Determining the location of touch points in a position detection system

• US 7,932,899 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Next Holdings Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Colson, Keith John, Newton, John David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherman; Stephen G
• Application Number:
  US12/873,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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

Abstract

A position detection system includes at least two optical units configured to image a space, a memory, and a processing device interfaced to the memory and the optical units. The processing device is configured to access image data from the first and second optical units and use this data to determine at least one of a current first position and a current second position representing touch points on a display. The processing device can define a polygon having at least four sides based the current first and current second positions and can access the memory to store and retrieve the polygon. If the processing device can determine only one of the current first position or the current second position based on the accessed image data, the processing device can use the previously defined polygon to estimate the other position that was not determined using the accessed image data.

Claims

1. A position detection system comprising:

a first optical unit configured to image a space;

a second optical unit configured to image the space;

a memory; and

a processing device interfaced to the memory and the optical units, the processing device configured to;

access image data from the first and second optical units;

iteratively determine at least one of a current first touch position and a current second touch position using the accessed image data;

in one iteration when both the current first touch position and the current second touch position are determined using the accessed image data;

define, in the memory, a polygon based on the current first and current second touch positions, the polygon having at least four sides; and

in a subsequent iteration when only one of the current first touch position or the current second touch position is determined using the accessed image data;

access the polygon as previously defined in the memory and use the current first touch position or the current second touch position determined using the accessed image data, and the previously-defined polygon, to estimate the other touch position that was not determined using the accessed image data.

2. The position detection system of claim 1, wherein the imaged space comprises a display or a plane substantially parallel to the display and the current first touch position and current second touch position correspond to touches on the display or plane.

3. The position detection system of claim 1, wherein the optical units each comprise an optical sensor configured to image a retroreflective material positioned along one or more edges of a touch detection area in the space.

4. The position detection system of claim 3, wherein the optical units each comprise a light source configured to direct light toward the retroreflective material.

5. A position detection system, comprising:

a first optical unit configured to image a space;

a second optical unit configured to image the space;

a memory; and

a processing device interfaced to the memory and the optical units, the processing device configured to;

access image data from the first and second optical units;

iteratively determine at least one of a current first touch position and a current second touch position using the accessed image data, wherein determining at least one of the current first touch position and the current second touch position comprises using light detected by the optical units to identify edges of at least one blockage occurring in the space, the at least one blockage occurring at least one of the current first touch position or the current second touch position;

in one iteration when both the current first and current second touch positions are determined using the accessed image data;

define, in the memory, a polygon based on the current first touch position and the current second touch position, the polygon having at least four sides; and

in a subsequent iteration when only one of the current first touch position or the current second touch position is determined using the accessed image data;

access the polygon as previously defined in the memory and use the current first touch position or the current second touch position determined using the accessed image data, and the polygon as previously defined in the memory, to estimate the other touch position that was not determined using the accessed image data.

6. The position detection system of claim 5, wherein determining at least one of the current first touch position and the current second touch position further comprises:

using the edges of the at least one blockage to;

determine a centerline between the blockage and the first optical unit and, determine a centerline between the blockage and the second optical unit; and

wherein the determined current first touch position or current second touch position corresponds to the intersection of the centerlines.

7. The position detection system of claim 6, wherein the polygon is four-sided, the vertices of the polygon correspond to intersections of centerlines determined from respective blockages at the first current touch position and the second current touch position, and the first current touch position and second current touch position are at opposite vertices.

8. The position detection system of claim 6, wherein the processing device is configured to determine a width of the at least one blockage and to store, in the memory, an object model based on the width of the blockage.

9. The position detection system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is configured to determine the current first touch position and the current second touch position based on matching one or more parameters of the object model to one or more characteristics of a subsequently detected blockage.

10. The position detection system of claim 8, wherein the processing device is further configured to use the object model when using the polygon to estimate the current first or current second touch position.

11. The position detection system of claim 5, wherein the imaged space comprises a display or a plane substantially parallel to the display and the current first touch position and the current second touch position each correspond to touches on the display or plane.

12. The position detection system of claim 5, wherein the optical units each comprise an optical sensor configured to image a retroreflective material positioned along one or more edges of a touch detection area in the space.

13. The position detection system of claim 12, wherein the optical units each comprise a light source configured to direct light toward the retroreflective material.