Optical Proximity Sensor for Touchscreen Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch screen technologies are inadequate for accurately determining two-dimensional locations of pointers within a two-dimensional plane, and they fail to provide effective touchscreen functionality for non-touchscreen devices like laptops and in-vehicle infotainment systems, lacking support for gestures like swipe, pinch, and rotate.
Innovation Solution
A proximity sensor system using a housing with light emitters and detectors, synchronized to calculate the partial contour of objects based on reflected light, enabling two-dimensional touch detection and gesture recognition, which can be attached to laptops and vehicles to provide touchscreen functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing touch screen technologies are used, then touchscreen functionality is provided, but they are inadequate for accurately determining two-dimensional locations of pointers
Solution Approach 1:
The touch detection system is segmented into multiple independent light emitter-detector pairs arranged in arrays. Each pair independently measures light reflection at specific locations, and the combination of these segmented measurements enables accurate two-dimensional pointer location determination through coordinate calculation algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical or capacitive touch screen systems with an optical measurement system. Instead of using a physical touch-sensitive surface, the system uses light emitters to project light and light detectors to measure reflected light, substituting mechanical touch detection with optical measurement to achieve higher precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If proximity sensor system is added to non-touchscreen devices, then touchscreen functionality is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The proximity sensor system with light emitter and detector arrays is designed as a universal solution that can be adapted to various non-touchscreen devices such as laptops and in-vehicle infotainment systems. The same basic sensor architecture provides touchscreen functionality across different device types, reducing overall system complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that translates raw light reflection measurements from the sensor arrays into touchscreen-compatible input signals. This intermediary layer handles the complexity of coordinate calculation and gesture recognition, allowing the basic sensor hardware to remain relatively simple while achieving sophisticated touchscreen functionality.
3Measurement precision
If light emitters and detectors are synchronized to calculate partial contour, then two-dimensional touch detection accuracy improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light emitters and detectors operate in synchronized periodic cycles, where emitters project light and detectors measure reflections in alternating time intervals. This periodic operation allows accurate partial contour calculation for two-dimensional touch detection while managing energy consumption by keeping components inactive between measurement cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system calculates only the partial contour of the pointer based on reflected light from specific emitter-detector pairs, rather than measuring the entire detection plane continuously. This partial measurement approach achieves sufficient two-dimensional touch detection accuracy while reducing the total number of active measurements and associated energy consumption.
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
Enables accurate two-dimensional touch detection and gesture recognition, converting non-touchscreen devices into touchscreen capable systems, enhancing user interaction with gestures like swipe and pinch, and providing flexible mounting options for industrial design.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of light emitters mounted in the housing for projecting light out of the housing, a plurality of light detectors mounted in the housing for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object
Data Source
AI summary
Method including providing a sensor including light emitters, photodiode detectors, and lenses arranged so as to direct light beams from light emitters exiting lenses along a detection plane, and so as to direct light beams entering lenses at a specific angle of incidence onto photodiode detectors, mounting the sensor on a display presenting virtual input controls for an electronic device, such that the detection plane resides in an airspace in front of the display, activating light emitters to project light beams through lenses along the detection plane, wherein at least one of the light beams is interrupted by a finger, detecting light reflected by the finger, identifying emitters that projected the light beam that was reflected and photodiode detectors that detected the reflected light, as emitter-detector pairs, calculating display coordinates based on target positions associated with the identified emitter-detector pairs, and transmitting the calculated display coordinates to the electronic device.