INFRARED LIGHT BEAM X-Y POSITION ENCODER FOR DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 3,775,560 A
• Filed: 02/28/1972
• Issued: 11/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Frederick A. Ebeling, Richard S Goldhor, Roger L. Johnson
• Inventors: Ebeling, Frederick A., Johnson, Roger L., Goldhor, Richard S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Claffy, Kathleen H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Richardson, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US05/229,870
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 178/6.8,17,18,19,20 340/173LT,173PL,173CR 250/83.3HP,83UV 35/9R
• US Class Current: 178/18.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A crossed light beam position encoder including x and y coordinate arrays of paired infrared light sources and detectors for covering a display device surface with x and y crossed light beams, scanning means coupled to the sources and detectors for electronically sequentially scanning the x and y arrays so that only one source is emitting light and its associated detector is detecting light at any particular time. Means are included for noting the digital address of the beams during sequential scanning and for stopping the scan when the beams are interrupted, the digital address and therefor the position of the broken beams are transferred back to a computer.

Claims

1. An x-y coordinate position address encoder for display devices comprising:

an array of a plurality of infrared sources and detectors mounted in a paired manner along respective sides of said display device to provide respective crossing beams in the x and y coordinate directions adjacent the surface of said display device;

means, coupled to said plurality of infrared sources and detectors, for sequentially activating pairs of said sources and detectors for beam scanning the surface of said display device in the x direction while simultaneously sequentially activating pairs of said sources and detectors for beam scanning the surface of said display device in the y direction; and

address means for responding to an interruption of said crossing beams and providing the x and y address of the position of said interruption.

2. An x-y position address encoder for display devices comprising:

a plurality of paired x infrared sources and detectors arranged to provide infrared beams along the x coordinate direction adjacent the surface of said display device;

a plurality of paired y infrared sources and detectors arranged to provide infrared beams along the y coordinate direction adjacent the surface of said display device;

sequential timing control means selectively coupled to said plurality of x and y infrared sources and detectors for sequentially operating coresponding pairs of x infrared sources and detectors, while sequentially operating corresponding pairs of y infrared sources and detectors;

said x and y sources when sequentially operated providing intersecting infrared beams sequentially scanning the surface of said display device;

said sequential timing control means including x and y address counters, including means for denoting the x and y address of the particular pairs of x and y infrared sources and detectors when sequentially operated; and

stop address means coupled to said x and y address counters and including means responsive to an interruption of said intersecting infrared beams for stopping said counters at the corresponding x and y position addresses.

3. An x-y position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 2, wherein said x and y address counters further includes means for denoting the x and y digital address of the particular pairs of x and y infrared sources and detectors during sequential operation.

4. An x-y position address encoder for display devices, as claimed in claim 3, including storage means for storing said x and y digital addresses corresponding to said interrupted infrared beams, said storage means including a register having respective portions thereof coupled to said x and y address counters for respectively storing said x and y digital addresses.

5. An x-y position address encoder for display devices comprising:

an array of a plurality of paired infrared sources and detectors arranged to provide intersecting infrared beams along a first direction (x) and a second direction (y) adjacent and along the surface of said display device;

said infrared detectors providing a respective output signal upon interruption of the associated infrared beam;

x and y counters including means for specifying the respective digital addresses of each of said paired infrared sources and deTectors associated with said x and y directions;

a clock coupled to said x and y counters for sequentially setting said counters to said digital addresses;

x and y decoder means respectively intercoupling said x and y counters with said associated paired infrared sources and detectors;

said x and y decoder means including means for sequentially selectively operating said paired infrared sources and detectors in response to said digital addresses so as to sequentially scan the surface of said display device with corresponding infrared beams in the x and y directions;

x and y signal amplifying means respectively coupled to said plurality of infrared detectors for amplifying said respective output signal presented thereto upon interruption of the associated infrared beam during sequential scanning; and

means coupled to said x and y counters and to said x and y signal amplifying means for stopping said counters in response to said respective output signal at the digital address of the associated interrupted associated infrared beams.

6. An x-y position address encoder for display devices according to claim 5, including an output register coupled to said x and y counters for storing the digital addresses associated with said interrupted beams.

7. An x-y position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 5, including means for displaying operation of said selected infrared source corresponding to said digital address so as to prevent undesired erroneous operation of said selected infrared source.

8. An x-y position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 5, including means for correlating the operation of said selected infrared sources in response to said digital addresses sequentially specified in said x and y counters with the operation of said selected infrared detectors.

9. An x-y position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 5, including means for resetting said x and y address counters in response to the detection of previously interrupted beams.

10. An x-y coordinate position address encoder for display devices comprising:

an array of a plurality of non-visible radiation sources and detector devices mounted in a paired manner along respective sides of said display device to provide respective crossing beams in the x and y coordinated directions adjacent the surface of said display device;

counter means, including means coupled to said plurality of paired non-visible radiation sources and detector devices, for sequentially activating pairs of said sources and detector devices to scan the surface of said display device with said respective beams in the x direction while simultaneously sequentially activating pairs of said sources and detector devices to scan the surface of said display device with said respective beams in the y direction; and

address means for responding to an interruption of said crossing beams and providing the x and y address of the position of said interruption.

11. An x-y coordinate position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 10, wherein said non-visible radiation sources comprise a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes, and wherein said detector devices each includes an infrared phototransistor.

12. An x-y position address encoder for display devices comprising:

a plurality of paired x non-visible light sources and detectors arranged to provide non-visible light beams along the x coordinate direction adjacent the surface of said display device;

a plurality of paired y non-visible light sources and detectors arranged to provide non-visible light beams along the y coordinate direction adjacent the surface of said display device;

sequential timing control means selectively coupled to said plurality of x and y non-visible light sources and detectors for sequentially activating corresponding pairs of x sources and detectors, while sequentially activating corresponding pairs of y sources and detectors;

said x and y sources when sequentially activated providing intersecting non-visible light beams sequentially scanning the surface of said display device;

said sequential timing control means including x and y address counters, including means for denoting the x and y address of the particular pairs of x and y sources and detectors when sequentially activated; and

means coupled to said x and y address counters and including means responsive to an interruption of said intersecting non-visible light beams for identifying the corresponding x and y position addresses.

13. An x-y position address encoder for display devices as claimed in claim 12, wherein said non-visible light sources each comprises an infrared light emitting semiconductor device.