Integrated light guide and touch screen frame

• US 9,645,679 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neonode, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neonode, Inc.
• Inventors: Eriksson, Thomas, Jubner, Alexander, Karlsson, John, Sparf, Lars, Lindfors, Saska, Pettersson, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): GIESY, ADAM
• Application Number:
  US14/960,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 521 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A touch screen assembly including a display, infra-red light emitters, photo diodes, a transparent frame including an exposed upper edge along its perimeter, and internally reflective facets for directing light emitted by the emitters along light paths that travel upward through one side of the frame, over the display screen, downward through the opposite side of the frame, and onto the photo diodes, and a processor operative to identify a location of an object touching the display, based on amounts of light detected by photo diodes when light emitted by light emitters is blocked along its light path by the object, and to recognize the object touching an outer wall of the frame, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when light emitted by activated emitters is absorbed along its light path by the object at the outer wall, thereby providing touch sensitivity to the frame itself.

Claims

1. A touch screen assembly comprising:

a display screen;

a plurality of infra-red light emitters operative to emit light when activated;

a plurality of photo diodes operative to detect amounts of light received when activated;

a transparent plastic frame comprising;

an exposed upper edge along the entire frame perimeter;

vertically straight inner walls, extending from below said display screen to said exposed upper edge of the frame, along the entire frame perimeter; and

internally reflective facets for directing light, emitted by said infra-red light emitters, along light paths that travel upward through one side of the frame along the height of said inner walls, over said display screen, downward through the opposite side of the frame along the height of said inner walls, and onto said photo diodes; and

a processor coupled with said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes, operative to selectively activate said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes, to identify a location of an object touching said display screen from above, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when light emitted by activated infra-red light emitters is blocked along its light path by the object, and to recognize the object touching an outer wall of said frame facing away from said display screen, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when light emitted by activated infra-red light emitters is absorbed along its light path by the object at the outer wall, thereby providing touch sensitivity to said frame itself.

2. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 whereby said display screen has neither stiffeners nor support elements at its upper surface.

3. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a floor dividing said frame into an upper cavity that houses said display screen, and a lower cavity; and

PCB strips, housed in the lower cavity, on which said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes are mounted.

4. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 further comprising visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, which are illuminated by said processor to match the illumination of said display screen at its outer edges, thereby giving an appearance that the image displayed on said display screen extends to said frame.

5. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 further comprising visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, wherein said processor changes an illumination of said visible-light emitters, thereby producing a visible change in illumination of said frame, in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

6. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 wherein said processor opens a user interface bar in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

7. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a network adaptor connected to said processor; and

visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, wherein said processor changes an illumination of said visible-light emitters, thereby producing a visible change in illumination of said frame, in response to said network adaptor receiving a communication.

8. The touch screen assembly of claim 7 wherein said processor opens the received communication in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

9. The touch screen assembly of claim 1 wherein said processor wakes up the display from sleep mode in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

10. A touch screen assembly comprising:

a display screen;

a plurality of infra-red light emitters operative to emit light when activated;

a plurality of photo diodes operative to detect amounts of light received when activated;

a transparent plastic frame surrounding said display screen on four sides that guides light emitted by said infra-red light emitters to said photo diodes along light paths that travel into said frame on one side, over said display screen, and into said frame on the opposite side; and

a processor coupled with said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes, operative to selectively activate said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes, to identify a location of an object touching said display screen from above, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when light emitted by activated infra-red light emitters is blocked along its light path by the object, and to recognize the object touching an outer wall of said frame facing away from said display, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when light emitted by activated infra-red light emitters is absorbed along its light path by the object, thereby providing light-based touch sensitivity to said display screen and to said frame itself.

11. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a floor dividing said frame into an upper cavity that houses said display screen, and a lower cavity; and

PCB strips, housed in the lower cavity, on which said infra-red light emitters and said photo diodes are mounted.

12. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 further comprising visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, which are illuminated by said processor to match the illumination of said display screen at its outer edges, thereby giving an appearance that the image displayed on said display screen extends to said frame.

13. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 further comprising visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, wherein said processor changes an illumination of said visible-light emitters, thereby producing a visible change in illumination of said frame, in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

14. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 wherein said processor opens a user interface bar in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

15. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a network adaptor connected to said processor; and

visible-light emitters mounted underneath said frame, wherein said processor changes an illumination of said visible-light emitters, thereby producing a visible change in illumination of said frame, in response to said network adaptor receiving a communication.

16. The touch screen assembly of claim 15 wherein said processor opens the received communication in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.

17. The touch screen assembly of claim 10 wherein said processor wakes up the display from sleep mode in response to recognizing the object touching the outer wall of said frame.