Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus Vtt

Kari Rönkä

Antti Keränen

Janne Aikio

Arrangement () for a user input device, such as a touchscreen or a touchpad, comprising a substrate (), such as an optically substantially transparent flex film or a multilayer film, said substrate comprising support electronics () for providing power, control and/or communications connection to further electronic components (), a number of emitters and detectors () arranged to said substrate into contact with the support electronics, for emitting and detecting light, respectively, and a lightguide () provided, such as laminated, onto the substrate such that said emitters and detectors are optically coupled to the lightguide material, the properties of the lightguide including the refractive index of the lightguide material being selected and the emitters and detectors being configured so as to enable, when in use, total internal reflection (TIR) -type propagation of light within the lightguide between the emitters and detectors, and recognition of a touch on the basis of a drop in the TIR performance as determined from the detected light. A related method of manufacture is presented.

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Oulu, Finland

Kari Rönkä