Radial Layout for Acoustic Wave Touch Sensor

• US 20130120323A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Scharff, Daniel H., Kent, Joel C., Son, Kyu-Tak
• Granted Patent: US 9,348,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

Surface acoustic waves in a radial pattern are used to detect touch. Different radial transducer arrangements may allow for locating multiple simultaneous touches without ambiguity. Instead of transmitting along a line to be reflected at multiple points, the surface acoustic waves are transmitted radially. The surface acoustic waves are transmitted along different angles in an angular span spread out over at least part of the touch region. Using acoustic waves traveling along intersecting paths, a point location of a touch may be determined by detection, in part, of at least one angle.

Claims

1. A touch sensor for detecting a touch, the touch sensor comprising:

a touch substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface, the top surface having a touch region;

a first transducer for generating first surface acoustic waves on the touch region, the first transducer comprising a first radial transducer;

a second transducer for receiving the first surface acoustic waves;

wherein the first surface acoustic waves have a first radial pattern with an angular span of at least 20°

in the touch region, the first radial pattern being divergent as a distance from the first transducer increases; and

a third transducer for generating second surface acoustic waves on the touch region, the second acoustic waves intersecting in the touch region the first surface acoustic waves.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the first transducer is on the top surface.

3. The touch sensor of claim 1 further comprising a first radial reflective array comprising a plurality of reflective elements, the reflective elements being differently angled and positioned to reflect the first surface acoustic waves from the first radial pattern to substantially one direction to the second transducer.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the first transducer is on the bottom surface, and the top and bottom surfaces are coupled via a rounded connecting surface of the touch substrate.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the first radial transducer comprises a radial wedge transducer.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the angular span comprises at least 45°

.

7. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the angular span comprises at least 90°

.

8. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the touch region is rectangular, further comprising a fourth transducer, a first linear reflective array and a second linear reflective array, the third transducer and first linear reflective array transmitting the second surface acoustic waves in a first parallel pattern across the touch region and being received by the second linear reflective array and the fourth transducer.

9. The touch sensor of claim 8 further comprising a first radial reflective array positioned along a first edge of the touch region, the first radial reflective array for reflecting the first surface acoustic waves in the first radial pattern at least to the second transducer.

10. The touch sensor of claim 9 further comprising a second radial reflective array, a third radial reflective array, and a fourth radial reflective array positioned along, respectively, second, third and fourth edges of the touch region.

11. The touch sensor of claim 9 further comprising fifth and sixth transducers and third and fourth linear reflective arrays, the fifth transducer and third linear reflective array for transmitting third surface acoustic waves in a second parallel pattern across the touch region, the second parallel pattern perpendicular to the first parallel pattern such that the third surface acoustic waves are received by the fourth linear reflective array and the sixth transducer, wherein the fourth transducer detects a X position of the touch and the sixth transducer detects a Y position of the touch.

12. The touch sensor of claim 10 further comprising fifth and sixth transducers and third and fourth linear reflective arrays, the fifth transducer and third linear reflective array for transmitting third surface acoustic waves in a second parallel pattern across the touch region, the second parallel pattern perpendicular to the first parallel pattern such that the third surface acoustic waves are received by the fourth linear reflective array and the sixth transducer, wherein the fourth transducer detects a X position of the touch and the sixth transducer detects a Y position of the touch;

and

further comprising a seventh transducer and an eighth transducer, the seventh transducer for transmitting fourth surface acoustic waves in a second radial pattern intersecting the first radial pattern, the first and seventh transducers positioned at different corners of the touch region, and the eighth transducer and fourth radial reflective array receiving the fourth surface acoustic waves.

13. The touch sensor of claim 1 wherein the third transducer comprises a radial transducer such that the second surface acoustic waves have a radial pattern in the touch region.

14. A method for detecting a touch on a surface, the method comprising:

generating a first acoustic fan with non-parallel propagation over the surface in an area for the touch;

detecting a first angle associated with the touch from attenuation of the first acoustic fan along a first radial line; and

determining a point location of the touch as a function of the first angle.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the first acoustic fan comprises generating a first fan beam of surface acoustic waves, the angular span of the first acoustic fan being at least 45°

.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein detecting the first angle comprises reflecting acoustic energy from the first radial line of the first acoustic fan, and determining a timing of the attenuation in the acoustic energy for the first radial line associated with the touch.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

generating a second acoustic fan propagating on the surface from different directions than the first acoustic fan;

detecting a second angle associated with the touch from attenuation of the second acoustic fan along a second radial line;

wherein determining the point location comprises determining an intersection of the first radial and the second radial line.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

detecting the touch along a first one of a plurality of first parallel acoustic paths in a first direction; and

detecting the touch along a second one of a plurality of second parallel acoustic paths in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

wherein determining the point location comprises determining an intersection of the first and second acoustic paths and the first radial line.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

detecting an additional touch occurring at a same time as the touch, the additional touch detected along the second radial line; and

determining an additional point location of the additional touch as a function of the second radial line;

wherein the point location and additional point location are determined without ambiguity due to multiple attenuations being received by a same transducer.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining a radius of the touch along the first radial line, the radius determined as a function of a width of attenuation.

21. A touch sensor comprising:

a substrate;

a first radial transducer on the substrate, the first radial transducer configured to generate first surface acoustic waves on the substrate along different radial lines separated by an angle of at least 20°

in a touch region;

one or more first receive transducers operable to receive the first surface acoustic waves along the different radial lines;

a second transducer on the substrate, the second transducer configured to generate second surface acoustic waves on the substrate along parallel lines;

a first linear reflective array configured to reflect the second surface acoustic waves from the second transducer in a parallel pattern in the touch region; and

one or more second receive transducers configured to receive the second acoustic waves from the parallel pattern.

22. The touch sensor of claim 21 further comprising:

a first radial reflective array having reflective elements positioned to reflect the first surface acoustic waves in a radial pattern, the reflective elements being at different angles on the substrate and having non-uniform spacing.