Displays and information input devices

• US 9,494,972 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power2B, Inc.
• Inventors: Kali, Eran, Lipman, Sarah Michelle, Gutin, Boris, Margalit, Moti
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US12/066,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20090021488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,722 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-176, 345/87
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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: 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 integrated display and input device including a first pixel array operative to provide a visually sensible output, a second pixel array operative to sense at least a position of an object with respect to the first pixel array and circuitry receiving an output from the second pixel array and providing a non-imagewise input to utilization circuitry.

Claims

1. An integrated display and input device comprising:

a display panel for displaying information to a user;

a pixel array having a plurality of detectors for receiving electromagnetic radiation, each detector of the plurality of detectors operative to detect a change in the electromagnetic radiation caused by an object in propinquity to the display panel and provide an output corresponding to the change; and

circuitry for receiving the output from each detector of the plurality of detectors, the circuitry operative to;

determine at least one impingement point for the object relative to the pixel array corresponds to a location of at least one detector of the plurality of detectors when the output from the at least one detector indicates the change in the electromagnetic radiation exceeds a threshold;

determine a position for the object with respect to the display panel based on the output from the at least one detector and the location of the at least one detector; and

provide a non-imagewise input, including the position of the object, to utilization circuitry of the integrated display and input device.

2. An integrated display and input device comprising:

a first pixel array operative to display information to a user;

a second pixel array including detectors for receiving electromagnetic radiation, each detector operative to detect a change in the electromagnetic radiation caused by an object in propinquity to the first array and provide an output corresponding to the change; and

circuitry for receiving the output from said each detector, the processing circuitry operative to;

determine at least one impingement point for the object relative to the second pixel array corresponds to a location of at least one detector of the plurality of detectors when the output from the at least one detector indicates the change in the electromagnetic radiation exceeds a threshold;

determine a position for the object with respect to the first pixel array based on the output from the at least one detector and the location of the at least one detector; and

provide a non-imagewise input, including the position of the object, to utilization circuitry of the integrated display and input device.

3. The integrated display and input device according to claim 2 further comprising the utilization circuitry, wherein the utilization circuitry is configured to provide portable communicator functionality.

4. The integrated display and input device according to claim 2 further comprising the utilization circuitry, wherein the utilization circuitry is configured to provide interactive television functionality.

5. The integrated display and input device according to claim 2 further comprising the utilization circuitry, wherein the utilization circuitry is configured to provide portable computer functionality.

6. A position sensing assembly comprising:

a plate defining a surface; and

at least one pixel array comprising a plurality of detector elements, each detector element of the plurality of detector elements operative to detect a change in electromagnetic radiation relative to a baseline level, the change caused by an object in propinquity to the surface, said at least one pixel array operative to provide an output that indicates the change detected by least one detector element exceeds a predetermined threshold;

circuitry for receiving the output from the at least one pixel array, the processing circuitry further operative to;

determine at least one impingement point for the object relative to the pixel array corresponds to a location of the at least one detector element;

determine a position for the object with respect to the display panel based on the output from the at least one pixel array and the location of the at least one detector element; and

provide a non-imagewise input, including the position of the object, to utilization circuitry of the position sensing assembly.

7. The position sensing assembly according to claim 6, wherein the at least one pixel array detects the change in electromagnetic radiation caused by reflected light from the object in propinquity to the surface.

8. The position sensing assembly according to claim 7, wherein the plate is further configured to propagate the reflected light incident on the surface to one or more of the plurality of detector elements.

9. The position sensing assembly according to claim 7, wherein the least one pixel array is further configured to detect the reflected light above said surface.

10. The position sensing assembly according to claim 7, wherein the plate is further configured to transmit the reflected light through said plate directly to one or more of the plurality of detector elements.