Touch control device and method

• US 9,213,482 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Inventors: Mai, Wei-Kuo, Huang, Shih-Peng, Liou, Chung-Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/542,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 701/22, 715/856, 715/768, 455/566, 382/187
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method for controlling a touch control device includes defining a first area and a second area on a touchpad, detecting whether a touched position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object falls in the first area or the second area, and calculating the corresponding on-screen coordinates of the operating object with different sets of ratios depending on the touched position.

Claims

1. A touch control device, comprising:

an input element comprising a touchpad and a control unit, the touchpad having a first area and a second area defined thereon, the control unit being connected to the touchpad and configured for detecting a position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object, so as for the control unit to obtain first coordinates, wherein the first area is defined in a peripheral area of the touchpad and the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad; and

a computation unit connected to the control unit, wherein if the touch by the operating object starts in the first area, the computation unit calculates, according to the first coordinates and a first set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating object on a screen; and

if the touch by the operating object starts in the second area, the computation unit calculates the corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen according to the first coordinates and a second set of ratios, wherein the second set of ratios is different from the first set of ratios.

2. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the touchpad generates a detection signal in response to the touch by the operating object and sends the detection signal to the control unit, and the control unit generates the first coordinates according to the detection signal.

3. The touch control device of claim 2, wherein the control unit determines according to the detection signal whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

4. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the computation unit determines according to the first coordinates whether the touch on the touchpad by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

5. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the second area is surrounded by the first area.

6. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

7. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between a control window frame on the screen and the touchpad.

8. The touch control device of claim 1, wherein the computation unit has a software detection tool for detecting the number of instruction items of a currently running application software.

9. A method for controlling a touch control device including a touchpad having a first area and a second area, wherein the first area is defined in a peripheral area of the touchpad and the second area is defined in a central area of the touchpad, the method comprising steps of:

A.) detecting a position on the touchpad that is touched by an operating object, so as to obtain first coordinates;

B.) determining whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area;

C.) calculating, according to the first coordinates and a first set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating object on a screen, if the touch by the operating object starts in the first area; and

D.) calculating the corresponding coordinates of the operating object on the screen according to the first coordinates and a second set of ratios, if the touch by the operating object starts in the second area, wherein the second set of ratios is different from the first set of ratios.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step A comprises steps of:

generating a detection signal in response to the touch on the touchpad by the operating object; and

generating the first coordinates according to the detection signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step B comprises a step of determining according to the detection signal whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step B comprises a step of determining according to the first coordinates whether the touch by the operating object starts in the first area or the second area.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the step D comprises a step of defining a control window frame on the screen, and the second set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the control window frame and the touchpad.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control window frame is equal to or proportional to the touchpad in shape and area.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the second area is surrounded by the first area.

17. A method for controlling a touch control device, comprising steps of:

A.) determining the number of operating objects on a touchpad;

B.) determining the number of instruction items of a currently running application program; and

C.) if there are plural said operating objects on the touchpad and if there are plural said instruction items, defining a virtual frame on a screen and calculating, according to coordinates of the operating objects on the touchpad and a third set of ratios, corresponding coordinates of the operating objects in the virtual frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the virtual frame and the touchpad.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of calculating corresponding second coordinates of the operating objects on the screen according to first coordinates of the operating objects on the touchpad and a first set of ratios if there are plural said operating objects on the touchpad and if there is one and only one said instruction item.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first set of ratios are a width ratio and a height ratio between the screen and the touchpad.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step C comprises a step of using a reference point as a center point of the virtual frame or as one of end points of the virtual frame so as to define a position of the virtual frame, wherein the reference point is a cursor on the screen.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the virtual frame is equal to the touchpad in shape and area.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the virtual frame is proportional in area to the touchpad and corresponds in area to a said instruction item.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the virtual frame can be directly displayed or not displayed on the screen.