CONTROL DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE COMPRISING SAME

• US 20150338997A1
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexys Co.
• Original Assignee: Nexys Co.
• Inventors: PHILIPPE, SBASTIEN
• Granted Patent: US 10,216,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9629 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9631 using a light source as part of the switch

Abstract

The control device comprises at least one emitter-receiver pair, a display and a controller. The emitter-receiver pair comprises a radiation emitter and a receiver for receiving radiation emitted by the emitter and reflected by a moving body located at a distance from the pair. The receiver is positioned within the emitter'"'"'s emission field and provides an electrical signal representative of the radiation received from the emitter. At least one symbol identifying an action, opposite an intersection of the emitter'"'"'s emission cone and the receiver'"'"'s reception cone, is displayed. The emitter and receiver are outside the display area of each symbol. The controller provides action control signal according to the electrical signal provided by the receiver. Each emitter-receiver pair is associated with at least one symbol and at least one action control signal when the moving body is in front of the symbol that identifies the action.

Claims

1. Control device having a flat surface and comprising:

at least one emitter-receiver pair comprising a radiation emitter to emit radiation and a receiver to receive the radiation emitted by the radiation emitter and reflected by a moving object located at a distance from said at least one emitter-receiver pair, the receiver is positioned within an emission field of the radiation emitter and provides an electrical signal representative of the radiation received from the radiation emitter;

a display configured to display at least one symbol identifying an action of said at least one emitter-receiver pair and opposite an intersection of an emission cone of the radiation emitter and an reception cone of the receiver, wherein the radiation emitter and the receiver are outside a display area of each symbol;

a controller configured to provide action control signals according to the electrical signal provided by the receiver;

wherein each emitter-receiver pair is associated with at least one symbol and at least one action control signal when the moving object is in front of the symbol identifying the action;

wherein at least one of the radiation emitter or the receiver is associated with at least one mask, whose transparent portion, for at least one wavelength used by the radiation emitter, is elongated in the direction of the receiver configured to detect a light of said at least one wavelength; and

wherein the surface of the control device is opaque to wavelengths used except in front of each receiver, each mask in front of the radiation emitter is at least partially transparent to the wavelengths.

2. Control device of claim 1, wherein each receiver belongs to only one emitter-receiver pair.

3. Control device of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display at least one symbol on a screen.

4. Control device of claim 1, wherein the display area of at least one symbol is surrounded by at least three emitters and receivers;

and wherein segments of lines connecting each emitter to each receiver overlap an area for displaying a symbol.

5. Control device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a processor configured to eliminate the impact of ambient light not reflected by the moving object.

6. Control device of claim 1, wherein at least one radiation emitter is configured to emit the radiation in an intermittent manner;

wherein the controller comprises a processor configured to store an electrical signal level received from each receiver when the radiation emitter is not emitting any radiation; and

wherein the action control signals depend on an instantaneous radiation received and on the stored electrical signal level.

7. Control device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide an output signal modulated according to a magnitude of a stimulus.

8. Control device of claim 1, further comprising a means of communication to receive or transmit the action control signals remotely.

9. Control device of claim 1, wherein, in at least one emitter-receiver pair, a light emission axis of the radiation emitter and a light reception axis of the receiver are convergent.

10. Control device of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display, for at least one emitter-receiver pair, at least one symbol identifying an action;

wherein an axis perpendicular to a plane bears said symbol and rests within a convex area defined by an intersection of said symbol with at least one of the following;

an emission axis of the emitter or a reception axis of the receiver.

11. Control device of claim 1, wherein an object placed in contact with the display area that does not reflect any radiation emitted by the emitter in a direction of the receiver is not detected.

12. Control device of claim 10, wherein the object is a finger placed in contact with the display area.

13. Electronic device configured realize actions and comprising a control device of claim 1 to control at least one said actions.