Touch-Screen and Method for an Electronic Device

• US 20100271331A1
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Jin, Ady, Roger, Alameh, Rachid, Olson, Jeffrey, Hoobler, Ricky J., Bengtson, Dale
• Application Number:
  US12/428,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20100271331A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A touch sensitive display for an electronic device includes a display (201) for presenting information to a user and at least four infrared transceivers (202,203,204,205) disposed about the display (201). The four or more infrared transceivers (202,203,204,205) can be disposed about the display (201) such that infrared light (206,207,208,209) from each of the infrared transceivers (202,203,204,205) projects across a surface (303) of the display (201). A controller (214), which is operable with the infrared transceivers (202,203,204,205), is configured to detect which of the infrared transceivers (202,203,204,205) has the most reflected signal (702). The controller (214) can then correlate this and other information with one of a plurality of user modes of operation. A control menu (802) can then be presented on the display (301) in accordance with the user mode of operation to mitigate finger blockage.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display for presenting information to a user; and

an infrared detector, comprising;

at least four infrared transceivers disposed about the display such that light from the at least four infrared transceivers is projected across a surface of the display; and

a controller, operable with each of the at least four infrared transceivers, wherein the controller is configured to detect which of the at least four infrared transceivers receives a most reflected light signal, and to correlate an infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected light signal with one of a plurality of user modes of operation.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a location of an object along the surface by triangulation using signals received by at least three of the at least four infrared transceivers, wherein the at least three of the at least four infrared transceivers does not include the infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected light signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the display comprises a top and a bottom, wherein at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers are disposed along the bottom, wherein the controller is configured to detect which of the at least four infrared transceivers receives the most reflected light signal by detecting which of the at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers disposed along the bottom receives the most reflected light signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, further comprising determining whether an infrared transceiver disposed along the bottom receives the most reflected light signal receives a signal exceeding a predetermined threshold, wherein upon detecting the infrared transceiver disposed along the bottom receives the signal exceeding the predetermined threshold, the controller is configured to correlate the infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected light signal with one-handed user operation.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers are disposed along the top of the display, wherein the controller is further configured to detect which of the at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers disposed along the top of the display receives a upper transceiver most reflected light signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein upon the controller detecting both which of the at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers disposed along the bottom of the display receives the most reflected light signal and which of the at least two of the at least four infrared transceivers disposed along the top of the display receives the upper transceiver most reflected light signal, the controller is configured to correlate a pair of infrared transceivers receiving the most reflected light signal and the upper transceiver most reflected light signal with one of a left-handed mode of operation or a right-handed mode of operation.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising:

a display driver, operable with the controller and configured to present a control menu to the user on the display;

wherein the display driver is configured to one of;

upon the controller correlating the pair of infrared transceivers receiving the most reflected light signal and the upper transceiver most reflected light signal with the left-handed mode of operation, present the control menu on a right-side portion of the display, or

upon the controller correlating the pair of infrared transceivers receiving the most reflected light signal and the upper transceiver most reflected light signal with the right-handed mode of operation, present the control menu on a left-side portion of the display.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein each infrared transceiver comprises a light emitting element and a light receiving element, with the at least four infrared transceivers being disposed at corners of the display such that the light emitting element of each infrared transceiver projects light that intersects with light from other light emitting elements within a perimeter of the display.

9. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising:

a display driver, operable with the controller and configured to present a control menu to the user on the display, wherein the display driver is configured to present the control menu on a portion of the display disposed distally from the infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected light signal.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the control menu comprises a plurality of selectable menu items, wherein more recently selected menu items are presented closer to the location of the object than less recently selected menu items.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein in the display comprises a plurality of surface area segments with each surface area segment corresponding to each of the at least four infrared transceivers, wherein upon the controller detecting which of the at least four infrared transceivers receives the most reflected light signal, the display driver is configured to present the control menu in surface area segments other than a surface area segment corresponding to the infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected light signal.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to determine movement of the object along the surface by repeated triangulation of the signals received by the at least three of the at least four infrared transceivers, wherein upon the controller detecting the movement of the object to a sub-portion of the control menu, the display driver is configured to present a second menu corresponding to the sub-portion contacted by the object about the object.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the display driver is configured to present the second menu about the object in a curved configuration.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to configure the electronic device in an operating mode corresponding to the user mode of operation.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least four infrared transceivers is disposed so as to project light at an acute angle relative to the surface of the display.

16. A computer-readable medium in a portable electronic device comprising a display and at least four infrared transceivers disposed about the display, the computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor coupled with the computer-readable medium, for determining a user mode of operation, the method comprising:

determining, from signals received from the at least four infrared transceivers, which infrared transceivers receives a most reflected infrared signal;

correlating which infrared transceiver receives the most reflected infrared signal with one of a plurality of user modes of operation; and

presenting a menu of user selectable options on the display in a location based upon the one of the plurality of user modes of operation.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of user modes of operation comprise a right-handed mode of operation and a left-handed mode of operation, wherein the method further comprises:

upon correlating the right-handed mode of operation, presenting the menu of selectable options towards a left side of the display; and

upon correlating the left-handed mode of operation, presenting the menu of selectable options toward a right side of the display.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining, by triangulation of the signals received from three of the at least four infrared transceivers, the three of the at least four infrared transceivers excluding the infrared transceiver receiving the most reflected infrared signal, an object location of an object along a surface of the display.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, by repeated triangulation of the signals received from the three of the at least four infrared transceivers, movement of the object to a selectable option on the menu of selectable options, and

presenting a sub-menu corresponding to the selectable option on the display about the object.

20. A method, configured as embedded code operative with a processor in a portable communication device, for presenting an unobscured menu to a user on a display, the method comprising:

receiving, from four or more infrared transceivers disposed about the display, signals indicating reflection of infrared light from a user digit on the display;

determining which signal is indicative of most reflection;

correlating an infrared transceiver receiving the signal indicative of most reflection with the user digit extending from one side of the display into the display; and

presenting the unobscured menu distally from the one side of the display.