Touch processing device for detecting liquid level of touch panel half immersed in conductive liquid
By designing the drive and sensing circuit modules in the touch control system to detect the liquid surface line, the problem of failure of the touch control system when used near the water surface in the prior art is solved, and normal operation is achieved in the case of semi-immersion conductive liquid and improve user experience.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202011097807.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2019-12-31
- Filing Date
- 2020-10-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-18
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-10-14
AI Technical Summary
When the existing touch system is used near the water surface, the touch screen or panel loses its function due to being covered by water or conductive liquid, resulting in only waterproof buttons left in the input device, affecting the user experience.
Design a touch processing device, including a driving circuit module, a sensing circuit module and a processor module, and detects which electrodes are covered by conductive liquid by driving multiple parallel first and second electrodes. , and then determine the liquid level line.
It realizes detection of liquid surface lines in an environment near the water surface, ensuring that the touch system can still work normally when semi-immersed in conductive liquid, improving the user experience.
Smart Images

Figure CN113126802B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a touch control system, and in particular to a touch control system capable of reporting touch events while being half immersed in a conductive liquid. Background Art
[0002] Touch screens or panels are one of the common input / output interfaces of modern electronic systems. Modern electronic systems increasingly emphasize drip-proof, waterproof, and dust-proof functions. When modern electronic systems equipped with touch screens or panels are used near the water surface, especially in highly conductive seawater, although the electronic system will not be permanently damaged, the touch screen or panel will usually lose its function due to being covered by a large area of water or conductive liquid. This leaves only waterproof buttons as the input device of the electronic system, which in turn damages the user experience.
[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need in the market for an electronic system that can be used in an environment near the water surface, which can detect the approximate position of the water surface on the touch screen or panel, and then provide different touch input experiences on the water surface and under the water surface, so that the electronic system can have different outputs according to different touch inputs. Summary of the invention
[0004] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing device for detecting a liquid level line of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid, comprising: a driving circuit module; a sensing circuit module; a connection network module for connecting the driving circuit module with at least one of a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel, and connecting the sensing circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel; and a processor module for connecting to the driving circuit module, the sensing circuit module and the connection network module, and for executing instructions to implement the following steps: causing the driving circuit module to drive at least one of the first electrodes to drive the sensing circuit module ... The electrode and the sensing circuit module sense the plurality of first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; the driving circuit module drives at least one of the second electrodes and the sensing circuit module senses the plurality of second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered second electrodes; and when part of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered first electrodes and the uncovered second electrodes.
[0005] In one embodiment, in order to detect whether the touch panel is completely immersed in or out of the conductive liquid, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and when none of the first electrodes and the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not completely covered by the conductive liquid.
[0006] In one embodiment, in order to increase the accuracy of detecting the liquid level position, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: allowing the driving circuit module to drive different first electrodes multiple times and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; and allowing the driving circuit module to drive different second electrodes multiple times and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense multiple second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
[0007] In one embodiment, in order to reduce the number of detections and speed up detection, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: when the sensing circuit module has sensed the multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode and has detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another first electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining first electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped; and when the sensing circuit module has sensed the multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode and has detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another second electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining second electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped.
[0008] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: the first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and the first electrode closest to the middle of all the parallel first electrodes.
[0009] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the sides among all the parallel first electrodes.
[0010] In one embodiment, in order to determine whether the electrode is covered by a conductive liquid, when the multiple sensing values of the multiple first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the multiple sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrode corresponding to the multiple sensing values is covered by a conductive liquid.
[0011] In one embodiment, in order to find the liquid level more accurately, the processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and adjusting the liquid level according to the posture.
[0012] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing method for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half-immersed in a conductive liquid, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes, and the touch processing method comprises: driving at least one of the first electrodes and sensing the plurality of the first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; driving at least one of the second electrodes and sensing the plurality of the second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, determining the liquid level according to the uncovered second electrodes; and when part of the first electrode is covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, determining the liquid level according to the uncovered first electrode and the uncovered second electrode.
[0013] In one embodiment, in order to detect whether the touch panel is completely immersed in or out of the conductive liquid, it further includes: when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and when none of the first electrodes and the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not completely covered by the conductive liquid.
[0014] In one embodiment, in order to increase the accuracy of detecting the position of the liquid level line, at least one of the following steps is further included: driving different first electrodes multiple times and sensing multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; and driving different second electrodes multiple times and sensing multiple second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
[0015] In one embodiment, in order to reduce the number of detections and speed up the detection, at least one of the following steps is further included: after sensing the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode, when it is detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another of the first electrodes is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining first electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped; and after sensing the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode, when it is detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another of the second electrodes is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining second electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped.
[0016] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: the first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and the first electrode closest to the middle of all the parallel first electrodes.
[0017] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the sides among all the parallel first electrodes.
[0018] In one embodiment, in order to determine whether the electrode is covered by a conductive liquid, when the multiple sensing values of the multiple first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the multiple sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrode corresponding to the multiple sensing values is covered by a conductive liquid.
[0019] In one embodiment, in order to more accurately find the liquid level line, the method further includes: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and adjusting the liquid level line according to the posture.
[0020] According to an object of the present invention, a touch system for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising the touch panel and the touch processing device as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a touch control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Figure 3 and Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a touch control system half immersed in a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0024] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a touch control system half immersed in a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0025] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes included in a touch control system according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0026] Figure 7 Based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of one-dimensional sensing information obtained in an embodiment.
[0027] Figure 8 Based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of one-dimensional sensing information obtained in an embodiment.
[0028] Fig. 9 Based on Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the touch electrode obtained in the embodiment without being immersed in the liquid surface.
[0029] Fig. 10A and 10B FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of mutual capacitance sensing of parallel electrodes according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0030] Fig.11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sensing image 1100 obtained by a sensing method of mutually perpendicular electrodes according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] Fig.12 The figure is a flow chart of a method for processing a portion of an electronic device entering into and leaving a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Fig.13 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a touch control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] Fig.14 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a touch control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] Fig.15 The figure is a flow chart of a method for processing a portion of an electronic device entering into and leaving a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Fig.16 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a liquid level detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] Fig.17 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a liquid level detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] Fig.18 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] Fig.19A and 19B FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0039] Fig. 20 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0040]
Main component symbol description
[0041] 100: touch control system 110, 110A, 110B: touch control processing device
[0042] 111: Network connection module 112: Driving circuit module
[0043] 113: Sensing circuit module 114: Processor module
[0044] 115: interface module 120, 120A, 120B: touch panel or screen
[0045] 121, 121A, 121I, 121M, 121N, 121Z: first electrode
[0046] 122, 122A, 122Z: second electrode 130: stylus
[0047] 135: Touchpad wipe 140: Host
[0048] 141: Input / output interface module 142: CPU module
[0049] 143: Graphics processor module 144: Memory module
[0050] 145: Network interface module 146: Memory module
[0051] 310: Liquid level 500: Touch system
[0052] 710: quadratic curve 720: straight line
[0053] 810: quadratic curve 820: straight line
[0054] 910: Connection 915: Junction
[0055] 920A, 920B: Boundary points 930A, 930B: Boundary points
[0056] 1010: quadratic curve 1020: quadratic curve
[0057] 1030: Straight line 1110: Straight line
[0058] 1120: Curve 1130: Proximity event
[0059] 1140: Proximity event 1200: Method
[0060] 1210-1265: Step 1300: Touch control system
[0061] 1500: Method 1515-1540: Steps
[0062] 1600: Method 1610~1680: Steps
[0063] 1700: Method 1710~1780: Steps
[0064] 1800: Method 1810~1850: Steps
[0065] 1900: Method 1910-1965: Steps
[0066] 2000: Methods DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0067] The present invention will describe some embodiments in detail as follows. However, in addition to the disclosed embodiments, the present invention can also be widely used in other embodiments. The scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments, but is subject to the scope of the subsequent patent application. In order to provide a clearer description and enable those familiar with the art to understand the content of the present invention, the various parts in the figure are not drawn according to their relative sizes, the ratio of certain sizes to other related scales will be highlighted and exaggerated, and irrelevant details are not fully drawn for the simplicity of the diagram. In addition, other steps unrelated to the present invention can be inserted into the various steps shown in the various flow charts of the present invention. Unless there is a causal dependency, the present invention does not limit the execution order of the various steps.
[0068] Please refer to Figure 1 , which is a block diagram of a touch control system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The touch control system 100 can be a common desktop, laptop, tablet personal computer, industrial control computer, smart phone or other computer system with touch function.
[0069] The touch control system 100 may include a touch control processing device 110, a touch panel or screen 120 connected to the touch control processing device, and a host 140 connected to the touch control processing device. The touch control system 100 may further include one or more styluses 130 and / or touchpad erasers 135. In the following application, the touch panel or screen 120 may be generally referred to as a touch screen 120, but if in an embodiment lacking a display function, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know that the touch screen referred to in the present application is a touch panel. The touch screen 120 includes a plurality of first electrodes 121 parallel to a first axis and a plurality of second electrodes 122 parallel to a second axis. The first electrode 121 may be interlaced with the plurality of second electrodes 122 to form a plurality of sensing points or sensing areas. Similarly, the second electrode 122 may be interlaced with the plurality of first electrodes 121 to form a plurality of sensing points or sensing areas. In some embodiments, the present application may refer to the first electrode 121 as a first touch electrode 121, and the second electrode 122 as a second touch electrode 122. The present application also collectively refers to the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 as touch electrodes. In some embodiments of the touch screen 120, the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 are made of transparent materials, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or carbon nanotubes. The first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 may be in the same electrode layer, and each of the multiple conductive sheets of the first electrode 121 or the second electrode 122 is connected by a bridge. The first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 may also be in different electrode layers stacked up and down. Unless otherwise specified, the present application can generally be applied to embodiments of a single layer or multiple electrode layers. The first axis and the second axis are usually perpendicular to each other, but the present application does not limit the first axis to be perpendicular to the second axis. In one embodiment, the first axis may be a horizontal axis or an update axis of the touch screen 120.
[0070] In short, the touch panel or screen 120 referred to in this application refers to a substrate forming a sensing layer, and its control device can use the sensing layer to detect the position of at least one conductive object close to or in contact with the substrate. The sensing layer can be a single layer or a multi-layer structure. The proximity referred to in this application is a general term for approaching or contacting. The proximity object is an external conductive object close to or in contact with the touch panel or screen.
[0071] The external conductive object referred to in this application can be a part of the human body, such as a finger or a palm. It can be an object in contact with the human body, such as a passive stylus. It can be an active stylus that sends a signal to allow the touch panel to detect the position. It can also be a grounded conductive object for testing, such as a copper cylinder. A proximity event is an event in which an external conductive object approaches or contacts the touch panel or screen, and the touch panel or screen detects the external conductive object. Information related to the event may include information such as the position, range, signal strength, contact or proximity on the touch panel or screen.
[0072] The touch processing device 110 may include the following hardware circuit modules: an interconnection network module 111, a driving circuit module 112, a sensing circuit module 113, a processor module 114 and an interface module 115. The touch processing device 110 may be implemented in a single integrated circuit, which may include one or more chips. The touch processing device 110 may also be implemented using multiple integrated circuits and an interconnected circuit board carrying the multiple integrated circuits. The touch processing device 110 may also be implemented in the same integrated circuit as the above-mentioned host 140, or in the same chip as the above-mentioned host 140. In other words, the present application does not limit the implementation method of the touch processing device 110.
[0073] The connection network module 111 is used to respectively connect the plurality of first electrodes 121 and / or the plurality of second electrodes 122 of the touch screen 120. The connection network module 111 can receive control commands from the processor module 114, and is used to connect the driving circuit module 112 with any one or more touch electrodes, and is also used to connect the sensing circuit module 113 with any one or more touch electrodes. The connection network module 111 can include a combination of one or more multiplexers (MUX) to implement the above functions.
[0074] The driving circuit module 112 may include components such as a clock generator, a frequency divider, a frequency multiplier, a phase-locked loop, a power amplifier, a DC-DC voltage converter, a rectifier and / or a filter, and is used to provide a driving signal to any one or more touch electrodes through the above-mentioned connection network module 111 according to the control command of the processor module 114. Various analog signals or digital signals can be modulated for the above-mentioned driving signal to transmit certain information. The above-mentioned modulation methods include but are not limited to frequency modulation (FM), phase modulation, amplitude modulation (AM), double sideband modulation (DSB), single sideband modulation (SSB-AM), vestigial sideband modulation (Vestigial Sideband Modulation), amplitude shift modulation (ASK), phase shift modulation (PSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), frequency shift modulation (FSK), continuous phase modulation (CPM), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), pulse width modulation (PWM) and other technologies. The driving signal may include one or more square waves, sine waves or any modulated waveforms. The driving circuit module 112 may include one or more channels, and each channel may be connected to any one or more touch electrodes through the connection network module 111 .
[0075] The sensing circuit module 113 may include components such as an integrator, a sampler, a clock generator, a frequency divider, a frequency multiplier, a phase-locked loop, a power amplifier, a multiplier, a DC-DC voltage converter, a rectifier and / or a filter, and is used to sense any one or more touch electrodes through the above-mentioned connection network module 111 according to the control command of the processor module 114. When the touch signal is sent through the above-mentioned one touch electrode, the other touch electrode can sense the touch signal. The sensing circuit module 113 can cooperate with the modulation method performed by the above-mentioned driving circuit module 112 to perform corresponding demodulation on the driving signal sensed by the other touch electrode, so as to restore the information carried by the driving signal. The sensing circuit module 113 may include one or more channels, each of which can be connected to any one or more touch electrodes through the connection network module 111. At the same time, each channel can perform sensing and demodulation at the same time.
[0076] In one embodiment, the driving circuit module 112 and the sensing circuit module 113 may include an analog front-end (AFE) circuit. In another embodiment, in addition to the analog front-end circuit, the driving circuit module 112 and the sensing circuit module 113 may include a digital back-end (DBE) circuit. When the driving circuit module 112 and the sensing circuit module 113 only include the analog front-end circuit, the digital back-end circuit may be implemented in the processor module 114.
[0077] The processor module 114 may include a digital signal processor, which is used to connect the analog front-end circuits of the driving circuit module 112 and the sensing circuit module 113, and may also connect the digital back-end circuits of the driving circuit module 112 and the sensing circuit module 113. The processor module 114 may include an embedded processor, a non-volatile memory, and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may store a common operating system or a real-time operating system, and an application program executed under the operating system. The aforementioned operating system and application program include a plurality of instructions and data, which can be used to control other modules of the touch processing device 110, including the network connection module 111, the driving circuit module 112, the sensing circuit module 113, and the interface module 115, after the processor (including the embedded processor and / or the digital signal processor) executes these instructions. For example, the processor module 114 may include the 8051 series processor commonly used in the industry, the i960 series processor of Intel, the Cortex-M series processor of ARM, etc. The present application does not limit the type and number of processors included in the processor module 114 .
[0078] The above-mentioned multiple instructions and data can be used to implement the various steps mentioned in this application, as well as the processes and methods composed of these steps. Some instructions can operate independently within the processor module 114, such as arithmetic and logic operations. Other instructions can be used to control other modules of the touch processing device 110, and these instructions can include the input and output interfaces of the processor module 114 to control other modules. Other modules can also provide information to the operating system and / or application executed by the processor module 114 through the input and output interfaces of the processor module 114. Ordinary technicians in this field should have general knowledge of computer structure and architecture, and can understand that the processes and methods mentioned in this application can be implemented by means of the above-mentioned modules and instructions.
[0079] The interface module 115 may include various serial or parallel buses, such as a universal serial bus (USB), an integrated circuit bus (IC bus), or a serial bus. 2 C), PCI, PCI-Express, IEEE 1394 and other industrial standard input / output interfaces. The touch processing device 110 is connected to the host 140 via an interface module 115 .
[0080] The driving electrode referred to in this application is a touch electrode connected to the driving circuit module 112. The sensing electrode referred to in this application is a touch electrode connected to the sensing circuit module 113. The touch electrode can be the first electrode 121 or the second electrode 122.
[0081] The one-dimensional sensing information referred to in this application may be a plurality of sensing information corresponding to the first axis or the second axis. It may refer to a set of signal values of m sensing points corresponding to m driving electrodes of a single sensing electrode, or it may refer to a set of signal values of n sensing points corresponding to n sensing electrodes of a single driving electrode. In other words, the one-dimensional sensing information may include signal values of m sensing points, or may include signal values of n sensing points. The one-dimensional sensing information may also include single differences and double differences of m / n sensing points.
[0082] The two-dimensional sensing information referred to in this application may be sensing information formed by combining a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information, or called an image, and is usually combined according to the positions of sensing electrodes corresponding to the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information.
[0083] The signal value may be a signal directly detected by the sensing electrode, or a signal value restored from a single difference value and a reference value. Although the two are different, they may be used interchangeably in some embodiments.
[0084] A single difference (or difference) may be a difference between signal values of adjacent sensing points. A double difference may be a difference between two adjacent difference values. The sensing circuit module 113 may be designed to output a signal value, a single difference or a double difference to the processor module 114.
[0085] The line piece (LPC) referred to in this application may be the entirety or a continuous portion of one-dimensional sensing information. A line piece group (LPG) may be a plurality of line segments corresponding to adjacent one-dimensional sensing information, and at least one sensing point is adjacent between two adjacent line segments.
[0086] Ghost points may be points or areas where unwanted capacitive sensing occurs.
[0087] The touch control system 100 may include one or more styluses 130 and / or touchpad erasers 135. The stylus 130 or touchpad eraser 135 may be a transmitter that emits an electrical signal, and may include an active transmitter that actively emits an electrical signal, or a passive transmitter that passively emits an electrical signal, or a reactive transmitter that emits an electrical signal in response to an external electrical signal. The stylus 130 or touchpad eraser 135 may include one or more electrodes for synchronously or asynchronously receiving an electrical signal from the touch screen 120, or for synchronously or asynchronously transmitting an electrical signal to the touch screen 120. These electrical signals may be modulated in one or more of the above-described ways.
[0088] The stylus pen 130 or the touchpad eraser 135 may be a conductor for conducting a driving signal or grounding through the user's hand or body. The stylus pen 130 or the touchpad eraser 135 may be connected to the input / output interface module 141 of the host 140 or other modules under the input / output interface module 141 in a wired or wireless manner.
[0089] The touch processing device 110 can detect one or more external conductive objects, such as human fingers, palms, or passive stylus 130 or touchpad eraser 135, through the touch screen 120, and can also detect the stylus 130 or touchpad eraser 135 that emits electrical signals. The touch processing device 110 can use mutual-capacitance or self-capacitance to detect external conductive objects. The above-mentioned stylus 130 or touchpad eraser 135 and the touch processing device 110 can use the above-mentioned signal modulation and corresponding signal demodulation methods to use electrical signals to transmit information. The touch processing device 110 can use electrical signals to detect one or more proximity positions of the stylus 130 or the touchpad eraser 135 approaching or contacting the touch screen 120, the sensor status (such as a pressure sensor or button) on the stylus 130 or the touchpad eraser 135, the direction of the stylus 130 or the touchpad eraser 135, or the tilt angle of the stylus 130 or the touchpad eraser 135 relative to the plane of the touch screen 120.
[0090] The host 140 is the main device for controlling the touch control system 110, and may include an input / output interface module 141 connected to the interface module 115, a central processing unit module 142, a graphics processing unit module 143, a memory module 144 connected to the central processing unit module 142, a network interface module 145 connected to the input / output interface module 141, and a storage module 146.
[0091] The memory module 146 includes a non-volatile memory, common examples of which are a hard disk, an electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The memory module 146 can store a common operating system and application programs executed under the operating system. The network interface module 145 can include a hardware network connection interface for wired connection and / or wireless connection. The network interface module 145 can comply with common industrial standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network standard, the IEEE 802.3 wired local area network standard, 3G, 4G, and / or 5G wireless communication network standards, Bluetooth wireless communication network standards, etc.
[0092] The central processing unit module 142 can be directly or indirectly connected to the above-mentioned input / output interface module 141, graphics processor module 143, memory module 144, network interface module 145 and storage module 146. The central processing unit module 142 can include one or more processors or processor cores. Common processors can include processors of x86 and x64 instruction sets of Intel, AMD, and VIA, or processors of ARM instruction sets of Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek, and can also include other forms of complex computer instruction sets (CISC) or reduced computer instruction sets (RISC) processors. The aforementioned operating system and application programs include multiple instructions and data corresponding to the above-mentioned instruction sets, which can be used to control other modules of the touch control system 100 after being executed by the central processing unit module 142.
[0093] The optional graphics processor module 143 is generally used to process the calculation part related to the graphics output. The graphics processor module 143 can be connected to the above-mentioned touch screen 120 to control the output of the touch screen 120. In some applications, the host 140 may not need the special processing of the graphics processor module 143, and can directly let the central processing unit module 142 perform the calculation part related to the graphics output.
[0094] The host 140 may also include other Figure 1 Components or parts not shown, such as sound input / output interface, keyboard input interface, mouse input interface, trackball input interface and / or other hardware modules. A person skilled in the art should have general knowledge of computer structure and architecture, and can understand that the touch control system 100 mentioned in this application is only a schematic description, and the rest of the parts related to the technical features of the invention provided in this application need to refer to the specification and the scope of the patent application.
[0095] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present application. For the sake of convenience, the touch screen 120 only includes three first electrodes 121, namely first electrodes 121A, 121B, and 121C. The touch screen 120 includes a plurality of second electrodes 122A-122H.
[0096] In the traditional vertical mutual capacitance detection method, the driving circuit module 112 provides a driving signal to one of the three first electrodes 121 in a time-sharing manner. When providing the driving signal, the sensing circuit module 113 simultaneously senses all the second electrodes 122 three times to obtain three sets of one-dimensional sensing information. Each set of one-dimensional sensing information contains the sensing results for each second electrode 122. These three sets of one-dimensional sensing information can be formed into two-dimensional sensing information or sensing images according to the order of the first electrodes 121 that send the driving signals. Using the two-dimensional sensing information or sensing images, the processor module 114 can detect whether an external conductive object is close to the touch screen 120.
[0097] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a touch system 100 half immersed in a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present application. Although common electronic devices only have a single touch screen 120, the embodiments to which the present application is applicable may cover a touch system 100 having multiple touch panels or screens 120. In other words, the present application is applicable to a touch system 100 in which any touch panel or screen 120 is half immersed in a conductive liquid. In addition, the touch panel or screen 120 referred to in the present application may be flat or may have a curvature. In addition to the traditional hard substrate, it may also be a flexible soft substrate. The above-mentioned conductive liquid may be water, sea water, salt water, or a liquid whose conductivity is greater than a certain threshold value.
[0098] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the touch system 100 is half immersed in the conductive liquid, and the surface separating the conductive liquid from other media is generally referred to as the liquid surface 310. The touch screen 120 can be half immersed in the conductive liquid vertically or at other angles, and at least part of the area of the touch screen 120 is located above the liquid surface 310.
[0099] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The difference is that Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the liquid level 310 is located at two opposite sides of the touch screen 120. Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the liquid level 310 is located at two adjacent sides of the touch screen 120. Figure 3In the embodiment of the present invention, at least one first electrode 121 or one second electrode 122 is completely below the liquid surface 310. Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present invention, no first electrode 121 or second electrode 122 is completely located below the liquid surface 310 .
[0100] One of the purposes of the present application is to use the touch screen 120 to detect the liquid level 310. Since the appearance of the touch system 100 is fixed, assuming that the touch system 100 includes instruments such as a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a gravimeter that can detect the posture, after detecting the liquid level 310, the central processing unit module 142 of the touch system 100 can use the liquid level 310 and the posture to determine which physical interfaces, antennas, or sensing systems included in the touch system 100 are located below or above the liquid level 310.
[0101] Please refer to Figure 5 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a touch control system 500 half immersed in a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present application. The touch control system 500 may include two touch screens 120A and 120B, which are respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the touch control system 500. The two touch screens 120A and 120B may have different sizes. Their positions on the opposite surfaces may also be different. In one embodiment, the touch control system 500 may also include a touch screen 120A and a touch panel 120B. After the touch control system 500 detects the positions of the liquid surface 310 relative to the touch screens 120A and 120B, the touch control system 500 may determine the posture of the touch control device 500 itself according to the positions where the touch screens 120A and 120B are set, and determine which physical interfaces, antennas or sensing systems in the touch control system 500 are located below or above the liquid surface 310.
[0102] The following describes how to use capacitive sensing to detect the liquid level of a touch panel or screen that is half immersed in a conductive liquid. Figure 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a plurality of first electrodes 121 and a plurality of second electrodes 122 included in a touch control system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0103] Please refer to Figure 7 As shown, it is based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of one-dimensional sensing information obtained in an embodiment. Figure 7The horizontal axis is the signal strength, and the vertical axis is the position of the first electrode 121. The touch processing device 110 uses the driving circuit module 112 to send a driving signal to the top first electrode 121A, and uses the sensing circuit module 113 to sense the remaining first electrodes. The one-dimensional sensing information obtained is a quadratic curve 710 above the liquid surface 310 and a straight line 720 below the liquid surface 310. The processor module 114 of the touch processing device 110 can determine that the range below the first electrode 121M is almost a straight line, so it is determined that the liquid surface 310 is between the first electrode 121M and the next first electrode 121N.
[0104] Can be obtained from Figure 7 As can be seen from the figure, the signal value between the first electrode 121N and the last first electrode 121Z cannot form a quadratic curve, and the absolute difference between the highest value and the lowest value is less than the threshold value. The processor module 114 can determine which first electrodes 121 are fully or partially immersed in the conductive liquid based on at least one of the above two characteristics. If it is determined that the first electrode 121N is closest to the first first electrode 121A that sends the driving signal, it can be known that the first electrode 121N is at least partially immersed below the liquid surface 310.
[0105] Please refer to Figure 8 As shown, it is based on Figure 6 A schematic diagram of one-dimensional sensing information obtained in an embodiment. Figure 8 The vertical axis is the signal strength, and the horizontal axis is the position of the second electrode 122. The touch processing device 110 uses the driving circuit module 112 to send a driving signal to the first second electrode 122A on the left, and uses the sensing circuit module 113 to sense the remaining second electrodes 122, and the obtained one-dimensional sensing information forms a straight line 820. If the touch screen 120 is in the air, the obtained one-dimensional sensing information should be a quadratic curve 810.
[0106] Can be obtained from Figure 8 It can be seen that the signal value between the first second electrode 122A and the last second electrode 122Z cannot form a quadratic curve, and the absolute difference between the highest value and the lowest value is less than another threshold value. The processor module 114 can determine which second electrodes 122 are fully or partially immersed in the conductive liquid based on at least one of the above two characteristics. Figure 8 In the embodiment of FIG. 8 , the processor module 114 can determine that each second electrode 122 is partially below the liquid surface 310 based on the straight line 820, or in other words, each second electrode 122 is in contact with the liquid surface 310. In other words, the processor module 114 can determine that the liquid surface 310 is in contact with two opposite sides of the second electrode 122 that are parallel to each other.
[0107] Furthermore, although Figure 8 In the embodiment, the second electrode 122A sends a driving signal, which is received by the remaining second electrodes 122. However, the last second electrode 122Z may send a driving signal, which is received by the remaining second electrodes 122. Assuming that the result of the second driving and receiving is also a straight line, rather than a quadratic curve 810 in the opposite direction, it can be confirmed again that each second electrode 122 is partially below the liquid surface 310, or in other words, each second electrode 122 is in contact with the liquid surface 310. In other words, the processor module 114 can determine that the liquid surface 310 is in contact with two opposite sides of the second electrode 122 that are parallel to each other.
[0108] exist Figures 6 to 8 In the embodiment of Figure 7 The one-dimensional sensing information sensed by the first electrode 121 can tell that the area of the touch screen corresponding to the first electrodes 121A-121M is not immersed in the conductive liquid. Figure 8 The one-dimensional sensing information sensed by the second electrode 122 can tell that part of the second electrodes 122A to 122Z are immersed in the conductive liquid. Therefore, after receiving the information informed by the touch processing device 110, the CPU module 142 of the touch control system 100 must also cooperate with the posture information obtained by other sensors to calculate the position of the liquid level 310 relative to the touch screen 120. Even if there is no posture information obtained by other sensors, the CPU module 142 can at least determine that the area of the touch screen corresponding to the first electrodes 121A to 121M is not immersed in the conductive liquid based on the information informed by the touch processing device 110. It is further assumed that the first electrode 121M is the upper limit of the liquid level 310.
[0109] Please refer to Fig. 9 As shown, it is based on Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a touch electrode obtained in the embodiment that is not immersed in a liquid surface. Fig. 9 In the embodiment of Figure 7 The sensing method is used to obtain that the first electrodes 121A to 121M are not immersed in the liquid surface 310. Figure 8According to the sensing method, the second electrodes 122N to 122Z are not immersed in the liquid surface 310. The processor module 114 of the touch processing device 110 can obtain two boundary points 920A and 920B according to the intersection of the last first electrode 121M that is not immersed in the liquid surface 310 and the two sides of the touch screen 120. Since the boundary point 920B is close to the last second electrode 122Z that is not immersed in the liquid surface 310, it is excluded. Similarly, the processor module 114 of the touch processing device 110 can obtain two boundary points 930A and 930B according to the intersection of the last second electrode 122N that is not immersed in the liquid surface 310 and the two sides of the touch screen 120. Since the boundary point 930B is close to the first first electrode 121A that is not immersed in the liquid surface 310, it is excluded. The line 910 connecting the remaining boundary points 920A and 930A can be regarded as the liquid surface 310 by the touch processing device 110.
[0110] The actual liquid surface 310 may be different from the recognized connection line 910. Therefore, the touch processing device 110 may set the boundary area 915 according to the connection line 910. Since the actual liquid surface 310 may fluctuate, the boundary area 915 can be used to expand the range of the connection line 910. The area above the boundary area 915 is considered by the touch processing device 110 as an area that is not actually immersed in the conductive liquid. The above-mentioned boundary area 915 can be the range formed by the connection line 910 moving a certain distance upward and downward in the vertical direction.
[0111] Please refer to Fig. 10A and 10B , which is a schematic diagram of mutual capacitance sensing of parallel electrodes according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 In the embodiment of , the first electrode 121A closest to the edge is used to send the driving signal. Since the capacitance is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, when not immersed in the conductive liquid, the sensing information of the last few electrodes 121Z near the other side, although still presenting the shape of a quadratic curve 710, is already quite close to a straight line. Fig. 10A and 10B In the embodiment, only the portion of the quadratic curve with a larger rate of change may be used in a single sensing, and the liquid level 310 may be detected based on the results of multiple sensings.
[0112] In one embodiment, the N first electrodes 121 before and after the first electrode 121I that sends the driving signal may be sensed. At the beginning, the driving signal may be sent to the N+1th first electrode 121. At the same time, the 1st to Nth and the N+2nd to 2N+1th first electrodes 121 may be sensed. Fig. 10AIn the embodiment shown, the value of N is set to 3. Therefore, at the beginning, the driving signal is sent from the 4th first electrode 121, and the driving signals are sent from the 1st to 3rd and 5th to 7th first electrodes 121. The one-dimensional sensing information obtained from the 1st to 3rd first electrodes 121 can form a first quadratic curve 1010. The one-dimensional sensing information obtained from the 5th to 7th first electrodes 121 can form a second quadratic curve 1020.
[0113] As mentioned above, whether part or all of the first electrode 121 is covered by the liquid surface 310 can be determined by checking whether the two one-dimensional sensing information form a quadratic curve or whether the absolute difference between the maximum value and the minimum value is greater than a threshold value. Fig. 10A In the embodiment, it can be seen that the six sensed first electrodes 121 are not immersed in the liquid surface 310, so the two one-dimensional sensing information do form a quadratic curve, and the absolute difference thereof is also greater than a certain threshold value.
[0114] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the driving starts from the N+1th first electrode 121. However, in other embodiments, the driving can be started from the first first electrode 121A, and only the first electrode 121 on one side is sensed. Then, the driving signal can be provided to the N+2th first electrode 121, and the first electrodes 121 from the 2nd to the N+1th and the N+3rd to the 2N+2nd can be sensed. Similarly, the mutual capacitance sensing of parallel electrodes can be performed until the last first electrode 121Z is driven, or until the N+1th to the last first electrode 121 is driven. In addition, the driving and sensing can also be performed every N+1 first electrode 121. For example, the second sensing can drive the 2N+2th first electrode 121 to reduce the number of repeated sensing of the same first electrode 121. The driving and sensing can also be performed every 2N+1th first electrode. For example, the second sensing can drive the 3N+2th first electrode 121. In short, the present application is not limited to driving and sensing every few first electrodes 121 .
[0115] exist Fig. 10B In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , it is the turn of the first electrode 121M to send a driving signal. Since the liquid surface 310 is located near the first electrode 121N, the one-dimensional sensing information below is approximately a straight line 1030. Therefore, the processor module 114 can determine that the liquid surface 310 is below the first electrode 121M that sends the driving signal. In other words, the first electrodes 121A to 121M are areas that are not immersed in the conductive liquid.
[0116] In one embodiment, after finding the area not immersed in the conductive liquid, the processor module 114 may stop further sensing of the parallel first electrodes 121. In another embodiment, the processor module 114 may drive the next first electrode 121N of the first electrode 121M to determine from the two obtained one-dimensional sensing information that the first electrode 121N and the first electrode 121 below it are immersed in the conductive liquid.
[0117] In one embodiment, when the processor module 114 first selects to drive the penultimate N + 1th first electrode 121 or first drives the first electrode 121Z, it will determine whether the edge area is immersed in the conductive liquid according to the sensing information. Then, the processor module 114 can, in turn, drive the Nth first electrode 121 or the first first electrode 121A. If the opposite edge area is also immersed in the conductive liquid, the processor module 114 may consider that all or most of the touch screen 120 is immersed in the conductive liquid.
[0118] In one embodiment, after the processor module 114 first performs parallel driving and sensing of the first electrodes 121 to obtain which adjacent first electrodes 121 are not immersed in the conductive liquid. It can then perform parallel driving and sensing of the second electrodes 122 to obtain which adjacent second electrodes 122 are not immersed in the conductive liquid. When the information on which first electrodes 121 and which second electrodes 122 are not immersed in the conductive liquid is obtained, it can be as Fig. 9 In the embodiment of, find four boundary points. Then exclude the two boundary points close to the upper end. Use the straight line 910 of the remaining two boundary points as the liquid surface. Or use the expanded area as the intersection area 915.
[0119] The above-mentioned sensing method of parallel electrodes is to drive one touch electrode and sense multiple parallel touch electrodes, and then judge the liquid surface according to one or two one-dimensional sensing information. In the following paragraphs, multiple one-dimensional sensing information can be obtained by using the sensing method of mutually perpendicular electrodes. These one-dimensional sensing information can form two-dimensional sensing information or a sensing image. Then, it is judged whether the touch screen 120 is half-immersed in the conductive liquid according to these one-dimensional sensing information or the sensing image.
[0120] Please refer to Fig.11 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the sensing image 1100 obtained by the sensing method of mutually perpendicular electrodes according to an embodiment of the present invention. There are multiple sensing information in the sensing image. According to the absolute value of its sensing value, it can be divided into three intervals: 0, U, and A, where 0 < U < A. The above-mentioned sensing value can be a signal value, a difference value, or a double difference value. In other words, when the sensing information is greater than the first threshold value, it can be the A interval.
[0121] There is a boundary zone formed by the A interval value in the middle of the sensing image 1100, which is caused by the liquid surface. The boundary zone divides the sensing image 1100 into two sides, which is a typical phenomenon of the liquid surface cutting through the touch screen. Fig.11 The upper and lower edges of the sensing image 1100 are divided into a left side and a right side. Most of the values on the left side fall in the lower 0 interval, and most of the values on the right side fall in the higher U interval. In other words, if the sensing information values on the left and right sides of the dividing zone are formed into the left average value and the right average value respectively, the right average value will be higher than the left average value. Therefore, the processor module 114 can determine that the right side is below the liquid surface and the left side is above the liquid surface. As for the sporadic abnormal sensing values near the segmented zone, it may be caused by interference or large drops of conductive liquid remaining on the surface of the touch screen.
[0122] The processor module 114 can approximate a straight line 1110 as the liquid surface according to the “upper edge” of the boundary zone, or can calculate a curve 1120 as the liquid surface according to the width of the boundary zone or the sensing value falling in the A interval.
[0123] Since the proximity event of any external conductive object cannot be detected by the sensing image 1110 below the liquid surface, the processor module 114 will filter out all proximity events below the liquid surface, that is, all proximity events below the liquid surface will not be reported to the central processor module 142. However, the proximity event can still be detected by the sensing image 1110 above the liquid surface. For example, Fig.11 There are two proximity events 1130 and 1140. The sensing information contained in these proximity events falls within the X interval. In other words, when the sensing information is greater than the second threshold value, it falls within the X interval. The first threshold value may be equal to or not equal to the second threshold value. However, in any case, the values of the X interval and the A interval must be greater than the values of the 0 interval.
[0124] In one embodiment, the boundary zone can be regarded as a proximity event. When the size of the area included in a proximity event exceeds a threshold value, and when the proximity event contacts more than two edges, the proximity event can be regarded as caused by the liquid surface. The boundary zone can contact two opposite edges, two adjacent edges, or three adjacent edges. When the boundary zone can cut the sensing image 1110 into two sides. Therefore, an average calculation step of the sensing information of both sides can be performed to determine which side is immersed in the conductive liquid. When the boundary zone contacts two or three adjacent edges, and the sensing image 1110 cannot be cut into two sides, it can be determined that the only side is above the liquid surface.
[0125] In addition, the liquid level can be determined based on the line segments of the multiple one-dimensional sensing information constituting the sensing image 1110. For example, Fig.11 Each horizontal one-dimensional sensing information contains at least one line segment falling in interval A. The adjacent line segments whose sensing values fall in interval A form a large line segment group, which is a proximity event. In other words, the range included in this proximity event is the aforementioned boundary zone. A point can be calculated based on the sensing information of each line segment. This point can be a center point, a maximum value, a center of gravity point, or other points derived from the center, maximum value, or center of gravity point. Then, in one embodiment, all the points contained in this line segment group are connected together to serve as a liquid surface. In another embodiment, a straight line can be found as the liquid surface, and the sum of its distances from all points is the smallest. In a further implementation, a quadratic curve can be found as the liquid surface, and the sum of its distances from all points is the smallest.
[0126] Since using sensing images to find proximity events and / or line segment groups is an existing technology, as long as the above judgment is performed on the proximity event found, it can be determined whether it is caused by the liquid surface and which side is above the liquid surface.
[0127] In the above paragraphs, a method of sensing the liquid surface using parallel touch electrodes and a method of sensing the liquid surface using sensing images are mentioned. In one embodiment, one sensing method may be performed to find the first liquid surface, and then another sensing method may be performed to find the second liquid surface. Then, subsequent calculations are performed based on the first liquid surface and the second liquid surface to find the third liquid surface.
[0128] There are three methods for detecting a single proximity event or a rectangle formed by two proximity events in an area covered by a large conductive liquid. Any of the three methods can be applied to the boundary area and / or the area below the liquid surface. In other words, in one embodiment, after the touch processing device 110 determines the liquid surface, the proximity event below the liquid surface found by the sensing image can be ignored, and the single proximity event or rectangle found by one of the above three methods can be used instead.
[0129] For example, the first method is that when it is determined that a certain area is covered by a large area of conductive liquid or object, the processor module 114 can enable the driving circuit module 112 to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all first electrodes 121 in the area, enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple second sensing values of all second electrodes 122 in the area, and determine at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; enable the driving circuit module 112 to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all second electrodes 122 in the area, enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple first sensing values of all first electrodes 121 in the area, and determine at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; and determine that there is an external conductive object at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0130] The second method is to enable the driving circuit module 112 to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all first electrodes 121 in the area when it is determined that the area is covered by a large area of conductive liquid or object; enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple first sensing values of all first electrodes 121 in the area, and determine at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple second sensing values of all second electrodes 122 in the area, and determine at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and determine that there is an external conductive object at the location of the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0131] The third method is to enable the driving circuit module 112 to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all first electrodes 121 in the area when it is determined that the area is covered by a large area of conductive liquid or object, enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple first sensing values of all first electrodes 121 in the area, and determine at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; enable the driving circuit module 112 to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all second electrodes 122 in the area, enable the sensing circuit module 113 to detect multiple second sensing values of all second electrodes 122 in the area, and determine at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and determine that there is an external conductive object at the location of the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0132] When two first coordinate values and two second coordinate values are detected, it can be determined that there are two external conductive objects at two diagonal points of the rectangle formed by the two first coordinate values and the two second coordinate values. However, due to the liquid surface, it is unknown which vertices of the rectangle are above or below the liquid surface.
[0133] When the rectangle is found, it can be determined whether all four vertices of the rectangle are below the liquid surface. When all are below the liquid surface, the touch processing device 110 can report the rectangle or the four vertices to the central processing module 142. When one vertex is above the liquid surface, the step of sensing the image can be performed. When the vertex above the liquid surface can be matched with the proximity event in the sensing image, the touch processing device 110 can report the vertex and another vertex opposite to the vertex to the central processing module 142, thereby ignoring the other two opposite vertices of the rectangle. When the vertex above the liquid surface cannot be matched with the proximity event in the sensing image, the touch processing device 110 can report the two vertices adjacent to the vertex to the central processing module 142.
[0134] In other words, before the liquid surface is detected, the touch processing device 110 can perform multi-touch with more than two points on the entire area of the touch screen 120. After the liquid surface is detected, the touch processing device 110 can perform a single proximity event or a rectangular touch on the area of the touch screen 120 immersed in the conductive liquid, and maintain the original touch sensing capability for the remaining areas.
[0135] Since the position of the touch screen 120 relative to the touch system 100 is fixed, after the CPU module 142 learns the liquid level from the touch processing device 110 , it can obtain the posture based on other sensors and know which parts of the touch system 100 are also immersed in the conductive liquid.
[0136] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the only other modules connected to the input / output interface module 141 are the network interface module 145 and the memory module 146. In another embodiment, the modules connected to the input / output interface module 141 may include one or more communication modules, including wide area wireless network communication modules such as 5G / 4G / 3G / 2G, regional wireless network communication modules, and / or personal wireless network communication modules (such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, UWB, millimeter wave communication modules, etc.). If the antennas of these communication modules are immersed in conductive liquids, the wireless communication functions they are responsible for may fail or reduce performance.
[0137] In addition, the touch control system 100 may also include a satellite positioning signal receiving module, an optical sensor module, a linear accelerometer module, an accelerometer module, an angular accelerometer module, a gyroscope module, a barometer module, a water pressure gauge module, a magnetometer module, a fingerprint sensor module, a face scanner module, a camera module, a flash module, a microphone module, a speaker module, a wireless charging induction module, and a wired interface module (such as USB, Lightning, IEEE 1394, etc.). When it is determined that any module of the touch control system 100 is immersed in a conductive liquid, the central processing unit module 142 may take corresponding actions. The functions of these actions may include shutting down the module to reduce power consumption, changing the operation mode or parameters of the module to adapt to the environment in the conductive liquid and reducing erroneous input, etc.
[0138] Please refer to Fig.12 As shown, it is a flow chart of a method 1200 for processing a portion of an electronic device entering and leaving a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 In the touch control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the first touch panel may be Figure 1 The processing method 1200 can be applied to the touch control system 100.
[0139] Step 1210: Using a first touch panel of an electronic device, detect a first liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in a conductive liquid. As mentioned above, the present invention provides at least three methods of using a touch panel or a screen to detect the liquid level line, which can be applied to this step. The first liquid level line can be a straight line or just a line.
[0140] Step 1220: Detect the posture of the electronic device relative to the ground using the posture sensor of the electronic device. As mentioned above, the posture sensor may include a linear accelerometer module, an accelerometer module, an angular accelerometer module, a gyroscope module, and other modules to detect the posture. In general, the ground is parallel to the first liquid level line. However, when the conductive liquid is shaking, the first liquid level line may not be parallel to the ground.
[0141] Step 1230: Detect the position data of the first touch panel and the first element of the electronic device. When the shape of the electronic device is fixed, the positions of the first touch panel and the first element are fixed, so the position data can be made and stored in the memory module 144 of the host 140. When the shape of the electronic device is variable, such as a foldable mobile phone or a tablet computer, the positions of the first touch panel and the first element must rely on the position sensor for detection. The detection result can be made into position data and stored in the memory module 144 of the host 140. For example, a certain point of the electronic device can be set as the origin of the local coordinate system. Then record the coordinates of each vertex of the first touch panel in the local coordinate system, and record the coordinates of each vertex of the first element in the local coordinate system. These coordinate values are the position data.
[0142] Step 1240: Determine whether the first element is in the conductive liquid. After the posture of the electronic device is obtained in step 1220, the local coordinate system of the electronic device can be converted into a ground coordinate system relative to the ground. Considering the first liquid level line obtained in step 1210, since the first liquid level line is a line corresponding to the first touch panel, the highest point and the lowest point of the ground elevation of the first liquid level line relative to the ground coordinate system can be found. In one embodiment, when the elevation of the ground coordinate system coordinates of each vertex of the first element is lower than the lowest point, it can be determined that the first element is completely in the conductive liquid. When the elevation of the ground coordinate system coordinates of each vertex of the first element is higher than the highest point, it can be determined that the first element is not immersed in the conductive liquid at all. When other conditions occur in which the first element is half immersed in the conductive liquid, each embodiment can classify other conditions into a dichotomy of immersed or not immersed according to the response steps to be performed. In another embodiment, in addition to determining whether the first element has been immersed in the conductive liquid or not, there may be a step of half-immersing the first element in the conductive liquid. When step 1240 determines that the first element has been immersed in the conductive liquid, step 1250 or 1255 may be performed. When it is determined that the first element has not been immersed in the conductive liquid, step 1260 or 1265 may be performed.
[0143] Optional step 1250: Allow the electronic device to enter an immersion step. For example, the electronic device may enter a sleep or power saving state, or record the time of immersion in the conductive liquid. In one embodiment, when the first element is a speaker, the electronic device may stop the operation of a music playing program. In another embodiment, when the first element is a satellite positioning signal receiving module, the electronic device may stop the operation of a navigation program.
[0144] Optional step 1255: causing the first element to enter an immersion step. In one embodiment, when the first element is a speaker, causing the first element to stop playing music. In another embodiment, when the first element is a satellite positioning signal receiving module, causing the first element to stop processing the received satellite positioning signal.
[0145] Optional step 1260: The electronic device is caused to perform a disengagement step. For example, the electronic device may enter a normal operation state. In one embodiment, when the first element is a speaker, the electronic device may resume the operation of a music playing program. In another embodiment, when the first element is a satellite positioning signal receiving module, the electronic device may resume the operation of a navigation program.
[0146] Optional step 1265: The first component is caused to enter a disengagement step. In one embodiment, when the first component is a speaker, the first component is caused to resume playing music. In another embodiment, when the first component is a satellite positioning signal receiving module, the first component is caused to resume processing the received satellite positioning signal.
[0147] Please refer to Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a touch control system 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 Compared with the touch control system 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the difference includes a first touch screen or panel 120A and a second touch screen or panel 120B. The structures of the two touch screens 120A and 120B are similar to the aforementioned touch screen 120, and both include a plurality of first electrodes 121 and a plurality of second electrodes 122, but the present invention does not limit the size, resolution and number of electrodes of the two touch screens 120A and 120B to be the same. The two touch screens 120A and 120B can be connected to the graphics processor module 143 of the host 140, and the graphics processor module 143 controls the output screen. In addition, the two touch screens 120A and 120B are both located on the surface of the touch control system 100 for user input and / or output. As described above, the memory module 144 can include the position information of the touch screens 120A and 120B, such as the coordinates of each vertex of the touch screens 120A and 120B in the local coordinate system.
[0148] In one embodiment, the touch screens 120A and 120B may be located on different surfaces of the touch control system 1300. Figure 5 As shown, the two are located on opposite surfaces. In another embodiment, the touch system 1300 is deformable, such as a foldable mobile phone or a foldable laptop. When the touch system 1300 is in a first shape, the two may be located in the same plane, and when the touch system 1300 is in a second shape, the two may be located in different planes. In a further embodiment, the touch screen 120A and 120B belong to the same flexible touch screen. When the touch system 1300 is in the first shape, the flexible touch screen composed of the two may be located in the same plane, and when the touch system 1300 is in the second shape, the flexible touch screen composed of the two has been bent, and its two parts, namely the touch screens 120A and 120B are located in different planes.
[0149] In this embodiment, the touch processing device 110 can control one or more identical or different touch screens 120, such as touch screens 120A and 120B. The connection network module 111 can be used to connect the driving circuit module 112 to any first electrode 121 or second electrode 122 on the first touch screen 120A. Similarly, the connection network module 111 can be used to connect the driving circuit module 112 to any first electrode 121 or second electrode 122 on the second touch screen 120B. For the sensing circuit module 113, the connection network module 111 can be used to connect the sensing circuit module 113 to any first electrode 121 or second electrode 122 on the first touch screen 120A, and can be used to connect the sensing circuit module 113 to any first electrode 121 or second electrode 122 on the second touch screen 120B. Therefore, the processor module 114 can control the touch screens 120A and 120B by using time-division multiplexing or increasing computing cores. For example, the first liquid level and the second liquid level on the first touch screen 120A and the second touch screen 120B are detected by one of the above-mentioned liquid level detection methods, and then transmitted to the host 140 through the interface module 115. Of course, in addition to the liquid level, the touch processing device 110 can also detect one or more external conductive objects, the stylus 130, the touchpad eraser 135, etc. on the touch screens 120A and 120B, and then transmit to the host 140 through the interface module 115.
[0150] Please refer to Fig.14 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a touch control system 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.13 Compared with the touch control system 1300 shown in FIG. 1 , the touch control system 1300 includes two touch control processing devices 110A and 110B, which are connected to touch screens 120A and 120B respectively. In other words, the two touch control processing devices 110A and 110B will be as follows: Figure 1 Like the touch processing device 110 of the illustrated embodiment, the liquid level, one or more external conductive objects, the stylus 130 , the touchpad eraser 135 , etc. are individually detected and then transmitted to the host 140 via the interface module 115 .
[0151] Please refer to Fig.15 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 1500 for processing a portion of an electronic device entering and leaving a conductive liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.13 or Fig.14 In the touch control system 1300 or 1400 shown respectively, the first touch panel may be Fig.13 or Fig.14 The first touch panel or screen 120A shown, the second touch panel can be Fig.13 or Fig.14The first element of the second touch panel or screen 120B can be any of the modules mentioned in the previous paragraphs. The processing method 1500 can be applicable to the touch systems 1300 and 1400 .
[0152] Among them, the step 1210 can be performed by Fig.13 The touch processing device 110 performs the touch control on the first touch screen 120A, or the touch processing device 110 performs the touch control on the first touch screen 120A. Fig.14 The first touch processing device 110A performs the control on the first touch screen 120A.
[0153] Step 1515: Utilize the second touch panel of the electronic device to detect the second liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid. This step can be performed by Fig.13 The touch processing device 110 performs the touch control on the second touch screen 120B, or the touch processing device 110 performs the touch control on the second touch screen 120B. Fig.14 The second touch processing device 110B performs the control on the second touch screen 120B.
[0154] exist Fig.15 In the illustrated embodiment, step 1220 is optional. For example, when the first touch panel and the second touch panel of the electronic system are located in the same plane, step 1220 can be performed again.
[0155] Step 1530: Detect the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the first element of the electronic device. When the shape of the electronic device is fixed, the positions of the first touch panel and the first element are fixed, so the position data can be made and stored in the memory module 144 of the host 140. When the shape of the electronic device is variable, such as a foldable mobile phone or a tablet computer, the positions of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the first element must rely on sensors for detection. The detection result can be made into position data and stored in the memory module 144 of the host 140. For example, a certain point of the electronic device can be set as the origin of the local coordinate system. Then record the coordinates of each vertex of the first touch panel and the second touch panel in the local coordinate system, and record the coordinates of each vertex of the first element in the local coordinate system. These coordinate values are the position data.
[0156] Step 1540: Determine whether the first element is in the conductive liquid. If the position data of the first touch panel and the second touch panel obtained in step 1530 indicate that the two touch panels are in the same plane, the local coordinate system of the electronic device can be converted into a ground coordinate system relative to the ground after the posture of the electronic device is obtained in step 1220. After steps 1210 and 1515 obtain two liquid level lines, since the first liquid level line is a line corresponding to the first touch panel, the highest point and the lowest point of the ground elevation of the first liquid level line relative to the ground coordinate system can be found. Since the second liquid level line is a line corresponding to the second touch panel, the highest point and the lowest point of the ground elevation of the second liquid level line relative to the ground coordinate system can be found. Among the above four points, the highest point and the lowest point of the ground elevation of the liquid surface relative to the ground coordinate system can be obtained. In one embodiment, when the elevations of the ground coordinate system coordinates of each vertex of the first element are lower than the lowest point, it can be determined that the first element is completely in the conductive liquid. When the elevations of the ground coordinate system coordinates of each vertex of the first element are higher than the highest point, it can be determined that the first element is not completely immersed in the conductive liquid.
[0157] If the position data of the first touch panel and the second touch panel obtained in step 1530 indicates that the two touch panels are in different planes, the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line can be drawn on the local coordinate system of the electronic device. Then, based on these two lines, a curved surface or a plane can be found, which represents the liquid surface. For example, when the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line are parallel to each other, a plane can be found. When the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line are not parallel to each other, a curved surface can be found between the two. In one embodiment, when all the vertices of the first element are above the liquid surface, it can be determined that the first element is not completely immersed in the conductive liquid. When all the vertices of the first element are below the liquid surface, it can be determined that the first element is completely in the conductive liquid.
[0158] Although the above example operates on a local coordinate system, it can also be converted to a ground coordinate system relative to the ground for calculation. The present invention is not limited to which coordinate system is used for calculation.
[0159] When other conditions occur in which the first component is half immersed in the conductive liquid, each embodiment can classify the other conditions into a dichotomy of immersed or not immersed according to the response steps to be performed. In another embodiment, in addition to determining whether the first component is immersed or not immersed in the conductive liquid, there can also be a processing step of the first component being half immersed in the conductive liquid. When step 1240 determines that the first component is immersed in the conductive liquid, step 1250 or 1255 can be performed next. When it is determined that the first component is not immersed in the conductive liquid, step 1260 or 1265 can be performed next.
[0160] In one embodiment, a dedicated circuit or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) may be used to perform the above Fig.12 or Fig.15 Such a circuit or application-specific integrated circuit may be connected to the one or more touch processing devices 110 and the gesture detector, or may be connected to the CPU module 142 and the first component. In another embodiment, the first component includes the circuit or application-specific integrated circuit. In another embodiment, the CPU module 142 includes a combination of software and hardware circuits to execute the above Fig.12 or Fig.15 The method shown.
[0161] Please refer to Fig.16 , which is a flow chart of a liquid level detection method 1600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detection method 1600 can be applied to Figure 1 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The touch processing device 110 is connected to a touch screen or panel 120. The touch panel or screen 120 has a plurality of parallel first electrodes 121 and a plurality of parallel second electrodes 122, and the first electrodes 121 and the plurality of second electrodes 122 form a plurality of intersections.
[0162] Step 1610: Use a plurality of parallel first electrodes to perform mutual capacitance sensing to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid. Figure 7 , 8 In the embodiments of 10A and 10B, it has been mentioned that at least one electrode is used to send a driving signal, and other parallel electrodes are used for sensing. When multiple sensing values (or their differences, double differences) of other parallel electrodes are similar, for example, these sensing values cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between their maximum value and their minimum value is less than a preset value, it can be indicated that the electrodes corresponding to these sensing values are covered by the conductive liquid.
[0163] Step 1620: Use multiple parallel second electrodes to perform mutual capacitance sensing to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid. The sensing can be performed in the same or similar manner as step 1610.
[0164] Step 1630: Based on the result obtained in step 1610, it can be determined that all the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid. If the result is yes, the process proceeds to step 1640. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1645.
[0165] Step 1640: Based on the result obtained in step 1620, it can be determined that all the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid. If the result is yes, the process proceeds to step 1650. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1670.
[0166] Step 1645: It can be determined that all the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid according to the result obtained in step 1620. If the result is yes, the process proceeds to step 1660. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1680.
[0167] Step 1650: Determine whether the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid. When all the first electrodes and all the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, the process will be executed to this step. Then, the touch processing device can sense the touch panel using the self-capacitance method. The touch position of an object or the rectangle formed by the touch positions of two objects can be found.
[0168] Step 1660: Determine the liquid level based on the uncovered first electrodes. The premise for the process to execute this step is that all the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, but some of the first electrodes are not covered by the conductive liquid. In other words, the situation is as follows Figure 3 According to this, it can be Figure 7 , 10A As with the embodiment shown in FIG10B , all uncovered first electrodes are found to determine the liquid level.
[0169] In one embodiment, step 1660 may further include using a posture sensor to detect the direction of the touch panel, that is, to detect the angle between the first electrode and the horizontal direction. The straight line obtained by rotating the highest first electrode covered by the conductive liquid downward by the angle may be determined as the liquid level line.
[0170] Step 1670: Determine the liquid level based on the uncovered second electrodes. The premise for the process to execute this step is that all the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, but some of the second electrodes are not covered by the conductive liquid. In other words, the situation is as follows Figure 3 According to this, it can be Figure 7 , 10AAs with the embodiment shown in FIG10B , all uncovered second electrodes are found to determine the liquid level.
[0171] In one embodiment, step 1660 may further include using a posture sensor to detect the direction of the touch panel, that is, to detect the angle between the second electrode and the horizontal direction. The straight line obtained by rotating the highest second electrode covered by the conductive liquid downward by the angle may be determined as the liquid level line.
[0172] Step 1680: Determine the liquid level based on the uncovered first electrode and the second electrode. There are two possibilities for the process to reach this step. One is that the touch panel is not in contact with the conductive liquid at all. The other is that Figure 4 In an embodiment, the liquid surface passes through two adjacent sides of the touch panel. When the results of steps 1610 and 1620 show that none of the first electrode and the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, the touch processing device can sense the object according to the traditional method. Figure 4 When the embodiment of Fig. 9 In the embodiment shown, the liquid level is determined by the bottom first electrode and the second electrode, or by the top first electrode and the second electrode covered by the conductive liquid.
[0173] Please refer to Fig.17 , which is a flow chart of a liquid level detection method 1700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detection method 1700 can be applied to Figure 1 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The touch processing device 110 is connected to a touch screen or panel 120. The touch panel or screen 120 has a plurality of parallel first electrodes 121 and a plurality of parallel second electrodes 122, and the first electrodes 121 and the plurality of second electrodes 122 form a plurality of intersections.
[0174] Step 1710: Obtain mutual capacitance sensing images of the touch panel, which may also be called two-dimensional sensing information.
[0175] Step 1720: Determine whether there is a liquid level segment group? The liquid level segment group is searched in the mutual capacitance sensing image, and the liquid level segment group includes multiple segments of one-dimensional sensing information. Each segment includes one or more values (which may be sensing values, or their differences or double differences), and these values must be greater than the first threshold value. When the above liquid level segment group is not found in the mutual capacitance sensing image, the process proceeds to step 1780. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1730.
[0176] Step 1730: Determine whether the liquid surface line segment group contacts two sides of the touch panel. The two sides referred to here can be two adjacent sides of the touch panel or two opposite sides. When the liquid surface line segment group contacts two sides, the process proceeds to step 1740. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1780.
[0177] Step 1740: Calculate the average of the values on both sides of the liquid level segment group. Since the liquid level segment group has divided the mutual capacitance sensing image into two, the average of the values on both sides (which may be sensing values, or their difference or double difference) can be calculated.
[0178] Step 1750: Determine that one side of the larger average value is below the liquid surface and the other side is above the liquid surface. Next, the process can proceed to optional step 1760 or step 1770.
[0179] Optional step 1760: Determine whether the average value of the side below the liquid surface is greater than a second threshold value? The second threshold value is less than the first threshold value. If it is less than the second threshold value, it may be covered by other non-liquid large-area objects, and the process proceeds to step 1780. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1770.
[0180] Step 1770: Determine the liquid level line according to the interface between the liquid level line group and one side on the liquid surface. In one embodiment, the liquid level line can be a straight line whose sum of distances to the interface in a certain direction is the shortest. In another embodiment, the liquid level line can be a curve that senses information through each point on the side of the liquid level line group adjacent to the liquid surface. In a further embodiment, the liquid level line can be a curve that senses information through each point on one side of the liquid surface that is closest to the liquid level line group.
[0181] Step 1780: The liquid level cannot be determined.
[0182] Please refer to Fig.18 , which is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detection method 1800 can be applied to Figure 1 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The touch processing device 110 is connected to a touch screen or panel 120. The touch panel or screen 120 has a plurality of parallel first electrodes 121 and a plurality of parallel second electrodes 122, and the first electrodes 121 and the plurality of second electrodes 122 form a plurality of intersections.
[0183] Step 1810: Obtain the conductive liquid coverage area below the liquid level line of the touch panel. Step 1810 can be performed using the aforementioned method 1600 or 1700 to obtain the liquid level line, that is, obtain the conductive liquid coverage area below the liquid level line.
[0184] Step 1820: Obtain mutual capacitance sensing images of the touch panel, which may also be called two-dimensional sensing information.
[0185] Step 1830 : Calculate one or more proximity events based on the mutual capacitance sensing image. Then, the process proceeds to step 1840 .
[0186] Step 1840: Ignore the proximity events within the coverage of the conductive liquid. That is, determine whether the location of each proximity event is within the coverage of the conductive liquid. If the location of the proximity event is within the coverage of the conductive liquid, ignore the proximity event. Finally, the process proceeds to step 1850.
[0187] Step 1850: Report the remaining proximity events, that is, report the remaining proximity events that are not within the coverage of the conductive liquid.
[0188] Please refer to Fig.19A and 19B , which is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.19A and 19B The connection relationship passes through point A. The detection method 1900 can be applied to Figure 1 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The touch processing device 110 is connected to a touch screen or panel 120. The touch panel or screen 120 has a plurality of parallel first electrodes 121 and a plurality of parallel second electrodes 122, and the first electrodes 121 and the plurality of second electrodes 122 form a plurality of intersections.
[0189] Step 1910: Perform a coverage area detection step. Fig.11 In the description of the illustrated embodiment, three methods have been mentioned for detecting the area covered by the conductive liquid. Step 1910 uses one of the three methods.
[0190] Step 1915: Determine the number of proximity events detected within the conductive liquid coverage area. If no proximity event is detected, proceed to step 1920. If any proximity event is detected, proceed to step 1925.
[0191] Step 1920: Report that there are no proximity events within the conductive liquid coverage area.
[0192] Step 1925: Determine whether the number of proximity events detected within the conductive liquid coverage area is 1. When only one proximity event is detected, proceed to step 1930. When two or more proximity events are detected, proceed to step 1935.
[0193] Step 1930: Report the proximity event.
[0194] Step 1935: Determine whether the number of proximity events detected within the conductive liquid coverage area is 2. When more than three proximity events are detected, it may be affected by noise, and the process proceeds to step 1920. When two proximity events are detected, the process proceeds to step 1940.
[0195] Step 1940: Form a rectangle with four vertices according to the two proximity events.
[0196] Step 1945: Are all four vertices within the coverage range? If so, proceed to step 1950. Otherwise, proceed to step 1820.
[0197] Step 1950: Report the rectangle or the four vertices.
[0198] Step 1955: Determine whether the vertex outside the conductive liquid coverage is true? This determination step must be coordinated with the proximity events obtained in steps 1820 and 1830. If the vertex matches a proximity event, the vertex is determined to be true, and the process proceeds to step 1960. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1965.
[0199] Step 1960: Report the vertex outside the range and its corresponding vertex as two proximity events.
[0200] Step 1965: Report the two adjacent vertices of the vertex outside the range as two proximity events.
[0201] Please refer to Fig. 20 , which is a flow chart of a method for detecting a proximity event according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detection method 2000 can be applied to Figure 1 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The touch processing device 110 is connected to a touch screen or panel 120. The touch panel or screen 120 has a plurality of parallel first electrodes 121 and a plurality of parallel second electrodes 122, and the first electrodes 121 and the plurality of second electrodes 122 form a plurality of intersections.
[0202] Fig. 20 The embodiments of FIG. 19 all use the steps mentioned in FIG. 19. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, Fig. 20 The embodiment only reports a proximity event within the conductive liquid coverage area, or reports a rectangle at least partially within the conductive liquid coverage area, and does not use mutual capacitance sensing images to verify the four vertices of the rectangle.
[0203] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid, comprising: a component; a touch panel; a touch processing device connected to the touch panel and used to detect the liquid level of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid; a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the electronic device relative to the ground; and a central processing unit module connected to the touch processing device and the posture sensor, for executing instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the liquid level from the touch processing device; receiving the posture from the posture sensor; obtaining position data of the touch panel and the component; and judging whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the touch panel and the component, the liquid level and the posture.
[0204] In one embodiment, in order to cope with the shape-changing electronic device, the electronic device further includes a detector connected to the CPU module for detecting the position data of the touch panel and the component and transmitting the position data to the CPU module.
[0205] In one embodiment, when the relative positions of the touch panel and the component are fixed, the electronic device further includes a memory module connected to the central processing module for storing position data of the touch panel and the component so that the central processing module can obtain the position data of the touch panel and the component.
[0206] In one embodiment, in order to respond to the immersion or separation of an electronic system in a conductive liquid, the central processing unit module is further used to execute instructions to implement one of the following steps: when the component is in the conductive liquid, perform an immersion step; when the component is in the conductive liquid, make the component perform an immersion step; when the component is not in the conductive liquid, perform a separation step; and when the component is not in the conductive liquid, make the component perform a separation step.
[0207] According to an object of the present invention, a method for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising: receiving a liquid level line from a touch processing device of an electronic device, wherein the touch processing device is connected to a touch panel and is used to detect the liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid; receiving a posture from a posture sensor of the electronic device, wherein the posture sensor is used to detect the posture of the electronic device relative to the ground; obtaining position data of the touch panel and the component of the electronic device; and determining whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the touch panel and the component, the liquid level line and the posture.
[0208] In one embodiment, in order to cope with a shape-changing electronic device, the step of obtaining the position data of the touch panel and the component further includes receiving the position data of the touch panel and the component from a detector of the electronic device.
[0209] In one embodiment, when the relative positions of the touch panel and the component are fixed, the step of obtaining the position data of the touch panel and the component further includes reading the position data of the touch panel and the component from a memory module of the electronic device.
[0210] In one embodiment, in order to cope with the immersion or separation of the electronic system in the conductive liquid, one of the following steps is further included: when the component is in the conductive liquid, an immersion step is performed; when the component is in the conductive liquid, the component is subjected to an immersion step; when the component is not in the conductive liquid, a separation step is performed; and when the component is not in the conductive liquid, the component is subjected to a separation step.
[0211] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid, comprising: a component; a first touch panel; a second touch panel; a touch processing device connected to the first touch panel and the second touch panel, for detecting a first liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid using the first touch panel, and for detecting a second liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid using the second touch panel; and a central processing unit module connected to the touch processing device, for executing instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line from the touch processing device; obtaining position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component; and determining whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line.
[0212] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid, comprising: a component; a first touch panel; a second touch panel; a first touch processing device connected to the first touch panel, and using the first touch panel to detect a first liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid; a second touch processing device connected to the second touch panel, and using the second touch panel to detect a second liquid level line of the electronic device immersed in the conductive liquid; and a central processing unit module connected to the first touch processing device and the second touch processing device, and used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line from the first touch processing device and the second touch processing device respectively; obtaining position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component; and judging whether the component is in the conductive liquid according to the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line.
[0213] In one embodiment, in order to cope with the shape-changing electronic device, the electronic device further includes a detector connected to the CPU module for detecting the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, and transmitting the position data to the CPU module.
[0214] In one embodiment, when the relative positions of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component are fixed, the electronic device further includes a memory module connected to the central processing unit module, for storing position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, so that the central processing unit module can obtain the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component.
[0215] In one embodiment, in order to respond to the immersion or separation of an electronic system in a conductive liquid, the central processing unit module is further used to execute instructions to implement one of the following steps: when the component is in the conductive liquid, perform an immersion step; when the component is in the conductive liquid, make the component perform an immersion step; when the component is not in the conductive liquid, perform a separation step; and when the component is not in the conductive liquid, make the component perform a separation step.
[0216] In one embodiment, in order to more accurately determine whether the component is in the conductive liquid, the electronic device further includes a posture sensor connected to the central processing unit module, for detecting the posture of the electronic device relative to the ground, wherein the central processing unit module is further used to receive the posture from the posture sensor, wherein the judgment step further includes determining whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, the first liquid level line, the second liquid level line and the posture.
[0217] According to an object of the present invention, a method for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising: receiving a first liquid level line and a second liquid level line, wherein the first liquid level line is a line where a first touch panel of the electronic device contacts the liquid surface when the electronic device is immersed in the conductive liquid, and the second liquid level line is a line where a second touch panel of the electronic device contacts the liquid surface when the electronic device is immersed in the conductive liquid; obtaining position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component; and determining whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line.
[0218] In one embodiment, in order to cope with a shape-changing electronic device, the step of obtaining the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component further includes receiving the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component from a detector of the electronic device.
[0219] In one embodiment, when the relative positions of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component are fixed, the method further includes obtaining position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component from a memory module of the electronic device.
[0220] In one embodiment, in order to cope with the immersion or separation of the electronic system in the conductive liquid, one of the following steps is further included: when the component is in the conductive liquid, an immersion step is performed; when the component is in the conductive liquid, the component is subjected to an immersion step; when the component is not in the conductive liquid, a separation step is performed; and when the component is not in the conductive liquid, the component is subjected to a separation step.
[0221] In one embodiment, in order to obtain the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line corresponding to the first touch panel and the second touch panel, the electronic device includes a touch processing device connected to the first touch panel and the second touch panel for detecting the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line, and the receiving step is to receive the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line from the touch processing device.
[0222] In one embodiment, in order to obtain the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line corresponding to the first touch panel and the second touch panel, the electronic device includes a first touch device connected to the first touch panel and a second touch processing device connected to the second touch panel, which are used to detect the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line, respectively, and the receiving step is to receive the first liquid level line and the second liquid level line from the first touch processing device and the second touch processing device, respectively.
[0223] In one embodiment, in order to more accurately determine whether the component is in the conductive liquid, the electronic device further includes a posture sensor for detecting the posture of the electronic device relative to the ground, wherein the method further includes receiving the posture from the posture sensor, wherein the judgment step further includes determining whether the component is in the conductive liquid based on the position data of the first touch panel, the second touch panel and the component, the first liquid level line, the second liquid level line and the posture.
[0224] According to an object of the present invention, a CPU module for detecting whether a component is in a conductive liquid is provided, such as the CPU module in each of the above-mentioned electronic devices.
[0225] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing device for detecting a liquid level line of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid, comprising: a driving circuit module; a sensing circuit module; a connection network module for connecting the driving circuit module with at least one of a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel, and connecting the sensing circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel; and a processor module for connecting to the driving circuit module, the sensing circuit module and the connection network module, and for executing instructions to implement the following steps: causing the driving circuit module to drive at least one of the first electrodes to drive the sensing circuit module ... The electrode and the sensing circuit module sense the plurality of first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; the driving circuit module drives at least one of the second electrodes and the sensing circuit module senses the plurality of second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered second electrodes; and when part of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered first electrodes and the uncovered second electrodes.
[0226] In one embodiment, in order to detect whether the touch panel is completely immersed in or out of the conductive liquid, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and when none of the first electrodes and the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not completely covered by the conductive liquid.
[0227] In one embodiment, in order to increase the accuracy of detecting the liquid level position, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: allowing the driving circuit module to drive different first electrodes multiple times and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; and allowing the driving circuit module to drive different second electrodes multiple times and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense multiple second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
[0228] In one embodiment, in order to reduce the number of detections and speed up detection, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: when the sensing circuit module has sensed the multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode and has detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another first electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining first electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped; and when the sensing circuit module has sensed the multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode and has detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another second electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining second electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped.
[0229] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: the first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and the first electrode closest to the middle of all the parallel first electrodes.
[0230] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the sides among all the parallel first electrodes.
[0231] In one embodiment, in order to determine whether the electrode is covered by a conductive liquid, when the multiple sensing values of the multiple first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the multiple sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrode corresponding to the multiple sensing values is covered by a conductive liquid.
[0232] In one embodiment, in order to find the liquid level more accurately, the processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and adjusting the liquid level according to the posture.
[0233] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing method for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half-immersed in a conductive liquid, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes, and the touch processing method comprises: driving at least one of the first electrodes and sensing the plurality of the first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; driving at least one of the second electrodes and sensing the plurality of the second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, determining the liquid level according to the uncovered second electrodes; and when part of the first electrode is covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, determining the liquid level according to the uncovered first electrode and the uncovered second electrode.
[0234] In one embodiment, in order to detect whether the touch panel is completely immersed in or out of the conductive liquid, it further includes: when all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and when none of the first electrodes and the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not completely covered by the conductive liquid.
[0235] In one embodiment, in order to increase the accuracy of detecting the position of the liquid level line, at least one of the following steps is further included: driving different first electrodes multiple times and sensing multiple first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; and driving different second electrodes multiple times and sensing multiple second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
[0236] In one embodiment, in order to reduce the number of detections and speed up the detection, at least one of the following steps is further included: after sensing the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode, when it is detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another of the first electrodes is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining first electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped; and after sensing the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode, when it is detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another of the second electrodes is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining second electrodes that have not been sensed is stopped.
[0237] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: the first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and the first electrode closest to the middle of all the parallel first electrodes.
[0238] In one embodiment, in order to provide a better detection option, the driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the sides among all the parallel first electrodes.
[0239] In one embodiment, in order to determine whether the electrode is covered by a conductive liquid, when the multiple sensing values of the multiple first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among the multiple sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrode corresponding to the multiple sensing values is covered by a conductive liquid.
[0240] In one embodiment, in order to more accurately find the liquid level line, the method further includes: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and adjusting the liquid level line according to the posture.
[0241] According to an object of the present invention, a touch system for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising the touch panel and the touch processing device as described above.
[0242] According to an object of the present invention, a touch processing device for detecting a liquid level line of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising: a driving circuit module; a sensing circuit module; a connection network module, used to connect the driving circuit module with at least one of a plurality of parallel first electrodes of the touch panel, and to connect the sensing circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel; and a processor module, used to be connected to the driving circuit module, the sensing circuit module and the connection network module, and used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: allowing the driving circuit module to drive the plurality of first electrodes in turn, and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional The method comprises the steps of: collecting the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information and forming two-dimensional sensing information from the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; determining whether there is a liquid level line segment group in the two-dimensional sensing information, wherein the liquid level line segment group includes a line segment composed of a plurality of continuous segments of the one-dimensional sensing information, and a plurality of sensing information values included in the liquid level line segment group are all greater than a first threshold value; when the liquid level line segment group exists, determining whether the liquid level line segment group contacts both sides of the touch panel; when the liquid level line segment group contacts both sides of the touch panel, respectively calculating the average values of the sensing information values on both sides of the liquid level line segment group; determining that the side with the larger average value is below the liquid surface and the other side is above the liquid surface; and determining the liquid level line according to the interface between the liquid level line segment group and the side above the liquid surface.
[0243] In one embodiment, in order to further confirm that the lower side of the liquid level line is covered by conductive liquid rather than other objects, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: determine whether the larger average value is greater than a second threshold value, wherein the first threshold value is greater than the second threshold value; and when the larger average value is greater than the second threshold value, execute the step of determining the liquid level line.
[0244] In one embodiment, in order to provide a straight line close to the actual liquid surface as the liquid surface line, wherein the liquid surface line is a straight line, the sum of the distances in one direction between the liquid surface line segment group and the interface on one side of the liquid surface is the shortest.
[0245] In one embodiment, in order to provide a more realistic and lower liquid level line, the liquid level line is a curve that passes through a point corresponding to each sensing information value on the side of the liquid level line segment group adjacent to the liquid surface. In another embodiment, in order to provide a more realistic and higher liquid level line, the liquid level line is a curve that passes through a point corresponding to each sensing information value on the side of the liquid level line segment group adjacent to the liquid surface.
[0246] According to an object of the present invention, a touch processing method for detecting a liquid level line of a touch panel half-immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes, and the touch processing method comprises: driving the plurality of first electrodes in turn, and sensing the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; making the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information form two-dimensional sensing information; judging whether there is a liquid level line segment group in the two-dimensional sensing information, wherein the liquid level line segment group comprises a line segment composed of a plurality of continuous segments of the one-dimensional sensing information, and a plurality of sensing information values included in the liquid level line segment group are all greater than a first threshold value; when the liquid level line segment group exists, judging whether the liquid level line segment group contacts both sides of the touch panel; when the liquid level line segment group contacts both sides of the touch panel, respectively calculating the average values of the sensing information values on both sides of the liquid level line segment group; judging that the side with the larger average value is below the liquid surface and the other side is above the liquid surface; and determining the liquid level line according to the interface between the liquid level line segment group and the side above the liquid surface.
[0247] In one embodiment, in order to further confirm that the lower side of the liquid level line is covered by conductive liquid rather than other objects, the touch processing method further includes: determining whether the larger average value is greater than a second threshold value, wherein the first threshold value is greater than the second threshold value; and when the larger average value is greater than the second threshold value, executing the step of determining the liquid level line.
[0248] In one embodiment, in order to provide a straight line close to the actual liquid surface as the liquid surface line, wherein the liquid surface line is a straight line, the sum of the distances in one direction between the liquid surface line segment group and the interface on one side of the liquid surface is the shortest.
[0249] In one embodiment, in order to provide a more realistic and lower liquid level line, the liquid level line is a curve that passes through a point corresponding to each sensing information value on the side of the liquid level line segment group adjacent to the liquid surface. In another embodiment, in order to provide a more realistic and higher liquid level line, the liquid level line is a curve that passes through a point corresponding to each sensing information value on the side of the liquid level line segment group adjacent to the liquid surface.
[0250] According to an object of the present invention, a touch system for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising the touch panel and the touch processing device as described above.
[0251] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing device for use when a touch panel is half immersed in a conductive liquid, comprising: a driving circuit module; a sensing circuit module; a connection network module for connecting the driving circuit module with at least one of a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel, and connecting the sensing circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel; and a processor module for connecting to the driving circuit module, the sensing circuit module and the connection network module, for executing instructions to implement the following steps: executing a liquid level line acquisition step to obtain a coverage area of the conductive liquid below the liquid level line of the touch panel; executing a detection step for the coverage area; when more than three first proximity events are detected in the coverage area or no first proximity event is detected, not reporting the first proximity event to the host; and when one first proximity event is detected in the coverage area, reporting the first proximity event to the host.
[0252] In one embodiment, in order to report a proximity event on one side of the liquid level line, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: driving the plurality of first electrodes in turn and sensing the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; making the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information form two-dimensional sensing information; calculating one or more second proximity events based on the two-dimensional sensing information; and reporting one or more second proximity events outside the coverage range to the host.
[0253] In one embodiment, in order to report a rectangle formed by two proximity events on one side of a liquid level line, the processor module is further used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: when two first proximity events are detected in the coverage area, the two first proximity events form a rectangle with four vertices; and report the rectangle to the host.
[0254] In one embodiment, in order to report a rectangle formed by two proximity events on one side of the liquid level line, when two first proximity events are detected in the coverage area, the two first proximity events are made to form a rectangle with four vertices; and when the four vertices are all within the coverage area, the rectangle is reported to the host.
[0255] In one embodiment, in order to further distinguish a rectangle as two proximity events, wherein the four vertices of the rectangle sequentially include a first vertex, a second vertex, a third vertex and a fourth vertex, the processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement the following steps: driving the plurality of first electrodes in turn, and sensing the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; making the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information form two-dimensional sensing information; calculating one or more second proximity events according to the two-dimensional sensing information; when the first vertex is not within the coverage area, determining whether the first vertex is one of the one or more second proximity events; when the first vertex is the second proximity event, reporting the third vertex as a first proximity event to the host; and when the first vertex is not one of the one or more second proximity events, reporting the second vertex and the fourth vertex as two first proximity events to the host.
[0256] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: allowing the driving circuit module to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; allowing the sensing circuit module to detect all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple second sensing values; determining at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; allowing the driving circuit module to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all the second electrodes within the coverage area; allowing the sensing circuit module to detect all the first electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values; determining at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; and determining that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0257] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: allowing the driving circuit module to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; allowing the sensing circuit module to detect all the first electrodes and all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values and multiple second sensing values, respectively; determining at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; determining at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and determining that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0258] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: allowing the driving circuit module to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; allowing the sensing circuit module to detect all the first electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values; determining at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; allowing the driving circuit module to simultaneously provide a driving signal to all the second electrodes within the coverage area; allowing the sensing circuit module to detect all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple second sensing values; determining at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and determining that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0259] According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a touch processing method for when a touch panel is half immersed in a conductive liquid, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes, and the touch processing method comprises: executing a liquid level line acquisition step to obtain a coverage area of the conductive liquid below the liquid level line of the touch panel; executing a detection step of the coverage area; when more than three first proximity events are detected in the coverage area or no first proximity event is detected, not reporting the first proximity event to the host; and when one first proximity event is detected in the coverage area, reporting the first proximity event to the host.
[0260] In one embodiment, in order to report a proximity event on one side of the liquid level line, the touch processing method further includes: driving the plurality of first electrodes in turn and sensing the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; making the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information form two-dimensional sensing information; calculating one or more second proximity events according to the two-dimensional sensing information; and reporting one or more second proximity events outside the coverage range to the host.
[0261] In one embodiment, in order to report a rectangle formed by two proximity events on one side of the liquid level line, the touch processing method further includes: when two first proximity events are detected in the coverage area, making the two first proximity events form a rectangle with four vertices; and reporting the rectangle to the host.
[0262] In one embodiment, in order to report a rectangle formed by two proximity events on one side of the liquid level line, the touch processing method further includes: when two first proximity events are detected in the coverage area, the two first proximity events form a rectangle with four vertices; and when the four vertices are all within the coverage area, reporting the rectangle to the host.
[0263] In one embodiment, in order to further distinguish a rectangle as two proximity events, wherein the four vertices of the rectangle sequentially include a first vertex, a second vertex, a third vertex and a fourth vertex, the touch processing method further includes: driving the plurality of first electrodes in turn, and sensing the plurality of second electrodes to obtain a plurality of one-dimensional sensing information; making the plurality of one-dimensional sensing information form two-dimensional sensing information; calculating one or more second proximity events according to the two-dimensional sensing information; when the first vertex is not within the coverage area, determining whether the first vertex is one of the one or more first proximity events; when the first vertex is the second proximity event, reporting the third vertex as a first proximity event to the host; and when the first vertex is not one of the one or more second proximity events, reporting the second vertex and the fourth vertex as two first proximity events to the host.
[0264] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: simultaneously providing a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; detecting all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple second sensing values; judging at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; simultaneously providing a driving signal to all the second electrodes within the coverage area; detecting all the first electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values; judging at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; and judging that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0265] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: simultaneously providing a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; detecting all the first electrodes and all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values and multiple second sensing values, respectively; determining at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; determining at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and determining that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0266] In one embodiment, in order to detect proximity events within the coverage area, the detection step of the coverage area further includes: simultaneously providing a driving signal to all the first electrodes within the coverage area; detecting all the first electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple first sensing values; judging at least one first coordinate value based on the multiple first sensing values; simultaneously providing a driving signal to all the second electrodes within the coverage area; detecting all the second electrodes within the coverage area to obtain multiple second sensing values; judging at least one second coordinate value based on the multiple second sensing values; and judging that there is a second proximity event at the first coordinate value and the second coordinate value.
[0267] According to an object of the present invention, a touch control system for a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid is provided, comprising the touch panel and the touch control processing device as described above. In one embodiment, the system further comprises the host.
[0268] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not used to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the profession can make some changes or modify the technical contents disclosed above into equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.
Claims
1. A touch processing device for detecting a liquid surface line of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid, characterized in that: Include: Driving circuit module; Sensing circuit module; a connecting network module, used to connect the driving circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel, and to connect the sensing circuit module with at least one of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and the plurality of parallel second electrodes of the touch panel, wherein any first electrode of the plurality of parallel first electrodes and any second electrode of the plurality of parallel second electrodes are perpendicular to each other; and A processor module is used to connect to the driving circuit module, the sensing circuit module and the connection network module, and is used to execute instructions to implement the following steps: The driving circuit module drives one of the first electrodes and the sensing circuit module senses a plurality of the first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; The driving circuit module drives one of the second electrodes and the sensing circuit module senses a plurality of the second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; When all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, a liquid level line is determined based on the uncovered second electrodes; as well as When a portion of the first electrode is covered by the conductive liquid and a portion of the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered first electrode and the uncovered second electrode.
2. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement the following steps: When all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and When none of the first electrode and the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not covered by the conductive liquid at all.
3. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: Allowing the driving circuit module to drive different first electrodes multiple times and allowing the sensing circuit module to sense a plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; and The driving circuit module is made to drive different second electrodes for multiple times and the sensing circuit module is made to sense a plurality of second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
4. The touch processing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement at least one of the following steps: After the sensing circuit module senses a plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode, if it is detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another first electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing circuit module stops sensing the remaining first electrodes that have not been sensed; and After the sensing circuit module senses the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode, if it is detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another second electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing circuit module stops sensing the remaining second electrodes that have not been sensed.
5. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: The first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and The first electrode closest to the middle of all parallel first electrodes.
6. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the edges among all the parallel first electrodes.
7. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the sensing values of the first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum and minimum values of the sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrodes corresponding to the sensing values are covered by the conductive liquid.
8. The touch processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processor module is further configured to execute instructions to implement the following steps: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and The liquid level is adjusted according to the posture.
9. A touch processing method for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid, characterized in that: The touch panel includes a plurality of parallel first electrodes and a plurality of parallel second electrodes, wherein any first electrode among the plurality of parallel first electrodes is perpendicular to any second electrode among the plurality of parallel second electrodes, and the touch processing method includes: Driving one of the first electrodes and sensing a plurality of the first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; Driving one of the second electrodes and sensing a plurality of the second electrodes to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; When all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and part of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, a liquid level line is determined based on the uncovered second electrodes; as well as When a portion of the first electrode is covered by the conductive liquid and a portion of the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, the liquid level is determined according to the uncovered first electrode and the uncovered second electrode.
10. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: When all of the first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid and all of the second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is completely covered by the conductive liquid; and When none of the first electrode and the second electrode is covered by the conductive liquid, it is determined that the touch panel is not covered by the conductive liquid at all.
11. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes at least one of the following steps: Driving different first electrodes multiple times and sensing a plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrodes to detect which first electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid; as well as Different second electrodes are driven multiple times and multiple second electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrodes are sensed to detect which second electrodes are covered by the conductive liquid.
12. The touch processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that: It also includes at least one of the following steps: After sensing a plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven first electrode, if it is detected that at least one of the first electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another first electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining first electrodes that are not sensed is stopped; and After sensing the plurality of first electrodes adjacent to the driven second electrode, if it is detected that at least one of the second electrodes is covered by the conductive liquid and another second electrode is not covered by the conductive liquid, the sensing of the remaining second electrodes that are not sensed is stopped.
13. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The driven first electrode is selected from one of the following: The first electrode closest to the edge among all the parallel first electrodes; and The first electrode closest to the middle of all parallel first electrodes.
14. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The driven first electrodes are the two first electrodes closest to the edges among all the parallel first electrodes.
15. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: When the sensing values of the first electrodes cannot form a quadratic curve, or the absolute difference between the maximum and minimum values of the sensing values is less than a preset value, it is determined that the first electrodes corresponding to the sensing values are covered by the conductive liquid.
16. The touch processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: receiving the posture of the touch panel sensed by a posture sensor; and The liquid level is adjusted according to the posture.
17. A touch system for detecting a liquid level of a touch panel half immersed in a conductive liquid, characterized in that: Include: The touch processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and The touch control processing device includes a touch control panel connected to the connection network module.
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