An optical sensor including lenses along two opposite edges of a detection area, light emitters mounted along a specific one of the edges, each emitter projecting light beams through a respective one of the lenses, wherein the lenses split the projected emitter light into a plurality of divergent light beams directed across the detection area to respective pluralities of lenses along the edge of the detection area opposite the specific edge, wherein light intensity of each directed light beam is maximized along its center and an intensity distribution within each directed beam is known, light detectors along the edge opposite the specific edge, each detector receiving light directed across the detection area through a respective one of the lenses, and a processor receiving outputs from the detectors and calculating object locations in the detection area based on the known intensity distribution within each directed light beam and the received outputs.
G06F 3/042 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction par des moyens opto-électroniques
G06F 1/16 - TRAITEMENT ÉLECTRIQUE DE DONNÉES NUMÉRIQUES - Détails non couverts par les groupes et - Détails ou dispositions de structure
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
A proximity sensor including a structure suspending at least one lens above a circuit board, light emitters operable to project light beams through the lens along a common projection plane, light detectors operable to detect amounts of light arriving through the lens at the detector, wherein an object in the projection plane reflects light from an emitter to one or more of the detectors, and wherein each emitter-detector pair, including one of the emitters and one of the detectors, when synchronously activated, is expected to generate a greater detection signal at the activated detector than the other detectors, were they to be synchronously activated with any of the emitters, when the object is located at a specific 2D location in the projection plane corresponding to the emitter-detector pair, and a processor identifying gestures performed by the object based on amounts of light detected by the detector of each emitter-detector pair.
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G06F 3/0346 - Dispositifs de pointage déplacés ou positionnés par l'utilisateur; Leurs accessoires avec détection de l’orientation ou du mouvement libre du dispositif dans un espace en trois dimensions [3D], p.ex. souris 3D, dispositifs de pointage à six degrés de liberté [6-DOF] utilisant des capteurs gyroscopiques, accéléromètres ou d’inclinaiso
G06F 3/042 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction par des moyens opto-électroniques
G06F 3/048 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI]
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
B60K 37/06 - Agencement des accessoires sur le tableau de bord des commandes, p.ex. boutons de commande
B60R 16/02 - Circuits électriques ou circuits de fluides spécialement adaptés aux véhicules et non prévus ailleurs; Agencement des éléments des circuits électriques ou des circuits de fluides spécialement adapté aux véhicules et non prévu ailleurs électriques
G06F 3/01 - Dispositions d'entrée ou dispositions d'entrée et de sortie combinées pour l'interaction entre l'utilisateur et le calculateur
G06F 3/03 - Dispositions pour convertir sous forme codée la position ou le déplacement d'un élément
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G06F 3/042 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction par des moyens opto-électroniques
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
G01C 21/36 - Dispositions d'entrée/sortie pour des calculateurs embarqués
A plastic body for focusing light characterized in that the plastic body is suitable for being delivered on a tape and reel and mounted on a PCB by an automated mounting machine, including an input surface through which light enters the plastic body and an exit surface through which focused light exits the plastic body and a reflective objective, reflecting and focusing the light inside the plastic body.
A63F 13/211 - Dispositions d'entrée pour les dispositifs de jeu vidéo caractérisées par leurs capteurs, leurs finalités ou leurs types utilisant des capteurs d’inertie, p.ex. des accéléromètres ou des gyroscopes
A63F 13/33 - Dispositions d’interconnexion entre des serveurs et des dispositifs de jeu; Dispositions d’interconnexion entre des dispositifs de jeu; Dispositions d’interconnexion entre des serveurs de jeu utilisant des connexions de réseau étendu [WAN]
A63F 13/428 - Traitement des signaux de commande d’entrée des dispositifs de jeu vidéo, p.ex. les signaux générés par le joueur ou dérivés de l’environnement par mappage des signaux d’entrée en commandes de jeu, p.ex. mappage du déplacement d’un stylet sur un écran tactile en angle de braquage d’un véhicule virtuel incluant des signaux d’entrée de mouvement ou de position, p.ex. des signaux représentant la rotation de la manette d’entrée ou les mouvements des bras du joueur détectés par des accéléromètres ou des gyroscopes
Touch sensor for a steering wheel having a circular gripping element, the touch sensor including an array of light-based proximity sensors, mounted in the gripping element, projecting infrared light beams outward from the gripping element, and detecting light beams reflected back into the gripping element by an object touching the gripping element, an activator activating the proximity sensor array, and a processor, coupled with the activator and with the proximity sensor array, repeatedly activating the proximity sensor array at a rate faster than a human heartbeat, determining locations 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, and identifying the object as being a human hand, responsive to periodic fluctuations in the reflected light detections due to changes in blood flow through the hand.
B60W 40/08 - Calcul ou estimation des paramètres de fonctionnement pour les systèmes d'aide à la conduite de véhicules routiers qui ne sont pas liés à la commande d'un sous-ensemble particulier liés aux conducteurs ou aux passagers
A flexible touch surface, emitters projecting light beams across the surface such that the beams are incident upon and reflected by the surface when crossing the surface, detectors detecting reflections, by an object on the surface, of projected beams, lenses oriented such that there is a particular angle of entry at which each detector receives a maximal light intensity when beams enter a lens corresponding to the detector at the angle of entry, and such that there are target positions on the surface whereby for each emitter-detector pair, when the object is located at a target position associated with the pair, then light beams emitted by the emitter of the pair are reflected by the object into the lens corresponding to the detector of the pair at the angle of entry, and a processor synchronously co-activating emitter-detector pairs and calculating a location of the object on the surface.
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G06F 3/042 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction par des moyens opto-électroniques
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
A method for detecting locations of multiple objects simultaneously touching a screen, for use by a processor of a light-based touch screen system including a display, a plurality of activatable light pulse emitters that, when activated, transmit light over and across the display, and a plurality of activatable light pulse receivers that, when activated, receive light transmitted by the emitters and output values representing the amounts of light received, wherein each emitter transmits light that arrives at a plurality of receivers, the method including activating a plurality of emitter-receiver pairs and storing the respective output values of the activated receivers, detecting candidate objects based on stored receiver output values that differ from their corresponding expected receiver output values, for each candidate object, deriving a detection density thereof based on the stored receiver output values, and identifying candidate objects having low detection densities as being ghosted touch locations.
A proximity sensor including a housing, light emitters in the housing projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, light detectors in the housing 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 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.
G06F 3/03 - Dispositions pour convertir sous forme codée la position ou le déplacement d'un élément
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
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.
B60Q 1/24 - Agencement des dispositifs de signalisation optique ou d'éclairage, leur montage, leur support ou les circuits à cet effet les dispositifs étant principalement destinés à éclairer la route en avant du véhicule ou d'autres zones de la route ou des environs pour éclairer des zones autres que la route, à l'avant du véhicule uniquement
E05B 17/10 - Dispositifs d'éclairage sur ou pour les serrures ou clés
10.
INTEGRATED LIGHT GUIDE AND TOUCH SCREEN FRAME AND MULTI-TOUCH DETERMINATION METHOD
A touch screen assembly including a display screen, light emitters, photo diodes, a transparent plastic frame including an exposed upper edge along the frame perimeter, exposed vertical outer walls, extending from below to above the display screen along the frame perimeter, vertical inner walls parallel to the outer walls, and internally reflective facets for directing light emitted by the light emitters along light paths travelling upward through one side of the frame along the height of the inner and outer walls, over the display screen, downward through the opposite side of the frame along the height of the inner and outer walls, and onto the photo diodes, and a processor that selectively activates the light emitters and photo diodes, and identifies location of an object touching the display screen, based on amounts of light detected by activated photo diodes when the object blocks light emitted by activated light emitters.
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.
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.
A hemi-ellipsoidal light module that includes a substrate for placement on a printed circuit board, a light element mounted on the substrate, and a molded plastic shell encasing the light element and having a geometry of a partial semi-ellipse rotated through a semi-circle about an axis on the light element.
A touch sensor including a housing, a light guide mounted in the housing the light guide including 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.
F24C 15/18 - Disposition des compartiments additionnels autres que ceux de cuisson, p.ex. pour le chauffage ou pour le rangement d'ustensiles ou des bacs à combustibles; Aménagements d'appareils additionnels de chauffage ou de cuisson, p.ex. grils
15.
LIGHT-BASED TOUCH CONTROLS ON A STEERING WHEEL AND DASHBOARD
A system for use in a vehicle, including a steering element situated opposite a driver seat in a vehicle, the steering element including a plurality of proximity sensors encased in the periphery of the steering element operable to detect hand gestures along the outer periphery of the steering element, an interactive deck housed in the vehicle, for providing at least one of radio broadcast, video broadcast, audio entertainment, video entertainment and navigational assistance in the vehicle, and a processor housed in the vehicle, coupled with the proximity sensors and the deck, operable to identify the hand gestures detected by the proximity sensors, and to control the deck in response to thus-identified hand gestures.
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.
A light guide for illuminating a display screen, including a vertical cone-shaped entrance surface including an aperture for admitting light beams emitted by an LED, a folding mirror for reflecting the admitted light beams at an angle of approximately 90°, and for horizontally collimating the admitted light beams, a horizontal guide for guiding the reflected light beams to an exit surface, and an exit surface positioned above a perimeter of a display screen for directing the guided light towards a portion of the display screen, the exit surface being tilted vertically from the horizontal at a slight angle to direct the guided light beams towards the display, and being shaped horizontally as a concave lens to spread the guided light beams horizontally over an angular expanse of the display screen.
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.
G06F 3/0488 - Techniques d’interaction fondées sur les interfaces utilisateur graphiques [GUI] utilisant des caractéristiques spécifiques fournies par le périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des fonctions commandées par la rotation d’une souris à deux capteurs, ou par la nature du périphérique d’entrée, p.ex. des gestes en fonction de la pression exer utilisant un écran tactile ou une tablette numérique, p.ex. entrée de commandes par des tracés gestuels
A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device that includes a touch sensitive and pressure sensitive display, cause the processor to enable a user interface of the electronic device, by which a glide gesture along the display and an amount of pressure applied to the display both generate the same user interface command.
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.
A graphics tablet system including a housing, a touch screen in the housing for receiving touch input, and for displaying graphics corresponding to the received touch input, a plurality of styli for performing touch input, each stylus including an RFID chip storing one or more graphic attributes, and a visible indicator of the one or more graphic attributes, an RFID reader in the housing for reading the stored one or more graphic attributes from a stylus touching the touch screen, and a processor in the housing, connected to the touch screen and to the RFID reader, for rendering a drawing on the touch screen according to the motion of the stylus on the touch screen and according to one or more graphic attributes read by the RFID reader from the stylus, wherein the plurality of styli store different one or more graphic attributes.
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.
A light-based finger gesture user interface for an electronic device including a housing for an electronic device, a display mounted in the housing, a cavity, separated from the display, penetrating two opposite sides of the housing, a detector mounted in the housing operative to detect an object inserted in the cavity, and a processor connected to the detector and to the display for causing the display to render a visual representation in response to output from the detector.
A keypad for use in conjunction with a touch-sensitive panel, the keypad including a frame surrounding a touch-sensitive panel, including a plurality of buttons suspended by the frame above the touch-sensitive panel, each of the buttons including a rigid member that is lowered through the frame when pressure is applied from above, and a resilient body attached to the rigid member and to the frame for raising the rigid member when the pressure from above is released, wherein the rigid members are exposed below the frame.
A touch screen system, including a near-infrared transparent screen including a plurality of reflective elements embedded therein, a circuit board including circuitry for controlled selective activation of electronic components connected thereto, at least one light source connected to the circuit board, for emitting light, and at least one light detector connected to the circuit board, for detecting light emitted by the at least one light source and reflected by the reflective elements.
G06F 3/042 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction par des moyens opto-électroniques
G06F 3/041 - Numériseurs, p.ex. pour des écrans ou des pavés tactiles, caractérisés par les moyens de transduction
G01B 11/00 - Dispositions pour la mesure caractérisées par l'utilisation de techniques optiques
G01P 1/00 - MESURE DES VITESSES LINÉAIRES OU ANGULAIRES, DE L’ACCÉLÉRATION, DE LA DÉCÉLÉRATION OU DES CHOCS; INDICATION DE LA PRÉSENCE OU DE L’ABSENCE D’UN MOUVEMENT; INDICATION DE LA DIRECTION D’UN MOUVEMENT - Parties constitutives des instruments
26.
OPTICAL TOUCH SCREEN SYSTEMS USING REFLECTED LIGHT
A touch screen system, including a near-infrared transparent screen including a plurality of reflective elements embedded therein, a circuit board including circuitry for controlled selective activation of electronic components connected thereto, at least one light source connected to the circuit board, for emitting light, and at least one light detector connected to the circuit board, for detecting light emitted by the at least one light source and reflected by the reflective elements.
A light-based touch screen, including a plurality of infra-red light emitting diodes (LEDs), for generating light beams, at least one LED selector, connected with the plurality of LEDs, for controllably selecting and deselecting one or more of the plurality of LEDs, a plurality of photodiode (PD) receivers, for measuring light intensity, at least one PD selector, connected with the plurality of PD receivers, for controllably selecting and deselecting one or more of the plurality of PD receivers, an optical assembly, for projecting light beams emitted by the plurality of LEDs, and a controller, coupled with the plurality of PD receivers, (i) for controlling the at least one LED selector, (ii) for controlling the at least one PD selector, and (iii) for determining therefrom position and velocity of an object, based on output currents of the plurality of PD receivers.
A user interface for receiving input commands in a mobile terminal includes a display device (D) for presenting visual information. Arrays of light sources (131 , 132) and arrays of light detectors (141 , 142) are arranged along respective first and second sides of the display device (D). Each array of light sources (131 , 132) is configured to transmit light pulses (ΛemX, ΛemY) over the display device (D), and each array of light detectors (141 , 142) is configured to receive a part (Λin, ΛinY) of the energy in the trans- mitted light pulses (ΛemX, ΛemY). A processing unit (110) controls the light sources (131 , 132) such that a respective light pulse (ΛemX, ΛemY) is repeatedly transmitted from each source (LX1 , ... , LXn; LY1 , ... , LYm) in the arrays according to a predefined sequence. However, prior to transmitting the light pulse (ΛemX, ΛsrriY). an initial measurement value (V1) registered by at least one detector (Dph) in the at least one array of light detectors (141 , 142) is recorded. Thus, the initial measurement value (V1) represents an ambience light intensity. Based on the initial measurement value (V1) and a secondary measurement value (V2) registered by at least one light detector (Dph) during emission of light from the light source (Dem), the processing unit (110) determines whether or not a light-obstructive object is present on the display device (D) between a given light source (Dem) in the arrays of light sources (131 , 132) and at least one light detector (Dph) in the at least one array of light detectors (141 , 142).
brevets
