Channel waveguide system for sensing touch and/or gesture

• US 9,041,690 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Xiquan, Gruhlke, Russell Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US13/567,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20140035836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-183, 178/18.09, 178/18.11
• US Class Current: 345/175
• 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 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a channel waveguide, at least a portion of which is disposed within a viewing area of an interactive display, proximate to and substantially parallel to a user interface surface of the interactive display. A source of a first electromagnetic or acoustic signal is input to the channel waveguide. At least one detector is configured to receive, from the channel waveguide, a second signal corresponding to the first signal and to output a third signal indicative of a position of an object proximate to the channel waveguide.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one channel waveguide configured for use with an interactive display having a user interface surface that includes a viewing area, wherein at least a portion of the channel waveguide is disposed within the viewing area, proximate to and substantially parallel to the user interface surface, the at least one channel waveguide being configured to propagate light or other electromagnetic energy in an evanescent state;

a source of a first signal input to the channel waveguide; and

at least one detector configured to receive, from the channel waveguide, a second signal corresponding to the first signal, and to output to a processor a third signal indicative of a position of an object proximate to or in contact with the channel waveguide, wherein

the channel waveguide is configured to receive the light or other electromagnetic energy from the source, and has a longitudinal axis, dimensions of the channel waveguide transverse to the longitudinal axis being approximately equal to a wavelength of the light or other electromagnetic energy; and

the light or other electromagnetic energy in the evanescent state is optically coupled with the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel waveguide is disposed in a serpentine or spiral configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel waveguide includes a plurality of channel waveguides forming a network of waveguides.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each channel waveguide is substantially straight and parallel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of channel waveguides is disposed in a rectilinear grid.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein at least one channel waveguide is curved, non-parallel to at least one other channel waveguide in the network, or both.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the channel waveguide includes at least one light turning device that outputs reflected light, in a direction having a substantial component orthogonal to the user interface surface, by reflecting emitted light received from the source;

the source of the first signal is scattered light resulting from interaction of the reflected light with an object and the channel waveguide is configured to collect the scattered light;

the light turning device redirects the collected scattered light toward the at least one detector;

the second signal includes collected scattered light received by the at least one detector; and

the third signal is indicative of an instance of a user gesture.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the light turning device includes one or more of a microstructure or a grating.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first signal includes only scattered light received by the channel waveguide from the object, the scattered light resulting from interaction of the object with one or more of ambient light and a display light.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a light-emitting source disposed outside the periphery of the viewing area, the light-emitting source being optically coupled with an input to the channel waveguide.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is flexible.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the interactive display, the interactive display including the user interface surface, and a processor configured to receive the third signal, and determine, from the third signal, a position of an object proximate to the channel waveguide, wherein the processor is configured to control one or both of the interactive display and an electronic device associated with the display, responsive to the position determination.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine the position of the object based, at least in part, on fly time of the signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the interactive display; and

a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to process image data, and the apparatus further includes a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further including an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module includes one or more of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.