot input with respect to the two-dimensional region and/or (b) a touch input with respect to the two-dimensional region.

2. The touch sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel has:

two-dimensionally distributed capacitances; and

a plurality of said hand placing regions.

3. The touch sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the hand placing region is rectangle in shape, and wherein the region where the hand is placed during input to the touch panel is within the rectangle and is smaller than the hand placing region.

4. The touch sensor system according to claim 1, wherein:

the touch panel is stacked on a display panel is contained in the display panel; and

said control circuit further setting the hand placing region on a screen that is displayed on the display panel.

5. The touch sensor system according to claim 1, said control circuit further setting the hand placing region in accordance with a touch to the two-dimensional region.

6. The touch sensor system according to claim 1, wherein:

the touch panel is stacked on a display panel and is contained in the display panel; and

while not performing the second process and without input of the remainder region touch signal, said control circuit carrying out, in accordance with the movement of the hand placing region touch signal, a process of moving a display position of the hand placing region or changing size of the hand placing region as displayed by the display panel.

7. A method for a touch sensor system that comprises

a touch panel having a two-dimensional region made up of at least one partial region and a remainder region that is other than said at least one partial region;

and

a control circuit,

said at least one partial region being a hand placing region within which a hand is to be placed for input to the touch panel,

a partial region touch signal being a hand placing region touch signal corresponding to a touch within the hand placing region,

a remainder region touch signal including (i) a plot signal generated by a stylus and/or (ii) a touch signal generated by a finger,

the method, being performed by the control circuit, comprises;

carrying out a first process in accordance with the partial region touch signal corresponding to a touch to said at least one partial region;

carrying out a second process in accordance with the remainder region touch signal corresponding to a touch to the remainder region, the second process being different in kind from the first process;

carrying out, in accordance with movement on the touch panel of the hand placing region touch signal, the first process of moving a position of the hand placing region or a process of changing size of the hand placing region, the process of moving a position of the hand placing region including generating the hand placing region touch signal based on a region where the hand is placed, determining a center of mass of a region where the hand is being placed during input to the touch panel using the hand placing region touch signal, and moving the hand placing region such that the hand placing region follows movement of the center of mass; and

carrying out, in accordance with the remainder region touch signal, the second process based on (a) a plot input with respect to the two-dimensional region and/or (b) a touch input with respect to the two-dimensional region.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein:

while not performing the second process and without input of the remainder region touch signal, carrying out, in accordance with the movement of the hand placing region touch signal, a process of moving a display position of the hand placing region or changing size of the hand placing region as displayed.