Full range gesture system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9726803-B2
Application number	US-201213480377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2012
Priority date	May 24, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

This disclosure relates to an interactive display, having a front surface including a viewing area, and providing an input/output interface for a user of an electronic device. A planar light guide (PLG) disposed substantially parallel to the front surface, has a periphery at least coextensive with the viewing area. A light-emitting source (LES), disposed outside the periphery of the PLG, is optically coupled with a PLG input. The PLG outputs reflected light, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the front surface, by reflecting light received from the LES. A light collecting device (LCD) collects scattered light that results from interaction of the reflected light with a user-controlled object. The LCD redirects the collected scattered light toward one or more light sensors. A processor recognizes, from outputs of the light sensors, an instance of a user gesture, and controls the interactive display and/or electronic device, responsive to the user gesture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an interactive display, having a first front surface including a viewing area, and providing an input/output (I/O) interface for a user of an electronic device;
a processor;
a planar light guide disposed substantially parallel to the first front surface and having a periphery at least coextensive with the viewing area, the planar light guide being disposed proximate to and in front of the first front surface, and having a rear surface proximate to the first front surface and a second front surface opposite to the rear surface;
a planar light collecting device disposed in front of the first front surface;
a light-emitting source disposed outside the periphery of the planar light guide, the light-emitting source being optically coupled with an input of the planar light guide and not optically coupled with the planar light collecting device; and
a plurality of light sensors disposed outside the periphery of the planar light guide, the plurality of light sensors being optically coupled with an output of the planar light collecting device and not optically coupled with the planar light guide; wherein,
light from an image displayed on the interactive display passes through the first front surface, the rear surface and the second front surface;
the planar light guide includes a first light-turning arrangement that outputs reflected light through the second front surface, by reflecting emitted light received from the light-emitting source;
the light collecting device is configured to collect scattered light, the collected scattered light resulting from interaction of the reflected light with an object, irrespective of whether the object is located at a substantial distance, up to approximately 500 mm, from the interactive display, located proximate to the interactive display or in physical contact with the interactive display;
the light collecting device includes a second light-turning arrangement that redirects the collected scattered light toward one or more of the light sensors;
each light sensor is configured to output, to the processor, a signal representative of a characteristic of the redirected collected scattered light; and
the processor is configured to recognize, from the output of the light sensors, an instance of a user gesture, and to control one or both of the interactive display and the electronic device, responsive to the user gesture, the control of the interactive display including one or more of causing an image displayed on the interactive display to be scrolled up or down, rotated, enlarged, or otherwise modified, and the control of the electronic device including one or more of changing a volume setting, placing or terminating a call, launching or terminating a software application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the object includes one or more of a hand, finger, hand held object, and other object under control of the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting source includes a light-emitting diode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the emitted light includes infrared light.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the planar light guide and the light collecting device are each disposed in a separate plane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the planar light collecting device includes a light guide.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first light-turning arrangement and the second light-turning arrangement includes a plurality of reflective microstructures.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first light-turning arrangement and the second light-turning arrangement includes one or more of a microstructure for reflecting light, a holographic film or surface relief grating for turning light by diffraction and a surface roughness that turns light by scattering.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second light-turning arrangement reflects the collected scattered light toward one or more of the light sensors.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to process image data, and the apparatus further includes a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display; and
a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , further including an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module includes one or more of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising:
an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

14. A method comprising:
recognizing, with a processor, an instance of a user gesture from a respective output of a plurality of light sensors, and;
controlling, with the processor one or both of an electronic device and an interactive display that provides an input/output (I/O) interface for the electronic device, responsive to the user gesture, wherein,
the respective outputs of the plurality of light sensors result from
emitting light from a light emitting source into a planar light guide that is disposed substantially parallel to a first front surface of the interactive display, proximate to and in front of the first front surface, the planar light guide including a light turning arrangement and having a rear surface proximate to the first front surface and a second front surface opposite to the rear surface such that light from an image displayed on the interactive display passes through the first front surface, the rear surface and the second front surface;
reflecting, with the light turning arrangement, the emitted light from the planar light guide through the second front surface;
collecting scattered light resulting from interaction of the reflected light with an object with a planar light collecting device disposed in front of the first front surface, irrespective of whether the object is located at a substantial distance, up to approximately 500 mm, from the interactive display, located proximate to the interactive display or in physical contact with the interactive display, the light emitting source being optically coupled with an input of the planar light guide and not optically coupled with the planar light collecting device;
redirecting collected scattered light toward the plurality of light sensors, the plurality of light sensors being optically coupled with an output of the planar light collecting device and not optically coupled with the planar light guide;
outputting from each light sensor, to the processor, the respective output, representative of a characteristic of the redirected collected scattered light; and
the controlling of the interactive display including one or more of causing an image displayed on the interactive display to be scrolled up or down, rotated, enlarged, or otherwise modified, the controlling of the electronic device including one or more of changing a volume setting placing or terminating a call, launching or terminating a software application.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the object includes one or more of a hand, finger, hand held object, and other object under control of the user.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein a light collecting device is configured to collect the light, the planar light guide and the light collecting device sharing a common light-turning arrangement.

17. The met

Assignees

• Gruhlke Russell Wayne
• Zhou Ying
• Alam Khurshid Syed
• Wyrwas John Michael
• Feldman Ron Lee
• Narayanan Kollengode Subramanian
• Webster James Randolph
• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Gruhlke Russell Wayne
• Zhou Ying
• Alam Khurshid Syed
• Wyrwas John Michael
• Feldman Ron Lee
• Narayanan Kollengode Subramanian
• Webster James Randolph

Classifications

• G06F3/0421

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

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title

• G02B6/0036 Primary

  2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces · CPC title