Patent Publication Number: US-2006007174-A1

Title: Touch control method for a drag gesture and control module thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a touch control method and control module thereof and particularly to a touch control method for a gesture of drag and the control module thereof with which control signal can be output continuously even in a state of stopping motion of the drag to allow the user operating with less effort.  
      2. Brief Description of Related Art  
      The software set up in the current computer mostly presents the window page thereof by way of Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the advantage of GUI resides in that a pointer on the screen can be operated by way of an auxiliary pointing tool such as a mouse device or a trackball moving on a flat surface. Using GUI is an operation method complying with human&#39;s visual sense so that it is a simple way widely utilized by various electronic products with the window page.  
      Taking the mouse as an example for describing function of the pointing tool, the pointer can move along with the mouse during being used and once the pointer on the window page is moved to a position, which is a button or a scroll bar ready to be scrolled, and a key of the mouse is pressed at the same time to perform an ordered instruction. Usually, the left key of the mouse is a system default key so that a function of the button can be executed or the scroll bar can be wound in case of the left key being pressed continuously to act a motion of double clicking or drag.  
      In addition to the pointing tools such as the mouse device and the trackball, a similar way such as using a touch pad or a touch panel with screen is also adopted instead. Due to the electronic product being developed with a trend of getting smaller, shorter, lighter and thinner and an approach of the laptop computer being used instead of the desktop computer gradually, it allows small sized touch pad or touch panel, which is possible to be associated with the electronic product, to increase applicable extent thereof relatively.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , taking an ordinary window page  91  being opened for an article reading as an example, a first scroll bar  92  is located at a lateral side thereof along the Y-axis direction and a second scroll bar  93  is located at the lower side thereof along the X-axis direction. When the article has a long content, the user can touch the touch device (not shown) with a finger or another object or drag a distance on the touch device to drive the pointer  94  scrolling the first and the second scroll bar  92 ,  93  so that the article in the window page  91  can move upward, downward, leftward and rightward during being read without being restricted by the size of the window page  91 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,671 disclosed a recognition method of drag gesture on the known touch device. Firstly, the staying time duration t 4  of the first occurrence touch signal  801  during the object being on the touch device is compared to a reference time value and a control signal  802  is generated in case of the staying time duration t 4  is less than the reference time value. Then, a time span t 5  between the first occurrence touch signal and the second occurrence touch signal  801  is compared to a second reference time value and the control signal  802  is kept outputting in case of the time span t 5  is less than the second reference time value. Further, X, Y position data of the object on the touch device is detected and output within the staying time duration t 6  of the second occurrence.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1  in company with  FIG. 2 , taking the first scroll bar  92  of the window page  91  being scrolled a distance ΔY as an example, it is necessary for the user to drag a distance continuously with the finger or another object and a touch signal  801  is generated corresponding to the drag gesture. The control signal  802  is generated after a time duration t 4  of the touch signal  801  initiating and the Y position data is detected and output within the staying time duration t 6  of the second occurrence.  
      However, the disadvantage of the preceding touch control method of drag gesture resides in that the way to decide the scrolling distance ΔY of the first scroll bar  92  is based on total moving amount of the Y position data corresponding to the drag gesture. If the user wants to scroll longer distance, it is necessary for the user to move the drag gesture a considerable distance on the touch device. Otherwise, the drag gesture has to be done repeatedly back and forth. But, repeated drag gesture is quite time consuming and needs great effort and it is very easy to result in fatigue while in use.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch control method for a gesture of drag with which control signal can be output continuously to allow the window page scrolling unceasingly even the finger or another object staying on the touch device after the drag gesture being done and the window page can stop scrolling at the time of the finger or another object not touching the touch device any more with facility for the user.  
      A touch control method for a gesture of drag according to the present invention identifies a motion of the drag gesture executed on the touch device by an object by way of a control module of the touch device with control signal being generated corresponding to the drag gesture for being used by an main unit as subsequent control function with a first reference time being defined in the control module.  
      The touch control method for a gesture of drag according to the present invention is detecting occurrence of the drag generated during the object moving on the touch device and starting counting time at the same time; determining time of the object staying on the touch device; outputting a control signal representing the gesture of drag for being used by the main unit in case of the staying time being exceeding the first reference time and the object keeping moving a small distance on the touch device; and keeping outputting the control signal to the main unit during the object stopping moving and keeping contacting with the touch device and stopping outputting the control signal to the main unit once the object detaches from the touch device.  
      A control module according to the present invention is to identify a gesture of drag executed on a touch device by an object with control signal being generated corresponding to the drag gesture for being used by an main unit as subsequent control function with a first reference time is defined in the control module. The control module includes an operation unit and a gesture unit connecting with the operation unit and the main unit.  
      The operation unit generates a touch signal corresponding to every occurrence of the object being on the touch device and the touch signal being generated at initiation of the occurrence and terminated at end of the occurrence. The gesture unit is for receiving the touch signal and figuring out time duration of the occurrence for identifying what motion of the object is.  
      The gesture unit determines time of the object staying on the touch device being exceeding the first reference time and outputs a control signal representing the motion of drag for being used by the main unit; and keeping outputting the control signal to the main unit during the object stopping moving and keeping contacting with the touch device and stopping outputting the control signal to the main unit once the object detaches from the touch device. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIGS  
      The detail structure, the applied principle, the function and the effectiveness of the present invention can be more fully understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view illustrating a conventional window page for actuating the pointer to move position of the first scroll bar so as to scroll the scroll bar;  
       FIG. 2  is a wave curve illustrating a method of identifying a drag gesture executing on a conventional touch control device;  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of the control module according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating steps of a touch control method for a drag according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a wave curve illustrating the embodiment generating touch signal, displacement signal and control signal while the touch device is pressed; and  
       FIG. 6  is a plan view illustrating the touch control method for a drag according to the present invention actuating the pointer to move position of the first scroll bar so as to scroll the scroll bar. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PEFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the control module  13  of the present invention in a preferred embodiment thereof is set up in a touch control device  1  and electrically connected to a touch pad  10  and a main unit  3 . The control module  13  is electrically connected to the touch pad  10  via an X-direction processing unit  11  and a Y-direction processing unit  12 . The touch pad  10  can be capacitance type, resistance type, inductance, surface sound wave type, supersonic type or optical type.  
      The touch pad  10  in the present embodiment is taken the capacitance type as an example. Change of the capacitance at the spot of the finger  2  touching the touch pad  10 , that is, at the moment of the finger  2  touching the touch pad  10 , a contact capacitance can be generated due to the surface of the touch pad  10  being an inductance matrix. The X-direction processing unit  11  and the Y-direction processing unit  12  can trace the path of contact capacitance continuously and the operation unit  131  in the control module  13  can assign X, Y coordinate positional parameter and figure out X, Y direction movements ΔX A Y. In the mean time, the operation unit  131  can measure different pressure changes while the finger  2  touching the touch pad  10  and output touch signals  501  corresponding to the different pressure changes.  
      Each of the touch signals  501  starts while the touch pad  10  is touched initially and ends while the touched pad  10  is detached finally. The operation unit  131  sends the X-direction displacement ΔX, Y-direction displacement ΔY and the touch signals  501  to a gesture unit  132  and the gesture unit  132  determines what type of touch done by the finger  2  based on values of the X-direction displacement, the Y-direction displacement and the touch signals  501 . The touch in the embodiment is drag gesture and the control signal  503  corresponding to the gesture is transmitted to the main unit for further use via a transition.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3, 4  and  5 , first of all, the touch control method of drag according to the present invention as shown in steps  401  and  402  has the gesture unit  132  detecting and starting time counting and keeps detecting and recording time duration of the finger  2  staying on the touch pad  10  once the finger  2  touches the touch pad  10 . The positive margin of the touch signal  501  (lower reference position is changed to higher reference position) shown in  FIG. 5  means the motion of touch is generated.  
      As done in step  403 , a first reference time T 1  is defined in the gesture unit  132 . If the gesture  132  determines time duration of the finger  2  staying on the touch pad exceeding the first reference time T 1 , that is, if the motion of touch on the touch pad  10  exceeds the first reference time T 1  and the displacement  502  created by the finger  2  on the touch pad  10  is detected greater than a reference displacement as shown in step  404 , the touch can be determined as a drag gesture. If steps  403  and  404  are not satisfied, the touch gesture can be determined as non-drag gesture and the non-drag gesture is further to be identified what the movement actually is as it is done in steps  405  and  409 .  
      If the requirement of step  403 , which is the time duration of the finger staying on the touch pad  10  exceeds the first reference time T 1 , and requirement of step  404 , which is the displacement  502  created by the finger on the touch pad  10  being detected greater than a reference displacement, are satisfied, step  406  is executed continuously to output a control signal  503  representing the single tap gesture as shown in  FIG. 5 . The control signal  503  is output to the main unit  3  after being generated from occurring the drag gesture and lapsing the first reference time T 1  and the control signal at the present time is a series of pulse signals.  
      A second reference time T 2  is defined in the gesture unit  132  too as shown in step  407 . The finger  2  stays unmoved and keeps contact with the touch pad  10  and step  408  is executed after time duration of the finger  2  keeping staying on the touch pad  10  exceeding the second reference time T 2 . The touch signal  503  is kept to output to the main unit  3  via the transmission interface  14  till the finger  2  is detached from the touch pad.  FIG. 5  shows the control signal  503  is stopped outputting the control signal  503  at the negative margin of the touch signal  501  wave, which is a temporary state from high reference position changing to low reference position.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3, 5  and  6 , a preferred embodiment of the touch control method for a drag is illustrated. Taking the first scroll bar  32  of a window page  31  being scrolled a distance ΔY as an example, it is necessary to drag the finger  2  on the touch pad  10  a small distance and the touch signal  501  corresponding to the drag gesture is generated to pass the first reference time T 1  before the control signal  503  is created. The displacement  502  of the finger  2  is determined exceeding the reference displacement and the control signal  503  is output. Afterward, the control signal  503  is kept to output for being used by the main unit even if the finger  2  stays still on the touch pad  10  and keeps contact with the touch pad  10 . That is, the moving distance ΔY of the first scroll bar  92  depends on time duration of the drag gesture staying on the touch pad  10  and the user does not have to move the finger  2  unceasingly in order to accumulate considerable displacement for the first scroll bar  92  being able to wind a longer distance.  
      It is appreciated that the touch control method for a drag according to the present invention is to identify the motion of drag executed on the touch device  1  by the finger  2  by way of the control module  13  of the touch device  1  with control signal  503  is generated corresponding to the drag for being used by the main unit  3  for performing subsequent control function. A first reference time T 1  is defined in the control module  13  and the control module  13  is mainly to detect occurrence of the drag generated during the finger moving on the touch device  1  and start counting time at the same time. Then, the control module  13  determines time of the finger  2  staying contact with the touch device  1  exceeding the first reference time T 1  and outputs a control signal  503  representing the drag motion for being used by the main unit  3 . When the finger  2  keeps staying on the touch device  1  for a time duration exceeding the second reference time T 2 , the control signal  503  is kept outputting to the main unit  3  till the finger  2  detaching from the touch device  1  so that less effort is needed by the user.  
      While the invention has been described with referencing to the preferred embodiments thereof it is to be understood that modifications or variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims.