Infrared sensor module, touch sensing method thereof, and auto calibration method applied to the same

• US 8,723,122 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Jae-Hun, Jang, Hyung-Uk, Oh, Jun-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): TANINGCO, MARCUS H
• Application Number:
  US13/287,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 250/338.1
• US Class Current: 250/338.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/00 Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/009 for use with infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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: G06K 7/10732 Light sources

Abstract

An infrared sensor module, a touch sensing method thereof, and an auto calibration method applied to the same are disclosed, the touch sensing method includes turning on the infrared sensor module which includes a sensor block with a light receiving region and is arranged to be perpendicular to a surface of a display panel, the light receiving region being divided into m×n blocks (where, each of m and n is a natural number of two or more) arranged in m rows by n columns, each of the blocks having a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged in a row direction, scanning optical signals of each block, selecting the block having maximum output optical signals with respect to the blocks of each column, and summing the optical signals of the light receiving pixels of the block selected from the column.

Claims

1. An infrared sensor module including a sensor block with a light receiving region, wherein:

the sensor block is perpendicular to a surface of a display panel;

the light receiving region is divided into ‘

m×

n’

blocks (where, each of ‘

m’ and

‘

n’

is a natural number of two or more) arranged in ‘

m’

rows by ‘

n’

columns, and each of the blocks includes a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged in the same row; and

optical signals of a particular block, to which light is received, are transmitted to a touch control unit, wherein the particular block is selected from at least one of the ‘

m’

rows with respect to each of the ‘

n’

columns,

wherein the infrared sensor module is formed on an inner surface of a case top encasing the display panel and the light receiving region has a height under a height of the inner surface of the case top and

wherein a block which is selected during an auto-calibration is activated as a Region of Interest (ROI) during detection of a touch.

2. The infrared sensor module according to claim 1, wherein each of the blocks has about 10˜

500 light receiving pixels.

3. The infrared sensor module according to claim 1, wherein each of the light receiving pixels has a vertical length longer than a horizontal length.

4. The infrared sensor module according to claim 1, wherein the particular block is selected through light receiving distribution of the optical signals received.

5. The infrared sensor module according to claim 4, wherein the particular block is selected after filtering and excluding noise of the received optical signals.

6. The infrared sensor module according to claim 1, wherein each of the ‘

m’ and

‘

n’

is a number of 2 to 10.

7. A touch sensing method of an infrared sensor module comprising:

turning on the infrared sensor module, which includes a sensor block with a light receiving region, and is perpendicular to a surface of a display panel, the light receiving region being divided into ‘

m×

n’

blocks (where, each of ‘

m’ and

‘

n’

is a natural number of two or more) arranged in ‘

m’

rows by ‘

n’

columns, each of the blocks having a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged in a row direction, wherein the infrared sensor module is formed on an inner surface of a case top encasing the display panel and the light receiving region has a height under a height of the inner surface of the case top;

scanning optical signals of each block;

selecting the block having maximum output optical signals with respect to the blocks of each column;

summing the optical signals of the light receiving pixels of the block selected from the column; and

activating the block only selected during the selection step so that the selected block is set as a Region of Interest (ROI) during detection of a touch.

8. The touch sensing method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 7, the scanning optical signals of each block is performed every drive of a display device including the infrared sensor module.

9. The touch sensing method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 7, wherein the scanning optical signals of each block is performed by selection of a user.

10. The touch sensing method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 9, wherein the region of interest which is set until the selection of a user is stored so as to be used for measurement of the optical signals.

11. The touch sensing method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 7, wherein the scanning optical signals of each block is performed every generation of a particular event.

12. The touch sensing method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 11, wherein the region of interest which is until the generation of the particular event is stored so as to be used for measurement of the optical signals.

13. An auto calibration method of an infrared sensor module comprising:

turning on the infrared sensor module, which includes a sensor block with a light receiving region, and is perpendicular to a surface of a display panel, the light receiving region being divided into ‘

m×

n’

blocks (where, each of ‘

m’ and

‘

n’

is a natural number of two or more) arranged in ‘

m’

rows by ‘

n’

columns, each of the blocks having a plurality of light receiving pixels arranged in a row direction, wherein the infrared sensor module is formed on an inner surface of a case top and the light receiving region has a height under a height of the inner surface of the case top encasing the display panel;

scanning optical signals per each of the m rows;

comparing the optical signals of each row;

selecting the block having maximum output optical signals with respect to the blocks of each n column; and

activating the block which is selected and deactivating the block which is not selected so as to assort the blocks,

wherein the block which is selected is only activated as a Region of Interest (ROI) during detection of a touch.

14. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 13, wherein the scanning optical signals per each of the ‘

m’

rows is performed every drive of a display device including the infrared sensor module.

15. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 13, wherein the scanning optical signals per each of the m rows is performed by selection of a user.

16. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 15, wherein the region of interest which is set until the selection of a user is stored so as to be used for measurement of the optical signals.

17. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 13, wherein the scanning optical signals per each of the ‘

m’

rows every generation of a particular event.

18. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 17, wherein the region of interest which is until the generation of the particular event is stored so as to be used for measurement of the optical signals.

19. The auto calibration method of the infrared sensor module according to claim 13, wherein the selecting the block having maximum output optical signals with respect to the blocks of each ‘

n’

column selects one or more blocks from each column.