Light-based touch screen using elongated light guides

• US 9,389,730 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Neonode, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neonode, Inc.
• Inventors: Goertz, Magnus, Eriksson, Thomas, Shain, Joseph, Jansson, Anders, Kvist, Niklas, Pettersson, Robert, Sparf, Lars, Karlsson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, AFROZA Y
• Application Number:
  US13/053,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20110210946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• 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

A touch screen including a housing, a display mounted in the housing, a plurality of collimating lenses mounted in the housing and arranged along a first edge of the display, a plurality of light pulse emitters mounted in the housing that are spaced apart from and serially transmit light pulses through the collimating lenses over the display, a light guide mounted in the housing along the edge of the display opposite the first edge, for receiving the light pulses, the light guide including a reflective strip that reflects light pulses to one end of the light guide, a light pulse receiver mounted in the housing near the one end of the light guide, for receiving the reflected light pulses, and a calculating unit, mounted in the housing and connected to the receiver, for determining a location of a pointer on the display that partially blocks light pulses transmitted by the emitters, based on outputs of the receiver.

Claims

1. A method for detecting touch on a display, comprising:

providing a display, a light pulse receiver, an elongated light guide below an edge of the display, the light guide including an elongated outer surface portion, an elongated scatterer strip inside the light guide, and an exit surface coupled to the light pulse receiver, and a reflective strip, separate from the light guide, mounted along the edge of the display above the light guide;

transmitting light pulses over the display and into the light guide through the elongated outer surface portion via the reflective strip;

scattering, by the scatterer strip, the light pulses inside the light guide, such that a portion of the scattered light pulses arrives at the exit surface; and

determining a location of an object touching the display that partially blocks the transmitted light pulses, based on outputs of the light pulse receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising collimating the light pulses that enter the light guide through the elongated outer surface portion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said collimating is performed by a collimating lens in front of the elongated light guide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the light guide includes first and second exit surfaces at respective opposite ends of the light guide, wherein said providing comprises providing a first and a second light pulse receiver, the first light pulse receiver being coupled to the first exit surface, and the second light pulse receiver being coupled to the second exit surface, wherein different portions of the scattered light pulses arrive at the first and second light pulse receivers through the first and second exit surfaces, and wherein said determining determines the location of the object touching the display based on outputs of both light pulse receivers.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising activating the two light pulse receivers serially.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising activating the two light pulse receivers in parallel.

7. A method for detecting touch on a display, comprising:

providing a display, an elongated light guide below an edge of the display, the light guide including an elongated outer surface portion, an elongated scatterer strip inside the light guide, two light pulse emitters coupled respectively to opposite ends of the elongated light guide, a reflective strip, separate from the light guide, mounted along the edge of the display above the light guide, and a plurality of light pulse receivers along an opposite edge of the display;

providing two reference values for each receiver, corresponding respectively to light detections when each of the two light pulse emitters is separately activated and no object touches the display;

separately activating each of the two light emitters to emit light pulses at one end of the light guide;

for each activation;

scattering, by the scatterer strip, the light pulses inside the light guide, such that the scattered light pulses exit through the entire elongated outer surface portion, cross over the display via the reflective strip, and arrive at the receivers, each receiver outputting a value corresponding to an actual amount of light detected; and

for each receiver, comparing the output value to the reference value for that receiver corresponding to the activated emitter; and

determining a location of an object touching the display that partially blocks the transmitted light pulses, based on the results of said comparing.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, for at least one of the light pulse receivers, the two reference values are different.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising activating the light pulse receivers in parallel.