OPTICAL TOUCH APPARATUS AND WIDTH DETECTING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160378266A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Kuo-Hsien, Chen, Yu-Yen
• Granted Patent: US 10,719,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/14 by matching peak patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/018 Input/output arrangements for oriental characters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/121 using special illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

An optical touch apparatus and a width detecting method thereof are provided. The optical touch apparatus includes at least two sensing components, a light emitting component, and a width detecting module. The sensing components are configured to sense a touch object located on a touch plane. The light emitting component is configured to be a light source of the touch plane and is disposed adjacent to one of the sensing components. The width detecting module is coupled to the light emitting component and the other of the sensing components. The light emitting component is controlled by the width detecting module to emit a light. The other of the sensing components is controlled by the width detecting module to sense intensity of the light. The width detecting module detects a distance between the sensing components according to the sensed intensity of the light.

Claims

1. An optical touch apparatus, comprising:

at least two sensing components, configured to sense a touch object located on a touch plane;

a light emitting component, configured to be a light source of the touch plane and disposed adjacent to one of the at least two sensing components; and

a width detecting module, coupled to the light emitting component and the other of the at least two sensing components,

wherein the light emitting component is controlled by the width detecting module to emit a light, the other of the at least two sensing components is controlled by the width detecting module to sense intensity of the light, and the width detecting module detects a distance between the at least two sensing components according to the sensed intensity of the light.

2. The optical touch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the width detecting module comprises:

a light projecting module, coupled to the light emitting component so as to control the light emitting component to emit the light;

an image capturing module, coupled to the other of the at least two sensing components so as to control the other of the at least two sensing components to reflect the intensity of the light to obtain an image; and

a computing module, coupled to the image capturing module so as to receive the image, calculating a width of a waveform according to the image, and obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform,

wherein the width of the waveform is a view angle range in which the sensed intensity of the light is not zero.

3. The optical touch apparatus of claim 2, wherein the computing module looks up in at least one lookup table or calculates the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform.

4. The optical touch apparatus of claim 3, wherein the width detecting module further comprises:

a storage module, coupled to the computing module and configured to store the at least one lookup table,

wherein the at least one lookup table is configured to record a relationship between the width of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components in a situation with the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time,

wherein the at least one lookup table corresponds to at least one number of times of use of the optical touch apparatus or at least one ambient brightness of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located, and the at least one number of times of use is associated with a degree of attenuation in intensity of the light emitting component.

5. The optical touch apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the computing module substitutes the width of the waveform into a curve formula so as calculate the distance between the at least two sensing components,

wherein the curve formula is an expression showing a relationship between the width of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components under conditions comprising the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time, and the curve formula comprises an intensity attenuation coefficient of the light emitting component or a brightness parameter of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located.

6. The optical touch apparatus of claim 1, wherein the width detecting module comprises:

a light projecting module, coupled to the light emitting component so as to control the light emitting component to emit the light;

an image capturing module, coupled to the other of the at least two sensing components so as to control the other of the at least two sensing components to reflect the intensity of the light to obtain an image; and

a computing module, coupled to the image capturing module so as to receive the image, calculating a peak value of a waveform according to the image, and obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform,

wherein the peak value of the waveform is the sensed intensity of the light.

7. The optical touch apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computing module looks up in at least one lookup table or calculates the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform.

8. The optical touch apparatus of claim 7, wherein the width detecting module further comprises:

a storage module, coupled to the computing module and configured to store the at least one lookup table,

wherein the at least one lookup table is configured to record a relationship between the peak value of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components in a situation with the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time,

wherein the at least one lookup table corresponds to at least one number of times of use of the optical touch apparatus or at least one ambient brightness of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located, and the at least one number of times of use is associated with a degree of attenuation in intensity of the light emitting component.

9. The optical touch apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the computing module substitutes the peak value of the waveform into a curve formula so as calculate the distance between the at least two sensing components,

wherein the curve formula is an expression showing a relationship between the peak value of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components under conditions comprising the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time, and the curve formula comprises an intensity attenuation coefficient of the light emitting component or a brightness parameter of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located.

10. The optical touch apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

when the optical touch apparatus is re-activated, the width detecting module re-detects the distance between the at least two sensing components.

11. The optical touch apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

when the optical touch apparatus is in operation, the width detecting module continuously detects the distance between the at least two sensing components.

12. The optical touch apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an expandable support,

wherein the at least two sensing components are respectively disposed on both ends of the expandable support, and the expandable support is configured to adjust the distance between the at least two sensing components.

13. A width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus, wherein at least two sensing components of the optical touch apparatus are configured to sense a touch object located on a touch plane, and a light emitting component of the optical touch apparatus is configured to be a light source of the touch plane, the width detecting method comprising:

controlling the light emitting component to emit a light, wherein the light emitting component is disposed adjacent to one of the at least two sensing components;

sensing intensity of the light by the other of the at least two sensing components; and

detecting a distance between the at least two sensing components according to the sensed intensity of the light.

14. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 13, wherein the step of sensing the intensity of the light by the other of the at least two sensing components comprises:

controlling the other of the at least two sensing components to reflect the intensity of the light to obtain an image,

wherein the step of detecting the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the sensed intensity of the light comprises;

calculating a width of a waveform according to the image; and

obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform,

wherein the width of the waveform is a view angle range in which the sensed intensity of the light is not zero.

15. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the step of obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform comprises:

looking up in at least one lookup table or calculating the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform.

16. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

establishing and storing the at least one lookup table in advance,

wherein the at least one lookup table is configured to record a relationship between the width of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components in a situation with the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time,

wherein the at least one lookup table corresponds to at least one number of times of use of the optical touch apparatus or at least one ambient brightness of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located, and the at least one number of times of use is associated with a degree of attenuation in intensity of the light emitting component.

17. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 14, wherein the step of obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the width of the waveform comprises:

substituting the width of the waveform into a curve formula so as calculate the distance between the at least two sensing components,

wherein the curve formula is an expression showing a relationship between the width of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components under conditions comprising the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time, and the curve formula comprises an intensity attenuation coefficient of the light emitting component or a brightness parameter of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located.

18. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 13, wherein the step of sensing the intensity of the light by the other of the at least two sensing components comprises:

controlling the other of the at least two sensing components to reflect the intensity of the light to obtain an image,

wherein the step of detecting the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the sensed intensity of the light comprises;

calculating a peak value of a waveform according to the image; and

obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform,

wherein the peak value of the waveform is the sensed intensity of the light.

19. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the step of obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform comprises:

looking up in at least one lookup table or calculating the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform.

20. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

establishing and storing the at least one lookup table in advance,

wherein the at least one lookup table is configured to record a relationship between the peak value of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components in a situation with the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time,

wherein the at least one lookup table corresponds to at least one number of times of use of the optical touch apparatus or at least one ambient brightness of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located, and the at least one number of times of use is associated with a degree of attenuation in intensity of the light emitting component.

21. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 18, wherein the step of obtaining the distance between the at least two sensing components according to the peak value of the waveform comprises:

substituting the peak value of the waveform into a curve formula so as calculate the distance between the at least two sensing components,

wherein the curve formula is an expression showing a relationship between the peak value of the waveform and the distance between the at least two sensing components under conditions comprising the intensity of the light and a specific exposure time, and the curve formula comprises an intensity attenuation coefficient of the light emitting component or a brightness parameter of an environment where the optical touch apparatus is located.

22. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 13, wherein the width detecting method is executed when the optical touch apparatus is re-activated so as to re-detect the distance between the at least two sensing components.

23. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 13, wherein the width detecting method is continuously executed when the optical touch apparatus is in operation so as to detect the distance between the at least two sensing components at any time.

24. The width detecting method of an optical touch apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

disposing the at least two sensing components respectively on both ends of an expandable support of the optical touch apparatus, and adjusting the distance between the at least two sensing components by the expandable support.