Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120176343 | OPTICAL ELEMENTS WITH ALTERNATING REFLECTIVE LENS FACETS - An optical element for a light based touch surface including a concatenated plurality of segments, wherein each segment is paired with a respective light emitter, each segment including an undulating series of pairs of reflective or refractive facets, wherein a first facet in each pair is oriented so as to collimate light emitted from a first light emitter associated with the segment and a second facet in each pair is oriented so as to collimate light emitted from a second light emitter associated with the segment, and wherein the first light emitter associated with the segment is the light emitter paired with the segment and the second light emitter associated with the segment is the light emitter paired with a neighboring segment. | 07-12-2012 |
20120188206 | OPTICAL TOUCH SCREEN WITH TRI-DIRECTIONAL MICRO-LENSES - A lens for refracting light in three directions, including a lens surface having a repetitive pattern of recessed cavities formed by a repetitive pattern of three substantially planar facets. | 07-26-2012 |
20130141395 | LIGHT-BASED TOUCH SURFACE WITH CURVED BORDERS AND SLOPING BEZEL - A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers. | 06-06-2013 |
20130155027 | OPTICAL TOUCH SCREEN SYSTEMS USING TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION - A touch screen, including a layer of light-transmissive material having an upper surface that is exposed for touch by one or more objects, a plurality of light emitters underneath the upper surface, a first lens assembly for directing light beams emitted by the light emitters into the layer at an angle such that the light beams, when entering the layer, remain confined to the layer by total internal reflection when the light beams are not absorbed by any of the objects touching the upper surface, a plurality of light detectors for detecting light beams and for generating outputs indicating the amounts of light detected, a second lens assembly for directing light beams at a surface of the layer towards the light detectors, and a calculating unit for determining respective one or more locations of the one or more objects touching the upper surface, based on outputs of the light detectors. | 06-20-2013 |
20140071094 | OPTICAL TOUCH SCREEN USING TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION - A method for use by a touch screen in which light transmitted inside the screen is scattered by an object touching the screen from outside the screen, the method including activating emitter-receiver pairs for a plurality of emitters and receivers while an object is touching a screen from outside the screen, wherein light emitted by each emitter is transmitted inside the screen, wherein each emitter is associated with a limited number of receivers that detect significant light from such emitter while no object is touching the screen, and wherein the activated emitter-receiver pairs include pairs for which the receiver is not associated with the emitter in the pair, determining that receivers not associated with emitters detect significant light due to the object scattering the light emitted by the emitters, and deriving the location where the object is touching the screen from the determining. | 03-13-2014 |
20140104160 | REMOVABLE PROTECTIVE COVER WITH EMBEDDED PROXIMITY SENSORS - A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors. | 04-17-2014 |
20140104240 | LIGHT-BASED PROXIMITY DETECTION SYSTEM AND USER INTERFACE - A light-based proximity sensor, including light emitters mounted in a housing alongside one side of the housing, oriented to emit light beams in a direction outside of the housing, light receivers mounted alongside the same one side oriented to receive light beams entering from inside the housing, the receivers being farther away from the one side than the emitters so as not to receive light beams emitted by the emitters that are not reflected, at least one reflective surface mounted farther away from the one side than the receivers, for redirecting light beams entering from outside the housing so as to enter the receivers, and a processor for controlling the emitters and the receivers, and for calculating a location of a nearby object outside of the housing that reflects light beams exiting the housing back into the housing, based on the reflected light beams received by the receivers. | 04-17-2014 |
20140146249 | Light-based touch surface with curved borders and sloping bezel - A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers. | 05-29-2014 |
20140210793 | USER INTERFACE FOR WHITE GOODS AND ASSOCIATED MULTI-CHANNEL PROXIMITY SENSORS - A touch sensor including a housing, a light guide mounted in the housing the light guide featuring an aperture through which light exits and enters the light guide, and an inner surface facing the interior of the housing, the sensor further includes two light emitters mounted in the housing for emitting light beams into the light guide that exit the aperture at diverging angles and a light receiver mounted in the housing for receiving reflected light beams entering the aperture at an angle of incidence different than the diverging angles. | 07-31-2014 |
20140320459 | OPTICAL TOUCH SCREENS - A lens for placement opposite a diode in an optical touch sensor, including an upper portion including an upper refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and an upper reflector located further from the diode, the upper reflector being curved in two dimensions and cut horizontally by a top horizontal plane of the lens, and a lower portion, coplanar with the diode, including a lower refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and a lower reflector located further from the diode, the lower reflector being curved in the two dimensions and cut horizontally by a bottom horizontal plane of the lens, wherein the upper and the lower reflector are symmetrical and vertically aligned, and wherein non-collimated light reflected by the lower reflector onto the upper reflector is partially collimated in the two dimensions by the lower reflector and further collimated in the two dimensions by the upper reflector. | 10-30-2014 |
20140362053 | LIGHT-BASED TOUCH SURFACE WITH CURVED BORDERS - A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers. | 12-11-2014 |
20140364218 | OPTICAL PROXIMITY SENSORS - A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane. | 12-11-2014 |
20150077400 | REMOVABLE PROTECTIVE COVER WITH EMBEDDED PROXIMITY SENSORS - A removable cover for a handheld electronic device, including a protective cover that at least partially covers rear and side surfaces of a handheld electronic device, a plurality of proximity sensors mounted in the cover for detecting user gestures performed outside of the electronic device, a battery, wireless communication circuitry, and a processor configured to operate the proximity sensors, and to operate the wireless communication circuitry to transmit commands to the electronic device based on gestures detected by the proximity sensors. | 03-19-2015 |
20150123947 | STEERING WHEEL USER INTERFACE - A steering wheel that identifies gestures performed on its surface, including a circular gripping element including a thumb-receiving notch disposed along its circumference, an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, that projects light beams through the notch radially outward from the gripping element, and detects light beams reflected back into the gripping element by a moving object at or near the notch, and a processor, coupled with the proximity sensor array, for determining polar angles along the circumference of the gripping element occupied by the object, responsive to light beams projected by the proximity sensor array and reflected back by the object being detected by the proximity sensor array. | 05-07-2015 |
20150145834 | LIGHT-BASED TOUCH SURFACE WITH CURVED BORDERS - A light-based touch-sensitive surface, including a housing, a surface attached to the housing for receiving touch input, a plurality of light sources in the housing for emitting light that crosses the surface, a plurality of light receivers in the housing for detecting the light emitted by the light sources, a curved lens adjacent to the surface through which the light emitted by the light sources passes, including two substantially similarly curved exterior panels, one of which forms a curved rim for the surface, and a calculating unit in said housing, connected to the light receivers, for calculating a touch location based on an absence of light expected to be received by the receivers. | 05-28-2015 |
20150153050 | USER INTERFACE FOR WHITE GOODS AND ASSOCIATED MULTI-CHANNEL PROXIMITY SENSORS - A method for operating a stove including providing a plurality of burners beneath a cooktop surface and a plurality of visible-light emitters mounted under the surface for separately, variably illuminating edges of the surface adjacent to each of the burners, providing a touch-and-proximity sensor for detecting objects above the surface, illuminating at least one edge of the surface in response to the sensor detecting a pot suspended above one of the burners, and intensifying the illuminating commensurate with proximity of the pot to the one burner, as further detected by the sensor. | 06-04-2015 |
20150248796 | DOOR HANDLE WITH OPTICAL PROXIMITY SENSORS - A door handle including light emitters for emitting light out of the handle, light detectors, lenses oriented relative to the emitters and detectors such that for each emitter-detector pair, when a reflective object is located at a target position near the handle, corresponding to that emitter-detector pair, then the light emitted by that emitter passes through one of the lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the lenses to that detector, a keyless lock that, when activated, scans for a digital key via wireless communication, and a processor operable to synchronously activate emitter-detector pairs, to recognize from the amounts of light received by the activated detectors, and from the target positions corresponding to the activated emitter-detector pairs, that the object is approaching the handle and performing a sweep gesture and, in response thereto, to activate the keyless lock. | 09-03-2015 |
20150261339 | OPTICAL TOUCH SCREENS - A lens for placement opposite a diode in an optical touch sensor, including an upper portion including an upper refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and an upper reflector located further from the diode, the upper reflector being curved in two dimensions and cut horizontally by a top horizontal plane of the lens, and a lower portion, coplanar with the diode, including a lower refractive surface located nearer to the diode, and a lower reflector located further from the diode, the lower reflector being curved in the two dimensions and cut horizontally by a bottom horizontal plane of the lens, wherein the upper and the lower reflector are symmetrical and vertically aligned, and wherein non-collimated light reflected by the lower reflector onto the upper reflector is partially collimated in the two dimensions by the lower reflector and further collimated in the two dimensions by the upper reflector. | 09-17-2015 |
20150277636 | COMPOUND LENS STRUCTURE FOR OPTICAL TOUCH SCREEN - A compound lens structure for placement along a common edge of a light-based touch screen, including first and second lenses separated by an air gap to provide four air-to-plastic interfaces for progressively collimating light directed through the lenses, each lens including a convex surface exposed to the air gap. | 10-01-2015 |
20150309665 | OPTICAL PROXIMITY SENSOR FOR TOUCH SCREEN AND ASSOCIATED CALIBRATION TOOL - A proximity sensor including a housing, light emitters mounted in the housing for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, light detectors mounted in the housing for detecting amounts of light entering the housing along the detection plane, whereby for each emitter-detector pair (E, D), when an object is located at a target position p(E, D) in the detection plane, corresponding to the pair (E, D), then the light emitted by emitter E is scattered by the object and is expected to be maximally detected by detector D, and a processor to synchronously activate emitter-detector pairs, to read the detected amounts of light from the detectors, and to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane from the detected amounts of light, in accordance with a detection-location relationship that relates detections from emitter-detector pairs to object locations between neighboring target positions in the detection plane. | 10-29-2015 |
20150324111 | STEERING WHEEL USER INTERFACE - A steering wheel that identifies gestures performed on its surface, including a circular gripping element including a thumb-receiving notch disposed along its circumference, an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, that projects light beams through the notch radially outward from the gripping element, and detects light beams reflected back into the gripping element by a moving object at or near the notch, and a processor, coupled with the proximity sensor array, for determining polar angles along the circumference of the gripping element occupied by the object, responsive to light beams projected by the proximity sensor array and reflected back by the object being detected by the proximity sensor array. | 11-12-2015 |