Touch sensor and touch system including the same

• US 8,259,088 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2011
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: D'Souza, Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US13/038,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20120224187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/176, 345/179, 345/180, 345/181, 345/182, 345/183, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.09, 178/18.11, 178/19.01, 178/19.05, 178/19.06
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror

Abstract

A touch sensor for a touch system includes a housing having a light sensing window, a light blocking section, and a reference window, the light sensing window and the reference window configured to allow light to pass therethrough, the light blocking section configured to prohibit light from passing therethrough, a rotating assembly disposed within the housing, and a light sensor. The rotating assembly is configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor, and the light sensor is configured to output a signal that is utilized to identify an angular location of a touch. A touch system including such touch sensors is also described herein.

Claims

1. A touch sensor for a touch system, said touch sensor comprising:

a housing having a light sensing window, a light blocking section, and a reference window, the light sensing window and the reference window configured to allow light to pass therethrough, the light blocking section configured to prohibit light from passing therethrough;

a rotating assembly disposed within the housing; and

a light sensor;

wherein the rotating assembly is configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor, and the light sensor is configured to output a signal that is utilized to identify an angular location of a touch.

2. The touch sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one magnet disposed on the rotating assembly; and

at least one magnetic coil, the at least one magnetic coil configured to generate a magnetic field that causes the rotating assembly to rotate within the housing.

3. The touch sensor of claim 2, further comprising a fluid disposed within the housing, the fluid enabling the rotating assembly to be suspended within the housing.

4. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the reference window generates a signal indicating an angular position of the rotating assembly.

5. The touch sensor of claim 1, further comprising an optical opening formed within the rotating assembly, the optical opening configured to transmit light transmitted through the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor.

6. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the rotating assembly comprises a disc having an L-shaped optical opening formed therethrough, the L-shaped optical opening configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor.

7. The touch sensor of claim 6, wherein in the rotating assembly comprises a first disc portion, a second disc portion, and a mirror, said mirror disposed between the first and second disc portions and provided at a vertex area of the L-shaped optical opening.

8. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the rotating assembly comprises an L-shaped optical opening formed therethrough, the L-shaped optical opening having a first optical opening portion that enables light to be transmitted from the light sensing window and the reference window to a mirror, the mirror reflecting the light through a second optical opening portion to the light sensor.

9. The touch sensor of claim 1, wherein the light blocking section has a first angular span, the light sensing window has a second angular span that is less than the first angular span, and the reference window has a third angular span that is less than the first and second angular spans.

10. A touch sensor for a touch system, said touch sensor comprising:

a housing having a light sensing window configured to allow light to pass therethrough, and a light blocking section configured to prohibit light from passing therethrough;

a rotating disc assembly disposed within the housing; and

a light sensor;

wherein the rotating disc assembly is configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window to the light sensor, and the light sensor is configured to output a signal that is utilized to identify an angular location of a touch.

11. The touch sensor of claim 10, the housing further comprising a reference window that generates a signal indicating an angular position of the rotating disc assembly.

12. The touch sensor of claim 10, further comprising a fluid disposed within the housing, the fluid enabling the rotating disc assembly to be suspended within the housing.

13. The touch sensor of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one magnet disposed on a disc element of the rotating disc assembly; and

at least one magnetic coil, the at least one magnetic coil configured to generate a magnetic field that causes the disc element to rotate within the fluid in the housing.

14. The touch sensor of claim 10, further comprising an optical opening formed within the disc element, the optical opening configured to transmit light transmitted through the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor.

15. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the rotating disc assembly comprises an L-shaped optical opening formed therethrough, the L-shaped optical opening configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor.

16. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein in the rotating disc assembly comprises a first disc portion, a second disc portion, and a mirror disposed between the first and second disc portions.

17. The touch sensor of claim 10, wherein the rotating disc assembly comprises an L-shaped optical opening formed therethrough, the L-shaped optical opening having a first optical opening portion that enables light to be transmitted from the light sensing window and the reference window to a mirror, the mirror reflecting the light through a second optical opening portion to the light sensor.

18. A touch system comprising:

a touch sensing plane;

a light source configured to illuminate the touch sensing plane; and

a touch sensor positioned proximate to the touch sensing plane, the touch sensor comprising;

a housing having a light sensing window, a light blocking section, and a reference window, the light sensing window and the reference window configured to allow light to pass therethrough, the light blocking section configured to prohibit light from passing therethrough;

a rotating assembly disposed within the housing; and

a light sensor;

wherein the disc assembly is configured to transmit light received from the light sensing window and the reference window to the light sensor, and the light sensor is configured to output a signal that is utilized to identify a location of a touch on the touch system.

19. The touch system of claim 18, further comprising a fluid disposed within the housing, the fluid enabling the rotating assembly to be suspended within the housing.

20. The touch system of claim 18, wherein the touch plane comprises a plurality of touch sensors, each touch sensor being disposed proximate to a different corner of the touch sensing plane.