IR Touch Eraser Detection for Large Object Position and Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical IR touch sensing systems face severe distortion and noise when larger objects, such as palms or board erasers, are placed on the touch surface, making it difficult to accurately detect the position, size, and orientation of these objects due to the disruption of a large number of detection lines.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a touch sensing apparatus with emitters and detectors around the periphery to determine an object reference point and unaffected light paths, followed by processing these paths to identify object characteristics, including position, shape, and orientation, using triangulation and advanced image reconstruction techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a cloth or tissue is used to clean the touch display, then smudges and fingerprints are removed, but bacteria and other contaminants are transferred to the display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable cleaning wipes that are discarded after a single use. Each wipe is pre-packaged and sealed to maintain sterility until use. After cleaning the touch display, the wipe is thrown away, preventing any potential cross-contamination to subsequent surfaces. This disposable approach eliminates the need to launder and reuse cloths, which would otherwise require sterilization processes to prevent bacterial transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful bacteria and contaminants are extracted from the cleaning process by using pre-packaged, sterile wipes that contain no residual contaminants. The wipe is designed to pick up and remove only the smudges and fingerprints from the display surface, leaving behind a clean, contaminant-free surface. The contaminants are captured on the wipe and removed from the environment when the wipe is discarded.
2Ease of manufacture
If commercial glass cleaners are used on touch displays, then smudges are removed, but the display becomes over-cleaned and loses its oleophobic and hydrophobic properties
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning wipe uses a solvent system with specifically controlled chemical parameters - primarily isopropyl alcohol at 70% concentration with distilled water make-up. This parameter optimization ensures the solvent is effective at removing oils and smudges while being gentle enough not to degrade the oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings. The distilled water component prevents mineral deposits that could interfere with coating performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The wipe is designed with different zones or layers with varying cleaning properties. The surface contacting the display uses a gentler, coating-friendly solvent formulation, while other areas of the wipe may have stronger cleaning capabilities for the user's hands or surrounding surfaces. This localized quality differentiation allows effective cleaning without compromising the delicate display coatings.
3Productivity
If the same cloth is used to clean multiple surfaces, then cleaning efficiency is maintained, but cross-contamination occurs between surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is segmented into multiple single-use wipes, each designated for specific surfaces or cleaning stages. Instead of reusing one cloth for multiple surfaces, the user has a package of individually wrapped wipes that can be opened and used one at a time. This segmentation physically separates the cleaning of different surfaces, preventing cross-contamination while maintaining productivity through ready availability of multiple clean wipes.
Solution Approach 2:
Each cleaning wipe is designed as a disposable, single-use item that is discarded after cleaning one surface. This eliminates the need to launder, sterilize, or manage reusable cloths. The low cost of individual wipes makes it practical to use a fresh one for each surface, ensuring no cross-contamination occurs while maintaining high cleaning efficiency through immediate availability of clean wiping surfaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively mitigates distortion and noise, enabling accurate detection of large objects by determining their position, size, and orientation with improved precision and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a solvent based cleaning wipe for cleaning a touch display
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning wipe may comprise a plurality of individual cleaning wipes, each cleaning wipe being disposed within an individual wrapper
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical IR touch sensing apparatus configured to determine, based on output signals of light detectors, a light energy value for each light path across a touch surface, and generate a transmission value for each light path based on the light energy value. A processor is then configured to process the transmission values to determine an object reference point on the touch surface where the light is attenuated or occluded by an object and determine, from a set of light paths unaffected by an object, a set of object boundary light paths comprising one or more light paths passing closest to the object reference point. The characteristics of the object may then be determined in dependence on the set of object boundary light paths.