Touch control system and apparatus with multiple acoustic coupled substrates
First Claim
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1. A touch detection apparatus comprising:
- a primary substrate having a surface capable of propagating acoustic waves and being so characterized that said surface is touch sensitive such that a touch on said surface causes a perturbation, in the form of at least a partial absorption of energy, of an acoustic wave propagating through a region of desired touch detection;
at least one transmitter secondary substrate mounted along an edge of said primary substrate;
at least one receiver secondary substrate mounted along another edge of said primary substrate opposite from said transmitter secondary substrate;
at least one input transducer, coupled to a said transmitter secondary substrate, which is operative to launch a burst of acoustic waves onto said transmitter secondary substrate;
at least one output acoustic wave transducer coupled to said receiver secondary substrate that detects received acoustic waves;
a first coupling means disposed between said transmitter secondary substrate and said primary substrate to transfer acoustic wave components to a first edge defining a first axis of the desired touch sensing area of said primary substrate surface;
a second coupling means disposed between said primary substrate and said receiver secondary substrate to transfer and redirect acoustic waves to the output transducer after propagating across the first surface at least once such that said wave components are caused to traverse said axis along a progression of paths differing in time and associated with different touch positions along the axis;
at least one wave redirecting means disposed upon at least one secondary substrate which derives wave components separated in time from a launched wave, said wave components substantially perpendicular to the launched wave; and
circuitry coupled to said input and output transducers which initiates acoustic wave bursts causing derived wave components separated in time across said primary substrate surface and detects touch-induced perturbations of said received waves indicative of the location of a touch along said axis, said circuit means also including means for determining, by an analysis based on the transit time of said detected perturbed wave burst component, which of a plurality of paths was traversed by said touch-perturbed wave burst component and thus determining the location of the touch along said axis of said substrate surface.
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Abstract
An apparatus and system for recognizing touch positions is comprised of multiple acoustically coupled substrates, said coupling functioning also as an environmental seal. At least one secondary substrate, with means to transmit and receive acoustic waves, is coupled to a primary substrate capable of propagating acoustic waves such that an intentional touch on the surface causes a perturbation of the waves passing through a desired region of touch detection. Said perturbation is analyzed by circuitry to determine corresponding physical position of the touch on surface.
60 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A touch detection apparatus comprising:
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a primary substrate having a surface capable of propagating acoustic waves and being so characterized that said surface is touch sensitive such that a touch on said surface causes a perturbation, in the form of at least a partial absorption of energy, of an acoustic wave propagating through a region of desired touch detection; at least one transmitter secondary substrate mounted along an edge of said primary substrate; at least one receiver secondary substrate mounted along another edge of said primary substrate opposite from said transmitter secondary substrate; at least one input transducer, coupled to a said transmitter secondary substrate, which is operative to launch a burst of acoustic waves onto said transmitter secondary substrate; at least one output acoustic wave transducer coupled to said receiver secondary substrate that detects received acoustic waves; a first coupling means disposed between said transmitter secondary substrate and said primary substrate to transfer acoustic wave components to a first edge defining a first axis of the desired touch sensing area of said primary substrate surface; a second coupling means disposed between said primary substrate and said receiver secondary substrate to transfer and redirect acoustic waves to the output transducer after propagating across the first surface at least once such that said wave components are caused to traverse said axis along a progression of paths differing in time and associated with different touch positions along the axis; at least one wave redirecting means disposed upon at least one secondary substrate which derives wave components separated in time from a launched wave, said wave components substantially perpendicular to the launched wave; and circuitry coupled to said input and output transducers which initiates acoustic wave bursts causing derived wave components separated in time across said primary substrate surface and detects touch-induced perturbations of said received waves indicative of the location of a touch along said axis, said circuit means also including means for determining, by an analysis based on the transit time of said detected perturbed wave burst component, which of a plurality of paths was traversed by said touch-perturbed wave burst component and thus determining the location of the touch along said axis of said substrate surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for use with a touch detection apparatus, the system recognizing intentionally touched positions along at least one predetermined axis of the apparatus by recognizing and locating a momentary intentional absorption of acoustic energy in a desired touch sensitive region, the system comprising:
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a first substrate, its surface capable of propagating acoustic waves and being so characterized that it is touch sensitive such that a touch on said surface causes a perturbation, in the form of at least a partial absorption of energy, of an acoustic wave propagating through a region of desired touch detection; at least one input transducer, coupled to a first secondary substrate, which launches a burst of acoustic waves upon that substrate; at least one output acoustic wave transducer coupled to a secondary substrate that detects received acoustic waves; at least one wave redirecting means on said secondary substrate which derive wave components separated in time from a launched wave; a first coupling means disposed between said transmitter secondary substrate and said primary substrate to transfer said wave components to a first edge defining a first axis of the desired touch sensing area of said primary substrate surface; and a second coupling means disposed between said primary substrate and said receiver secondary substrate to transfer and redirect acoustic waves to the output transducer after propagating across the first surface at least once such that said wave components are caused to traverse said axis along a progression of paths differing in time and associated with different touch positions along the axis; and circuitry, including computation and communication means, coupled to the input and output transducers which initiates acoustic wave bursts causing derived wave components separated in time across the first substrate surface and detects touch-induced perturbations of the received waves indicative of the location of a touch along the axis, said circuit means including means for determining, by an analysis based on the transit time of the detected perturbed wave burst component, which of said plurality of paths was traversed by the touch-perturbed wave burst component and thus determining the location of the touch along said axis of said substrate surface, and a degree of absorbtion of acoustic energy. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A touch detection apparatus comprising;
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a primary substrate having a surface capable of propagating acoustic waves and being so characterized that said surface is touch sensitive such that a touch on said surface causes a perturbation, in the form of at least a partial absorption of energy, of an acoustic wave propagating through a region of desired touch detection; at least one transmitter and receiver secondary substrate mounted along an edge of said primary substrate; at least one transducer, coupled to said transmitter and receiver secondary substrate, said transducer operative to launch a burst of acoustic waves onto said transmitter secondary substrate, said transducer also operative to receive reflected acoustic waves; a coupling means disposed between said transmitter and receiver secondary substrate and said primary substrate to transfer said wave components to and from a first edge defining a first axis of the desired touch sensing area of said primary substrate surface; and at least one reflective means positioned opposite the desired touch sensitive area on the primary substrate opposite from said transmitter and receiver secondary substrate whereby wave components transit the touch sensing area twice; and circuitry, including computation and communication means, coupled to the input and output transducer which initiates acoustic wave bursts causing derived wave components separated in time across the first substrate surface and detects touch-induced perturbations of the received waves indicative of the location of a touch along the axis, said circuit means including means for determining, by an analysis based on the transit time of the detected perturbed wave burst component, which of said plurality of paths was traversed by the touch-perturbed wave burst component and thus determining the location of the touch along said axis of said substrate surface, and a degree of absorbtion of acoustic energy.
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Specification