Tactile effect waveguide surface for optical touch detection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
- a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein the waveguide structure comprises;
a planar waveguide having a flat, featureless top surface, anda tactile coating on top of the flat, featureless top surface of the planar waveguide, the tactile coating having a same index of refraction as the planar waveguide; and
emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams.
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Abstract
An optical touch-sensitive device includes a planar optical waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features. This produces a tactile effect experienced by the user using a finger or object (e.g., pen, stylus, or other instrument) on the surface.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein the waveguide structure comprises; a planar waveguide having a flat, featureless top surface, and a tactile coating on top of the flat, featureless top surface of the planar waveguide, the tactile coating having a same index of refraction as the planar waveguide; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein the top surface is a surface of continuously varying height and has a varying height such that a contact area of a touch on the top surface is not less than half the contact area of the same touch on a flat surface without tactile surface features; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams.
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13. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein the tactile surface features are stepped surface features and the stepped surface features have a maximum step height of not more than a wavelength of light in the optical beams; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein a lateral spacing between tactile surface features is not less than a size of a typical human finger; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams.
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16. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein an average lateral size of the tactile surface features is less than a size of a typical human finger but greater than a wavelength of the optical beams; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. An optical touch-sensitive device comprising:
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a planar optical waveguide structure, the waveguide structure having a top surface that includes tactile surface features, wherein the waveguide structure has an optical loss that is not more than ten times an optical loss of a flat waveguide structure without tactile surface features; and emitters and detectors arranged along a periphery of the waveguide structure, the emitters producing optical beams that propagate through the waveguide structure via total internal reflection (TIR) to the detectors, wherein touches on the top surface of the waveguide structure disturb the optical beams, the touch-sensitive device determining touch events based on the disturbed optical beams. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification