TW201913335A - Touch system, electronic device and touch detecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch system includes: a plurality of sensors configured for transmitting ultrasonic signals and receiving reflected ultrasonic signals; a multiplex switch configured for selectively connecting to one of the plurality of sensors; a signal transmission control circuit connected to the multiplex switch and configured for driving the sensors to transmit ultrasonic signals; a signal receiving control circuit connected to the multiplex switch and make the sensors to receive ultrasonic signals; and a digital controller electrically connected to the signal transmission control circuit, the signal receiving control circuit, and the multiplexer, respectively. An electronic device using the above-described touch system and a touch detecting method of the touch system are also provided.

Description

Touch system, electronic device and touch judgment method

The present invention relates to a touch system, an electronic device using the touch system, and a method for performing touch determination by the touch system.

Mechanical buttons are usually provided on electronic products. However, the use of mechanical buttons requires a greater pressure to trigger the button when pressed, resulting in a shorter mechanical button life; and a mechanical button can only correspond to one function. Therefore, the setting of mechanical buttons is very easy to affect the user's experience.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a touch system that effectively solves the above problems and implements a button function.

A touch system includes: a plurality of sensors, each of the sensors for transmitting an ultrasonic signal and receiving the reflected ultrasonic signal; and a multi-way switch respectively connected to the plurality of sensors Selectively connecting one of the plurality of sensors; a signal transmission control circuit coupled to the multiplexer for driving the sensor to transmit an ultrasonic signal; a signal receiving control circuit, wherein a multiplexer connection for causing the sensor to receive the ultrasonic signal; and a digital controller electrically coupled to the signal transmission control circuit, the signal reception control circuit, and the multiplexer, the digit A controller is configured to control the multiplexer to selectively communicate with one of the plurality of sensors.

An electronic device applying the above touch system.

A method for applying touch control by using the above touch system includes the following steps: a multi-way switch is connected to the first sensor; a signal transmission control circuit and a signal receiving control circuit are connected to the first sensing via a multi-way switch The first sensor transmits the ultrasonic signal and receives the reflected ultrasonic signal; the digital controller receives the reflected ultrasonic signal transmitted back through the multiplexer and the signal receiving control circuit; the digital controller determines the Whether a sensor is touched, if touched, recording the two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the first sensor and controlling the multiplexer to connect the second sensor; if not touched, the digital controller Controlling the multiplexer to connect the second sensor; referring to the above steps, the multiplexer sequentially connects the third sensor, the fourth sensor, ... to the nth sensor, and the digital controller sequentially records The two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the touched sensor; and the two-dimensional coordinate information and the two-dimensional coordinate information of the obtained touched plurality of sensors are obtained by the digital controller The sequence is transmitted to the main controller, and the main controller judges the corresponding function according to the obtained information and controls the execution of the corresponding function. In this way, the touch system can implement a plurality of different functions by using rich touch gestures, and only needs to be touched when touched, and does not need to be pressed with a large pressing force.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a touch system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of sensors 10 , a multiplexer 20 connected to the plurality of sensors 10 , and a multiplexer 20 connected thereto. The signal transmission control circuit 30 and the signal reception control circuit 40, and a digital controller 50 connected to the signal transmission control circuit 30 and the signal reception control circuit 40.

The touch system 100 further includes a substrate 70 having an exposed touch surface 71 (as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). In use, the touch surface 71 is a surface for performing a touch operation on an object such as a finger. The plurality of sensors 10 may be disposed on a side of the substrate 70 away from the touch surface 71.

In this embodiment, each sensor 10 is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal and receive the reflected ultrasonic signal. The plurality of sensors 10 are spaced apart, and the number is at least two. When the substrate 70 has a touch object, such as a finger, corresponding to the position of a certain sensor 10, part of the ultrasonic signal sent by the sensor 10 is absorbed by the touch object, causing the received ultrasonic signal to change, such as the sensor 10 When the transmitted ultrasonic signal is a periodic sine wave, a square wave or a triangular wave, the amplitude of the received ultrasonic signal reflected by the finger will decrease. Thus, based on the change of the received ultrasonic signal, the presence or absence of a touch is detected.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the plurality of sensors 10 are arranged in a matrix. Each of the sensors 10 is set to have a corresponding two-dimensional coordinate information (x, y), and the two-dimensional coordinate information of each of the sensors 10 is different.

The multiplexer 20 is configured to selectively communicate one of the plurality of sensors 10, that is, only one sensor 10 operates at any one time to cause the sensor 10 to transmit the signal The control circuit 30 and the signal receiving control circuit 40 are respectively connected. The signal transmission control circuit 30 is used to drive the sensor 10 to transmit an ultrasonic signal. The signal receiving control circuit 40 is configured to drive the sensor 10 to receive the ultrasonic signal and transmit the received ultrasonic signal to the digital controller 50.

The digital controller 50 is electrically connected to the signal transmission control circuit 30 and the signal reception control circuit 40. The digital controller 50 is also directly electrically connected to the multiplexer 20 to control the multiplexer 20 to selectively communicate with one of the plurality of sensors 10.

When the multiplexer 20 is connected to a sensor 10, the signal transmission control circuit 30 and the signal reception control circuit 40 communicate with the one sensor 10 via the multiplexer 20, thereby enabling the connected sensor. 10 can send an ultrasonic signal and receive the reflected ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal received by the sensor 10 reaches the digital controller 50 via the multiplexer 20 and the signal receiving control circuit 40. The digital controller 50 determines whether the sensor 10 is touched. When it is determined that the corresponding sensor 10 is touched, the digital controller 50 records the two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the sensor 10.

The digital controller 50 is also electrically connected to a main controller 60. The digital controller 50 transmits the obtained two-dimensional coordinate information of the touched plurality of sensors 10 and the order of occurrence of the two-dimensional coordinate information to the main controller 60, and the main controller 60 acquires The obtained information determines the corresponding function and controls the electronic device applying the touch system 100 to perform the corresponding function.

The finger makes a touch on the touch surface 71 of the substrate 70, and the touch gesture will sequentially touch a certain number (two or more) of the sensors 10 according to a specific order; different touch gestures correspond to the plurality of touched sensors The order of the two-dimensional coordinate information and the two-dimensional coordinate information of 10 is different. It can be understood that the touch gesture can also touch only one sensor 10. Each touch gesture can correspond to different functions.

It can be understood that the main controller 60 can be configured with a memory (not shown) for storing two-dimensional coordinate information and two-dimensional coordinate information of the plurality of sensors 10 corresponding to a certain number of different touch gestures. a sequence of occurrences; the main controller 60 may further be provided with a lookup data table (not shown), wherein the lookup data table has a one-to-one correspondence between the certain number of touch gesture information and corresponding functions; The control gesture information includes the two-dimensional coordinate information of the plurality of sensors 10 and the order in which the two-dimensional coordinate information appears. When the main controller 60 receives the touch gesture information from the digital controller 50, that is, the two-dimensional coordinate information of the plurality of sensors 10 and the sequence information of the two-dimensional coordinate information, the main controller 60 first acquires The touch gesture information is compared with the touch gesture information stored in the memory, and if there is a consistent comparison, the corresponding function is found according to the lookup data table, and the electronic device applying the touch system 100 is controlled to implement the corresponding Features. If the main controller 60 obtains the touch gesture information and compares the touch gesture information stored in the memory, and finds that the inconsistency is not performed, the function is not executed. In this way, the touch system 100 can implement a plurality of different functions by using rich touch gestures, and can trigger corresponding functions by only touching, without pressing with a large pressing force.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in an embodiment, the plurality of sensors 10 are disposed on a side of the substrate 70 away from the touch surface 71. Each of the sensors 10 includes a signal transmitting unit 11 and a signal receiving unit 13 which are sequentially stacked on one side of the substrate 70. The signal transmitting unit 11 and the signal receiving unit 13 of each of the sensors 10 are respectively connected to the multiplexer 20.

The signal transmitting unit 11 is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the signal transmitting units 11 includes a first electrode layer 111, a first piezoelectric material layer 113, and a second electrode layer 115 which are sequentially stacked, wherein the first electrode layer 111 is relatively closer to the substrate 70. The first electrode layer 111 and the second electrode layer 115 are used to form a voltage difference to vibrate the first piezoelectric material layer 113 to generate an ultrasonic signal.

Each of the signal receiving units 13 is for receiving an ultrasonic signal. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the signal receiving units 13 includes a second piezoelectric material layer 131 and a third electrode layer 133 which are stacked. In this embodiment, the second piezoelectric material layer 131 is relatively closer to the signal transmitting unit 11. The second piezoelectric material layer 131 receives the ultrasonic signal reflected from the side of the substrate 70 and vibrates to generate an induced charge on the third electrode layer 133. When there is a touch object, such as a finger, on the substrate 70, part of the ultrasonic signal is absorbed by the touch object, causing the received ultrasonic signal to be weakened, thereby causing the induced charge to change, so that according to the change, the presence or absence of the touch can be detected. .

As shown in FIG. 4, an adhesive 15 is further disposed between the signal transmitting unit 11 and the substrate 70 to couple the signal transmitting unit 11 with the substrate 70. In the embodiment, the adhesive 15 is disposed between the first electrode layer 111 and the substrate 70. In this embodiment, the substrate 70 is made of stainless steel. To ensure electrical insulation between the signal sending unit 11 and the substrate 70, an insulating material layer 17 may be disposed between the signal sending unit 11 and the substrate 70. . The insulating material layer 17 may be various insulating materials conventionally used in the art, such as polytetrafluoroethylene. In this embodiment, the insulating material layer 17 is disposed between the signal transmitting unit 11 and the adhesive 15 . An adhesive 15 may also be disposed between the signal transmitting unit 11 and the signal receiving unit 13 to integrate the two.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, in another embodiment, the plurality of sensors 10 are disposed on one side of a substrate 70. The signal transmitting units 11 of the plurality of sensors 10 are shared, that is, one side of the substrate 70 is provided with a signal transmitting unit 11 and a plurality of signal receiving units 13 arranged at intervals. The signal transmitting unit 11 and the signal receiving unit 13 of each of the sensors 10 are respectively connected to the multiplexer 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the signal transmitting unit 11 includes a first electrode layer 111, a first piezoelectric material layer 113, and a second electrode layer 115 which are sequentially stacked on one side of the substrate 70; wherein the first electrode layer 111 is opposite Closer to the substrate 70. The first electrode layer 111 and the second electrode layer 115 are used to form a voltage difference to vibrate the first piezoelectric material layer 113 to generate an ultrasonic signal. The plurality of signal receiving units 13 are disposed on a side of the second electrode layer 115 away from the first electrode layer 111. Each of the signal receiving units 13 includes a second piezoelectric material layer 131 and a third electrode layer 133 which are disposed in a stacked manner. In this embodiment, the second piezoelectric material layer 131 is relatively closer to the signal transmitting unit 11. The second piezoelectric material layer 131 receives the ultrasonic signal reflected from the side of the substrate 70 and vibrates to generate an induced charge on the third electrode layer 133. When there is a touch object, such as a finger, on the substrate 70, part of the ultrasonic signal is absorbed by the touch object, causing the received ultrasonic signal to be weakened, thereby causing the induced charge to change, so that according to the change, the presence or absence of the touch can be detected. .

It can be understood that, as shown in FIG. 5, an adhesive 15 is further disposed between the signal transmitting unit 11 and the substrate 70 to integrate the two. In the embodiment, the adhesive 15 is disposed between the first electrode layer 111 and the substrate 70. In this embodiment, the substrate 70 is made of stainless steel. To ensure electrical insulation between the signal sending unit 11 and the substrate 70, an insulating material layer 17 may be disposed between the signal sending unit 11 and the substrate 70. . The insulating material layer 17 may be various insulating materials conventionally used in the art, such as polytetrafluoroethylene. In this embodiment, the insulating material layer 17 is disposed between the signal transmitting unit 11 and the adhesive 15 . The signal transmitting unit 11 and the signal receiving unit 13 may also be provided with an adhesive 15 to integrate the two.

It is to be understood that the sensor 10 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be various configurations of other modifications as long as the ultrasonic signal can be transmitted and the reflected ultrasonic signal can be received.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a method for performing touch determination by using the touch control system 100 includes the following steps: The multiplexer 20 is connected to the first sensor 10; the signal transmission control circuit 30 and the signal receiving control circuit 40 are connected. The switch 20 communicates with the first sensor 10, the first sensor 10 transmits an ultrasonic signal and receives the reflected ultrasonic signal; the digital controller 50 receives the multiplex switch 20 and the signal receiving control circuit 40. The reflected ultrasonic signal transmitted back; the digital controller 50 determines whether the first sensor 10 is touched according to the received signal, and if touched, the digital controller 50 records the first sensor 10 Corresponding two-dimensional coordinate information and controlling the multiplexer 20 to connect to the second sensor 10; if not touched, the digital controller 50 controls the multiplexer 20 to connect to the second sensor 10; The switch 20 sequentially connects the third sensor 10, the fourth sensor 10, ... the nth sensor 10, and the digital controller 50 sequentially records the two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the touched sensor 10. And the number The bit controller 50 transmits the obtained two-dimensional coordinate information of the touched plurality of sensors 10 and the order in which the two-dimensional coordinate information appears to the main controller 60, and the main controller 60 obtains the obtained The information determines the corresponding function and controls the electronic device to which the touch system 100 is applied to perform the corresponding function.

Please refer to FIG. 7 , an electronic device 200 applying the touch system 100 . The substrate 70 of the touch system 100 can be an outer casing of the electronic device 200 having a bare surface. Other components of the touch system 100, such as the digital controller 50, the signal transmission control circuit 30, the signal receiving control circuit 40, the multiplexer 20, and the sensor 10, etc., can be housed inside the electronic device 200. In this embodiment, the electronic device 200 is a mobile phone. It can be understood that the electronic device is not limited to a mobile phone, and may be various devices commonly used in the art such as a headset, a Bluetooth headset, a notebook, a keyboard, and the like.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting, and the above, the left, the right and the right directions appearing in the drawings are only for convenience of understanding, although the present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, A person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or equivalently substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ touch system

10‧‧‧ Sensors

20‧‧‧Multiple switch

30‧‧‧Signal transmission control circuit

40‧‧‧Signal receiving control circuit

50‧‧‧Digital Controller

60‧‧‧Master controller

70‧‧‧Substrate

71‧‧‧ touch surface

11‧‧‧Signal sending unit

13‧‧‧Signal receiving unit

111‧‧‧First electrode layer

113‧‧‧First piezoelectric material layer

115‧‧‧Second electrode layer

131‧‧‧Second piezoelectric material layer

133‧‧‧ third electrode layer

15‧‧‧Adhesive

17‧‧‧Insulation layer

200‧‧‧Electronic devices

1 is a schematic diagram of a module of a touch system of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a sensor of the first embodiment of the touch system of FIG. 1.

3 is a schematic diagram of a sensor of the second embodiment of the touch system of FIG. 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of Figure 3.

6 is a flow chart of a touch determination method of the touch system of the present invention.

7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device to which a touch system is applied.

Claims (10)

A touch system includes: a plurality of sensors, each of the sensors for transmitting an ultrasonic signal and receiving the reflected ultrasonic signal; and a multi-way switch respectively connected to the plurality of sensors Selectively connecting one of the plurality of sensors; a signal transmission control circuit coupled to the multiplexer for driving the sensor to transmit an ultrasonic signal; a signal receiving control circuit, wherein a multiplexer connection for causing the sensor to receive the ultrasonic signal; and a digital controller electrically coupled to the signal transmission control circuit, the signal reception control circuit, and the multiplexer, the digit A controller is configured to control the multiplexer to selectively communicate with one of the plurality of sensors. The touch system of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of sensors are arranged in a matrix. The touch system of claim 1, wherein: each sensor is set to have a corresponding two-dimensional coordinate information (x, y), and the two-dimensional coordinate information of each sensor is different. . The touch control system of claim 3, wherein: the signal receiving control circuit is further configured to transmit the reflected ultrasonic signal of the sensor to the digital controller. The touch system of claim 4, wherein: the digital controller determines whether the sensor is touched according to a reflected ultrasonic signal from the sensor, and if touched, the digital controller records The two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the sensor. The touch system of claim 5, wherein: the digital controller is further electrically connected to a main controller, and the digital controller obtains two-dimensional coordinate information of the obtained touched plurality of sensors and The order in which the two-dimensional coordinate information appears is transmitted to the main controller, and the main controller judges the corresponding function according to the obtained information and controls the execution of the corresponding function. The touch system of claim 1, wherein: each of the sensors comprises a signal transmitting unit and a signal receiving unit that are arranged in a stack; the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and each of the signal receiving units is configured to receive An ultrasonic signal, the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit of each of the sensors are respectively connected to the multiplexer. The touch system of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of sensors comprise a common signal transmitting unit, the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal; each of the sensors includes the signal The transmitting unit is configured to be stacked in a signal receiving unit; the signal transmitting unit and the signal receiving unit of each of the sensors are respectively connected to the multiplexer. An electronic device of the touch system of any one of claims 1-8. A method for performing touch determination by using the touch system according to any one of claims 1-8, comprising the steps of: connecting a first sensor to a multi-way switch; and transmitting a signal control circuit and a signal receiving control circuit a switch connects the first sensor, the first sensor transmits an ultrasonic signal and receives the reflected ultrasonic signal; and the digital controller receives the reflected super transmitted back through the multiplex switch and the signal receiving control circuit a sound wave signal; the digital controller determines whether the first sensor is touched, if touched, records two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the first sensor and controls the multiplex switch to connect the second sensor If not touched, the digital controller controls the multiplexer to connect the second sensor; referring to the above steps, the multiplexer sequentially connects the third sensor, the fourth sensor, ... to the nth sense And the digital controller sequentially records the two-dimensional coordinate information corresponding to the touched sensor; and the digital controller acquires the obtained two-dimensional coordinate information of the plurality of touched sensors The order of occurrence of the two-dimensional coordinate information is transmitted to the main controller, and the main controller judges the corresponding function according to the obtained information and controls the execution of the corresponding function.