Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.

Other

Tyco Electronics Corporation

Elo Touchsystems, Inc.

James L Aroyan

Joel Christopher Kent

Daniel H Scharff

Ting Gao

Yoshikazu Tanaka

Henry D'Souza

Paulo Irulegui Gomes

Charles David Fry

Shigeki Kambara

Francis Lau

Ricardo R Salaverry

Henry M D'souza

A touchscreen system comprises a touch area. At least one transmitter is positioned proximate to outer edges of the touch area for transmitting first beams in a first direction. At least one beam splitter is positioned proximate to the outer edges of the touch area for splitting the first beams into at least second and third beams that travel through the touch area in at least second and third directions, respectively. The at least one beam splitter comprises a plurality of deflecting elements. Receivers are positioned proximate to the outer edges of the touch area for receiving the at least second and third beams.

Touchscreen for detecting multiple touches

Radial transducers are provided for acoustic touch sensors. Different radial transducer arrangements may allow for locating multiple simultaneous touches without ambiguity, in some embodiments without a bezel. Instead of transmitting acoustic waves along a line to be reflected at multiple points, surface acoustic waves are transmitted in a radial wave pattern. Surface acoustic waves are transmitted along different angles spread out over at least part of the touch region. Various techniques may be used to generate the radial wave pattern, such as a convex wedge of a wedge transducer, interference patterns, a curved piezoelectric element, a curved reflector, a curved edge of the substrate, a curved grating, or one or more lenses. These devices for controlling the spread of the surface acoustic waves may alternatively be used for control of the surface acoustic rays for transmission along a single line or just along two lines (e.g., X and Y axes).

Radial transducer for acoustic wave touch sensor

A touch input system includes a substrate configured to support propagation of acoustic signals, a transducer in communication with the substrate and configured to transmit or receive the acoustic signals before or after the propagation, and an array of reflectors disposed on the substrate. Each reflector is oriented on an angle to redirect the acoustic signals along a path toward or away from the transducer. The transducer includes a stepped interface for the redirected acoustic signals. The stepped interface includes a set of interface elements distributed across a width of the acoustic signals and offset from one another along the path to compensate for the angle of the reflectors.

Acoustic touch signal dispersion response and minimization

A touch sensor comprises a substrate capable of propagating acoustic waves and includes a first surface having a touch sensitive region. A first sidewall intersects the first surface along a first edge. The first edge is configured to propagate a first acoustic wave along the first edge. The first acoustic wave may be a one-dimensional edge wave. A wave converter converts the first acoustic wave to a second acoustic wave, and the first surface is configured to propagate the second acoustic wave across the touch sensitive region.

Acoustic touch sensor

Acoustic touch apparatus comprising a substrate having first and second surfaces capable of propagating surface acoustic waves, the second surface comprising a touch region and the first and second surfaces coupled via a rounded connecting surface; at least one acoustic wave transducer on the first surface; and at least one reflective array on the first surface. The transducer is capable of transmitting or receiving waves to and from the reflective array. The substrate and reflective array can acoustically couple waves between the first and second surfaces. The substrate has a border region on the first surface adapted to hide the transducer and reflective array and preclude distortion of waves propagating over a window in the border region. The border region may have a border layer except at the window and a corrective lens is used proximate the window, or the border region comprises discolored glass except at the window.

Acoustic touch apparatus

A method of detecting a touch event on an acoustic fingerprint based touch system comprises digitizing at least two signals to form first and second sets of digitized signals. The at least two signals are received from at least two sensors on a touch panel. A frequency transform is performed upon the first and second sets of digitized signals to form first and second frequency transform data sets of frequency components. At least first and second live fingerprints are constructed wherein at least one of the first and second live fingerprints is based on the first and second frequency transform data sets. A touch location is identified based on the at least first and second live fingerprints.

Method and system for detecting touch events based on redundant validation

A touch location on a capacitive touchscreen system is identified by receiving signals in response to a touch from electronic channels connected to one electrode or to a group of semi-adjacent electrodes provided on a substrate. Adjacent ones of the electrodes have substantially triangular shapes that alternate between a first and second orientation to form an interleaved arrangement such that the touch generates a signal cluster comprising the signals generated from a series of adjacent electronic channels. Weights with at least two different numerical values are applied to the signals from the series of adjacent electronic channels. The at least two different numerical values are based on levels of the signals. A location of the touch on the substrate is determined based on the weighted signals.

System and method for a projected capacitive touchscreen having weight based coordinate determination

A method for detecting a touch event on a touch panel comprises obtaining at least first and second signals from at least two sensors where the at least first and second signals are responsive to a touch event. A first amplitude magnitude associated with the first signal is calculated and a second amplitude magnitude associated with the second signal is calculated. A magnitude ratio is determined between the first and second amplitude magnitudes, and a touch location is identified based on the magnitude ratio.

Method and system for detecting touch events based on magnitude ratios

A projected capacitive touch screen is provided that comprises a substrate and electrodes. The substrate defines an active touch zone surrounded by edges. The active touch zone includes a central active zone and an acceleration zone that is located proximate to, and extends along, at least one of the edges. The electrodes are provided on the substrate and are organized into first and second sets of electrodes that are contained within a common plane on the substrate. The first set of electrodes is interlaced with the second set of electrodes in a non-overlapping pattern on the substrate. At least a subset of the electrodes each has an apex and a base and a non-uniform triangular shape that extends along a longitudinal axis between the apex and the base.

Electrode configurations for projected capacitive touch screen

A touch sensor includes a substrate with a touch region, and a series resistor chain for creating electrical fields across the touch region. The resistor chain comprises a plurality of conductive electrodes that to form overlap resistors therebetween. The electrodes have inner portions that are separated by junctions. The touch sensor also includes insulating regions between the touch region and the resistor chain. The insulating regions are separated by gaps to provide a plurality of conductive pathways to the touch region, thereby minimizing non-linear ripple along the sourcing sides of the substrate. Some of the gaps are junction gaps that are formed between the touch region and junctions. Electrically conductive islands are placed within the junction gaps to provide an electrical node within each junction gap, thereby preventing bunching of equipotential lines within the junction, and minimizing non-linear ripple along the non-sourcing sides of the substrate.

Touch sensor with improved electrode pattern

The present invention provides a way to measure and track non-linear corrections in touchscreens. Some or all of the relevant non-linear corrections may be determined automatically. Production floor test equipment may make electronic measurements, compute parameters, and load the parameters in non-volatile memory of the controller electronics. Alternatively, the controller electronics can make the electronic measurements and determine non-linear parameters. The latter embodiment of the invention permits the determination of non-linear parameters in the field, dynamically tracking changes in the non-linear characteristics of installed touchscreens that occur over time or due to environmental conditions.

Dynamic corrections for a non-linear touchscreen

An acoustic touchscreen ( ) has transmitting transducers ( ) for generating acoustic signals which are deflected across a touch-sensitive area ( ) by an array of partially acoustically reflective elements . A touch on the touch-sensitive area causes a perturbation in the acoustic signals. After traversing the touch-sensitive area, the acoustic signals are redirected by another array of partially acoustically reflective elements , towards receiving transducers ( ), where the signals (and any perturbations) are sensed. To accommodate touchscreens having narrow border regions ( ), the acoustic signals are propagated across the border regions using acoustic waveguides ( ). The waveguide confines the acoustic signals to traveling along a narrow path width, but yet permit them to be deflected across the touch-sensitive area. In this manner, the transducers and reflective elements can in turn be of narrower construction and can fit within narrow border regions.

Acoustic touchscreen having waveguided reflector arrays

A resistive or capacitive position touchscreen includes a glass substrate having a uniform resistive coating and series resistive chains of overlapping discrete electrodes adjacent to the peripheral edges of the substrate. Gaps in an otherwise insulating linear discontinuity running parallel to each chain form resistive current paths across the touch area. There are at least two gaps for each electrode so that multiple current paths connect to each electrode. Each gap produces a local ripple in the voltage field which decays away with distance from the gap. Since the ripple decay length is determined by the distance between current paths, the magnitude of the ripple near the electrodes is reduced exponentially by a factor corresponding to the number of gaps per electrode.

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Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

James L Aroyan