Interactive devices

• US 8,610,675 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Inventors: Lipman, Sarah Michelle, Lipman, Robert Michael, Kali, Eran, Zwiebel, Ken, Gutin, Boris, Margalit, Moti
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US12/531,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20100110027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 345/166, 345/173, 178/18.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An interactive assembly including at least one interactive surface element, at least a first region of the at least one interactive surface element having first user sensible functionality and at least a second region of the at least one interactive surface element having second functionality, different from the first user sensible functionality, input sensor functionality, including at least one input sensor located in propinquity to at least one of the at least one interactive surface element, operative to sense impingement of an electromagnetic radiation spot on at least one of the at least one first region and the at least one second region of the at least one interactive surface element and utilization functionality for employing outputs of the input sensor functionality in respect of impingement on either or both of the at least one first region and the at least one second region.

Claims

1. A position sensing assembly comprising:

an interactive surface element defining a surface;

at least one pixel array comprising a plurality of detector elements configured to detect electromagnetic radiation at a baseline level, the at least one pixel array being configured to sense a position of at least one object with respect to a surface thereof according to locations of ones of the plurality of detector elements at which at least one of an amount of radiation detected and a change in the amount of radiation detected exceeds a predetermined threshold, the at least one pixel array being configured to sense at least a position of the at least one object with respect to the at least one pixel array when the at least one object has at least a predetermined degree of propinquity to the at least one pixel array;

circuitry coupled to and receiving an output from the at least one pixel array receiving, the circuitry being configured to provide a non-imagewise input representing the position of the at least one object relative to the at least one pixel array; and

wherein the change in the amount of radiation detected results from ones of the plurality of detector elements detecting reflected light from the object in addition to detecting the radiation at the baseline level.

2. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pixel array is configured to sense light reflected from the at least one object.

3. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, further comprising utilization circuitry coupled to the non-imagewise input, the utilization circuitry being configured to provide chording functionality.

4. A position sensing assembly according to claim 3, wherein the utilization circuitry is further configured to distinguish at least between positions of the at least one object touching or not touching the position sensing assembly.

5. A position sensing assembly according to claim 3, wherein the utilization circuitry is further configured to distinguish at least between directions of motion of the at least one object towards and away from the position sensing assembly.

6. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the utilization circuitry is further configured to compute at least one characteristic of a trajectory of motion of the at least one object generally parallel to the at least one pixel array, wherein the at least one characteristic includes at least one of location, direction, velocity and change in direction.

7. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the utilization circuitry is further configured to sense a distinction between instances when the at least one object touches and does not touch the position sensing assembly.

8. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the utilization circuitry is further configured to utilize differences in sensed relative positions of a user'"'"'s fingers.

9. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a processing subassembly including:

detector analyzing processing circuitry configured to receive detector outputs of individual ones of the plurality of detector elements, to determine whether at least one of the amount of radiation and the change in the amount of radiation detected by the individual ones of the plurality detector element exceeds the predetermined threshold, and to provide detector analysis outputs for the individual ones of the plurality of detector elements;

array processing circuitry configured to receive the detector analysis outputs of the plurality of detector elements of a single one of the at least one pixel array and to generate an array detection output therefrom; and

position ascertaining circuitry configured to receive the array detection output of the at least one pixel array and to ascertain the position of the object therefrom.

10. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the array detection output includes information corresponding to at least one of the location of an impingement point of the object on the surface and the location of the object relative to the surface.

11. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the radiation at the baseline level is provided by at least one source of radiation external to the position sensing assembly.

12. A position sensing assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pixel array comprises a single pixel array arranged along an edge of the surface.

13. A position sensing assembly comprising:

an interactive surface element defining a surface;

at least one pixel array including a plurality of detector elements configured to detect electromagnetic radiation at a baseline level, the at least one pixel array being configured to sense a position of at least one object with respect to a surface thereof according to locations of ones of the plurality of detector elements at which at least one of an amount of radiation detected and a change in the amount of radiation detected exceeds a predetermined threshold, the at least one pixel array being configured to sense at least a position of the at least one object with respect to the at least one pixel array when the at least one object has at least a predetermined degree of propinquity to the at least one pixel array;

circuitry coupled to and receiving an output from the at least one pixel array receiving, the circuitry being configured to provide a non-imagewise input representing the position of the at least one object relative to the at least one pixel array;

wherein the change in the amount of radiation detected results from ones of the plurality of detector elements detecting reflected light from the object in addition to detecting the radiation at the baseline level; and

wherein the position of the object includes at least one of a two-dimensional position of the object, a three-dimensional position of the object and angular orientation of the object.