Electronic device for sensing 2D and 3D touch and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9696852-B2
Application number	US-201514670195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2014
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device having a function for sensing 2D and 3D touch which includes a display unit; a bezel frame unit; a plurality of light emitting units; a plurality of light receiving units; a light isolation unit configured to isolate a first light for sensing 2D touch and a second light for sensing 3D touch from the lights incident thereon from the light emitting units; a driving control unit configured to sequentially operate the plurality of the light emitting units; and a motion recognition unit configured to calculate a horizontal coordinate based on the quantity of the first light, to calculate a spatial coordinate based on the quantity of the second light, to extract a motion of the pointer based on the detected quantity of the light and to implement an operation corresponding to the extracted motion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display;
a bezel frame unit configured to surround an edge area of the display;
a plurality of light emitting units arranged in the bezel frame unit, spaced apart a first distance from each other;
a plurality of light receiving units arranged in the bezel frame unit, spaced apart a second distance from each other;
a light isolation unit located in a direction in which light emitted from the plurality of light emitting units travels, the light isolation unit configured to isolate a first light for sensing 2D touch and a second light for sensing 3D touch from lights incident thereon from the plurality of light emitting units;
a detector configured to detect intensity of light reflected from a pointer via the plurality of light receiving units;
a noise eliminator configured to eliminate a noise light belonging to a wavelength range other than a preset wavelength range from the detected intensity of light;
a coordinate calculator configured to calculate an X-coordinate, a Y-coordinate, and a Z-coordinate of the pointer based on intensity of light having the noise light eliminated therefrom;
a motion extractor configured to extract a motion of the pointer based on the calculated coordinates of the pointer; and
a controller configured to:
sequentially operate the plurality of the light emitting units based on a preset time period by controlling the plurality of the light emitting units; and
implement an operation corresponding to the extracted motion by controlling the detector, the noise eliminator, the coordinate calculator, and the motion extractor.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the light emitting units are sequentially operated in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction based on an order of arrangement of the plurality of light emitting units.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the light emitting units are operated in a time period of 10 ˜99 microseconds (μs).

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein after calculating a horizontal coordinate by detecting and compensating intensity of the first light, the detector detects intensity of the second light reflected from the pointer and the coordinate calculator calculates a spatial coordinate based on the detected intensity of the second light.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the coordinate calculator crossly interpolates the intensity of the first light received from the plurality of light emitting units facing each other.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light receiving units comprise:
a plurality of first light receiving elements arranged between a first predetermined area adjacent to the plurality of light emitting units and the display; and
a plurality of second light receiving elements arranged in a second predetermined area other than the first predetermined area, the second predetermined area adjacent to the plurality of light emitting units.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a distance between two neighboring first light receiving elements is less than the first distance between two light emitting units.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a distance between two neighboring second light receiving elements is greater than the first distance between two light emitting units.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a number of the plurality of first light receiving elements is greater than a number of the plurality of second light receiving elements.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein a number of the plurality of first receiving elements is greater than a number of the plurality of light emitting units.

11. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first light receiving elements is covered by the light isolation unit.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a light filter unit that is arranged on the plurality of light receiving units to transmit a light in a specific wavelength range there through.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the light isolation unit is arranged on the plurality of light emitting units to cover the plurality of light emitting units.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein intensity of the first light for sensing 2D touch is different from intensity of the second light for sensing 3D.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first light for sensing 2D touch travels in a direction parallel to a screen of the display.

16. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second light for sensing 3D touch travels in a direction inclined a preset angle with respect to a screen of the display.

17. A method for controlling an electronic device including a plurality of light emitting units, a plurality of light receiving units, a light isolation unit, a detector, a noise eliminator, a coordinate calculator, a motion extractor, and a controller, the method comprising:
isolating, by the light isolation unit, a first light for sensing 2D touch and a second light for sensing 3D touch from light incident thereon from the plurality of light emitting units;
detecting, by the detector, intensity of light reflected from a pointer via the plurality of light receiving units;
eliminating, by the noise eliminator, a noise light belonging to a wavelength range other than a preset wavelength range from the detected intensity of light;
calculating, by the coordinate calculator, an X-coordinate, a Y-coordinate, and a Z-coordinate of the pointer based on intensity of light having the noise light eliminated therefrom;
extracting, by the motion extractor, a motion of the pointer based on the calculated coordinates of the pointer;
sequentially operating the plurality of the light emitting units based on a preset time period according to controlling, by the controller, the plurality of the light emitting units; and
implementing, by the controller, an operation corresponding to the extracted motion by controlling the detector, the noise eliminator, the coordinate calculator, and the motion extractor.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
calculating, by the coordinate calculator, a horizontal coordinate by detecting and compensating intensity of the first light;
detecting, by the detector, intensity of the second light reflected from the pointer; and
calculating, by the coordinate calculator, a spatial coordinate based on the detected intensity of the second light; and
crossly interpolating, by the coordinate calculator, the intensity of the first light received from the plurality of light emitting units facing each other.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Youn Jinho
• Hwang Hyokune
• Sa Jaecheon
• Joung Munchae
• Kim Sunuk
• Cho Youngjun
• Choi Jaehyeuck
• Shin Seungjae

Classifications

• G06F3/0421

  by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen · CPC title

• G06F3/0428

  by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual (sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421) · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04101

  2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup · CPC title

• G09G5/18

  Timing circuits for raster scan displays (specially adapted for television H04N {; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12}) · CPC title