Touch sensing apparatus and method for assembly

• US 10,845,923 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2018
• Issued: 11/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Original Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Inventors: Skagmo, Daniel, Ehn, Robert, Bergstrom, Hakan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Sanjiv D.
• Application Number:
  US16/191,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20190196659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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

A touch sensing apparatus is disclosed comprising a panel that defines a touch surface, a plurality of light emitters and detectors arranged along a perimeter of the panel. The light emitters are arranged to emit a respective beam of emitted light that travels above the touch surface, wherein the light detectors are arranged to receive detection light from the emitted light. The plurality of light emitters and detectors are arranged above the touch surface and are connected to a substrate extending in a direction parallel with a normal axis of a plane in which the panel extends. A method of assembling a touch sensing apparatus is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A touch sensing apparatus, comprising:

a plate comprising a touch surface, a back surface, and an edge surface;

a support structure including a first portion extending parallel to a normal of the touch surface and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion in a plane parallel to the touch surface, said support structure extending above the touch surface, said support structure configured to support an emitter mounting structure configured to mount an emitter,

wherein the emitter is configured to transmit light in a plane above the touch surface and perpendicular to a normal of the touch surface and wherein the second portion overlaps with at least a portion of the touch surface forming a cavity with a height; and

an optical element positioned inside the cavity in between the touch surface and the second portion, said optical element comprising a first surface configured to receive the transmitted light directly from the emitter and a second surface configured to receive light propagating across a touch interacting portion of the touch surface,

wherein the first surface comprises a light collimating surface,

wherein the optical element comprises a protrusion configured to interlock with a recess in the second portion, and

wherein the emitter mounting structure is separated by a distance from the first surface and configured to form a gap between the emitter and the first surface.

2. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light collimating surface is configured to reduce the height of cavity.

3. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises glass or plastic.

4. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support structure is one element of a frame assembly, wherein the frame assembly comprises a plurality of frame elements.

5. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises a convex surface.

6. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first surface is tilted relative to the normal axis of the touch surface.

7. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a panel facing surface and a second portion facing surface, herein the panel facing surface is offset from the second portion facing surface along the direction of the plane of the touch surface.

8. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical element is configured to seal the cavity from ambient.

9. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the emitter is mounted above the touch surface.

10. The touch sensor apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a perimeter portion of the touch surface comprises a non-touch interacting portion.

11. A touch sensing apparatus, comprising:

a plate comprising a touch surface, a back surface, and an edge surface;

a support structure including a first portion extending parallel to a normal of the touch surface and a second portion extending from an end of the first portion in a plane parallel to the touch surface, said support structure extending above the touch surface, said support structure configured to support an emitter mounting structure configured to mount an emitter,

wherein the emitter is configured to transmit light in a plane above the touch surface and perpendicular to a normal of the touch surface and wherein the second portion overlaps with at least a portion of the touch surface forming a cavity with a height; and

an optical element positioned inside the cavity in between the touch surface and the second portion, said optical element comprising a light collimating surface.

12. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a first surface of the optical element that faces the emitter comprises a convex surface.

13. A touch sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a first surface of the optical element that faces the emitter is tilted relative to the normal axis of the touch surface.

14. A touch sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the optical element comprises a panel facing surface and a second portion facing surface, herein the panel facing surface is offset from the second portion facing surface along the direction of the plane of the touch surface.

15. A touch sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the optical element is configured to seal the cavity from ambient.

16. The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the emitter is mounted above the touch surface.