Proximity sensor for a graphical user interface navigation button

• US 20070046629A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chi-Boon, Ong, Sin-Heng, Lim
• Granted Patent: US 8,552,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/941 using an optical detector H03K17/968 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94108 making use of reflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A display device comprises a display screen, a graphical user interface navigation button and a proximity sensor including an infrared radiation emitter, an infrared radiation sensor and an infrared radiation source differentiator. The infrared radiation emitter emits a navigation infrared radiation. The infrared radiation sensor is positioned relative to the infrared radiation emitter to sense a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in a navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor. The infrared radiation source differentiator is in electrical communication with the infrared radiation sensor to provide a navigation mode signal indicative of at least one of a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor, and a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor.

Claims

1. A proximity sensor for facilitating an operation of a graphical user interface navigation button, the proximity sensor comprising:

an infrared radiation emitter operable to emit a navigation infrared radiation;

an infrared radiation sensor positioned relative to the infrared radiation emitter to sense a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in a navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor; and

an infrared radiation source differentiator in electrical communication with the infrared radiation sensor to provide a navigation mode signal indicative of at least one of a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor, and a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor, wherein the operation of the graphical user interface navigation button is facilitated by the proximity sensor in response to the navigation mode signal indicating at least a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of the reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by the navigation object.

2. The proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the infrared radiation emitter includes:

a pulse generator operable to provide a pulsing signal at a pulsing frequency; and

a light emitting diode operable to emit the navigation infrared radiation as pulses at the pulsing frequency in response to an electrical communication of the pulsing signal to the light emitting diode by the pulse generator.

3. The proximity sensor of claim 2, wherein the infrared radiation sensor includes:

a photodiode operable to emit an infrared radiation sensing current indicative of at least one of a degree of the proximity of the navigation object to the light emitting diode and the photodiode in response to the navigation object reflecting the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor.

4. The proximity sensor of claim 3, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator includes:

a current-to-voltage converter operable to convert the infrared radiation sensing current to an infrared radiation sensing voltage; and

a buffer operable to buffer the infrared radiation sensing voltage.

5. The proximity sensor of claim 4, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a bandpass filter operable to apply a bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage in response to an electrical communication of the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage to the bandpass filter from the buffer.

6. The proximity sensor of claim 5, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a comparator operable to generate the navigation mode signal based on a comparison of the bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage and a reference threshold.

7. The proximity sensor of claim 1,

wherein a number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within a pre-determined time period exceeding an enablement threshold is indicative of the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor;

and

wherein a number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within the pre-determined time period being less than the enablement threshold indicates the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor.

8. A graphical user interface navigation system, comprising:

a graphical user interface navigation button; and

a proximity sensor for operating the graphical user interface navigation button, the proximity sensor including;

an infrared radiation emitter operable to emit a navigation infrared radiation;

an infrared radiation sensor positioned relative to the infrared radiation emitter to sense a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in a navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor; and

an infrared radiation source differentiator in electrical communication with the infrared radiation sensor to provide a navigation mode signal indicative of at least one of a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor, and a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor, wherein the operation of the graphical user interface navigation button is facilitated by the proximity sensor in response to the navigation mode signal indicating at least a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of the reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by the navigation object.

9. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 8, wherein the infrared radiation emitter includes:

a pulse generator operable to provide a pulsing signal at a pulsing frequency; and

a light emitting diode operable to emit the navigation infrared radiation as pulses at the pulsing frequency in response to an electrical communication of the pulsing signal to the light emitting diode by the pulse generator.

10. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 9, wherein the infrared radiation sensor includes:

a photodiode operable to emit an infrared radiation sensing current indicative of a degree of the proximity of the navigation button to the light emitting diode and the photodiode in response to the navigation button reflecting the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor.

11. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 10, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator includes:

a current-to-voltage converter operable to convert the infrared radiation sensing current to an infrared radiation sensing voltage; and

a buffer operable to buffer the infrared radiation sensing voltage.

12. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 11, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a bandpass filter operable to apply a bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage in response to an electrical communication of the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage to the bandpass filter from the buffer.

13. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 12, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a comparator operable to generate the navigation mode signal based on a comparison of the bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage and a reference threshold.

14. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 8,

wherein a number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within a pre-determined time period exceeding an enablement threshold is indicative of the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor;

and

wherein the number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within the pre-determined time period being less than the enablement threshold indicates the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor.

15. A display device, comprising:

a display screen for displaying a graphical user interface;

a graphical user interface navigation button for facilitates a navigation of the graphical user interface by a user of the display device and a proximity sensor a proximity sensor for operating the graphical user interface navigation button, the proximity sensor including;

an infrared radiation emitter operable to emit a navigation infrared radiation;

an infrared radiation sensor positioned relative to the infrared radiation emitter to sense a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in a navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor; and

an infrared radiation source differentiator in electrical communication with the infrared radiation sensor to provide a navigation mode signal indicative of at least one of a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor, and a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor, wherein the operation of the graphical user interface navigation button is facilitated by the proximity sensor in response to the navigation mode signal indicating at least a sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of the reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by the navigation object.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein the infrared radiation emitter includes:

a pulse generator operable to provide a pulsing signal at a pulsing frequency; and

a light emitting diode operable to emit the navigation infrared radiation as pulses at the pulsing frequency in response to an electrical communication of the pulsing signal to the light emitting diode by the pulse generator.

17. The display device of claim 16, wherein the infrared radiation sensor includes:

a photodiode operable to emit an infrared radiation sensing current indicative of a degree of the proximity of the navigation button to the light emitting diode and the photodiode in response to the navigation button reflecting the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor.

18. The display device of claim 17, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator includes:

a current-to-voltage converter operable to convert the infrared radiation sensing current to an infrared radiation sensing voltage; and

a buffer operable to buffer the infrared radiation sensing voltage.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a bandpass filter operable to apply a bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage in response to an electrical communication of the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage to the bandpass filter from the buffer.

20. The display device of claim 19, wherein the infrared radiation source differentiator further includes:

a comparator operable to generate the navigation mode signal based on a comparison of the bandpass filtering to the buffered infrared radiation sensing voltage and a reference threshold.

21. The graphical user interface navigation system of claim 15,

wherein a number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within a pre-determined time period exceeding an enablement threshold is indicative of the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of a reflection of the navigation infrared radiation in the navigation direction corresponding to the infrared radiation sensor by a navigation object proximate the infrared radiation emitter and the infrared radiation sensor;

and

wherein the number of pulses of the navigation mode signal within the pre-determined time period being less than the enablement threshold indicates the sensing by the infrared radiation sensor of ambient infrared radiation emitted by an infrared radiation source other than the infrared radiation sensor.