JPH0580935A - Optical touch panel with optical distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the demand for the precision of the lens of a light emitting element itself and reduce the time and trouble due to the selection of the light emitting element and to improve the productivity and reduce the cost by providing a light emitting element array with the light emitting elements and optical distributor. CONSTITUTION:The optical distributor 12 which has a previously provided total reflecting surface 22 and a half-reflecting surface 23 is arranged as the light emitting element array. Namely, the optical touch panel 10 which has optical distributors 21 is constituted by providing the light emitting element array with the light emitting elements and the optical distributor 21 having a means which distributes the light beam output projected by the light emitting elements into plural light beam outputs and projects them on a light receiving element array 12. Therefore, the light beam input of one place which is made incident from the end surface of the optical distributor 21 is distributed as plural light beam outputs by the total reflecting surface 22 and half-reflecting surface of the optical distributor 21 and they reach the light receiving elements 12a with precision. Consequently, the need for the demand for the precision of the lenses of the light emitting elements themselves and the long time and trouble due to the selection of the light emitting elements is eliminated to improve the productivity and reduce the cost.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical touch panel used for an input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an optical touch panel used in an input device, there is one as shown in the conventional plan view of FIG. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 10 denotes an optical touch panel, which is indicated by a chain line. 11 is a light emitting element array, 1
1a is a light emitting element, 11b is a light beam, 12 is a light receiving element array, 12a is a light receiving element, 13 is a display, and 14 is a light shielding object.

The optical touch panel 10 includes a light emitting element array 11 in which a large number of light emitting elements 11a for emitting infrared rays are arranged around the display surface of a display 13 such as a CRT in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and the light emission. The element 11a and the light receiving element array 12a that receives the same number of infrared rays are arranged so as to face each other, and a pair of the light emitting element 11a and the light receiving element 12a that face each other in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are connected in series. The unit optical system is formed through the light beam 11b, and the unit optical system is sequentially swept and driven in the vertical and horizontal directions to form an infrared matrix on the display surface of the display unit 13. The intersection of the matrix that is shielded by the light-shielding object 14 that is formed and touched from the outside from the outside is detected, and the Cartesian coordinates of the intersection are output as the position information of the light-shielding object 14. It is intended to.

The light beam of the conventional optical touch panel 10 will be described with reference to the explanatory view of FIG. The array of optical elements shown in the explanatory view of FIG. 9 shows only one side of the orthogonal light beam 11b for detecting the position coordinates. The arrangement of the optical elements is such that the light receiving elements 12a provided on the light receiving element mounting substrate 16 correspond to the optical elements 11a provided on the optical element mounting substrate 15, and a pair of optical elements is provided via the light beam 11b. Is formed. That is, the light emitting element 1
A light beam 11b is formed by 1a, the light beam 11b reaches the light receiving element 12a, and the photoelectric conversion output generated by the light receiving element 12a is electrically detected by a detection means (not shown) to determine whether or not the light beam 11b is shielded. Then, the input is detected.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional optical touch panel, in order to realize such an optical element pair, the light beam emitted from the light emitting element exactly faces the light receiving element. It is necessary to adjust the optical axis in terms of mounting. In addition, an optical element, especially a light-emitting element that is an optical power element, requires a condenser lens in order to increase the light emission intensity, which increases the shape, which limits the mounting pitch of the element and limits the resolution. Easy to receive. Therefore, in order to realize a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element in an optical touch panel, the optical axis of the light beam guided from the light emitting element to the light receiving element must be accurately formed, and the lens of the light emitting element itself. Accuracy is required and it is necessary to select the light emitting element,
It takes a lot of time and labor to select the light emitting element, which increases the production cost.

Further, in order to improve the accuracy of the optical axis of the light beam, when mounting the light emitting element on the light emitting element mounting substrate, a jig or the like for accurately holding the direction of the lens is required. In addition, since optical elements are required in pairs, the number of light emitting elements is required as many as the number of light receiving elements. In particular, an optical power element such as a light emitting element,
Among the components forming the touch panel, the average failure rate is high, and the number of light emitting elements is a factor that reduces the life and reliability of the touch panel.

Further, in order to realize a pair of optical elements, the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements must be arranged in an array. Particularly, since the light emitting elements require lenses, the outer dimensions are smaller than those of the light receiving elements. Since it is inevitably large, it is not possible to make the pitch below a limited pitch when arranging in an array. Therefore, it is difficult to arrange at a beam pitch smaller than the external dimensions, which prevents realization of high resolution. There was a drawback.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been invented to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an optical distributor having a total reflection surface and a semi-reflection surface provided in advance is arranged as a light emitting element array. By doing so, the above drawbacks are eliminated, and the present invention is configured as follows. That is, in the invention of claim 1, an optical touch panel having a light distributor is provided, in which light emitting elements are arranged in a light emitting element array, and a light beam output projected from the light emitting element is divided into a plurality of light beam outputs to form a light receiving element array. It is configured by providing a light distributor having a projecting means.

Further, in the invention of claim 2, the optical touch panel having the light distributor of claim 1 is incident from the transparent background surface of the inclined light beams at both ends and the outside of the transparent background surface 1. A plurality of outer stepped total reflection surfaces for reflecting the light beam, and a part of the inner reflected light beam are transmitted while the other is reflected in the direction of the stepwise adjacent total reflection surface. An optical distributor made of a transparent resin light guide having a plurality of stepped semi-reflective surfaces provided facing the total reflection surface was provided.

Furthermore, an optical touch panel having the light distributors of claims 1 and 2 is provided with a means for increasing the light beam output of the light emitting element at a predetermined portion of a plurality of stepwise total reflection surfaces. Invented three inventions.

According to the invention of claim 4, the optical touch panel having the light distributors of claims 1 and 2 is provided with a light receiving element array formed of chip type light receiving elements.

[0012]

In the invention of claim 1, the light distributor has a light emitting element array and means for distributing the light beam output projected from the light emitting element to a plurality of light beam outputs and projecting the light beam output onto the light receiving element array. Since the light beam input from one end of the light distributor is distributed as a plurality of light beam outputs by the total reflection surface and the semi-reflective surface of the light distributor, the light beam input is accurately transmitted to the light receiving element. It reaches well.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical distributor of the first aspect, a background surface that transmits a light beam, a plurality of step-like total reflection mirror surfaces that reflect the light beam, and a part of the light beam are transmitted. Since the other part is composed of a transparent resin light guide having a plurality of semi-reflective surfaces that reflect in the direction of the adjacent total reflection mirror surface, the light beam input from the light emitting element corresponds to the cross section of the light distributor. The light beam enters from the bare surface toward the total reflection surface, and the reflected light beam is divided by the semi-reflection surface into a light beam entering the opposing light-receiving element and a light beam toward the adjacent stepwise total reflection surface, and the light beams are sequentially repeated. Is done.

In the invention of claim 3, in the inventions of claims 1 and 2, the light beam output increasing means is provided by providing a plurality of light emitting elements at predetermined portions of a plurality of stepwise total reflection surfaces. Even if the intensity of the light beam input from one light emitting element is reduced inside the light distributor, the light beam output is increased by the light beam input from another light emitting element in a predetermined portion, and the light receiving element is increased. It is possible to equivalently output the light beams to the columns.

In the invention of claim 4, the invention of claim 1 and claim 2 is provided with a light receiving element array consisting of chip type light receiving elements, so that the light beam of the light beam of the light distributor is transmitted to the light receiving element. The projection pitch can be set finely, and thus a touch panel with high resolution can be obtained.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is an optical touch panel, 12 is a light receiving element array, 1
2a is a light receiving element, 13 is a display, 14 is a light-shielding object, 20
Is a light emitting element, 20b is a light beam, 21 is a light distributor, 22
Is a total reflection surface, and 23 is a semi-reflection surface.

As shown in FIG. 1, an optical touch panel 10 is provided.
In the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the display surface of the display 13 such as a CRT, the light distributors 21 and 21 are arranged with the light receiving element rows 12 and 12 facing each other. Light distributor 2
Reference numerals 1 and 21 denote the ground surface 2 inclined on both sides as described later.
4, 24, and a plurality of semi-reflective surfaces 22 facing the total reflective surface 22 and a plurality of semi-reflective surfaces 23 having a stepwise outer surface and inclined to the horizontal plane. Made of high resin material. As shown in the figure, the light emitting element 20 is arranged orthogonal to the ground surface 24 at one end of the light distributors 21 and 21, and the light beam 20b projected from the light emitting element 20 is the entire mirror surface of the light distributor 21. The light-receiving element 12 which is reflected by the reflecting surface 22 in the horizontal or vertical direction and faces each other.
A unit optical system is formed so that the light receiving elements 21 of the light distributor 21 facing each other continuously operate, and the light receiving output when the light beam 20b is not emitted and when the light beam is emitted for each unit optical system. The signal is A / D converted by means (not shown), and the light-shielding object 14 touched from the outside on the display surface is detected by the level difference obtained by comparing the respective levels of the received light output signals, and the light-shielding object is detected. The Cartesian coordinates of the 14 positions are output as position information.

FIG. 2 is a partial explanatory view of the optical path of the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, 12 is a light receiving element array, and 12a.
Is a light receiving element, 20 is a light emitting element, 20b is a light beam, 20
b-1 to 20b-7 are distributed light beams, 21 is a light distributor, 22 is a total reflection surface, 23 is a semi-reflection surface, and 24 and 25 are bare surfaces.

As shown in the figure, the light beam 20b projected from the light emitting element 20 at a right angle to the background surface 24 is reflected by the total reflection surface 22 of the light distributor 21 at a predetermined angle θ, and the reflected light beam 20b-1. Through the semi-reflective surface 23
The light is projected onto the light receiving element 12a opposed to. Semi-reflective surface 23
The light beams partially reflected by each of them have optical paths which are successively projected to the opposite light receiving element 12a as 20b-2 and the like in the next step.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views for explaining the structure of the optical distributor, which will be understood from the description of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the structure for increasing the output of the light emitting element. In FIG. 5, a concave portion 26 is provided at a predetermined portion on the total reflection surface 22 of the light distributor 21.
The light emitting element 20 is disposed in the recess 26 so as to increase the output of the light beam 20b.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an embodiment in which the output increasing means of the light emitting element is provided. Optical touch panel 1 as shown
The light distributors 21 and 21 and the light receiving element arrays 12 and 12 are arranged at 0.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining an optical path having high resolution. Reference numeral 12a 'is a chip type light receiving element.
As shown in the figure, a high-resolution optical touch panel can be constructed by forming an optical path by the chip type light receiving element 12a 'and the light distributor 21 facing the light receiving element 12a'.

[0026]

According to the present invention, there is provided an optical touch panel having an optical distributor configured as described in claim 1 and claim 2.
Not only the accuracy of the lens of the light emitting element itself is required and a great amount of time and labor for selecting the light emitting element is not required, but not only the production cost can be reduced, but also the life and reliability of the touch panel can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 3, there is an effect that the light emitting element output having a predetermined output can be obtained by the increasing means.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, there is an effect that an optical path having high resolution can be obtained and the optical touch panel can be miniaturized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial explanatory view of an optical path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of a light distributor.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the configuration of an optical distributor.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the configuration for increasing the output of the light emitting element.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an embodiment provided with a light emitting element output increasing means.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining an optical path having high resolution.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining a conventional optical touch panel.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional optical element array.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Optical Touch Panel 11 Light-Emitting Element Row 11a Light-Emitting Element 11b Light Beam 12 Light-Receiving Element Row 12a, 12a ′ Light-Receiving Element 13 Display 14 Light-Shielding Object 15 Light-Emitting Element Mounting Substrate 16 Light-Receiving Element Mounting Substrate 20 Light-Emitting Element 20b Light Beam 20b-1 Light Beam output 1 20b-2 Light beam output 2 20b-3 Light beam output 3 20b-4 Light beam output 4 20b-5 Light beam output 5 20b-6 Light beam output 6 21 Light distributor 22 Total reflection surface 22-1 Total Reflection surface 22-2 Total reflection surface 22-3 Total reflection surface 22-4 Total reflection surface 22-n Total reflection surface 23 Semi-reflection surface 23-1 Semi-reflection surface 23-2 Semi-reflection surface 23-3 Semi-reflection surface 23- 4 semi-reflective surface 23-n semi-reflective surface 24 bare surface 25 bare surface 26 recess

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sets of element rows each including a light emitting element row corresponding to a horizontal direction and a vertical direction and a light receiving element row are provided around a display surface of a display, and the light emitting element and the light receiving element facing each other are provided. A plurality of unit optical systems that operate in series with the elements are sequentially swept in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to form an optical matrix, and a light receiving output signal at the time of non-light emission and at the time of light emission is A for each unit optical system. / D conversion is performed to detect a light-shielding object touched from the outside on the display surface by the level difference obtained by comparing the respective levels of the received light output signals, and the orthogonal coordinates of the position of the light-shielding object are used as position information. In an optical touch panel for outputting, a light emitting element is provided in the light emitting element array, and a light distributor having means for dividing a light beam output projected from the light emitting element into a plurality of light beam outputs and projecting the light beam output to the light receiving element array. Provided and configured An optical touch panel having a light distributor. 2. A transparent textured surface of an inclined light beam at both ends, and a plurality of stepwise outer total reflection mirror surfaces that reflect the light beam incident from the outside of the transparent textured surface 1.
A plurality of staircases provided facing the total reflection mirror surface formed so as to partially transmit the reflected light beam inside and reflect the other in the direction of the staircase adjacent total reflection mirror surface. An optical touch panel having a light distributor according to claim 1, wherein a light distributor made of a transparent resin light guide having a semi-reflecting mirror surface is provided. 3. An optical touch panel having a light distributor according to claim 1, wherein a means for increasing a light beam output of a light emitting element is provided at a predetermined portion of a plurality of stepwise total reflection surfaces. 4. An optical touch panel having the light distributor according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a light receiving element array including a chip type light receiving element is provided.