TOUCH SENSING SYSTEM AND DISPLAY APPARATUS EMPLOYING THE SAME

• US 20100231532A1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Nho, Jeong-ho, Cha, Yong-dok
• Granted Patent: US 8,395,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9638 using a light guide

Abstract

A touch sensing system which senses a touch position on a screen, including a light source to emit light; a light deflection unit to deflect the light emitted from the light source, a light guide plate which is arranged opposite to the screen and guides the light deflected by the light deflection unit to different positions on the screen according to an incident position, a light detector to receive at least part of the light reflected in a touch position on the screen, and a controller to calculate the touch position on the screen based on a point of time when the light detector detects the light.

Claims

1. A touch sensing system which senses a touch position on a screen, comprising:

a light source that emits light;

a light deflection unit that deflects the light emitted from the light source;

a light guide plate which is arranged opposite to the screen and which guides the light deflected by the light deflection unit to different positions on the screen according to an incident position of the deflected light;

a light detector that receives at least part of the guided light that is reflected from the touch position on the screen; and

a controller that calculates the touch position on the screen based on a point of time when the light detector detects the light.

2. The touch sensing system according to claim 1, wherein the light guide plate comprises:

a light exit part that transmits the incident light towards the screen;

a side face part into which the light deflected by the light deflection unit is incident; and

an incidence and reflection part which is inclinedly formed with respect to the light exit part and which transmits an incident image towards the light exit part and which reflects the light which is deflected by the light deflection unit and incident into the side face part to the different positions on the screen according to the incident position of the deflected light.

3. The touch sensing system according to claim 2, wherein the light deflection unit comprises a two-axes driving scanner which scans the light emitted from the light source to the side face part of the light guide plate in a main scan direction and a sub scan direction to form a 2-dimensional scan line.

4. The touch sensing system according to claim 2, wherein the light deflection unit comprises:

a first light deflection unit which scans the light emitted from the light source in a sub scan direction; and

a second light deflection unit which is arranged between the first light deflection unit and the side face part of the light guide plate and which scans the incident light in a main scan direction.

5. The touch sensing system according to claim 4, wherein each of the first and second light deflection units comprises at least one of a polygonal rotating mirror, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanner and a Galvano-Mirror.

6. The touch sensing system according to claim 1, further comprising a synchronization signal detecting sensor that detects a leading edge of a synchronization signal of the light deflected in the light deflection unit.

7. The touch sensing system according to claim 6, wherein the controller calculates the information on the touch position on the screen based on a time difference between a point of time when the synchronization detecting sensor detects the leading edge of the synchronization signal and a point of time when the light detector detects the light.

8. The touch sensing system according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises at least one of a laser diode that emits invisible light and a light emitting diode.

9. A display apparatus comprising:

a screen to display an image and receive information on a touch position;

a display panel which provides an image for the screen; and

a touch sensing system which senses the touch position on the screen, wherein the touch sensing system comprises;

a light source that emits light;

a light deflection unit that deflects the light emitted from the light source;

a light guide plate which is arranged opposite to the screen and which guides the light deflected by the light deflection unit to different positions on the screen according to an incident position of the deflected light;

a light detector that receives at least part of the guided light that is reflected from the touch position on the screen; and

a controller that calculates the touch position on the screen based on a point of time when the light detector detects the light.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the light guide plate comprises:

a light exit part that transmits the incident light towards the screen;

a side face part into which the light deflected by the light deflection unit is incident; and

an incidence and reflection part which is inclinedly formed with respect to the light exit part and which transmits an incident image towards the light exit part and which reflects the light which is deflected by the light deflection unit and incident into the side face part to the different positions on the screen according to the incident position of the deflected light.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the light deflection unit comprises a two-axes driving scanner which scans the light emitted from the light source to the side face part of the light guide plate in a main scan direction and a sub scan direction to form a 2-dimensional scan line.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the light deflection unit comprises:

a first light deflection unit which scans the light emitted from the light source in a sub scan direction; and

a second light deflection unit which is arranged between the first light deflection unit and the side face part of the light guide plate and which scans the incident light in a main scan direction.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of the first and second light deflection units comprises at least one of a polygonal rotating mirror, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) scanner and a Galvano-Mirror.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a synchronization signal detecting sensor that detects a leading edge of a synchronization signal of the light deflected in the light deflection unit.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the controller calculates the information on the touch position on the screen based on a time difference between a point of time when the synchronization detecting sensor detects the leading edge of the synchronization signal and a point of time when the light detector detects the light.

16. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the light source comprises at least one of a laser diode that emits invisible light and a light emitting diode.