Dual mode touch systems
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
- a waveguide;
a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made;
at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface;
at least one imaging device looking across said touch surface and into said waveguide, said at least one imaging device capturing images of said region of interest and within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device; and
a lens constituted by a smoothly curved cutout provided in said waveguide, said at least one imaging device being accommodated by said cutout, said cutout including a highly polished surface through which said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide.
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting a pointer includes a waveguide and a touch surface over the waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made. At least one reflecting device extends along a first side of the waveguide and touch surface. The reflecting device defines an optical path between the interior of the waveguide and the region of interest above the touch surface. At least one imaging device looks across the touch surface and into the waveguide. The imaging device captures images of the region of interest and within the waveguide including reflections from the reflecting device.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
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a waveguide; a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made; at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface; at least one imaging device looking across said touch surface and into said waveguide, said at least one imaging device capturing images of said region of interest and within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device; and a lens constituted by a smoothly curved cutout provided in said waveguide, said at least one imaging device being accommodated by said cutout, said cutout including a highly polished surface through which said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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15. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
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a waveguide, a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made; at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface; at least one imaging device looking across said touch surface and into said waveguide; first reflective surfaces extending along a second side of said waveguide and touch surface, said second side joining said first side at a first corner, said first reflective surfaces facing the interior of said waveguide and said region of interest, said at lease one imaging device capturing images of said region of interest and within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device and said first reflective surfaces; and a processing device to process images captured by said at least one imaging device to determine the location of said pointer relative to said touch surface, wherein said reflecting device is a turning prism assembly.
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16. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
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a waveguide; a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made; at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface; at least one imaging device looking across said touch surface and into said waveguide; first reflective surfaces extending along a second side of said waveguide and touch surface, said second side joining said first side at a first corner, said first reflective surfaces facing the interior of said waveguide and said region of interest; second reflective surfaces extending along a third side of said waveguide and touch surface, said third side joining said first side at a second corner, said second reflective surfaces facing the interior of said waveguide and said region of interest, said at least one imaging device capturing images of said region of interest and within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device and said first and second reflective surfaces; and a processing device to process images captured by said at least one imaging device to determine the location of said pointer relative to said touch surface, wherein said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide and region of interest from a fourth side of said waveguide, said fourth side being opposite said first side and wherein said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide via a lens, said lens being constituted by a smoothly curved cutout provided in said waveguide, said at least one imaging device being accommodated by said cutout, said cutout including a highly polished surface through which said at least one imaging device looks. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 36)
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25. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
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a waveguide; a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made; at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface; at least one imaging device looking across said touch surface and into said waveguide, said at least one imaging device capturing images of said region of interest and within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device; a lens constituted by a smoothly curved cutout provided in said waveguide, said at least one imaging device being accommodated by said cutout, said cutout including a highly polished surface through which said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide; and a pair of illumination sources, one of said illumination sources extending along a second side, said second side joining said first side at a first corner diagonally opposite said at least one imaging device and another of said illumination sources extending along a third side of said waveguide and touch surface, said third side extending from said at least one imaging device to said one illumination source, said illumination sources providing backlight illumination for said at least one imaging device. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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37. An apparatus for detecting a pointer comprising:
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a waveguide; a touch surface over said waveguide on which pointer contacts are to be made; at least one reflecting device extending along a first side of said waveguide and touch surface, said reflecting device defining an optical path between the interior of said waveguide and a region of interest above said touch surface; at least one imaging device looking into said waveguide, said at least one imaging device capturing images within said waveguide including reflections from said reflecting device; and a lens constituted by a smoothly curved cutout provided in said waveguide, said at least one imaging device being accommodated by said cutout, said cutout including a highly polished surface through which said at least one imaging device looks into said waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification