HIGH INTEGRITY TOUCH SCREEN SYSTEM

• US 20110181523A1
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Nutaro, Joseph J., Tyrrell, James, Grothe, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1633 using mutual exchange of the output between the redundant processing components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1637 using additional compare functionality in one or some but not all of the redundant processing components
• 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 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

A high integrity touch screen system includes, but is not limited to, a display screen, a first sensor array to detect a touch on the display screen and to generate a first set of touch position coordinates, a first processor connected to the first sensor array and configured to receive the first set of touch position coordinates, a second sensor array to detect the touch on the display screen and to generate a second set of touch position coordinates and a second processor connected to the second sensor array and configured to receive the second set of touch position coordinates. The first processor and the second processor cooperate to compare the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates and to invalidate the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

Claims

1. A high integrity touch screen system comprising:

a display screen configured to present information to an operator;

a first sensor array arranged proximate the display screen, the first sensor array configured to detect a touch by the operator on the display screen and to generate a first set of touch position coordinates;

a first processor communicatively connected to the first sensor array and configured to receive the first set of touch position coordinates from the first sensor array;

a second sensor array arranged proximate the display screen, the second sensor array configured to detect the touch by the operator on the display screen and to generate a second set of touch position coordinates; and

a second processor communicatively connected to the second sensor array and configured to receive the second set of touch position coordinates from the second sensor array;

wherein the first processor and the second processor are communicatively connected to each other, wherein the first processor and the second processor are further configured to cooperate to compare the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates and to invalidate the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

2. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to provide the second set of touch position coordinates to the first processor, and wherein the first processor is configured to compare the first set of touch position coordinates to the second set of touch position coordinates and to invalidate the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

3. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 2, wherein the first processor is further configured to provide the second processor with a confirmation when the first processor determines that the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide.

4. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 2, wherein the first processor is configured to provide the first set of touch position coordinates to the second processor, and wherein the second processor is configured to compare the second set of touch position coordinates to the first set of touch position coordinates, and to invalidate the touch when the second set of touch position coordinates and the first set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

5. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 4 wherein the first processor is configured to provide the second processor with a confirmation when the first processor determines that the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide, and wherein the second processor is configured to provide the first processor with a confirmation when the second processor determines that the second set of touch position coordinates and the first set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide.

6. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor array utilizes a first touch screen technology and wherein the second sensor array also utilizes the first touch screen technology.

7. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor array utilizes a first touch screen technology and wherein the second sensor array utilizes the a second touch screen technology.

8. A high integrity touch screen system comprising:

a display screen configured to present information to an operator;

a first sensor array arranged proximate the display screen, the first sensor array configured to detect a touch by the operator on the display screen and to generate a first set of touch position coordinates;

a first processor communicatively connected to the first sensor array and to the display screen, the first processor configured to receive the first set of touch position coordinates from the first sensor array and to control the information presented to the operator on the display screen utilizing the first set of touch position coordinates;

a second sensor array arranged proximate the display screen, the second sensor array configured to detect the touch by the operator on the display screen and to generate a second set of touch position coordinates; and

a second processor communicatively connected to the second sensor array and to the display screen, the second processor configured to receive the second set of touch position coordinates from the second sensor array and to monitor the information presented to the operator on the display screen,

wherein the first processor and the second processor are communicatively connected to each other, wherein the first processor and the second processor are further configured to cooperate to compare the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates and to invalidate the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide, and wherein the second processor is still further configured to invalidate the touch when the second processor determines that the information presented to the operator on the display screen is incorrect.

9. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 8, wherein the second processor is configured to monitor the display screen to determine that the information presented to the operator on the display screen is incorrect.

10. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 8, wherein the second processor is configured to monitor instructions sent to the display screen by the first processor to determine that the information presented to the operator on the display screen is incorrect.

11. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 8, wherein the second processor is configured to provide the second set of touch position coordinates to the first processor, and wherein the first processor is configured to compare the first set of touch position coordinates to the second set of touch position coordinates and to invalidate the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

12. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 11, wherein the first processor is further configured to provide the second processor with a confirmation when the first processor determines that the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide.

13. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 11, wherein the first processor is configured to provide the first set of touch position coordinates to the second processor, and wherein the second processor is configured to compare the second set of touch position coordinates to the first set of touch position coordinates, and to invalidate the touch when the second set of touch position coordinates and the first set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

14. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 13 wherein the first processor is configured to provide the second processor with a confirmation when the first processor determines that the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide, and wherein the second processor is configured to provide the first processor with a confirmation when the second processor determines that the second set of touch position coordinates and the first set of touch position coordinates substantially coincide.

15. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 8, wherein the first sensor array utilizes a first touch screen technology and wherein the second sensor array also utilizes the first touch screen technology.

16. The high integrity touch screen system of claim 8, wherein the first sensor array utilizes a first touch screen technology and wherein the second sensor array utilizes the a second touch screen technology.

17. A method of detecting a touch on a high integrity touch screen system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the touch on a display screen with a first sensor array;

generating a first set of touch position coordinates with the first sensor array;

providing the first set of touch position coordinates to a first processor;

detecting the touch on the display screen with a second sensor array;

generating a second set of touch position coordinates with the second sensor array;

providing the second set of touch position coordinates to a second processor;

comparing the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates; and

invalidating the touch when the first set of touch position coordinates and the second set of touch position coordinates do not substantially coincide.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of detecting the touch on the display screen with the first sensor array comprises using a first technology to detect a location of the touch, and wherein the step of detecting the touch on the display screen with the second sensor array comprises using a second technology to detect the location of the touch.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the comparing step comprises utilizing only the first processor to compare the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the comparing step comprises utilizing both the first processor and the second processor to compare the first set of touch position coordinates with the second set of touch position coordinates.