Infrared Touch Screen Gated By Touch Force

• US 20080273013A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Levine, James L., Luerich, Susan A., Miller, Duane S
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A touch-sensitive display device includes a display. A transparent plate is provided in front of the display. A tactile sensor senses a touch event. One or more infrared sensors are positioned in front of the transparent plate. The one or more infrared sensors identify a location of the touch event when the tactile sensor detects a touch event.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive display device, comprising:

a display;

a transparent plate provided in front of the display device;

a tactile sensor sensing a touch event; and

one or more infrared sensors positioned in front of the transparent plate, wherein the one or more infrared sensors identify a location of the touch event when the tactile sensor detects a touch event.

2. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the display is an LCD panel.

3. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the transparent plate is mounted to allow the transparent plate to vibrate.

4. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the transparent plate is mounted to the touch-sensitive display device using double-sided foam tape.

5. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the transparent plate is an outer layer of the display.

6. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the transparent plate is a glass plate.

7. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the tactile sensor is a sensor that detects vibration, shock or displacement of the transparent plate.

8. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the tactile sensor is a piezoelectric sensor.

9. The touch-sensitive display device of claim 1, wherein the tactile sensor is in vibrational communication with the transparent plate.

10. The touch-sensitive display of claim 1, wherein the one or more infrared sensors comprise a set of x-axis infrared sensors for detecting an x-axis coordinate of the touch event and a set of y-axis infrared sensors for detecting a y-axis coordinate of the touch event, wherein one or more corresponding x-axis infrared emitters emit infrared light in the direction of the x-axis infrared sensors and one or more corresponding y-axis infrared emitters emit infrared light in the direction of the y-axis infrared sensors and the coordinates of the touch event are detected based on the amount of infrared light detected by the respective infrared sensors.

11. A method for locating a touch event on a touch-sensitive display device, comprising:

monitoring a tactile sensor to detect the occurrence of a touch event; and

when the occurrence of a touch event has been detected by the tactile sensory identifying a location of the touch event based on one or more infrared sensors.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of identifying a location of the touch event based on one or more infrared sensors comprises:

activating one or more infrared emitters;

reading the amount of infrared light detected by the one or more infrared sensors; and

calculate the location of the touch event based on the amount of infrared light detected by each of the one or

more infrared sensors and the relative position of each of the infrared sensors.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tactile sensor-detect the occurrence of a touch event by sensing vibration, shock or displacement of the touch-sensitive display device.

14. A method for retrofitting a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

affixing a tactile sensor to the touch-sensitive display such that the tactile sensor is in vibrational communication with a transparent plate of the touch-sensitive display;

interfacing the tactile sensor to a microprocessor of the touch-sensitive display; and

modifying logic of the touch-sensitive display such that infrared sensors of the touch-sensitive display are activated based on tactile sensor data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile sensor is a sensor that detects vibration, shock or displacement of the transparent plate.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile sensor is a piezoelectric sensor.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of modifying the logic of the touch-sensitive display comprises changing or replacing computer-executable code executed by a microprocessor of the touch-sensitive display.

18. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for locating a touch event on a touch-sensitive display device, the method comprising;

monitoring a tactile sensor to detect the occurrence of a touch event; and

when the occurrence of a touch event has been detected by the tactile sensory identifying a location of the touch event based on one or more infrared sensors.

19. The computer system, of claim 18, wherein the step of identifying a location of the touch event based on one or more infrared sensors comprises:

activating one or more infrared emitters;

reading the amount of infrared light detected by the one or more infrared sensors; and

calculate the location of the touch event based on the amount of infrared light detected by each of the one or more infrared sensors and the relative position of each of the infrared sensors.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the tactile sensor detect the occurrence of a touch event by sensing vibration, shock or displacement of the touch-sensitive display device.