INFRARED SENSOR INTEGRATED IN A TOUCH PANEL

• US 20130215086A1
• Filed: 04/01/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Boer, Willem den, Bathiche, Steven N., Hodges, Stephen Edward, Izadi, Shahram
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing

Abstract

An infrared source is configured to illuminate the underside of one or more objects on or above a touchable surface of a touch panel. Infrared light reflected from the underside of the object(s) is detected by an infrared sensor integrated in the touch panel below the touchable surface.

Claims

1. A touch panel system comprising:

a touchable surface;

a backlight including visible light sources and at least one infrared source, wherein the at least one infrared source is configured to direct infrared radiation through the touchable surface for illuminating objects that are in contact with or adjacent to the touchable surface with infrared radiation; and

a touch panel display configured to illuminate pixels for visibly displaying an image, the touch panel display comprising;

a matrix circuit including pixel circuit elements; and

infrared sensors that are integrated in the matrix circuit with the pixel circuit elements and distributed parallel to the touchable surface, wherein;

the infrared sensors are configured to detect reflected infrared radiation incident on the infrared sensors,

infrared radiation directed by the at least one infrared source through the touchable surface is not detected by the infrared sensors,

visible light emitted by the visible light sources and visible light radiated by the pixels are not detected by the infrared sensors,

reflected infrared radiation directed through the touchable surface by different objects is detected by the infrared sensors, and

reflected infrared radiation detected by the infrared sensors is processed to identify and distinguish between the different objects, to detect locations of the different objects, and to alter the image visibly displayed on the touch panel display based on the locations of the different objects.

2. The touch panel system of claim 1, wherein:

each of the different objects has a distinct shape, and

the reflected infrared radiation detected by the infrared sensors is processed to identify and distinguish between the different objects by shape.

3. The touch panel system of claim 2, wherein:

the different objects are game pieces in contact with the touchable surface, and

the image visibly displayed on the touch panel display is for playing a game.

4. The touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the touch panel display is a liquid crystal display.

5. The touch panel system of claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal display comprises one of an active matrix backplane, an active matrix frontplane, a passive matrix backplane, and a passive matrix frontplane.

6. The touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the touch panel display is an organic light emitting diode display.

7. The touch panel system of claim 6, wherein the at least one infrared source is an organic light emitting diode.

8. The touch panel system of claim 6, wherein the infrared sensors comprise organic photosensors.

9. The touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensors comprise thin film transistors.

10. The touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the infrared sensors comprise photodiodes.

11. A touch panel display comprising:

a touchable surface;

a plurality of pixels for visibly displaying an image on the touchable surface;

a color backlight comprising a plurality of color light sources for emitting visible light;

at least one infrared source configured to direct infrared radiation through the touchable surface for illuminating one or more objects that are in contact with or adjacent to the touchable surface with infrared radiation;

a backplane including pixel circuit elements; and

infrared sensors that are integrated in the backplane with the pixel circuit elements and distributed parallel to the touchable surface, wherein;

the infrared sensors are configured to detect reflected infrared radiation incident on the infrared sensors,

infrared radiation directed by the at least one infrared source through the touchable surface is not detected by the infrared sensors,

visible light emitted by the color light sources and visible light radiated by the pixels are not detected by the infrared sensors,

reflected infrared radiation directed through the touchable surface by the one or more objects is detected by the infrared sensors, and

reflected infrared radiation detected by the infrared sensors is processed to identify the one or more objects by shape and to alter the image visibly displayed on the touchable surface.

12. The touch panel display of claim 11, wherein the touchable surface is implemented by a liquid crystal display.

13. The touch panel display of claim 11, wherein the touchable surface is implemented by an organic light emitting diode display.

14. The touch panel display of claim 13, wherein the infrared sensors comprise organic photosensors.

15. The touch panel display of claim 11, wherein the infrared sensors comprise thin film transistors.

16. The touch panel display of claim 11, wherein the infrared sensors comprise photodiodes.

17. The touch panel display of claim 11, wherein the image visibly displayed on the touchable surface is for playing a game.

18. A method performed in a touch panel system, the method comprising:

emitting visible light from a backlight of the touch panel system;

visibly displaying an image on a touchable surface of a touch panel display by illuminating pixels of the touch panel display;

directing infrared radiation from at least one infrared source integrated in the touch panel system through the touchable surface for illuminating one or more objects that are in contact with or adjacent to the touchable surface with infrared radiation;

detecting reflected infrared radiation incident on infrared sensors which are integrated in the touch panel display with pixel circuit elements and distributed parallel to the touchable surface, wherein;

infrared radiation directed by the at least one infrared source through the touchable surface is not detected by the infrared sensors,

visible light emitted by the backlight and visible light radiated by the pixels are not detected by the infrared sensors, and

reflected infrared radiation directed through the touchable surface by the one or more objects is detected by the infrared sensors; and

processing reflected infrared radiation detected by the infrared sensors to identify the one or more objects by shape and to alter the image visibly displayed on the touchable surface of the touch panel display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the reflected infrared radiation detected by the plurality of infrared sensors is processed to distinguish between different objects, to detect locations of the different objects, and to alter the image visibly displayed on the touch panel display based on the locations of the different objects.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the image visibly displayed on the touchable surface of the touch panel display is for playing a game.