Light sensitive display

• US 7,872,641 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 01/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Abileah, Adiel, den Boer, Willem
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdulselam; Abbas I
• Application Number:
  US11/977,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 345/104, 345/173, 345/175, 345/207, 178/18.01, 178/18.09, 349/12, 349/24, 235/491, 235/494, 715/862, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1611 to support document holders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 : using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 : Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 : Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 : forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 : by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 : for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 : the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 : using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A light sensitive display.

Claims

1. A display device having a surface for viewing an image comprising:

a stack of layers configured to display the image; and

a plurality of light sensitive elements included in the stack, the plurality of light sensitive elements configured to detect an object on or near the surface;

wherein a processor is configured to distinguish between a touch of the object on the display device and a hover of the object relative to the display device based on temporally monitoring an image of a shadow region detected by the plurality of light sensitive elements corresponding to the object.

2. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on a portion of the image of the shadow region remaining stationary over a period of time.

3. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to identify an occurrence of the touch on the display device based on the image of the shadow region remaining stationary over a period of time.

4. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on a change in size of the image of the shadow region over a period of time.

5. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on characteristics of the image of the shadow region as it approaches and recedes from the display device over a period of time.

6. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on a time corresponding to the image of the shadow region approaching the display device and the image of the shadow region receding from the display device.

7. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to identify an occurrence of the touch on the display device based on a time between the image of the shadow region approaching the display device and the image of the shadow region receding from the display device.

8. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on a time between the image of the shadow region increasing in size and the image of the shadow region decreasing in size.

9. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to identify an occurrence of the touch on the display device based on a time between the image of the shadow region increasing in size and the image of the shadow region decreasing in size.

10. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on the image of the shadow region maintaining a substantially same size over a period of time.

11. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to identify an occurrence of the touch on the display device based on the image of the shadow region maintaining a substantially same size over a period of time.

12. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to distinguish between the touch and the hover based on the image of the shadow region maintaining a substantially same intensity over a period of time.

13. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to identify an occurrence of the touch on the display device based on the image of the shadow region maintaining a substantially same intensity over a period of time.

14. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the temporal monitoring comprises detecting edges of the image of the shadow region.

15. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the temporal monitoring comprises monitoring the edges of the image of the shadow region over time.

16. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the temporal monitoring comprises thresholding of data corresponding to the image of the shadow region.

17. The display device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a sensor distinct from the plurality of light sensitive elements for distinguishing between the touch on the display device and the hover relative to the display device.

18. The display device as recited in claim 17 wherein the sensor comprises a piezoelectric device.

19. The display device as recited in claim 17 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.

20. The display device as recited in claim 17 wherein the sensor comprises a capacitive sensor.