INTERACTIVE INPUT SYSTEM AND COMPONENTS THEREFOR

• US 20110032215A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kroecker, Wallace I., Wright, Joe, Sirotich, Roberto A.L.
• Application Number:
  US12/815,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• 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 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• 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

Abstract

A display panel for an interactive input system comprises first and second touch surfaces on opposite major sides thereof and a touch detection arrangement to detect touch input on one or both of the touch surfaces.

Claims

1. A display panel for an interactive input system, the display panel comprising first and second touch surfaces on opposite major sides thereof and a touch detection arrangement to detect touch input on one or both of said touch surfaces.

2. A display panel according to claim 1 wherein the touch detection arrangement comprises a first system to detect touch input on the first touch surface and a second system to detect touch input on the second touch surface.

3. A display panel according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the first system and the second system is a machine vision-based touch detection system.

4. A display panel according to claim 3 wherein both the first system and the second system are machine vision-based touch detection systems.

5. A display panel according to claim 3 wherein the machine vision-based touch detection systems are either the same or are different.

6. A display panel according to claim 4 wherein at least one of the machine vision-based touch detection systems comprises at least two imaging devices looking generally across a respective touch surface from different vantages.

7. A display panel according to claim 5 wherein the at least one imaging system comprises a bezel at least partially surrounding the respective touch surface and having a surface in the field of view of said at least one imaging system.

8. A display panel according to claim 7 wherein the bezel surface comprises at least one curved portion joining adjacent straight portions.

9. A display panel according to claim 4 wherein each of the machine vision-based touch detection systems comprises at least two imaging devices looking generally across a respective touch surface from different vantages.

10. A display panel according to claim 9 wherein each imaging system comprises a bezel at least partially surrounding the respective touch surface and having a surface in the field of view of said at least one imaging system.

11. A display panel according to claim 10 wherein the bezel surface comprises at least one curved portion joining adjacent straight portions.

12. A display panel according to claim 4 wherein the other machine vision-based touch detection system captures images of the display panel including totally internally reflected light within said display panel that escapes in response to pointer contact with the other touch surface.

13. A display panel according to claim 12 wherein the other machine vision-based touch detection systems comprises a camera device looking through said display panel and capturing images including escaping totally internally reflected light.

14. An interactive input system comprising a display panel according to claim 1 and processing structure communicating with the touch detection arrangement and processing touch input data generated thereby to locate pointer contacts on the first and second touch surfaces.

15. An interactive input system according to claim 14 further comprising an image generating unit responsive to said processing structure for presenting an image on said display panel.

16. An interactive input system comprising:

a display panel comprising touch surfaces on opposite major sides of the display panel;

a touch detection arrangement to detect touch input made on one or more of said touch surfaces; and

processing structure communicating with the touch detection arrangement and processing data for locating each touch input.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the touch detection arrangement comprises an imaging system associated with each of said touch surfaces.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein at least one of said imaging systems comprises at least two imaging devices looking generally across a respective touch surface from different vantages.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one imaging system comprises a bezel at least partially surrounding the respective touch surface and having a surface in the field of view of said at least one imaging system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the bezel surface comprises at least one curved portion joining adjacent straight portions.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein each of said imaging systems comprises at least two imaging devices looking generally across a respective touch surface from different vantages.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein each of said imaging systems comprises a bezel at least partially surrounding the respective touch surface and having a surface in the field of view of said at least one imaging system.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the bezel surface comprises at least one curved portion joining adjacent straight portions.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the other imaging system captures images of the display panel including totally internally reflected light within said display panel that escapes in response to pointer contact with the other touch surface.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the other imaging system comprises a camera device looking through said display panel and capturing images including escaping totally internally reflected light.

26. A bezel for an interactive input system, the bezel comprising at least two straight segments extending along intersecting sides of a display panel and at least one curved portion interconnecting the straight segments, the straight and curved segments comprising an inwardly facing reflective surface that is generally normal to the plane of said display panel.

27. The bezel of claim 26 wherein said inwardly facing reflective surface is a retro-reflective surface.