Detecting multitouch events in an optical touch-sensitive device using line images

• US 9,063,615 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beechrock Limited
• Original Assignee: Rapt Ip Limited
• Inventors: Drumm, Owen
• Primary Examiner(s): MARINELLI, PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/460,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20120212457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• 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

Abstract

An optical touch-sensitive device is able to determine the locations of multiple simultaneous touch events. The optical touch-sensitive device includes multiple emitters and detectors. Each emitter produces optical beams which are received by the detectors. Touch events disturb the optical beams. Line images of the touch events are captured, which are then used to determine the touch events.

Claims

1. A method for determining simultaneous touch events on a surface, the surface having emitters and detectors arranged around its periphery, the emitters producing optical beams received by the detectors, the touch events disturbing the optical beam, the method comprising:

receiving information indicating which beams have been disturbed by touch events;

based on the received information, determining line images of the touch events from the viewpoints of the emitters and/or detectors, wherein a line image, for a given one of the detectors or emitters, is a one-dimensional image representing an analog quantity of transmittance of an optical beam between the given detector or emitter and complementary emitters or detectors optically coupled to the given detector or emitter; and

determining the touch events based on the line images.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the line images of the touch events are from the viewpoints of only detectors.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the line images of the touch events are from the viewpoints of only emitters.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a line image is produced by combining beam patterns from two or more emitters and/or detectors.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the emitters and detectors are interleaved around the periphery of the surface, and the line image is produced by combining beam patterns from an emitter and an adjacent detector.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein beams from emitters to detectors are wide enough to be partially disturbed by a touch event, and the analog line images are based on such partial disturbance.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each line image spans at least a 5 degree field of view.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each line image spans at least a 10 degree field of view.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein each line image spans at least a 20 degree field of view.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one line image spans at least a 45 degree field of view.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one line image spans at least a 60 degree field of view.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one line image spans at least a 90 degree field of view.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one line image spans at least a 120 degree field of view.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface is rectangular, and at least one line image spans at least one half of one side of the rectangle.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface is rectangular, and at least one line image spans at least one side of the rectangle.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface is rectangular, and at least one line image spans at least half the perimeter of the rectangle.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 4 line images are determined.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 8 line images are determined.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 4 line images are determined per touch event.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein N emitters and detectors are arranged around the periphery of the surface and at least N/2 line images are determined.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface has a periphery of length L in inches and at least 2L line images are determined.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the received information is a set of transmission coefficients indicative that a transmission of a beam between an emitter and a detector has been disturbed, and the line images are determined from the transmission coefficients.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the beams include rectangular beams.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the beams include fan-shaped beams.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein the beams include trapezoidal beams.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the beams include pencil beams.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the touch events based on the line images comprises:

for the line images;

locating images of touch events in the line images; and

determining candidate lines for the touch events based on a location of the viewpoint for the line image and a location of the image of the touch event; and

determining the touch events based on the candidate lines.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein within a line image, a location of the image of a touch event is determined based on analog values of the image of the touch event.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the analog quantity of transmittance of the optical beam between the given detector or emitter and complementary emitters or detectors corresponds to an amount of light exchanged during the touch events compared to an amount of light that the given detector or emitter would have received from or transmitted to the complementary emitters or detectors in the absence of any touch event interacting with the optical beam.

30. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:

a surface for which touch events are to be detected;

emitters and detectors arranged around a periphery of the surface, the emitters producing optical beams received by the detectors, the touch events disturbing the optical beam; and

a touch event processor coupled, directly or indirectly, to the emitters and detectors, the touch event processor receiving information indicating which beams have been disturbed by touch events;

based on the received information, determining line images of the touch events from the viewpoints of the emitters and/or detectors; and

determining the touch events based on the line images, a line image, for a given one of the detectors or emitters, is a one-dimensional image representing an analog quantity of transmittance of an optical beam between the given detector or emitter and complementary emitters or detectors optically coupled to the given detector or emitter.

31. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 30 wherein the analog quantity of transmittance of the optical beam between the given detector or emitter and complementary emitters or detectors corresponds to an amount of light exchanged during the touch events compared to an amount of light that the given detector or emitter would have received from or transmitted to the complementary emitters or detectors in the absence of any touch event interacting with the optical beam.