KR101353296B1 - Digital device and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A digital device described in the present invention includes: a touch pad which includes a plurality of X-axis electrode patterns arranged in two or more rows in an X-axis direction and a plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns arranged in two or more rows in an Y-axis direction and is sealed by a digital device housing at a designated position on a digital device frame; a motion input unit which protrudes outside the housing and is formed while being or not being in touch with the touch pad; and a touch sensor IC which is electrically connected to each of the X-axis electrode patterns and each of the Y-axis electrode patterns, calculates the angle of a touch point from a base axis set based on the coordinates of the touch point on the touch pad detected by the motion input unit, and determines a motion corresponding to the calculated angle; and a control unit which processes an event corresponding to the motion determination result of the touch sensor IC. [Reference numerals] (172) Motion input unit; (174) Touch pad; (176) Touch sensor IC

Description

Digital Device and Controlling Method Thereof

The present invention relates to an information device, and more particularly, to a digital device and a control method thereof.

Digital devices such as TVs and DVDs are generally controlled by a remote controller. However, by adding an input unit to a bezel of the device, a digital device such as a TV or a DVD can be operated without a remote controller.

In addition, a monitor constituting an information device such as a personal computer is also provided with a control key for changing the state of the monitor on its bezel.

1 is an exemplary diagram of a general TV having an input unit.

The TV 1 shown in FIG. 1A shows an example in which the input unit 15 is provided at the lower front side of the bezel 13 surrounding the screen 11, and the TV 2 shown in FIG. An example in which the input unit 25 is provided on the front side surface of the bezel 23 surrounding the screen 21 is shown.

The input units 15 and 25 may include, for example, a power on / off button, a channel up / down button, a volume up / down button, and an external input channel selection button.

In the conventional TV, a mechanical switch such as a push switch is used as an input unit, and the user can control the state of the TV by pressing a button to be adjusted while visually confirming the position of the buttons provided on the input units 15 and 25.

As the screen technology and design of the TVs become more advanced, the bezels of the TVs become smaller and smaller, thereby narrowing the space for the input to be placed in the front of the bezel.

2 is another exemplary diagram of a general TV having an input unit.

2 (a) and 2 (b) show an example of a TV 3 provided with an input unit at the bottom of the bezel. As the size of the bezel 33 surrounding the screen 31 becomes narrower, the input unit cannot be disposed on the front surface of the bezel 33, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the input unit 35 is disposed on the bottom surface of the bezel 33. ) Is arranged, or the input unit 43 is arranged on the rear surface of the bezel 41 as in the TV 4 shown in FIG.

The input unit disposed on the bezel of the TV has a tendency to employ a capacitive switch. Capacitive switches may be useful when placed on the front of the TV, but when capacitive switches are placed on the bottom or back of the bezel, it is difficult for the user to visually determine the location of the buttons. Therefore, it is not possible to employ a capacitive switch and a mechanical switch such as a push button is inevitable.

However, when a mechanical switch is disposed on the bottom or the rear of the TV, a strong external force is required as compared to a capacitive switch that operates only by contact, so there is a problem that the TV shakes when the input unit is operated.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a digital device having an input device that can be intuitively operated with a minimum external force, and a control method thereof.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a digital device and a control method thereof that can provide various control commands through a single input switch.

A digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of X-axis electrode patterns arranged in at least two rows in the X-axis direction and a plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns arranged in at least two rows in the Y-axis direction. A touch pad configured to be shielded by the digital device housing at a designated position of a frame; A motion input unit protruding out of the housing and formed to have a contact or non-contact state with the touch pad; An electrical reference point electrically connected to each of the plurality of X-axis electrode patterns and each of the plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns, from a preset reference axis based on the touch point coordinates and the touch point coordinates of the touch pad sensed by the motion input unit. A touch sensor IC that calculates an angle of the touch point and determines a motion corresponding to the calculated angle; And a controller configured to process an event corresponding to a motion determination result of the touch sensor IC.

Meanwhile, the method of controlling a digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a touch pad having a plurality of electrode patterns respectively formed in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and shielded by a digital device housing, and protruding from the housing. A control method of a digital device having a motion input unit formed to be in contact or non-contact state with the touch pad, the method comprising: calculating touch point coordinates of the touch pad sensed by the motion input unit by a touch sensor IC; Calculating, by the touch sensor IC, an angle of a touch point from a preset reference axis based on the touch point coordinates; And determining, by the touch sensor IC, the motion according to the angle calculation result.

According to the present technology, the digital input device can be easily controlled by providing an input signal to the capacitive touch pad by the motion input unit.

In addition, various commands can be processed according to the position manipulation of the single motion input unit, thereby simplifying the configuration of the input unit.

Furthermore, since the intuitive operation is possible without the visual confirmation of the input unit, the operation is easy even in a dark place.

1 is an exemplary diagram of a general TV having an input unit;
2 is another exemplary diagram of a general TV having an input unit;
3 is a block diagram of a digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exemplary diagram of the touch input unit illustrated in FIG. 3;
5 is a configuration diagram of a motion input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a configuration diagram of a touch pad according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a view for explaining a touch point determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a view for explaining an event processing method according to a touch motion according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 is a flowchart illustrating a digital device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a block diagram of a digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the digital device 100 may be a TV, for example.

The digital device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 110, a signal processing unit 120, a storage unit 130, a display 140, a speaker 150, an external device interface 160, and a touch input unit. 170 may be provided.

The controller 110 controls the overall operation of the digital device 100.

The signal processor 120 separates the input data into an audio signal and a video signal and transmits the input data to the display 140 or the speaker 150. The signal processor 120 may receive a signal from a tuner (not shown), for example, but is not limited thereto.

The storage unit 130 may store various data and control signals to be processed by the digital device 100, and may also store applications required for the digital device 100 to operate.

The external device interface 160 is configured to synchronize an external device connected to the digital device 100 with a wired or wireless connection to the digital device 100. The external device may be a remote controller or other digital device.

The touch input unit 170 is provided on a screen of the digital device 100, that is, a bezel surrounding the outside of the display 140, and may include a capacitive motion input switch and an IC for determining the operation of the motion input switch. . As the input is sensed by the touch input unit 170 and an event corresponding thereto is determined, the controller 110 controls the digital device 100 accordingly.

Although the digital device shown in FIG. 3 may be a TV, the digital device provided with the touch input unit 170 of the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the digital device may further include a wired / wireless communication module in some cases, and various additional modules that may be externally or internally added may be added.

As described above, the touch input unit 170 of the present invention may include a capacitive motion input switch, for example, a joystick. The capacitive switch can determine the contact position, the number of touches, and the touch holding time as the touch is sensed, and can intuitively control the digital device 100 using this operating principle.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the touch input unit illustrated in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the touch input unit 170 may include a motion input unit 172, a touch pad 174, and a touch sensor IC 176 that receives a detection signal from the touch pad 174.

The bus line input unit 172 may be configured as a joystick having a shape such as a dome switch, and FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration example of the motion input unit 172.

5 is a block diagram of a motion input unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5A, the motion input unit 172 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a base 1723, an operation bar 1721, a conductive plate 1725, and a fixing unit 1725. have.

The operation bar 1721 is formed on the front surface of the base 1723 and is formed to protrude out of the housing of the digital device.

The conductive plate 1725 has a first surface coupled to the rear surface of the base 1723. The second surface of the conductive plate 1725 is controlled to have a contact or non-contact state with the touch pad 174 according to the operation state of the operation bar 1721. The conductive plate 1725 is preferably manufactured in the shape of a disk having a radius r.

In addition, the fixing unit 1725 may be an adsorption plate formed to penetrate the conductive plate 1725 from the center portion of the rear surface of the base 1723, and an inside thereof is formed to have an empty state so that the conductive plate 1725 is exposed. The motion input unit 172 may be fixed to the touch pad 174 by the fixing unit 1727.

In addition, in the non-operational state of the motion input unit 172, in order to maintain the motion input unit 172 in a non-contact state with the touch pad 174, the fixing unit 1725 may include the conductive plate 1725 and the touch pad 174. It may be formed to a predetermined height so as to be spaced apart from a predetermined interval. In addition, the fixing unit 1727 may be formed using a material having an elastic restoring force so that the motion input unit 172 may return to the non-contact state again after contacting the touch pad 174. In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixing unit 1725 may be configured as a rubber adsorption means, but is not limited thereto.

5B is a bottom view of the motion input unit 172. It can be seen that the fixing portion 1725 is formed at the center of the conductive plate 1725.

6 is a configuration diagram of a touch pad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the touch pad 174, a plurality of electrode patterns 1741 arranged in at least two columns in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction are arranged in a matrix form on a printed circuit board. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the touchpad 174 is configured to have a larger area than the area of the conductive plate 1725 of the motion input unit 172. Accordingly, the touch sensor IC 176 may detect all touch positions of the touch pad 174 by the conductive plate 1725 having a substantially disc shape.

Each of the plurality of X-axis driving lines x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 is arranged to be spaced apart by a distance specified in the X-axis direction and formed to have a length specified in the Y-direction. A plurality of X-axis electrode patterns are connected to the X-axis driving lines x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 at specified intervals. On the other hand, each of the plurality of Y-axis drive lines (y1, y2, y3, y4, y5) are arranged spaced apart by a distance specified in the Y-axis direction, and formed to have a length specified in the X-axis direction. A plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns are connected to each of the Y-axis drive lines y1, y2, y3, y4, and y5 at specified intervals.

When an input by the motion input unit 172 is generated in the touch pad 174, the touch sensor IC 176 calculates touch information of the touch pad 174 in response to a change in capacitance according to the touch input, thereby controlling the controller 110. ) More specifically, the touch sensor IC 176 receives the detection signal from the touch pad 174 and analyzes the angle, the touch holding time, and the number of touch occurrences based on the coordinates where the touch occurred and the positive X axis of the point, The motion corresponding thereto is determined and provided to the controller 110.

To this end, the touch sensor IC 176 calculates an angle of the touch point from the reference axis based on the coordinates of the touch point, which will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

7 is a view for explaining a touch point determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The touch sensor IC 174 calculates the coordinates (x, y) of the point where the touch occurs based on the center point C as a touch occurs on the touch pad 174. The center point C may be the same position as the center point of the motion input unit 172. In addition, any axis penetrating through the center point C can be set as the reference axis, and the coordinates of the touch point can be calculated from the positive x-axis using this reference axis as the x-axis.

Since the touch pad 174 has a plurality of electrode pads respectively connected to the plurality of X-axis driving lines and a plurality of electrode pads respectively connected to the plurality of Y-axis driving lines, as illustrated in FIG. Can be easily calculated according to the coordinate calculation method in a conventional capacitive touch pad.

In addition, when the coordinates (x, y) are calculated, the touch sensor IC 174 calculates an angle (θ) of the touch point based on the positive X axis, and calculates the coordinates (x, y), The motion corresponding to the angle θ, the touch holding time and the number of times is determined, and the determination result is provided to the controller 110.

More specifically, the angle θ from the acquired coordinates (x, y) from the positive x-axis of the point can be calculated as shown in [Equation 1].

[Equation 1]

or

Here, r means the radius of the motion input unit 172, whereby the angle (θ) of the touch point is calculated.

When the motion is determined in consideration of the angle, the number of touches, and the touch holding time based on the positive X axis of the touch point in the touch sensor IC 176, the controller 110 may perform an operation corresponding thereto. ).

8 is a view for explaining an event processing method according to a touch motion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the touch points of the touch pad 174 are divided into four areas. That is, the area A between 45 ° ≤θ <135 °, the area B between 135 ° ≤θ <225 °, the area C between 225 ° ≤θ <315 ° and It can be divided into an area D between 315 ° ≤θ <45 °.

Therefore, when it is determined that the region to which the corresponding point P belongs is the region A, as a result of the angle calculation with respect to the touch point P, an event corresponding to the touch point P may be processed.

When the digital device is, for example, a TV, operations such as power on / off, channel up / down, volume up / down, external input channel selection, mouse drag, and click (double click) may be performed through the touch input unit 170. For example, an event corresponding to an input motion such as a touch point, a number of times, and a touch holding time through the motion input unit 172 may be defined as shown in Table 1 below.

Input mode motion Condition time function Normal / Menu Input Mode Prize Touch the point spaced r from the center point 45 ° ≤θ <135 ° Less than 1 second: 1 recognition
1 second or more: Continuous recognition Channel up Left Touch the point at a distance r from the center point 135 ° ≤θ <225 ° Volume down Ha Touch the point spaced r from the center point 225 ° ≤θ <315 ° Channel down Right Touch the point spaced r from the center point 315 ° ≤θ <45 ° volume up Mouse input mode Direction Touch a point spaced r from the center point Less than 1 second: 1 recognition
1 second or more: Continuous recognition move in θ direction common click Center touch 1 time less than 1 second Click, select Double click Center touch 2 times less than 1 second Double click Long press Center touch 1.5 seconds or more Power on / off

In the above, the case in which the touch area is divided into four parts has been described. However, the touch area may be divided into more and more, and as the number of areas to be divided increases, the types of events that can be handled correspondingly also vary. to be.

Smart TVs, which are increasingly gaining market share, support a mouse input mode to provide various services such as Internet services. Therefore, when the touch input unit 170 according to the present invention is applied to the input device of the smart TV, the mouse input signal can be processed without installing a separate mouse input device.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a digital device control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As the motion input unit 172 is manipulated to detect a touch on the touch pad 174 (S101), the touch sensor IC 176 determines the coordinates of the point where the touch occurred, the angle based on the X axis of the amount of the touch point, and the touch. The holding time and the number of touches are calculated (S103, S105).

The touch sensor IC 176 determines the input motion based on the calculated touch information, that is, the angle, the touch holding time, and the number of touches (S109). In addition, the controller 110 controls the digital device 100 to process an event corresponding to the input motion (S111). The input motion and the corresponding event may be defined, for example, as shown in [Table 1], but are not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensor IC 176 may further include a proximity sensor function. In this case, when the operator's hand approaches the touch input unit 170, the operator may recognize the key and display the key manipulation method through the touch input unit 170 on the display 140. When the touch input unit 170 is provided on the side or the back of the digital device, when the proximity sensor function is applied, the user does not visually check the touch input unit 170 but checks the key manipulation method displayed on the display 140. You can type the command you want.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the digital device may further include a lighting unit in the front housing. The lighting unit is configured to operate in synchronization with the touch input unit 1710. When the operator's approach is sensed by the proximity sensor function of the touch sensor IC 176, the lighting unit emits a light so that the operator's hand is close to the touch input unit 170. I can tell you.

A general input unit provided in a digital device such as a TV corresponds to a one-to-one operation menu and buttons, so that the number of buttons corresponding to the menu should be provided with a bezel. In addition, as the width of the bezel decreases, it becomes increasingly difficult to place the input portion in front of the bezel. However, when using the capacitive single motion input unit as in the present invention, a plurality of control commands can be input with one button. In addition, the size of the input unit can be reduced, and the input unit can be arranged at various portions of the bezel.

First of all, it is possible to operate intuitively only by knowing the position of the input unit without visually checking the input unit, and according to the introduction of the capacitive method, it is possible to provide various commands while preventing shaking or separation of the device.

Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: digital equipment
110:
120: Signal processor
130:
140: display
150: speaker
160: external device interface
170: touch input unit
172: motion input unit
174 Touchpad
176: Touch Sensor IC

Claims (12)

A plurality of X-axis electrode patterns arranged in at least two rows in the X-axis direction and a plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns arranged in at least two rows in the Y-axis direction, the digital device housing being positioned at a designated position of the digital device frame; A touch pad formed to be shielded;
A motion input unit protruding out of the housing and formed to have a contact or non-contact state with the touch pad;
An electrical reference point electrically connected to each of the plurality of X-axis electrode patterns and each of the plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns, from a preset reference axis based on the touch point coordinates and the touch point coordinates of the touch pad sensed by the motion input unit. A touch sensor IC that calculates an angle of the touch point and determines a motion corresponding to the calculated angle; And
A controller configured to process an event corresponding to a motion determination result of the touch sensor IC;
Digital device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The motion input unit includes a disc-shaped conductive plate having a specified radius, and is configured to touch the touch pad by the conductive plate. 3. The method of claim 2,
The touch pad is a digital device in which the plurality of X-axis electrode patterns and the plurality of Y-axis electrode patterns are formed in an area larger than that of the conductive plate. The method of claim 1,
The motion input unit, the base;
An operation bar protruding out of the housing on the front surface of the base;
A conductive plate having a first surface coupled to a rear surface of the base and contacting or non-contacting with the touch pad; And
A fixing part formed to penetrate the conductive plate from a rear center portion of the base, such that the motion input part is fixed to the touch pad;
Digital device comprising a. 5. The method of claim 4,
The fixing part is a suction plate formed to expose the conductive plate therein, the digital device is formed to a height that maintains a state in which the motion input unit and the touch pad spaced apart from a specified distance. The method of claim 1,
And the touch sensor IC detects the number of touches and the touch holding time by the motion input unit and determines a motion based on the calculated angle, the number of touches and the touch holding time. The method of claim 1,
The touch sensor IC determines whether an object approaches the touch pad and provides the control unit to the controller. The method of claim 7, wherein
The touch pad is formed on the back of the digital device. The method of claim 1,
The touch pad is a capacitive touch pad, and the touch sensor IC is a capacitive touch sensor IC. A touch pad having a plurality of electrode patterns respectively formed in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and formed to be shielded by a digital device housing, protruding to the outside of the housing, and being in contact or non-contact with the touch pad; A control method of a digital device having a motion input unit,
Calculating touch point coordinates of the touch pad sensed by the motion input unit by a touch sensor IC;
Calculating, by the touch sensor IC, an angle of a touch point from a preset reference axis based on the touch point coordinates; And
Determining, by the touch sensor IC, motion according to the angle calculation result;
Digital device control method comprising a. 11. The method of claim 10,
The touch sensor IC may further include detecting the number of touches and the touch holding time by the motion input unit, and the determining of the motion may include: determining the motion based on the angle calculation result, the number of touches, and the touch holding time. Determining a digital device control method. 11. The method of claim 10,
The motion input unit includes a conductive plate having a specified radius and is configured to touch the touch pad by the conductive plate.
The calculating of the touch point coordinates may include setting a position of the touch pad corresponding to the center of the motion input unit as a center point and calculating touch point coordinates by setting one axis penetrating the center point as an x axis. ego,
The calculating of the angle may include calculating the angle of the touch position from the reference axis based on the radius and the touch point coordinates.

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