Display with an optical sensor

• US 8,664,582 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, John P., Briden, John J., Suggs, Bradley Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, Carolynn A
• Application Number:
  US13/259,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20120018625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,604 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221, 250/231, 250/239, 250/338.1, 250/339.06, 250/339.11, 250/341.8, 250/393, 250/554
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A display system can include a transparent layer. The transparent layer can include a front and a back. A bevel region can extend from the transparent layer. A panel can be on the back of the transparent layer. A three dimensional optical sensor can be on the back of the bevel region.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a transparent layer including a front and a back and a bevel region extending from the transparent layer, wherein the bevel region includes a front and a back;

a panel on the back of the transparent layer; and

a three dimensional optical sensor on the back of the bevel region.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second three dimensional optical sensor to determine a depth from the second three dimensional optical sensor of the object located in a field of view of the second three dimensional optical sensor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the bevel region is dome shaped.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the three dimensional optical sensor is attached outside of a perimeter of the panel.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the bevel region is outside the perimeter of the panel.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the three dimensional optical sensor is selected from the group consisting of a time of flight sensor, a structured light sensor, focus sensor, and a defocus sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the bevel region extends from an edge of the transparent layer outside a perimeter edge of the layer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the bevel region has a front face oblique to and contiguous with a face of the front of the transparent layer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the bevel region extends at an obtuse angle with respect to the front of the transparent layer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the panel has a rectangular viewing area having four corners and wherein the bevel region is outside the rectangular viewing area.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the bevel region is at a first corner of the four corners and faces a second corner of the four corners diagonal to the first corner.

12. A method comprising:

creating a beveled region extending from a transparent layer;

attaching a three dimensional optical sensor behind the beveled region; and

attaching a panel behind the transparent layer.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the beveled region is transparent to infrared wavelengths.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the beveled region is opaque to visible wavelengths.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising generating depth information from a group consisting of time of flight information, structured light information, focus depth information and defocus depth information.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the beveled region includes a beveled back surface relative to the transparent layer back surface.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the beveled region includes a beveled front surface relative to the transparent layer front surface.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising aligning the field of view of the three dimensional optical sensor with a front surface of a transparent layer.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising attaching a light source behind the beveled region to emit light through the beveled region.

20. A display system comprising:

a panel to display images on a front side;

a three dimensional optical sensor to determine depth from the three dimensional optical sensor of an object located in a field of view of the three dimensional optical sensor;

a transparent layer including a front, a back in front of the front side of the panel and a side; and

a beveled region extends from the transparent layer in front of the three dimensional optical sensor.