Illumination apparatus for a digitizer tablet

• US 5,359,155 A
• Filed: 03/25/1993
• Issued: 10/25/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tiger Scientific Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tiger Scientific Corporation
• Inventors: Helser, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOOMIS, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US08/036,701
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 178/87, 345/173, 345/175, 345/176, 362/31
• US Class Current: 178/18.11
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0028 Light guide, e.g. taper
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

An illumination apparatus is provided for an opaque digitizer tablet. The illumination apparatus can be used to convert the opaque digitizer into a back-lit digitizer. The illumination apparatus includes an aperture fluorescent lamp located peripheral to the portion of the working surface used for placement of the an object to be digitized and includes a non-optical-fiber flat light conductor (a slab waveguide) located on top of and covering the portion of the working surface used for the object to be digitized. Light conducted from the lamp emerges from the top surface of the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for back lighting the object to be digitized. A reflective surface is located under the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for reflecting scattered light, that emerges from a bottom surface of the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, toward the object to be digitized. For optimum back lighting, the bottom surface of the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor includes a pattern of roughened portions which includes a region of lesser roughness nearer to the light source and a region of greater roughness farther from the light source. A panel-shaped optical conveyance is used to convey light from the light source to an edge of the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor. The roughened portions provide a slab waveguide with an imperfect boundary.

Claims

1. An illumination apparatus for a digitizer tablet which has a hand-held digitizing member and an associated conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, said apparatus comprising:

a non-optical-fiber flat light conductor located on top of and covering the conductor arrangement embedded in the digitizer tablet, said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor including a top surface, a bottom surface, and a light-receiving edge, and

a light source located peripheral to said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, said light source providing light to said light-receiving edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, wherein a portion of light received by said light-receiving edge from said light source is emitted from said top surface for back lighting an object to be digitized that is placed over said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

2. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein said light source is an aperture fluorescent lamp.

3. The apparatus described in claim 2 wherein said aperture fluorescent lamp includes an outer transparent tube, an internal reflective coating, and an aperture in the internal reflective coating.

4. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein said light source is located beside said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

5. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein said light source is located above said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

6. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor includes a surface which includes roughened portions, such that when said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is illuminated it gives the appearance of uniform illumination.

7. The apparatus described in claim 6 wherein said roughened surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor includes a nonhomogeneous pattern of roughness, such that when said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is illuminated it gives the appearance of uniform illumination.

8. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein said nonhomogeneous pattern of roughness includes a region of lesser roughness nearer to said light source and a region of greater roughness farther from said light source, such that when said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is illuminated it gives the appearance of uniform illumination.

9. The apparatus described in claim 7 wherein said nonhomogeneous pattern of roughness includes a continuum of lesser to greater roughness extending from nearer to said light source to farther away from said light source, such that when said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is illuminated it gives the appearance of uniform illumination.

10. The apparatus described in claim 1, further including:

panel-shaped optical conveyance means for conveying light from said light source to said light-receiving edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

11. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein said light source includes an aperture fluorescent lamp, and wherein the aperture of said aperture fluorescent lamp is wider than an adjacent end of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means.

12. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein said panel-shaped optical conveyance means include expansion slots in one surface of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means, said expansion slots permitting said panel-shaped optical conveyance means to expand without warping when heated by light from said light source.

13. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein:

said panel-shaped optical conveyance means include a first edge portion located in a plane which is parallel to an edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor and a second edge portion located in a plane adjacent to and facing a portion of said light source,

said panel-shaped optical conveyance means conveys light from said portion of said light source adjacent to and facing said second edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means to said edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

14. The apparatus described in claim 13 wherein said first edge portion and said second edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means and said portion of said light source adjacent to and facing said second edge portion are coplanar.

15. The apparatus described in claim 13 wherein said first edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means is in a plane below said second edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means and said portion of said light source adjacent to and facing said second edge portion.

16. The apparatus described in claim 13 wherein said first edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means is in a plane above said second edge portion of said panel-shaped optical conveyance means and said portion of said light source adjacent to and facing said second edge portion.

17. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein:

said panel-shaped optical conveyance means includes a curved cross-sectional contour,

said curved panel-shaped optical conveyance means conveys light from said portion of said light source adjacent to and facing said second edge portion, located above said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, to an edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

18. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein:

said panel-shaped optical conveyance means include an input end and an output end, said input end and said output end oriented with respect to each other such that an angle therebetween, with reference to said top surface of the non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, is an angle in a range of 0-180 degrees, and

said angled panel-shaped optical conveyance means convey light from said light source to an edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

19. The apparatus described in claim 10 wherein light is conveyed through said panel-shaped optical conveyance means by total internal reflection.

20. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein a portion of the light entering said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor undergoes total internal reflection within said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, and a portion of the light conveyed in said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is scattered at a roughened surface and emerges from a top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

21. The apparatus described in claim 1 wherein:

a perimeter portion of said bottom surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is smooth and provides total internal reflection, and

an interior portion of said bottom surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is roughened and permits light to be scattered and emerge upward to the object to be digitized.

22. The apparatus described in claim 1, further including:

a light shield located between said light source and said top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for preventing light from said light source from entering said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor from said top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

23. The apparatus described in claim 1, further including a reflective surface located beneath said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for reflecting scattered light, that emerges from a roughened bottom surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, toward the object to be digitized.

24. The apparatus described in claim 23 wherein said reflective surface includes a matted surface.

25. An illumination apparatus for a digitizer tablet which has a hand-held digitizing member and an associated conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, said apparatus comprising:

a light source located peripheral to a portion of a digitizer working surface used for placement of an object to be digitized, wherein said light source is an aperture fluorescent lamp, and

a non-optical-fiber flat light conductor located on top of and covering the portion of the working surface used for placement upon of an object to be digitized, wherein said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor includes a bottom surface which includes roughened portions, wherein said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor receives light from said light source, wherein a portion of the light entering said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor undergoes total internal reflection within said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, and a portion of the light is conveyed in said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor to said roughened portions and is scattered by said roughened portions and emerges from a top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, wherein light emerging from said top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor serves to illuminate, by back lighting, an object to be digitized placed on the top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor,

panel-shaped optical conveyance means for conveying light from said light source to an edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, wherein said panel-shaped optical conveyance means include a first portion located in a plane of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor and a second portion located in a plane above said plane of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor adjacent to said light source, and wherein said panel-shaped optical conveyance means conveys light from said light source, in a plane above said plane of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, to an edge of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, and

a reflective surface located between the working surface of the digitizer tablet and said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for reflecting scattered light, that emerges from a roughened bottom surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, toward the object to be digitized.

26. An illumination apparatus for a digitizer tablet which has a hand-held digitizing member and an associated conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, said apparatus comprising:

an aperture fluorescent lamp, and

a non-optical-fiber flat light conductor located on top of and covering the conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, wherein said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor includes a bottom surface which includes roughened portions, wherein said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor receives light from said aperture fluorescent lamp, wherein a portion of the light entering said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor undergoes total internal reflection within said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, and a portion of the light conveyed in said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor is scattered by said roughened bottom portions, and

a reflective surface located beneath said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor for reflecting scattered light, that emerges from the bottom surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, toward the object to be digitized, such that light emerges from a top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor, wherein light emerging from said top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor serves to illuminate, by back lighting, an object to be digitized placed on the top surface of said non-optical-fiber flat light conductor.

27. An illumination apparatus for a digitizer tablet which has a hand-held digitizing member and an associated conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, said apparatus comprising:

an aperture fluorescent lamp and

a slab waveguide with an imperfect boundary, said slab waveguide located on top of and covering the conductor arrangement embedded in the tablet, said imperfect-boundary-containing slab waveguide including a top surface, a bottom surface, and a light-receiving edge, wherein a portion of light received by said light-receiving edge from said aperture fluorescent lamp is emitted from said top surface for back lighting an object to be digitized placed over said slab waveguide.

28. The apparatus described in claim 27 wherein said imperfect boundary of said slab waveguide is on said bottom surface of said slab waveguide.

29. The apparatus described in claim 27, further including:

panel-shaped optical conveyance means for conveying light from said aperture fluorescent lamp to said light-receiving edge of said imperfect-boundary-containing slab waveguide.

30. The apparatus described in claim 27, further including a reflective surface located beneath said imperfect-boundary-containing slab waveguide for reflecting scattered light, that emerges from an imperfect-boundary-containing bottom surface of said slab waveguide toward the object to be digitized.