LIGHT SENSITIVE DISPLAY WITH MULTIPLE DATA SET OBJECT DETECTION

• US 20100013794A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Abileah, Adiel, den Boer, Willem
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134345 Subdivided pixels, e.g. for grey scale or redundancy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1611 to support document holders
• 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 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 : using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 : Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 : Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 : forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 : by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 : for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 : the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 : using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A display device including a surface for viewing an image comprising a stack of layers configured to display the image and a first and second set of light sensitive elements included in the stack. The first set of light sensitive elements is configured to provide a first data set corresponding to an object on or near the surface based on a first sensitivity to light. The second set of light sensitive elements is configured to provide a second data set corresponding to the object on or near the surface based on a second sensitivity to light. One of the first and the second data sets is selected and a location of the object on or near the surface is determined based on the selected data set.

Claims

1. A display device including a surface for viewing an image comprising:

a stack of layers configured to display the image;

a first set of light sensitive elements included in the stack configured to provide a first data set corresponding to an object on or near the surface based on a first sensitivity to light;

a second set of light sensitive elements included in the stack configured to provide a second data set corresponding to the object on or near the surface based on a second sensitivity to light, and

wherein one of the first and the second data sets is selected and wherein a location of the object on or near the surface is determined based on the selected data set.

2. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein each set of the first set and the second set of light sensitive elements is configured for a particular lighting condition.

3. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first set of light sensitive elements is configured to detect the object in a first lighting condition and the second set of light sensitive elements is configured to detect the object in a second lighting condition and wherein the first lighting condition is different from the second lighting condition.

4. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first and the second data sets are processed separately.

5. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first and the second data sets are processed prior to the selection of the one data set.

6. The display device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a color filter layer in the stack of layers between the surface and at least a portion of the first and the second sets of light sensitive elements.

7. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein each set of light sensitive elements is configured to detect the object on or near the viewing surface in response to one of an absence of light and an addition of light at the location of the object on or near the surface.

8. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the first set of light sensitive elements and the second set of light sensitive elements have components and wherein each of the first set of light sensitive elements and the second set of light sensitive elements are configured by selecting the components based on a particular lighting condition.

9. The display device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the first set of light sensitive elements and the second set of light sensitive elements have components and wherein each of the first set of light sensitive elements and the second set of light sensitive elements are configured by selecting a dimension of the components based on a particular lighting condition.

10. The display device as recited in claim 8 wherein the components are capacitive elements.

11. The display device as recited in claim 10 wherein the capacitive elements are selected based on the particular lighting condition.

12. The display device as recited in claim 8 wherein the components include phototransistors.

13. The display device as recited in claim 9 wherein the components include phototransistors.

14. The display device as recited in claim 13 wherein the dimension is selected based on photo-leakage current.

15. The display device as recited in claim 8 wherein the components include phototransistors and capacitive elements.

16. The display device as recited in claim 15 wherein the phototransistors and capacitive elements are selected based on the particular lighting condition.

17. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed, cause a display device including a viewing surface and a stack of layers configured to display an image to:

process a first data set from a first set of light sensitive elements included in the stack configured to have a first sensitivity to light, the first data set corresponding to an object on or near the surface;

process a second data set from a second set of light sensitive elements included in the stack configured to have a second sensitivity to light, the second data set corresponding to the object on or near the surface; and

select one of the first and the second data sets to determine a location of the object on or near the surface.

18. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the display device to process the first and the second data sets separately.

19. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 17 wherein the instructions cause the display device to process the first and the second data sets prior to the selection of the one data set.