Virtual Touchscreen Using Infrared Cameras and Lasers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touchscreens are costly and inefficient for accurately determining object positions on a surface, limiting their implementation in devices for gesture control.
Innovation Solution
A virtual touchscreen system using infrared cameras and lasers to capture and correlate reflections from objects at known positions, allowing for accurate two-dimensional positioning and calibration of virtual touchscreens without the need for physical contact, enabling gesture control in various devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional touchscreens are used to detect object positions, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-based touchscreen sensing system with an optical sensing system using infrared cameras and lasers. The infrared cameras capture reflections from the object interacting with the infrared laser plane, enabling non-contact position detection. This substitution eliminates the need for complex touchscreen hardware layers while maintaining measurement precision through optical correlation methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary infrared laser plane between the object and the infrared cameras. The laser plane acts as a mediator that reflects off the object, creating measurable reflection patterns that the cameras can detect. This intermediary enables indirect measurement of object position through reflection correlation, avoiding direct mechanical contact while achieving accurate positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional touchscreens are implemented in devices, then gesture control capability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive infrared cameras and laser components that can be readily manufactured and integrated into devices. These optical components are more cost-effective than conventional touchscreen assemblies, enabling gesture control capability to be added to devices without the high manufacturing costs associated with traditional touchscreen technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the mechanical touchscreen structure with an optical system using infrared cameras and lasers, the patent reduces manufacturing complexity and cost. The optical components require fewer assembly steps and less specialized manufacturing processes compared to conventional touchscreen layers, making the technology more accessible for integration into various devices.
3Device complexity
If infrared cameras and lasers are used to create virtual touchscreen, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the infrared cameras capture reflections from the object, and the system correlates these reflections with known positions to determine accurate object location. The correlation process uses the reflection data to calculate precise positions, providing feedback that ensures measurement precision is maintained despite the simplified optical system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from direct contact measurement to indirect optical measurement by capturing reflections in the optical domain. The system correlates reflection patterns with spatial positions, adding a dimensional transformation from physical contact to optical field measurement. This dimensional change enables accurate position determination through mathematical correlation of reflection data.
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 reduces costs associated with conventional touchscreens while enabling precise gesture control in devices like notebooks, smartphones, and tablets, allowing for the definition of virtual touchscreens that can disregard undefined gestures.
Implementation Method 1
capturing, with a first infrared camera, a first reflection from an object
Implementation Method 2
A second reflection from the object (at the known position) is captured with a second infrared camera
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for creating a virtual touchscreen includes capturing, with a first infrared camera, a first reflection from an object that is at a known position adjacent a surface associated with a device. A second reflection from the object (at the known position) is captured with a second infrared camera. The first and second reflections are correlated with the known position to provide a two-dimensional position for the object that is calibrated with respect to the surface.