Triggered image sensing with a display

• US 10,043,051 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Jiandong, Large, Timothy Andrew, Chen, Liying, Bathiche, Steven Nabil
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Mia M
• Application Number:
  US15/221,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20170255809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• 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 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1335 Combining adjacent partial images (e.g. slices) to create a composite input or reference pattern; Tracking a sweeping finger movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1359 Extracting features related to ridge properties; Determining the fingerprint type, e.g. whorl or loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14609 Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements scanning details of imagers (circuitry of solid-state image sensors H04N25/00); circuitry of imagers H04N25/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/709 Circuitry for control of the power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/65 OLEDs integrated with inorganic image sensors

Abstract

An electronic device includes a cover glass having a display surface, a pixelated photoemitting element array, and a pixelated photodetecting element array. The pixelated photoemitting element array emits a light signal through the cover glass to the display surface. The pixelated photodetecting element array is positioned relative to the pixelated photoemitting element array and the cover glass to receive a reflected light signal. The reflected light signal includes a portion of the emitted light signal reflected by total internal reflection from a refractive boundary at the display surface. Operation of each pixel is switched between the one or more photodetecting elements and the one or more photoemitting elements by the pixel selector signal component received from the pixel selector signal bus. A sensing trigger is configured to trigger the imaging scan by the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, responsive to detection of an initiating action.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

a cover glass having a display surface;

a pixelated photoemitting element array, one or more selected photoemitting elements of the pixelated photoemitting element array being configured to emit a light signal through the cover glass to the display surface as part of an imaging scan;

a pixelated photodetecting element array positioned relative to the pixelated photoemitting element array and the cover glass to receive a reflected light signal at individual photodetecting elements of the pixelated photodetecting element array as part of the imaging scan; and

a sensing trigger configured to trigger the imaging scan by the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, responsive to detection of an initiating action by the sensing trigger; and

wherein the reflected light signal received at individual photodetecting elements of the pixelated photodetecting element array comprises light which is reflected from a refractive boundary at the display surface of the cover glass by total internal reflection.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the sensing trigger includes a pressure sensor.

3. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the sensing trigger includes a capacitive sensor.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the sensing trigger includes a resistive sensor.

5. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising:

image processing circuitry coupled to the sensing trigger, the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, the sensing trigger transmitting trigger data to image processing circuitry to initiate an imaging scan through the cover glass.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising:

image processing circuitry coupled to the sensing trigger, the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, the sensing trigger transmitting location information in the trigger data to the image processing circuitry to localize the imaging scan through the cover glass.

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the pixelated photoemitting element array includes pixelated elements that are also light-emitting elements of the display surface.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the reflected light signal passes through at least a portion of the display surface prior to arriving at the pixelated photodetecting element array.

9. A method comprising:

emitting a light signal through a cover glass of a display to a display surface of the display, the light signal being emitted from one or more selected photoemitting elements of a pixelated photoemitting element array of the display as part of an imaging scan;

capturing a reflected light signal at individual photodetecting elements of a pixelated photodetecting element array positioned relative to a pixelated photoemitting element array and the cover glass to receive the reflected light signal as part of the imaging scan; and

triggering the imaging scan by the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, responsive to detection of an initiating action by a sensing trigger positioned relative to the pixelated photodetecting element array; and

wherein the reflected light signal received at individual photodetecting elements of the pixelated photodetecting element array comprises light which is reflected from a refractive boundary at the display surface of the cover glass by total internal reflection.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the sensing trigger includes a pressure sensor.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the sensing trigger includes a capacitive sensor.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the sensing trigger includes a resistive sensor.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

initiating the imaging scan through the cover glass responsive to receipt of triggering data transmitted by the imaging sensor and received by image processing circuitry.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

localizing the imaging scan through the cover glass responsive to receipt of location information in the trigger data transmitted by the imaging sensor and received by the image processing circuitry.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a cover glass having a display surface;

a pixelated photoemitting element array, one or more selected photoemitting elements of the pixelated photoemitting element array being configured to emit a light signal through the cover glass to the display surface as part of an imaging scan;

a pixelated photodetecting element array positioned relative to the pixelated photoemitting element array and the cover glass to receive a reflected light signal at individual photodetecting elements of the pixelated photodetecting element array as part of the imaging scan;

a sensing trigger configured to trigger the imaging scan by the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, responsive to detection of an initiating action by the sensing trigger; and

image processing circuitry coupled to the sensing trigger, the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, the sensing trigger transmitting trigger data to image processing circuitry to initiate the imaging scan through the cover glass; and

wherein the reflected light signal received at individual photodetecting elements of the pixelated photodetecting element array comprises light which is reflected from a refractive boundary at the display surface of the cover glass by total internal reflection.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the sensing trigger includes a pressure sensor.

17. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the sensing trigger includes a capacitive sensor.

18. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the sensing trigger includes a resistive sensor.

19. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the image processing circuitry is coupled to the sensing trigger, the pixelated photoemitting element array and the pixelated photodetecting element array, the sensing trigger transmitting location information in the trigger data to the image processing circuitry to localize the imaging scan through the cover glass.