Optical touch pad with multilayer waveguide

• US 20070152985A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Original Assignee: O-Pen A/S
• Inventors: Bastue, Jens, Ostergaard, Jens Wagenblast, Eliasson, Jonas Ove
• Granted Patent: US 8,013,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An optical touch pad that includes a multilayer waveguide optically coupled to at least one electromagnetic radiation detector. Based on electromagnetic radiation directed from an object to the detector by the multilayer waveguide, information related to an object proximate to (e.g., hovering above) and/or in contact with the optical touch pad may be determined. For example, the information related to the object may include position information, object-type information, and/or other information related to the object.

Claims

1. An optical touch pad for determining the position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad, the optical touch pad comprising:

a multilayer waveguide comprising;

a first waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a first TIR mirror surface, the first waveguide layer having a first index of refraction;

a second waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a second TIR mirror surface, the second waveguide having a second index of refraction; and

the multilayer waveguide being designed to direct electromagnetic radiation by total internal reflection to at least one detector to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

2. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction.

3. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction, and wherein the second waveguide layer is on an opposite side of the first waveguide layer from the external surface of the optical touch pad.

4. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with the external surface.

5. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with or hovering above the external surface.

6. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein a surface of the first waveguide layer comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad.

7. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer.

8. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer and further wherein the at least one additional layer comprises a relatively soft layer near the external surface, and in response to being touched by an object, the soft layer is deformable to allow radiation otherwise trapped by TIR to illuminate the object and to receive backscattered light from the object that can be trapped by TIR in one or more of the waveguide layers.

9. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

10. The touch pad of claim 9, wherein the relatively rigid layer and the relatively pliable layer are index of refraction matched.

11. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad, wherein the second waveguide layer comprises a relatively pliable layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the first waveguide layer that deforms the first waveguide layer into the second waveguide layer, the second waveguide layer compresses without substantially straining any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

12. The touch pad of claim 11, wherein the first index of refraction is greater than the second index of refraction.

13. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises an underlayer bounded by TIR mirrors and a plurality of deflecting structures for deflecting electromagnetic radiation into and out of the underlayer.

14. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the multilayer waveguide is positioned to:

i) receive electromagnetic radiation from an object that comes in contact with the external surface, the object being one of at least a first type of object that has first refractive characteristics or a second type of object that has second refractive characteristics; and

ii) direct the received electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection such that the processor receives the at least one signal from the at least one detector and determines the type of object.

15. The touch pad of claim 14, wherein the first object type comprises a relatively higher refractive object type and the second object type comprises a relatively lower refractive object type.

16. The touch pad of claim 14, wherein the first object type comprises a stylus and the second object type comprises a human tissue.

17. The touch pad of claim 14, wherein the refractive characteristics relate to the bounce angle of electromagnetic radiation refracted by the object.

18. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises one or more additional waveguide layers, each additional waveguide layer being bounded on at least one side by a TIR mirror, and wherein each additional waveguide layer has an index of refraction that is different from the index of refraction of other waveguide layers within the multilayer waveguide.

19. The touch pad of claim 18, wherein the waveguide layers are arranged within the multilayer waveguide in order of index of refraction, with the waveguide layer with the highest index of refraction being disposed closest to the external surface of the optical touch pad and the waveguide layer with the lowest index of refraction being disposed furthest from the external surface.

20. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises scratch resistant properties.

21. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises hydrophobic properties.

22. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises anti-glare properties.

23. The touch pad of claim 22, wherein a spotted low index of refraction anti-glare coating is applied to the external surface of the optical touch pad.

24. The touch pad of claim 1, further comprising a layer of air supported by structures that support the multilayer waveguide such that the layer of air is formed between the multilayer waveguide and an adjacent layer of the optical touch pad.

25. The touch pad of claim 24, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer of air.

26. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, the pliable layer and the external layer being substantially index of refraction matched and, when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide, and wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises a layer comprising pockets of air, anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer comprising pockets of air, and an angle selective TIR mirror, the layer comprising pockets of air further comprising supporting structures that support the layers adjacent to the layer comprising pockets of air such that the pockets of air are formed between the adjacent layers.

27. The touch pad of claim 26, wherein the second waveguide layer is disposed on a side of the first waveguide layer opposite from the external surface of the touch pad, the layer comprising pockets of air is disposed on a side of the second waveguide layer opposite from the first waveguide layer, and the angle selective TIR mirror is disposed on a side of the layer comprising pockets of air opposite from the second waveguide layer.

28. The touch pad of claim 27, wherein the multilayer waveguide comprises a TIR mirror separator layer disposed between the second waveguide layer and the layer comprising pockets of air.

29. The touch pad of claim 26, wherein the TIR mirror is mountable directly onto a display.

30. The touch pad of claim 29, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

31. The touch pad of claim 29, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

32. The touch pad of claim 29, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

33. The touch pad of claim 26, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises a TIR mirror that forms a surface of the multilayer waveguide opposite from the external surface of the optical touch pad, and wherein the TIR mirror is mountable directly onto a display.

34. The touch pad of claim 33, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

35. The touch pad of claim 33, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

36. The touch pad of claim 33, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

37. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein a surface of the multilayer waveguide opposite from the external surface of the optical touch pad contacts a surface of a display such that a TIR mirror is formed between the surface of the multilayer waveguide and the surface of the display.

38. The touch pad of claim 37, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

39. The touch pad of claim 37, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

40. The touch pad of claim 37, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

41. The touch pad of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a directional detector.

42. The touch pad of claim 1, further comprising:

a first boundary layer having a first boundary index of refraction and being disposed on an opposite side of the multilayer waveguide from the external surface;

a second boundary layer having a second boundary index of refraction;

an underlayer having a higher index of refraction and being disposed between the first boundary layer and the second boundary layer; and

a plurality of deflecting structures having a structure index of refraction and being disposed within the underlayer;

wherein the first and second boundary indices of refraction and the structure index of refraction are lower than the underlayer, and the first and second boundary layers, the underlayer, and the deflecting structures are designed such that the deflecting structures deflect electromagnetic radiation within the underlayer so that the deflected electromagnetic radiation is guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection to at least one detector to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

43. The touch pad of claim 42, wherein the touch pad is mounted directly to a display layer that is an integral component of a display such that the display layer functions as the second boundary layer.

44. The touch pad of claim 42, wherein the electromagnetic radiation guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection enables the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface when the object is hovering above the external surface of the optical touch pad.

45. An integrated optical touch pad and image forming display, comprising:

an image forming display and an optical touch pad laminated to the image forming display, the optical touch pad being capable of determining a position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad, the optical touch pad comprising;

a multilayer waveguide comprising;

a first waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a first TIR mirror surface, the first waveguide layer having a first index of refraction;

a second waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a second TIR mirror surface, the second waveguide having a second index of refraction; and

wherein the multilayer waveguide directs electromagnetic radiation to at least one detector by total internal reflection to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

46. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction.

47. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction, and wherein the second waveguide layer is on an opposite side of the first waveguide layer from the external surface of the optical touch pad.

48. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with the external surface.

49. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with or hovering above the external surface.

50. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein a surface of the first waveguide layer comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad.

51. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer.

52. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer and further wherein the at least one additional layer comprises a relatively soft layer near the external surface, and in response to being touched by an object, the soft layer is deformable to allow radiation otherwise trapped by TIR to illuminate the object and to receive backscattered light from the object that can be trapped by TIR in one or more of the waveguide layers.

53. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

54. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the relatively rigid layer and the relatively pliable layer are index of refraction matched.

55. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad, wherein the second waveguide layer comprises a relatively pliable layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the first waveguide layer that deforms the first waveguide layer into the second waveguide layer that deforms the first waveguide layer into the second waveguide layer, the second waveguide layer compresses without substantially straining any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

56. The touch pad and display of claim 53, wherein the first index of refraction is greater than the second index of refraction.

57. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises an underlayer bounded by TIR mirrors and a plurality of deflecting structures for deflecting electromagnetic radiation into the underlayer.

58. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide is positioned to:

i) receive electromagnetic radiation from an object that comes in contact with the external surface, the object being one of at least a first type of object that has first refractive characteristics or a second type of object that has second refractive characteristics; and

ii) direct the received electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection such that the processor receives the at least one signal from the at least one detector and determines the type of object.

59. The touch pad and display of claim 56, wherein the first object type comprises a relatively higher refractive object type and the second object type comprises a relatively lower refractive object type.

60. The touch pad and display of claim 57, wherein the first object type comprises a stylus and the second object type comprises a human tissue.

61. The touch pad and display of claim 58, wherein the refractive characteristics relate to the bounce angle of electromagnetic radiation refracted by the object.

62. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises one or more additional waveguide layers, each additional waveguide layer being bounded on at least one side by a TIR mirror, and wherein each additional waveguide layer has an index of refraction that is different from the index of refraction of other waveguide layers within the multilayer waveguide.

63. The touch pad and display of claim 60, wherein the waveguide layers are arranged within the multilayer waveguide in order of index of refraction, with the waveguide layer with the highest index of refraction being disposed closest to the external surface of the optical touch pad and the waveguide layer with the lowest index of refraction being disposed furthest from the external surface.

64. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises scratch resistant properties.

65. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises hydrophobic properties.

66. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises anti-glare properties.

67. The touchpad and display of claim 61, wherein a spotted low index of refraction anti-glare coating is applied to the external surface of the optical touch pad.

68. The touch pad and display of claim 45, further comprising a layer of air supported by structures that support the multilayer waveguide such that the layer of air is formed between the multilayer waveguide and an adjacent layer of the optical touch pad or the display.

69. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer of air.

70. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, the pliable layer and the external layer being substantially index of refraction matched and, when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide, and wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises a layer comprising pockets of air, anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer comprising pockets of air, and an angle selective TIR mirror, the layer comprising pockets of air further comprising supporting structures that support the layers adjacent to the layer comprising pockets of air such that the pockets of air are formed between the adjacent layers.

71. The touch pad and display of claim 65, wherein the second waveguide layer is disposed on a side of the first waveguide layer opposite from the external surface of the touch pad, the layer comprising pockets of air is disposed on a side of the second waveguide layer opposite from the first waveguide layer, and the angle selective TIR mirror is disposed on a side of the layer comprising pockets of air opposite from the second waveguide layer.

72. The touch pad and display of claim 66, wherein the multilayer waveguide comprises a TIR mirror disposed between the second waveguide layer and the layer comprising pockets of air.

73. The touch pad and display of claim 67, wherein the TIR mirror is mountable directly onto the display.

74. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

75. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

76. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

77. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the multilayer waveguide is mounted directly to the display such that a TIR mirror is formed between a surface of the multilayer waveguide opposite from the external surface of the optical touch pad and the display.

78. The touch pad and display of claim 72, wherein the multilayer waveguide is mounted directly to an outer surface of a substantially transparent substrate integrally included in the display such that the substantially transparent substrate forms a waveguide layer capable of directing electromagnetic radiation by total internal reflection within the substantially transparent substrate, the total internal reflection occurring at one or both of the TIR mirror formed at the boundary between the multilayer waveguide and the outer surface of the substantially transparent substrate and a TIR mirror formed at a boundary between the inner surface of the substantially transparent substrate and air within the display.

79. The touch pad and display of claim 45, wherein the detector comprises a directional detector.

80. The touch pad and display of claim 45, further comprising:

a first boundary layer having a first boundary index of refraction and being disposed on an opposite side of the multilayer waveguide from the external surface;

a second boundary layer having a second boundary index of refraction;

an underlayer having an underlayer index of refraction and being disposed between the first boundary layer and the second boundary layer; and

a plurality of deflecting structures having a structure index of refraction and being disposed within the underlayer;

wherein the first and second boundary indices of refraction and the structure index of refraction are lower than the underlayer, and the first and second boundary layers, the underlayer, and the deflecting structures are designed such that the deflecting structures deflect electromagnetic radiation within the underlayer so that the deflected electromagnetic radiation is guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection to at least one detector to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

81. The touch pad and display of claim 75, wherein the touch pad is mounted directly to a display layer that is an integral component of the display such that the display layer functions as the second boundary layer.

82. The touch pad and display of claim 75, wherein the electromagnetic radiation guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection enables the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface when the object is hovering above the external surface of the optical touch pad.

84. The system of claim 78, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction.

85. The system of claim 78, wherein the first index of refraction is higher than the second index of refraction, and wherein the second waveguide layer is on an opposite side of the first waveguide layer from the external surface of the optical touch pad.

86. The system of claim 78, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with the external surface.

87. The system of claim 78, wherein the multilayer waveguide forms a plurality of TIR mirrors for segmenting the bounce angles of electromagnetic radiation received from an object in contact with or hovering above the external surface.

88. The system of claim 78, wherein a surface of the first waveguide layer comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad.

89. The system of claim 78, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer.

90. The system of claim 78, wherein the optical touch pad comprises at least one additional layer and the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises a surface of the additional layer and further wherein the at least one additional layer comprises a relatively soft layer near the external surface, and in response to being touched by an object, the soft layer is deformable to allow radiation otherwise trapped by TIR to illuminate the object and to receive backscattered light from the object that can be trapped by TIR in one or more of the waveguide layers.

91. The system of claim 78, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

92. The system of claim 86, wherein the relatively rigid layer and the relatively pliable layer are index of refraction matched.

93. The system of claim 78, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad, wherein the second waveguide layer comprises a relatively pliable layer, and wherein when an external force is applied to the first waveguide layer that deforms the first waveguide layer into the second waveguide layer that deforms the first waveguide layer into the second waveguide layer, the second waveguide layer compresses without substantially straining any other layers within the multilayer waveguide.

94. The system of claim 88, wherein the first index of refraction is greater than the second index of refraction.

95. The system of claim 78, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises an underlayer bounded by TIR mirrors and a plurality of deflecting structures for deflecting electromagnetic radiation into the underlayer.

96. The system of claim 78, wherein the multilayer waveguide is positioned to:

i) receive electromagnetic radiation from an object that comes in contact with the external surface, the object being one of at least a first type of object that has first refractive characteristics or a second type of object that has second refractive characteristics; and

ii) direct the received electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection such that the processor receives the at least one signal from the at least one detector and determines the type of object.

97. The system of claim 91, wherein the first object type comprises a relatively higher refractive object type and the second object type comprises a relatively lower refractive object type.

98. The system of claim 91, wherein the first object type comprises a stylus and the second object type comprises a human tissue.

99. The system of claim 91, wherein the refractive characteristics relate to the bounce angle of electromagnetic radiation refracted by the object.

100. The system of claim 78, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises one or more additional waveguide layers, each additional waveguide layer being bounded on at least one side by a TIR mirror, and wherein each additional waveguide layer has an index of refraction that is different from the index of refraction of other waveguide layers within the multilayer waveguide.

101. The system of claim 95, wherein the waveguide layers are arranged within the multilayer waveguide in order of index of refraction, with the waveguide layer with the highest index of refraction being disposed closest to the external surface of the optical touch pad and the waveguide layer with the lowest index of refraction being disposed furthest from the external surface.

102. The system of claim 78, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises scratch resistant properties.

103. The system of claim 78, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises hydrophobic properties.

104. The system of claim 78, wherein the external surface of the optical touch pad comprises anti-glare properties.

105. The system of claim 99, wherein a spotted low index of refraction anti-glare coating is applied to the external surface of the optical touch pad.

106. The system of claim 78, further comprising a layer of air supported by structures that support the multilayer waveguide such that the layer of air is formed between the multilayer waveguide and an adjacent layer of the optical touch pad.

107. The system of claim 101, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer of air.

108. The system of claim 78, wherein the first waveguide layer comprises a relatively rigid layer that comprises the external surface of the optical touch pad and a relatively pliable layer that is directly adjacent to the external layer, the pliable layer and the external layer being substantially index of refraction matched and, when an external force is applied to the external layer that deforms the external layer into the pliable layer, the pliable layer compresses without substantially stressing any other layers within the multilayer waveguide, and wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises a layer comprising pockets of air, anti-reflective nano structures disposed in the layer comprising pockets of air, and an angle selective TIR mirror, the layer comprising pockets of air further comprising supporting structures that support the layers adjacent to the layer comprising pockets of air such that the pockets of air are formed between the adjacent layers.

109. The system of claim 103, wherein the second waveguide layer is disposed on a side of the first waveguide layer opposite from the external surface of the touch pad, the layer comprising pockets of air is disposed on a side of the second waveguide layer opposite from the first waveguide layer, and the angle selective TIR mirror is disposed on a side of the layer comprising pockets of air opposite from the second waveguide layer.

110. The system of claim 104, wherein the multilayer waveguide comprises a TIR mirror separator layer disposed between the second waveguide layer and the layer comprising pockets of air.

111. The system of claim 103, wherein the TIR mirror is mountable directly onto a display.

112. The system of claim 106, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

113. The system of claim 106, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

114. The system of claim 106, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

115. The system of claim 103, wherein the multilayer waveguide further comprises a TIR mirror separator layer that forms a surface of the multilayer waveguide opposite from the external surface of the optical touch pad, and wherein the mirror separator layer is mountable directly onto a display.

116. The system of claim 110, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

117. The system of claim 110, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

118. The system of claim 110, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

119. The system of claim 78, wherein a surface of the multilayer waveguide opposite from the external surface of the optical touch pad contacts a surface of a display such that a TIR mirror is formed between the surface of the multilayer waveguide and the surface of the display.

120. The system of claim 114, wherein the display comprises an electronic display.

121. The system of claim 114, wherein the display comprises a computer monitor or a television display.

122. The system of claim 114, wherein the display comprises a display of a mobile electronic device.

123. The system of claim 78, wherein the detector comprises a directional detector.

124. The system of claim 78, further comprising:

a first boundary layer having a first boundary index of refraction and being disposed on an opposite side of the multilayer waveguide from the external surface;

a second boundary layer having a second boundary index of refraction;

an underlayer having an underlayer index of refraction and being disposed between the first boundary layer and the second boundary layer; and

a plurality of deflecting structures having a structure index of refraction and being disposed within the underlayer;

wherein the first and second boundary indices of refraction and the structure index of refraction are lower than the underlayer, and the first and second boundary layers, the underlayer, and the deflecting structures are designed such that the deflecting structures deflect electromagnetic radiation within the underlayer so that the deflected electromagnetic radiation is guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection to at least one detector to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

125. The system of claim 119, wherein the touch pad is mounted directly to a display layer that is an integral component of a display such that the display layer functions as the second boundary layer.

126. The system of claim 119, wherein the electromagnetic radiation guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection enables the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface when the object is hovering above the external surface of the optical touch pad.

128. The method of claim 122, further comprising the step of determining an object type of the object based on characteristics of the electromagnetic radiation directed to the at least one detector.

130. The optical touch pad of claim 124, wherein the deflecting structures are disposed within the underlayer.

131. The optical touch pad of claim 125, wherein the structure index of refraction is lower than the underlayer index of refraction.

132. The optical touch pad of claim 124, further comprising a multilayer waveguide.

83. An optical touch pad system for determining a position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad, comprising:

a multilayer waveguide comprising;

a first waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a first TIR mirror surface, the first waveguide layer having a first index of refraction;

a second waveguide layer bounded on at least one side by a second TIR mirror surface, the second waveguide having a second index of refraction; and

at least one detector for receiving electromagnetic radiation from at least one layer of the multilayer waveguide and generating a signal relating to the position of the object with respect to the external surface of the optical touch pad;

the multilayer waveguide positioned to;

i) receive electromagnetic radiation having characteristics affected by the position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad; and

ii) direct the received electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection; and

a processor that receives the at least one signal from the at least one detector and determines position information regarding the object.

127. A method for determining a position of an object with respect to a surface of an optical touch pad, the method comprising:

transmitting electromagnetic radiation through the surface of the optical touch pad;

receiving a portion of the electromagnetic radiation that is backscattered and/or reflected by the object into a multilayer waveguide, the multilayer waveguide comprising a first waveguide layer having a first index of refraction and the second waveguide layer having a second index of refraction;

directing the received electromagnetic radiation to at least one detector by total internal reflection;

determining a position of the object with respect to the optical touch pad based on the electromagnetic radiation directed to the at least one detector by total internal reflection.

129. An optical touch pad for determining the position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad, the optical touch pad comprising:

a first boundary layer having a first boundary index of refraction;

a second boundary layer having a second boundary index of refraction;

an underlayer having an underlayer index of refraction and being disposed between the first boundary layer and the second boundary layer; and

a plurality of deflecting structures having a structure index of refraction;

wherein the first and second boundary indices of refraction are lower than the underlayer, and the deflecting structures are arranged to deflect electromagnetic radiation so that the deflected electromagnetic radiation is guided within the underlayer by total internal reflection to at least one detector to enable the detector to determine the position of the object with respect to the external surface.

133. An optical touch pad for use with at least one detector to determine a position an object with respect to a surface of the optical touch pad and an object type of the object, the optical touch pad comprising:

a multilayer waveguide comprising a plurality of waveguide layers, wherein each waveguide layer has a unique index of refraction;

the waveguide layers being arranged within the multilayer waveguide to direct electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection such that the one or more characteristics of the electromagnetic radiation are indicative of the position of the object with respect to the external surface and one or more characteristics of the electromagnetic radiation are indicative of an object type of the object.

134. An optical touch pad system comprising:

a multilayer waveguide comprising a plurality of layered waveguides, wherein the waveguides are substantially planar and substantially parallel to each other; and

at least one detector that generates at least one signal related to one or more aspects of electromagnetic radiation incident thereon;

the multilayer waveguide positioned to receive electromagnetic radiation with one or more characteristics indicative of the position of an object with respect to an external surface of the optical touch pad and one or more characteristics indicative of an object type of the object, and to direct the received electromagnetic radiation to the at least one detector by total internal reflection such that the at least one signal generated by the detector reflects the one or more characteristics of the received electromagnetic radiation indicative of the position of the object and the one or more characteristics of the received electromagnetic radiation indicative of the object type of the object;

a processor that receives the at least one signal from the at least one detector and determines the object type of the object and position information regarding the object.