KR20090072349A - Method of setting variable sensor of touchscreen and apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A variable sensor set up method of a touch screen which improves a proximity degree by appropriately controlling resolution and proximity according to the approaching degree of an object material and an apparatus using the same are provided to improve the reliability of the user about the touch screen by maximizing resolution detection distance. A variable sensor setting device(20) of a touch screen includes a sensor unit(22), a switch unit, a memory unit and a switch controller(21). The sensor unit measures vertical distance to the object material from the surface of the touch screen. The switch controls the connection with the touch sensor and a controller pin corresponding to the measured vertical gap.

Description

Method of setting variable sensor of touch screen and device using same {Method of setting variable sensor of touchscreen and apparatus using the same}

The present invention relates to a method of setting a configuration of touch sensors constituting the touch screen in a capacitive touch screen according to an approach distance of a target object and an apparatus using the same.

Modern mobile phone terminal devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), Portable Multimedia Players (PMPs), MP3 players, cellular phones, and the like are becoming smaller and smaller in size for easy portability and portability.

Accordingly, a touch screen method is adopted to allow a user to select and input information more conveniently in place of the conventional key button input method. The touch screen method can directly input or output information by interfacing with a computer through a screen, and if a character or a specific position on the screen is touched by a human hand or an object, the touch screen detects coordinates of the touched position. .

Then, specific processing corresponding to a menu of coordinates selected by the software is executed using the coordinates. Accordingly, the touch screen provides a function as an information display unit and a function as an input unit.

The touch screen may be classified in various ways, and according to its operating principle, capacitive overlay, resistive overlay, surface acoustic wave, infrared beam, etc. There is this.

The resistive touch screen is formed by coating a resistive material on a glass or transparent plastic plate and covering a polyester film thereon, and insulating bars are installed at regular intervals so that the two surfaces do not touch each other. It changes and the voltage changes, which recognizes the position of the touched hand as much as the change in voltage.

The surface ultrasonic touch screen has a transmitter attached to one corner of the glass to emit sound waves, a reflector to reflect sound waves at regular intervals, and a receiver attached to the other side thereof. When an object that disturbs sound waves, such as a finger, interferes with the path of sound waves, the point of time is calculated to recognize the touch point.

The infrared touch screen is a method that uses the straightness of infrared light which is invisible to the human eye. The infrared LED and the phototransistor, which are light emitting elements, are arranged to face each other to form a matrix. It detects the light blocking sensor to recognize the touch point.

The capacitive touch screen is coated with a special conductive metal on both sides of the glass to apply a voltage to the four corners of the screen to generate a high frequency on the surface of the touch screen. Recognize.

Such capacitive touch screens are classified into a one-layer method having one transparent conductive layer and a multi-layer method having two or more transparent conductive layers. Although the single layer method has a greater degree of detection of an object in the non-touch area than a compound layer method, it is very difficult to calculate an exact xy coordinate of an approaching object. Therefore, in the case of the single layer method, 2D (xy coordinate) is detected at the touch rather than being applied to the 3D touch screen, and the proximity of the target object is detected at the non-touch.

In the case of the composite layer method, when the non-touch is detected, the non-touch can be detected on the Z axis while maintaining the 2D coordinates.

However, the vertical distance, i.e., Z-axis distance, at which the object can be detected is very dependent on the pattern area of the sensor. Increasing the area of the sensor pattern increases the sensing distance of the Z-axis that can detect the target object, but decreases the 2D coordinate resolution that can calculate the exact xy coordinate position of the target object, making it less reliable. A problem occurs.

1 is an exemplary view for explaining a connection state of a touch sensor and a controller pin in a conventional capacitive touch screen.

As shown in FIG. 1, the capacitive touch screen includes a plurality of touch sensors connected to a plurality of capacitors 11. Each touch sensor is connected to the controller pin of the controller 12 one-to-one, respectively.

As described above, even when implemented as a 3D touch screen, when each sensor is connected to the controller one-to-one as in the case of FIG. 1, the sensing distance of each sensor, that is, the target object that can be detected by the capacitor, is very small. There is a problem of lowering the reliability of the Z-axis coordinates.

For example, according to recent experimental results, it is possible to detect an object approaching within about 5 mm from the surface of the touch screen, so that the Z-axis sensing effect of the touch screen is very insignificant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to detect the distance of the target object in the non-touch area while minimizing the width of the sensor pattern so as to increase the resolution of the 2D coordinates for the product to be used. It is to propose a method of maximizing and an apparatus using the same.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the connection relationship between the plurality of touch sensors and the controller pin is adjusted according to the approach distance of the target object, so as to appropriately set the resolution and the approach distance of the 2D coordinates.

In other words, the trade-off phenomenon between the Z-axis sensing distance and the resolution of a conventional 3D touch screen is dynamically controlled by controlling the area of the touch sensor according to the sensing distance of the target object, thereby providing the highest resolution at the touch. When touched, it can provide the maximum sensing distance.

Using the present invention, the resolution and the sensing distance can be maximized, respectively, as appropriate for the situation in which the object is touched or touched.

Therefore, the user's reliability of the touch screen is improved, and the performance of the device is also improved, so that the user can feel quality satisfaction.

The present invention relates to a method of setting a configuration of touch sensors constituting the touch screen in a capacitive touch screen according to an approach distance of a target object and an apparatus using the same.

A variable sensor setting method of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a capacitive touch screen having two transparent conductive layers configured to calculate 3D coordinates of a target object. Measuring a vertical distance from a surface to the object; And adjusting the connection of the plurality of touch sensors included in the touch screen by using the measured vertical distance.

Preferably, the step of adjusting the connection of the plurality of touch sensors included in the touch screen by using the measured vertical distance may include determining the number of controller pins to which the plurality of touch sensors are connected as the measured vertical distance decreases. Increase.

Preferably, when the target object is detected outside the predetermined threshold area from the surface of the touch screen, the plurality of touch sensors are connected to one controller pin, and when the target object contacts the touch screen, the plurality of touches. Sensors are connected to the controller pins in a one-to-one correspondence.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, an apparatus for setting a variable sensor of a touch screen may include a plurality of touch sensors in a capacitive touch screen including two transparent conductive layers to calculate 3D coordinates of a target object. Sensor unit for measuring the vertical distance from the touch screen surface to the target object; A switch unit for adjusting a connection between the touch sensor and a controller pin in response to the vertical distance measured by the sensor unit; A memory unit configured to store a connection state between the touch sensor and the controller pin corresponding to the vertical distance of the target object; And a switch controller for controlling the switch unit to receive a vertical distance from the sensor unit to the target object to configure a connection state stored in the memory.

Preferably, the switch controller controls the switch unit to increase the number of controller pins to which the plurality of touch sensors are connected when the measured vertical distance of the target object decreases.

Preferably, the switch controller controls the switch unit such that the plurality of touch sensors are connected to one controller pin when the target object is detected outside of a predetermined threshold region from the surface of the touch screen. The touch unit controls the switch unit so that the plurality of touch sensors are connected to the controller pins in a one-to-one correspondence.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily understand and implement the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a variable sensor setting device 20 of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The variable sensor setting device 20 of the touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the capacitive touch screen is configured to be able to calculate the 3D coordinates of the target object having two transparent conductive layers, a plurality of A sensor unit 22 having two touch sensors and measuring a vertical distance from the touch screen surface to the target object; A switch unit 24 for adjusting a connection between the touch sensor and a controller pin in response to the vertical distance measured by the sensor unit 22; A memory unit 23 for storing a connection state between the touch sensor and the controller pin corresponding to the vertical distance of the target object; And a switch controller 21 for controlling the switch unit to receive a vertical distance from the sensor unit to the target object to configure a connection state stored in the memory.

The sensor unit 22 includes a plurality of touch sensors to sense the movement of the target object approaching the touch screen and calculate 3D coordinates of the target object. The capacitive touch screen includes a plurality of touch sensors connected to a plurality of capacitors to detect an approaching object, and the touch sensors may be extracted from rows / columns of the plurality of capacitors constituting the touch screen. Alternatively, it may be extracted from each capacitor.

When the Z-axis distance (vertical distance) of the target object is calculated by the sensor unit 22, the calculated value is transmitted to the switch control unit 21 to be used as data for appropriately adjusting the configuration of the switch. .

The switch unit 24 adjusts the connection between the touch sensor and the controller pin in response to the vertical distance calculated by the sensor unit 22. More specifically, as the measured vertical distance decreases, the number of controller pins to which the plurality of touch sensors are connected increases to increase the resolution of 2D coordinates. This reduces the area of the touch sensor, increasing the resolution for 2D coordinates while reducing the distance to which the object can be detected.

As an example, it may be assumed that the object is sufficiently far from the surface of the touch screen and the case is in contact with the touch screen.

When the target object is sufficiently far from the surface of the touch screen, for example, when the target object is detected outside the preset critical area, it is preferable to increase the vertical sensing distance of the target object rather than the resolution of the 2D coordinates. By connecting two touch sensors to only one controller pin, the area of the touch sensor pattern may be maximized to maximize the sensing distance of the target object.

On the contrary, when the target object is in contact with the touch screen, it is preferable to increase the resolution of the 2D coordinates rather than the vertical sensing distance of the target object. Can maximize the resolution of 2D coordinates by minimizing accurate coordinates.

Both cases will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The switch control unit 21 receives the vertical distance from the sensor unit 22 to the target object and controls the switch unit 24 to configure a connection state stored in the memory unit. The switch unit 24 To dynamically control the controller, the touch sensor is charged, the charging voltage is converted to digital, and the switch is quickly controlled to sufficiently satisfy the absolute time required for an algorithm for determining touch and non-touch.

The memory unit 23 stores a connection state between the touch sensor and the controller pin corresponding to the vertical distance from the target object. For example, the configuration of connecting the touch sensors to one controller pin when the target object is detected outside the preset critical region, the configuration of increasing the number of controller pins to which the touch sensor is connected as the target object approaches, and the target object. The configuration in which the touch sensor and the controller pin correspond one-to-one upon contact with the touch screen may be stored in advance.

In addition, in the non-touch area, 'threshold' is set for each sensing distance of the target object so that the touch sensor can be dynamically controlled from N: 1 to 1: 1 in each level.

In addition, the controller 25 controls the execution command corresponding to the movement of the target object based on the received touch sensor signal.

3 is an exemplary view illustrating a configuration of a variable sensor setting device of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the touch screen according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a switch controller 21, a memory unit 23, a switch unit 24, and a sensor unit 22.

The sensor unit 22 has a plurality of capacitors 27 arranged in a row / column, each of which is connected to a touch sensor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, the switch unit 24 is configured to variably adjust the connection state of each touch sensor with the controller pin of the controller 25. Since the configuration and principle of the variable switch are obvious in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the N touch sensors may be connected with at least one controller and a maximum of N controller pins, and the connection state may be variably adjusted from N: 1 to 1: 1 according to the approach distance of the target object. have.

The configuration of the sensor unit 22, the number and configuration of the touch sensor, the configuration of the switch unit 24, etc. are shown by way of example for easy description of the invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment Is self-explanatory.

4A and 4B are exemplary views illustrating a connection state of a switch unit according to an approach distance of a target object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a connection state of the switch unit 24 when the target object is detected outside the preset threshold area. FIG. 4B illustrates the switch unit 24 when the target object contacts the touch screen. Is an exemplary diagram showing a connection state of a.

When the target object is far enough from the surface of the touch screen, for example, when the target object is detected outside the preset threshold area, the touch is connected by connecting a plurality of touch sensors to only one controller pin as shown in FIG. 4A. The sensing distance of the target object can be maximized by maximizing the area of the sensor pattern (connection of N: 1).

On the contrary, when the target object touches the touch screen, as shown in FIG. 4B, the plurality of touch sensors are connected to the controller pins in a one-to-one correspondence, thereby minimizing the area of the touch sensor pattern and calculating accurate coordinates to minimize 2D coordinates. The resolution of can be maximized (1: 1 concatenation).

Therefore, by properly controlling the connection state of the switch according to the approach distance of the target object, it is possible to implement a touch screen device that can properly compensate for the Z-axis sensing distance and resolution.

So far, the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains to the detailed description of the present invention and other forms of embodiments within the essential technical scope of the present invention. Could be implemented.

Here, the essential technical scope of the present invention is shown in the claims, and all differences within the equivalent range will be construed as being included in the present invention.

1 is an exemplary view for explaining a connection state of a touch sensor and a controller pin in a conventional capacitive touch screen.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a variable sensor setting device of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an exemplary view showing the configuration of a variable sensor setting device of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are exemplary views illustrating a connection state of a switch unit according to an approach distance of a target object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

         ※ Description of the main parts of the drawings ※

20: variable sensor setting device 21: switch control unit

22: sensor portion 23: memory portion

24: switch unit 25: controller

Claims (8)

In the capacitive touch screen having two transparent conductive layers configured to calculate the 3D coordinates of the target object, Measuring a vertical distance from a surface of the touch screen to the object; And And adjusting the connection of the plurality of touch sensors included in the touch screen by using the measured vertical distance. The method of claim 1, Adjusting the connection of the plurality of touch sensors included in the touch screen by using the measured vertical distance, The method of setting a variable sensor of a touch screen as the measured vertical distance decreases, the number of controller pins to which the plurality of touch sensors are connected increases. The method of claim 2, And a plurality of touch sensors are connected to one controller pin when the target object is detected outside the predetermined threshold area from the surface of the touch screen. The method of claim 2, And when the target object contacts the touch screen, the plurality of touch sensors are connected to the controller pins in a one-to-one correspondence. In the capacitive touch screen having two transparent conductive layers configured to calculate the 3D coordinates of the target object, A sensor unit having a plurality of touch sensors and measuring a vertical distance from the touch screen surface to the target object; A switch unit for adjusting a connection between the touch sensor and a controller pin in response to the vertical distance measured by the sensor unit; A memory unit configured to store a connection state between the touch sensor and the controller pin corresponding to a vertical distance from the target object; And And a switch controller for controlling the switch unit to receive a vertical distance from the sensor unit to the target object to configure a connection state stored in the memory unit. The method of claim 5, And the switch controller controls the switch unit to increase the number of controller pins to which the plurality of touch sensors are connected when the measured vertical distance of the target object decreases. The method of claim 6, The switch controller controls the switch unit so that the plurality of touch sensors are connected to one controller pin when the target object is detected outside the predetermined threshold area from the surface of the touch screen. Sensor setting device. The method of claim 6, And the switch controller controls the switch unit such that the plurality of touch sensors are connected to the controller pins in a one-to-one correspondence when the target object contacts the touch screen.

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