Touch sensing sound collecting screen based on ultrasonic echo feedback

Abstract

This invention relates to a touch-sensitive acoustic screen based on ultrasonic echo feedback, addressing the shortcomings of existing products such as unreasonable structural design, inaccurate touch sensing, impact on user touch operation, poor sound quality, low volume, and poor user experience. The technical solution involves a matrix of sound sensors located on the outer corners of the screen module on a frame. The screen module's display screen is equipped with an ITO excitation transducer mechanism connected to a main control module via an ultrasonic generator module. A sound-emitting screen is mounted on the surface of the ITO excitation transducer mechanism. The invention controls the ultrasonic generator module via the main control module, causing the sound-emitting screen to vibrate and generate sound through the ITO excitation transducer mechanism, propagating ultrasonic waves outwards. The sound sensors receive the ultrasonic echoes and send them to the main control module. The main control module calculates the touch point position based on the time difference principle, achieving precise touch sensing of the acoustic screen. Furthermore, the structure is simple, the sound quality is good, the volume is high, and it facilitates thinner product design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sound-sensing screen technology, and more specifically to a touch-sensitive sound-sensing screen based on ultrasonic echo feedback. Background Technology

[0002] The sound-emitting screen is a new type of display screen that can vibrate to produce sound. It can produce sound without the help of traditional speakers or loudspeakers. It is an innovative integration of display screen and audio technology and has extremely high market application value.

[0003] The sound-emitting screen in a stereophonic display is typically located on the outermost surface of the screen, producing sound through mechanical vibration. As the application of stereophonic screens expands, some products also require touch functionality. Currently, most stereophonic screens with touch functionality typically integrate a touchscreen (or cover plate) directly onto the outer surface of the sound-emitting screen, or vice versa. Regardless of the method used, the vibration of the sound-emitting screen leads to inaccurate touch point sensing and imprecise touch positioning on the touchscreen, affecting user operation. Furthermore, the combined structure of the touchscreen and sound-emitting screen limits the frequency and amplitude of the sound-emitting screen's vibration, severely reducing the sound effect and volume, resulting in a poor user experience.

[0004] Therefore, existing touch display screens need to be improved to overcome the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In summary, the purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing touch-screen displays, such as unreasonable structural design, inaccurate touch sensing, and imprecise touch positioning, which affect user touch operation, as well as poor sound output and low volume, resulting in a poor user experience. The invention provides a touch-screen display that does not require a touchscreen but utilizes ultrasonic echo feedback to achieve touch sensing.

[0006] To address the shortcomings of the technology proposed in this invention, the adopted technical solution is a touch-sensitive acoustic screen based on ultrasonic echo feedback, comprising a frame and a screen module disposed on the frame, characterized in that the screen module comprises: The display screen has an ITO excitation transducer mechanism on its upper surface. A sound-emitting screen is disposed on the surface of the ITO excitation transducer mechanism; The main control module is electrically connected to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism through the ultrasonic generator module. It is used to control the operation of the ultrasonic generator module to send high-frequency pulse signals to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism, thereby driving the sound-emitting screen to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward. Several sound sensors are also arranged on the frame, which are electrically connected to the main control module. They are distributed in a matrix on the outer corners of the display screen and the sound-emitting screen, and their sound wave receiving ends all extend upward to the horizontal plane of the sound-emitting screen. They are used to simultaneously receive the ultrasonic echoes reflected before the user's finger touches the sound-emitting screen from different directions, and convert the ultrasonic echoes into corresponding electrical signals and send them to the main control module. Based on the received electrical signal, the main control module calculates the touch position of the user's finger using its built-in algorithm based on the time difference principle.

[0007] Furthermore, the ITO excitation transducer mechanism includes: A glass substrate is located on the upper surface of the display screen; Two ITO dielectric layers are respectively disposed on the surfaces of the glass substrate and the sound-emitting screen corresponding to each other. Several insulating isolation pillars are distributed in a matrix between the two main bodies of the ITO dielectric layer; The electrode body is electrically connected between the edges of the two ITO dielectric layers; An ultrasonic excitation wire plate is electrically connected between the electrode body and the ultrasonic wave generating module via an ITO dielectric layer. It is used to output the high-frequency pulse signal generated by the ultrasonic wave generating module to the space between the two ITO dielectric layers via the electrode body, thereby changing the electromagnetic field balance between the two ITO dielectric layers to drive the sound-generating screen to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward.

[0008] Furthermore, the ultrasonic wave generating module includes: The DSP control unit is connected to the main control module via an I2S path, and acquires AC analog signals and performs modulation processing under the control of the main control module; The Class D amplifier unit is electrically connected to the DSP control unit and is used to receive the modulated AC analog signal and amplify it. The filtering and shaping unit is electrically connected between the Class D amplification unit and the ultrasonic excitation line plate. It is used to receive the amplified AC analog signal, perform filtering and shaping processing, and then output the processed high-frequency pulse signal to the ultrasonic excitation line plate.

[0009] Furthermore, the frame body has several sensor fixing slots on its corners for accommodating and fixing the sound sensor, and the upper opening of the sensor fixing slot does not exceed the sound wave receiving end of the sound sensor.

[0010] Furthermore, the sound sensors are electrically connected to the main control module via an ultrasonic echo line board.

[0011] Furthermore, the sound-generating screen is a UTG ultrathin glass that generates sound through surface vibration.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: A matrix of sound sensors are arranged on the frame, distributed at the corners of the display screen and the sound-emitting screen. These sound sensors simultaneously collect the reflected ultrasonic echoes from different positions along the X and Y axes before the user's finger touches the sound-emitting screen, converting the ultrasonic echoes into corresponding electrical signals and sending them to the main control module. The main control module analyzes and processes the electrical signals sent by each sound sensor, and calculates the actual touch position of the user's finger based on the time difference principle and its built-in algorithm, thereby achieving touch sensing of the sound-emitting screen. Compared to existing sound-focusing screen structures combining a touchscreen and a sound-emitting screen, this invention's sound-focusing screen relies on ultrasonic echo feedback to locate the touch point. It achieves precise touch sensing and positioning without directly pressing the sound-emitting screen, eliminating the adverse effects of sound-emitting screen vibration on touch point position sensing, significantly improving the touch positioning accuracy of the sound-focusing screen, making the user's touch operation more precise and efficient, and enhancing the user experience.

[0013] In addition, the main control module of this invention controls the operation of the ultrasonic generating module and directly drives the sound-generating screen to vibrate and generate sound through the ITO excitation transducer mechanism. Compared with the existing structural design of attaching a touch screen to the surface of the sound-generating screen, the vibration of the sound-generating screen of this invention is not limited or hindered by other external accessories, and the implementation of touch sensing does not require direct finger tapping, which ensures the effect and volume of the vibration sound generation of the sound-generating screen of this invention and improves the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the sound-collecting screen of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the sound-concentrating screen of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the sound-collecting screen circuit of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating the ultrasonic wave generation principle of the present invention.

[0015] In the diagram: 1. Frame, 11. Sensor mounting slot, 2. Screen module, 3. Sound sensor, 31. Ultrasonic echo line board, 4. Display screen, 5. ITO excitation transducer mechanism, 51. Glass substrate, 52. ITO dielectric layer, 53. Insulating isolation column, 54. Electrode, 55. Ultrasonic excitation line board, 6. Sound-generating screen, 7. Ultrasonic wave generation module, 71. DSP control unit, 72. Class D amplification unit, 73. Filtering and shaping unit, 8. Main control module. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0017] Reference Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention discloses a touch-sensitive sound-sensing screen based on ultrasonic echo feedback, comprising a frame body 1 and a screen module 2 disposed on the frame body 1 for image display, sound generation and touch sensing, and a sound sensor 3 for receiving ultrasonic echoes.

[0018] Specifically, the screen module 2 includes a display screen 4, an ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5, a sound-emitting screen 6, an ultrasonic generator module 7, and a main control module 8. The ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 is disposed on the upper surface of the display screen 4, the sound-emitting screen 6 is attached to the upper surface of the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5, and the ultrasonic generator module 7 and the main control module 8 are both disposed inside the frame 1, and the main control module 8 is electrically connected to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 through the ultrasonic generator module 7.

[0019] Specifically, there are at least four sound sensors 3, which are fixedly arranged on the frame 1 and distributed in a matrix on the outer corners of the display screen 4 and the sound-emitting screen 6. Each sound sensor 3 is electrically connected to the main control module 8, and the sound wave receiving end at the upper end of each sound sensor 3 extends upward to the horizontal plane of the sound-emitting screen, ensuring that each sensor can receive the ultrasonic echo diffused from the surface of the sound-emitting screen 6 without interference at the first moment.

[0020] In actual use, the main control module 8 controls the operation of the ultrasonic wave generating module 7, which outputs a high-frequency pulse signal to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5. This, in turn, drives the sound-generating screen 6 to vibrate and generate sound, transmitting ultrasonic waves outwards. Before a user's finger touches the surface of the sound-generating screen 6, the ultrasonic waves reflect off the fingertip and back onto the surface, forming ultrasonic echoes that radiate in all directions. These echoes are then received by the matrix-distributed sound sensors 3 on the frame 1.

[0021] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Each sound sensor 3, matrix-distributed on the outer corners of the display screen 4 and the sound-emitting screen, can simultaneously receive the ultrasonic echoes reflected before the user's finger touches the sound-emitting screen 6 from different positions along the X and Y axes. These ultrasonic echoes are converted into corresponding electrical signals and sent to the main control module 8. The main control module 8 analyzes and processes the electrical signals sent by each sound sensor 3, and based on the time difference principle, calculates the actual touch position of the user's finger using its built-in algorithm, thereby achieving touch sensing of the sound-emitting screen 6. Compared to the existing structural design combining a touchscreen and a sound-emitting screen, the present invention relies on ultrasonic echoes to locate the touch point, achieving precise touch sensing without directly pressing the sound-emitting screen 6. This eliminates the adverse effects of vibration on the touch point position sensing, significantly improving the touch positioning accuracy of the sound-emitting screen, making the user's touch operation more precise and efficient, and enhancing the user experience.

[0022] In addition, the main control module 8 of this invention controls the operation of the ultrasonic generating module 7 and directly drives the sound-generating screen 6 to vibrate and generate sound through the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5. Compared with the existing combined structure design with attached touch screen, the vibration of the sound-generating screen of this invention is not limited or hindered by other external accessories, and the implementation of touch sensing does not require direct finger pressing, which ensures the effect and volume of the sound-generating screen 6 vibration and improves the user experience.

[0023] Furthermore, refer to Figures 2 to 3 As shown, the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 of the present invention includes a glass substrate 51 covered on the display screen 4, two ITO dielectric layers 52 respectively disposed on the surfaces of the glass substrate 51 and the sound-generating screen 6, a plurality of insulating isolation pillars 53 arranged in a matrix between the corresponding main surfaces of the two ITO dielectric layers 52 for insulating and isolating the two dielectric layers, an electrode body 54 electrically connected between the four sides of the corresponding surfaces of the two ITO dielectric layers 52, and an ultrasonic excitation wire plate 55 electrically connected between the electrode body 54 and the ultrasonic wave generating module 7 via the ITO dielectric layer 52.

[0024] In use, the main control module 8 controls the operation of the ultrasonic generator module 7 to output high-frequency pulse signals to the two ITO dielectric layers 52 through the ultrasonic excitation wire plate 55 and the electrode body 54, thereby changing the electric field balance between the two ITO dielectric layers 52 to drive the sound-generating screen 6 to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward.

[0025] In this invention, the ITO excitation transducer 5 uses the corresponding surfaces of the glass substrate 51 and the sound-emitting screen 6 as carriers to lay ITO dielectric layers 52, and provides insulation isolation through insulating isolation pillars 53 located between the corresponding main bodies of the two dielectric layers. Simultaneously, the two dielectric layers are electrically connected through electrode bodies 54, causing the main body of the sound-emitting screen 6 to float above the glass substrate 51 in a state similar to "floating," while the four sides are connected to the glass substrate 51 through the two ITO dielectric layers 52 via the electrode bodies 54. In the non-vibration sound-emitting state, the charge between the two ITO dielectric layers 52 is balanced, and the electric field is stable. During use, the ultrasonic wave generating module 7 outputs high-frequency pulse signals to the two ITO dielectric layers 52 via the ultrasonic excitation wire plate 55 and each electrode body 54, breaking the charge balance between the two dielectric layers. This causes the electric field between the two dielectric layers to alternately change, thereby driving the "floating" sound-emitting screen 6 to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves.

[0026] Existing touchscreen-plus-sound-generating-screen designs require an exciter between the sound-generating-screen and the touchscreen to control the vibration and sound generation of the sound-generating-screen. This structure is relatively complex, resulting in a large overall screen thickness. Furthermore, the exciter can only be placed on the side of the sound-generating-screen, leading to poor driving effect on the vibration and sound generation. In contrast, this invention uses two dielectric layers, an insulating isolation pillar 53 between the two dielectric layers, and an electrode body 54 to bond the sound-generating-screen 6 to the glass substrate 51. An ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 replaces the touchscreen structure, enabling vibration and sound generation control of the sound-generating-screen 6 while simultaneously transmitting ultrasonic waves outwards through the sound-generating-screen 6. This achieves the vibration and sound generation control function of a traditional sound-generating-screen exciter. Moreover, the use of a matrix of sound sensors 3 around the perimeter to receive ultrasonic echoes simplifies the overall structure of the sound-generating-screen. The fully bonded design reduces the gap between the sound-generating-screen 6 and the glass substrate 51, improving the overall bonding and reducing the overall thickness of the screen, which is beneficial for a thinner and lighter product design. In addition, the present invention uses a fully bonded ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 to drive the sound-emitting screen 6 to vibrate and produce sound. Compared with the side-driven exciter structure design, the driving efficiency of the sound-emitting screen 6 is higher and the effect is better, which significantly improves the sound-emitting effect and volume of the sound-emitting screen 6 of the present invention and improves the user experience.

[0027] Furthermore, refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the ultrasonic generating module 7 of the present invention includes a DSP control unit 71 that is communicatively connected to the main control module 8 via an I2S path, a Class D amplification unit 72 that is electrically connected to the DSP control unit 71, and a filtering and shaping unit 73 that is electrically connected between the Class D amplification unit 72 and the ultrasonic excitation wire plate 55.

[0028] The ultrasonic generating module 7 of this invention communicates with the main control module 8 via a DSP control unit 71. Under the control of the main control module 8, the DSP control unit 71 acquires the AC analog signal and performs DRC gain processing, EQ equalization processing, modulation tuning processing, and filter processing on it. Then, it outputs the modulated AC analog signal to the Class D amplification unit 72. The Class D amplification unit 72 then amplifies the modulated AC analog signal and outputs it to the filtering and shaping unit 73. Finally, the filtering and shaping unit 73 filters and shapes the amplified AC analog signal and outputs a high-frequency pulse signal. The high-frequency pulse signal is transmitted to the ITO excitation transducer 5 via the ultrasonic excitation wire plate 55 to drive the sound-generating screen 6 to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward.

[0029] The ultrasonic wave generating module 7 of this invention, under the control of the main control module 8, converts low-frequency AC analog signals into high-frequency pulse signals, thereby driving the ITO excitation transducer mechanism 5 to vibrate the sound-emitting screen 6 and emit ultrasonic waves outward. Before the user's finger touches the surface of the sound-emitting screen 6, the ultrasonic waves are blocked by the user's fingertip and reflected and diffused around the surface of the sound-emitting screen 6, forming ultrasonic echoes that can be received by each sound sensor 3. Because the relative position of the user's finger to the sound sensor 3 is different, there is a time difference between the ultrasonic echoes reflected by the finger received by each sound sensor 3. Based on the time difference and its built-in algorithm, the main control module 8 can calculate the actual touch point position that the user's finger is about to touch, thereby realizing the touch point sensing of the sound-emitting screen.

[0030] Furthermore, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the frame body 1 of the present invention has a plurality of sensor fixing slots 11 arranged in a matrix on each corner for accommodating and fixing each sound sensor 3. The upper opening position of each sensor fixing slot 11 does not exceed the sound wave receiving end of the upper end of the sound sensor 3, so as to avoid the upper end of the sensor fixing slot 11 from forming a wall surface that interferes with the sound wave reception because the opening exceeds the sound sensor.

[0031] This invention uses sensor fixing slots 11 to matrix-distribute the acoustic sensors 5 on the corners of the frame 1, so that the acoustic sensors can form an ultrasonic echo receiving matrix around the display screen 4 and the sound-emitting screen 6 in a matrix-like even distribution, thereby achieving precise positioning of the user's finger touch point. Moreover, the upper opening of the sensor fixing slot 11 does not exceed the acoustic receiving end of the acoustic sensor 3, so it will not interfere with the reception of ultrasonic echoes, ensuring the reception effect of the acoustic sensors of this invention on ultrasonic echoes and the accuracy of touch point sensing.

[0032] Furthermore, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, each sound sensor 3 of the present invention is electrically connected to the main control module 8 through the ultrasonic echo line board 31, which reduces the number of wirings in the screen and improves the overall integration of the sound-emitting screen.

[0033] Furthermore, the sound-generating screen 6 of this invention is a UTG ultra-thin glass that generates sound through surface vibration. UTG ultra-thin glass refers to a glass panel with a thickness between 0.1 mm and 1.2 mm, which allows for moderate bending or folding, exhibits good flexibility, and provides excellent surface vibration sound generation. Moreover, compared to existing sound-generating screens made of PET material, this invention uses UTG ultra-thin glass instead of PET material, significantly improving the hardness of the sound-generating screen 6, making it more wear-resistant, avoiding surface scratches during long-term use, and extending its service life. In addition, the UTG ultra-thin glass material of this invention results in a thinner sound-generating screen 6, significantly reducing the overall thickness of the sound-generating screen and facilitating a slimmer product design.

[0034] The above embodiments are merely for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding changes and modifications should all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic echo feedback based touch sensing sound focusing screen, comprising a frame body and a screen module arranged on the frame body, characterized in that, The screen module includes: The display screen has an ITO excitation transducer mechanism on its upper surface. A sound-emitting screen is disposed on the surface of the ITO excitation transducer mechanism; The main control module is electrically connected to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism through the ultrasonic generator module. It is used to control the operation of the ultrasonic generator module to send high-frequency pulse signals to the ITO excitation transducer mechanism, thereby driving the sound-emitting screen to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward. Several sound sensors are also arranged on the frame, which are electrically connected to the main control module. They are distributed in a matrix on the outer corners of the display screen and the sound-emitting screen, and their sound wave receiving ends all extend upward to the horizontal plane of the sound-emitting screen. They are used to simultaneously receive the ultrasonic echoes reflected before the user's finger touches the sound-emitting screen from different directions, and convert the ultrasonic echoes into corresponding electrical signals and send them to the main control module. The main control module calculates the touch position of the user's finger based on the received electrical signal and its built-in algorithm, using the time difference principle. The ITO excitation transducer mechanism includes: A glass substrate is located on the upper surface of the display screen; Two ITO dielectric layers are respectively disposed on the surfaces of the glass substrate and the sound-emitting screen corresponding to each other. Several insulating isolation pillars are distributed in a matrix between the two main bodies of the ITO dielectric layer; The electrode body is electrically connected between the edges of the two ITO dielectric layers; An ultrasonic excitation wire plate is electrically connected between the electrode body and the ultrasonic generation module via an ITO dielectric layer. It is used to output the high-frequency pulse signal generated by the ultrasonic generation module to the space between the two ITO dielectric layers via the electrode body, thereby changing the electromagnetic field balance between the two ITO dielectric layers to drive the sound-generating screen to vibrate and emit ultrasonic waves outward. The ultrasonic wave generating module includes: The DSP control unit is connected to the main control module via an I2S path, and acquires AC analog signals and performs modulation processing under the control of the main control module; The Class D amplifier unit is electrically connected to the DSP control unit and is used to receive the modulated AC analog signal and amplify it. The filtering and shaping unit is electrically connected between the Class D amplification unit and the ultrasonic excitation line plate. It is used to receive the amplified AC analog signal, perform filtering and shaping processing, and then output the processed high-frequency pulse signal to the ultrasonic excitation line plate. 2.The ultrasonic echo feedback based touch sensing sound focusing screen of claim 1, wherein, The frame body has several sensor fixing slots on its corners for accommodating and fixing the sound sensor, and the upper opening of the sensor fixing slot does not exceed the sound wave receiving end of the sound sensor. 3.The ultrasonic echo feedback based touch sensing sound focusing screen of claim 1, wherein, The sound sensors are electrically connected to the main control module via an ultrasonic echo board. 4.The ultrasonic echo feedback based touch sensing sound focusing screen of claim 1, wherein, The sound-generating screen is a UTG ultra-thin glass that generates sound through surface vibration.

Images