Acoustic condition sensor employing a plurality of mutually non-orthogonal waves

• US 8,421,776 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Kent, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US12/686,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20100117993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1807, 178 1901- 1906, 178 2001- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

A touch input system, comprising a surface, adapted to receive at least one simultaneous touch inputs from human fingers; a sensor adapted to detect the at least one touch inputs and produce at least one signal representing a unique position for the at least one touch input; and a processor, adapted to receive the at least one signal and produce an output representing a touch detection and a mapping of a coordinate position on the surface for each of the simultaneous touch inputs. The system may detect, for example, two touch inputs simultaneously. The surface may be non-planar and distinct from a small solid angle section of a sphere.

Claims

1. A touch input system, comprising:

a surface which is neither planar nor a small solid angle section of a sphere, adapted to receive a touch input;

a sensor adapted to detect a touch and produce at least one signal representing a unique position of the touch input on the surface; and

a processor, adapted to receive the at least one signal and produce an output representing a touch detection and a mapping of a coordinate position on the surface;

wherein the sensor is configured to detect a simultaneous touch at each of a plurality of positions anywhere on the surface, and wherein the processor is adapted to produce an output representing a mapping of a coordinate position on the surface for each of the simultaneous touches.

2. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further determines an intensity of a touch.

3. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further determines a size of a contact area of a touch.

4. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further analyzes a timing of changes in the signal output during a touch.

5. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is light transmissive.

6. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further determines an intensity of each of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

7. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further determines a size of a contact area for each of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

8. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein the control further analyzes a timing of changes in the output over a course of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

9. The touch input system according to claim 1, wherein an image is transmitted through the substrate.

10. A touch input method, comprising:

providing a surface configured to receive a plurality of simultaneous touch inputs at multiple positions anywhere on the surface;

sensing said plurality of simultaneous touch inputs and producing at least one signal representing a unique position of each touch input on the surface; and

receiving the at least one signal and producing an output representing a touch detection and a mapping of a coordinate position on the surface for each of the simultaneous touch inputs.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining at least one of an intensity of a touch, a size of a contact area, and a timing of changes in an output of the electronic sensor during a touch.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the surface is neither planar nor a small solid angle section of a sphere.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining an intensity of each of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising determining a size of a contact area for each of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising analyzing a timing of changes in the output over a course of the plurality of simultaneous touches.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the substrate is light transmissive.

17. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

processing the at least one signal in a manner adapted to maintain a distinction between the plurality of simultaneous touches;

determining a respective difference of at least one coordinate between the plurality of simultaneous touches; and

selectively producing the output at least in dependence on a relationship of the coordinates of the at least two simultaneous touches.

18. A touch input system, comprising:

a surface, configured to receive a plurality of simultaneous touch inputs from human fingers anywhere on the surface;

a sensor adapted to detect a plurality of simultaneous touch inputs and produce signals representing a unique position for each of the simultaneous touch inputs on the surface;

a processor, adapted to receive the signals and produce an output representing a touch detection and a mapping of a coordinate position on the surface for each of the plurality of simultaneous touch inputs.

19. The touch input system according to claim 18, wherein the surface is non-planar.

20. The touch input system according to claim 18, wherein the processor further determines at least one of an intensity of each touch, a size of a contact area of each touch, and a timing of changes in the output signals produced by the sensor during each touch.

21. The touch input system according to claim 20, wherein the processor determines the intensity of each touch.

22. The touch input system according to claim 20, wherein the processor determines the size of the contact area of each touch.

23. The touch input system according to claim 20, wherein the processor further analyzes a timing of changes in the output signals during a touch.