Displays and information input devices

• US 10,156,931 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Inventors: Kali, Eran, Lipman, Sarah Michelle, Gutin, Boris, Margalit, Moti
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Premal R
• Application Number:
  US15/343,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An integrated display and input device includes a first pixel array operative to provide a visually sensible output, a second pixel array operative to sense at least a position of an object with respect to the first pixel array, and circuitry receiving an output from the second pixel array and providing a non-imagewise input to utilization circuitry.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a display panel having a pixel array that defines a display area, the pixel array is configured to visually present digital content;

an Infra-Red (IR) emitter positioned proximate to the display area, the IR emitter illuminating one or more objects in proximity to the device;

a position sensing array positioned proximate to at least one edge of the display area, the position sensing array is configured to receive, through at least one layer of the display panel, at least a portion of light reflected by an object in proximity to the device and generate an output signal that represents an amount of the portion of light; and

a processing unit configured to;

receive the output signal from the position sensing array;

determine the output signal exceeds a predetermined threshold;

calculate, based on the output signal, a position of the object relative to the device when the output signal exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

execute input functionality corresponding to the position of the object.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a baseline level of ambient light proximate to the device; and

set the predetermined threshold above the baseline level of ambient light.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a change in the output signal; and

calculate movement of the object relative to the display panel based on the output signal.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a shape and size of an impingement area relative to the display area based on the output signal; and

calculate a three-dimensional position of the object based on the shape and size of the impingement area.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a shape and size of an impingement area relative to the display area based on the output signal; and

calculate an angular orientation of the object relative to the display area based on the shape and size of the impingement area.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine, based on the output signal, a two-dimensional position of the object relative to the display area.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises at least one of an infra-red (IR) transmissive display layer, a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) layer.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises at least one of a diffusing layer, a reflector layer, or a collimating layer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the object comprises at least one of a stylus, a portion of a hand, or a finger.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the IR emitter comprises an IR light emitting diode (LED).

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the display panel includes a backlight layer for illuminating at least a portion of the display area.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a backlight for illuminating at least a portion of the display area.

13. A method for determining a position of an object relative to a device, the method comprising:

displaying digital content by a pixel array that defines a display area on a portion of a display panel;

illuminating one or more objects in proximity to the device by an Infra-Red (IR) emitter positioned proximate to the display area;

receiving, by a position sensing array, at least a portion of light reflected by an object in proximity to the device and through at least one layer of the display panel;

generating an output signal by the position sensing array, the output signal representing an amount of the portion of light reflected by the object;

determining, by a processor, the output signal exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

calculating, by the processor, a position of the object relative to the device when the output signal exceeds the predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a baseline level of ambient light proximate the display panel; and

setting the predetermined threshold above the baseline level of ambient light.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a change in the output signal; and

calculating, by the processor, movement of the object relative to the display panel based on the change in the output signal.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a shape and size of an impingement area relative to the display area based on the output signal; and

calculating, by the processor, a three-dimensional position of the object based on the shape and size of the impingement area.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, a shape and size of an impingement area relative to the display area based on the output signal; and

calculating, by the processor, an angular orientation of the object relative to the display area based on the shape and size of the impingement area.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, based on the output signal, a two-dimensional position of the object relative to the display area.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the display panel comprises at least one of an infra-red (IR) transmissive display layer, a liquid crystal display (LCD) layer, or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) layer.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the object comprises at least one of a stylus, a portion of a hand, or a finger.

21. A system for determining a position of an object relative to a device, the system comprising:

a display panel having a pixel array that defines a display area, the pixel array is configured to visually present digital content;

an Infra-Red (IR) emitter positioned proximate to the display area, the IR emitter illuminating one or more objects in proximity to the device;

a position sensing array positioned proximate to at least one edge of the display area, the position sensing array is configured to receive, through at least one layer of the display panel, at least a portion of light reflected by an object in proximity to the device and generate an output signal that represents an amount of the portion of light; and

a processing unit configured to;

receive the output signal from the position sensing array;

determine the output signal exceeds a predetermined threshold;

calculate, based on the output signal, a position of the object relative to the device when the output signal exceeds the predetermined threshold; and

execute input functionality for the device corresponding to the position of the object.