Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/0304—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/0304—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means
  • G06F3/0308—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means comprising a plurality of distinctive and separately oriented light emitters or reflectors associated to the pointing device, e.g. remote cursor controller with distinct and separately oriented LEDs at the tip whose radiations are captured by a photo-detector associated to the screen
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/042—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by opto-electronic means
  • G06F3/0421—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by opto-electronic means by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/041—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/041 - G06F3/045
  • G06F2203/04104—Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
  • G06F2203/041—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/041 - G06F3/045
  • G06F2203/04106—Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to the field of interaction interfaces allowing a user to interact with an electronic device.
• a touch screen having a front face (turned towards the user) substantially flat
• a proximity detector comprising at least one emitter radiating in an infrared range and located on the periphery of said touch screen, and at least one receiver adapted to detect radiation in said infrared range.
• Interaction interfaces including a touch screen are becoming more common in the everyday environment. Such interfaces equip for example a growing number of mobile phones, touch screen tablets, ticket vending machines, machine tools, or motor vehicles.
• such an interface can for example be used to control a radio. It can also be used to display geolocation information.
• an interaction interface comprising a touch screen, a proximity sensor for detecting that a hand of a user approaches the interface, and may also, for example, determine a position of this hand facing the touch screen.
• the latter can optimize the content of the information displayed, so as to adapt to the behavior of the user before he even touches the touch screen.
• the interface For example, if approaching, if the interface was in a standby state, it can switch from this standby state to a standard operating state. Or, if an approach to a particular area of the screen is detected, this area can then be displayed in an enlarged manner, for example in full screen.
• Such arrangements are particularly interesting when the user of the interaction interface is brought to interact with it while performing other actions. for example while driving a motor vehicle, or while driving a machine tool.
• a proximity detector by means of a transmitter which radiates in an infrared range and which is located on the periphery of said touch screen, and a receiver adapted to detect radiation in said infrared range.
• the radiation thus emitted is directed towards the outside of the interaction interface. If a hand of a user, for example, is facing the detector, near the latter, it reflects a portion of the radiation emitted to the receiver, which thus detects its presence.
• the emitter In general, it is desirable for the emitter to illuminate an area of the space located at the front of the touch screen, vis-à-vis the latter, since it is in this area that one wants to be able to detect the hand of a user of the interface.
• the area located above the front face of the touch screen, in the immediate vicinity of it, is only very dimly lit by the transmitter, and such a proximity detector does not can detect the hand of a user.
• the present invention proposes an interaction interface as defined in the preamble, in which it is provided that said emitter is fixedly mounted on a printed circuit support plate. which is inclined with respect to the front face of said touch screen such that said emitter has an average direction of emission directed towards the space situated in front of said touch screen.
• the average direction of the light beam emitted by the proximity sensor of such an interface is thus inclined relative to a direction perpendicular to the front face of the touch screen, and directed towards it.
• the transmitter is positioned on the periphery of the touch screen, it effectively illuminates an area of the space at the front of the touch screen, vis-à-vis the latter.
• an area located vis-à-vis the front face of the touch screen, in the immediate vicinity thereof, can be effectively illuminated by the transmitter, which allows to detect the hand of a user, as explained above. Being able to detect the hand of a user in such a zone is particularly interesting, since it is located in the immediate vicinity of the touch screen with which a user is brought to interact.
• the interaction interface comprises a frame, a part of which is located at the rear of said support plate has a free surface inclined with respect to the front face of said touch screen, the printed circuit support plate bearing on said free surface and being fixed thereto by fixing means. The mounting and fixing of the printed circuit support plate inclined relative to the front face of the touch screen is thus facilitated.
• the interaction interface comprises a protection plate, transparent in said infrared radiation range, separating the emitter from the outside of said interaction interface, the printed circuit support plate is positioned so that one of its edges is located near said protection plate, and the transmitter is mounted on said printed circuit support plate, near said edge, so that the transmitter is located near said protection plate.
• Such a protection plate improves the appearance of the device and protects in particular the electronic components that the device comprises.
• the arrangement described above also makes it possible to position the transmitter, which is then located inside the interaction interface, as close as possible to this protection plate.
• Such a protection plate may, in particular to promote a homogeneous appearance of the front face of the interaction interface, be substantially parallel to the front face of the touch screen.
• the preceding provisions then allow light rays emitted by the emitter emerging from said protection plate with a very inclined direction relative to a direction perpendicular to the front face of the touch screen, which is very interesting, as it has been explained above.
• the transmitter comprises a light-emitting diode; the low cost, high efficiency, reliability and lifetime of such a transmitter are particularly advantageous;
• the receiver may comprise a phototransistor; the internal gain of the photo-current obtained with such a component makes it possible to simplify the electronic circuit for detecting such a detector by avoiding a pre-amplification stage of the signals received by the receiver; and
• the interaction interface comprises at least two transmitters adapted to emit radiation in said infrared range, the front face of the touch screen has a rectangle-shaped outline, and one of said transmitters is located along a first edge of said rectangle and the other of said emitters is located along an edge of said rectangle opposite the first edge.
• FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents the operating principle of the proximity detector of an interaction interface according to the invention
• FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically represent two embodiments of the interaction interface of FIG. 1, front views,
• FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the interaction interface of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the zone V of FIG. 4.
• FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows components of a proximity detector 15 of an interaction interface, making it possible to illustrate the principle of operation of this proximity detector 15.
• the proximity detector 15 comprises at least one emitter 10 which radiates in an infrared range, such as for example a light-emitting diode.
• the operation of the transmitter is provided by a control module January 1 comprising in particular a power supply delivering to the transmitter 10 a suitable electric current.
• the radiation emitted by the transmitter 10 is directed towards the outside of the proximity detector 15 of the interaction interface.
• a hand 14 of a user When a hand 14 of a user (or when an object) is close to the proximity detector 15, it reflects a part of the radiation that the emitter has emitted. In particular, part of the radiation emitted by the transmitter 10 is thus reflected towards a receiver 12, such as for example a photodiode.
• the power of the infrared radiation detected by the receiver 12 is thus all the greater that the hand of a user is close to the proximity detector 15 (for a given hand orientation), which, if combined with other criteria, to detect the proximity of the hand 14 of a user.
• a detection module 13 ensures the operation of the receiver 12, in particular by supplying it with appropriate electrical power, and analyzes the signals that the receiver 12 delivers in order to detect an object, or the hand of a user.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 diagrammatically show two alternative embodiments of an interaction interface 200; 300 according to the invention, front view, such for example that sees a user.
• the interaction interface 200; 300 comprises a touch screen 201, whose front face 218 has a contour in the form of a rectangle.
• First emitters 205, 206, 208 and 209 radiating in an infrared range are distributed along a first edge 202 of said rectangle.
• a first receiver 207, adapted to detect radiation in said infrared range, is also located along this first edge 202.
• the first emitters 205, 206, 208 and 209 most often have a small emission area relative to the surface of the touch screen 201, in particular when each of these emitters consists of a light-emitting diode. It is therefore advantageous to have several transmitters, distributed along an edge of the touch screen 201, so that all the light beams emitted by these first transmitters best cover the area located vis-à- screw 218 of the front panel 201, so that an object (or that the hand of a user) can actually be detected in this area. This arrangement also improves the homogeneity of the illumination, within the illuminated area, and thus the detection efficiency.
• Second transmitters 210, 21 1, 213 and 214 which radiate in said infrared range, as well as a second receiver 212 adapted to detect radiation in said infrared range, are furthermore situated opposite the first transmitters 205, 206, 208, 209 and the first receiver 207 relative to the touch screen 201 (along a second edge 203 of the rectangle, which is opposite its first edge 202).
• the second emitters 210, 21 1, 213 and 214 are distributed along the second edge 203, substantially comparable to the manner in which the first emitters 205, 206, 207 and 208 are distributed along the first edge 202, so that there again, optimize the extent of the illuminated area vis-à-vis the front of the touch screen 201.
• the scope is optimized.
• the area of the space 440 (visible in Figure 4) which is illuminated vis-à-vis the front face of the touch screen 201, and the homogeneity of the lighting within this area. The extent of the area of the space in which the hand of a user can be detected is thus increased.
• the front face 218 of the touch screen 201 is embedded in a frame 217, for example plastic.
• the frame 217 protects the interface components located on the periphery of the touch screen, in particular each transmitter 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 214 and each receiver 207, 212, and separates them. from outside the interaction interface 200; 300.
• a first protection plate 216 is inserted into an opening provided for this purpose in the frame 217.
• the first protection plate 216 here rectangular in shape, is transparent at least partly in the infrared radiation range in which the emitters mentioned above. It covers the first transmitters 205, 206, 208 and 209 and the receiver 207, and separates them from outside the interaction interface.
• the frame 217 is transparent in said infrared radiation range, and that the frame 217 then directly fulfills the function of a frame as well as the function of a plate of protection as presented above.
• receivers 207, 212 and transmitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 214 it is possible for all of the above-mentioned receivers 207, 212 and transmitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 214 to be covered by a single plate. protection.
• the interaction interface 300 of FIG. 3 differs from that shown in FIG. 2 in that it further comprises third transmitters 301, 302, 303 which radiate in said infrared range, as well as a third receiver 304 adapted detecting radiation in said infrared range, distributed along a third edge 204 of the rectangular contour of the touch screen 201.
• the third emitters 301, 302 and 303, and the third receiver 304 are covered with a third protection plate 305, similar to the first protection plate 216 described above, and inserted into an opening provided for this purpose in the frame. 217.
• the three receivers 207, 212 and 304 are distributed here on three distinct sides 202, 203 and 204 of the rectangular contour of the touch screen 201.
• the touch screen 201 comprises display means 41 1, such as for example a liquid crystal display or a light-emitting diode screen, and a touch-sensitive panel 401 superimposed on the display means 41. 1, in front of them.
• display means 41 such as for example a liquid crystal display or a light-emitting diode screen
• touch-sensitive panel 401 superimposed on the display means 41. 1, in front of them.
• the touch screen 401 is protected by a plate 402 which covers it.
• the plate 402 is transparent at least in part in the visible radiation range. This is for example a glass plate.
• the plate 402 has, on the outside side of the interaction interface, an accessible face 218 which constitutes the front face 218 of the touch screen 201.
• the touch screen 401 makes it possible, for example by using capacitive effects, or resistive effects, to detect the presence of at least one finger of a user on the front face 218, and to determine the position pointed by this finger. .
• At least one of the emitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 214, 301, 302, 303 is fixedly mounted on a printed circuit support plate 406, and that it is inclined relative to the front face 218 of the touch screen 201, so that the transmitter 214 has a mean direction of emission Ai directed towards the space located in front of said touch screen 201.
• the transmitter 214 may for example be fixed on the printed circuit support plate 406 by two welds for electrically connecting the control module 1 1 described above.
• the arrangement of the transmitter 214 is shown here in FIG. 5, but that the arrangement of the other emitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 301, 302, 303 and Receivers 207, 212, 304 is substantially the same.
• the light rays emitted by the transmitter 214 in the said infrared radiation range leave the interaction interface while passing through the second protection plate 215.
• the edge 412 is the one which is the closest to the protection plate 215.
• the emitter 214 is advantageously positioned near this edge 412, so as to be positioned closest to the second protection plate 215. This proximity allows light rays, emitted by the transmitter 214, to pass through said second protection plate 215 even if their direction is very inclined relative to a direction perpendicular to the second protective plate 215 (as for example the case of the light beam 420), and even if the protection plate 215 has limited dimensions, as mentioned above.
• the printed circuit support plate 406 can have a rectangle-shaped contour, and for several of the emitters 210, 21 1, 213, 214 to be optional, that the receiver 212 , are fixed on this same support plate, near the edge 412.
• the beam of light rays emitted by the emitter 214, which emerges from the second protection plate 215, is approximately cone-shaped, the apex of which is substantially located at the emitter 214.
• the axis of this cone corresponds to the average transmission direction Ai of the transmitter 214, and is directed from the transmitter 214 to the space at the front of the touch screen 201, as mentioned above. It is substantially orthogonal to the plane of the printed circuit support plate 406.
• the radius 420 is the one that shaves the front face 218 of the touch screen the most, and the radius 421 is the one that deviates the most from it.
• the zone illuminated by this beam of light rays is thus delimited, on the side located near the front face 218 of the touch screen, by the radius 420, and, on the opposite side, by the light beam 421.
• the light ray 420 defining this illuminated area 440 must be the as much as possible with respect to the front face 218 of the touch screen. It must thus form with the front face 218 an angle ⁇ as small as possible (see Figure 4).
• FIG. 4 also shows the transmitter 209, which is reminded that it is located along the first edge 202 of the touch screen (the one opposite the second edge 203 along which the transmitter 214 is located) .
• the transmitter 214 it is fixed on a printed circuit support plate 450 inclined with respect to the front face 218 of the touch screen, whereby it has a mean direction of emission directed towards the space located at the front of touch screen 201.
• the touch screen 201 has an outer shape substantially symmetrical with respect to a plane P perpendicular to its front face 218, and parallel to the first edge 202 of the front face 218.
• the inclination of the printed circuit support plate 405 may for example be substantially symmetrical with respect to this plane P, that of the support plate 406.
• the beam of light rays emitted by the emitter 209 is then substantially symmetrical, with respect to this plane P, of the beam of light rays emitted by the emitter 214.
• the radius 430 is the one that shaves the front face 218 of the touch screen the most, and the radius 431 is the one that deviates the most from it.
• the zone 440 of the space which is illuminated by the emitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 214 (and 301, 302, 303 in the case of the interaction interface 300) with an illumination sufficient to allow the detection of the hand of a user (or an object) is delimited in particular by the light rays 420, 430, 421 and 431 mentioned above, as can be seen in FIG. 4 It can for example be substantially symmetrical with respect to the plane P mentioned above.
• the illuminated zone 440 may extend, facing the touch screen 201 to a distance from the front face 218 of the touch screen up to 50 centimeters, thus allowing detection of the hand of a user, or an object, to such a distance.
• the interaction interface 200 or 300 furthermore comprises a chassis 407 to which the display means 41 1 can be attached.
• the chassis 407 may have a free surface 409, inclined with respect to the front face 218 of the touch screen, on which the printed circuit support plate 406 is based.
• the free surface 409 is located at the end of a portion of the frame 407 which forms a column 408, the column 408 extending from the bottom of the frame 407, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the latter, up to the free surface 409.
• the printed circuit support plate 406 is fixed to the frame 407 at the free surface 409 by fastening means 410.
• the fastening means 410 comprise, for example, a screw whose threaded rod is engaged in a tapped hole. in the frame 407, and extends along an axis A2 substantially perpendicular to the free surface 409.
• the printed circuit support plate 406 is then pressed on the free surface 409 by the head of the screw 410, and thus held fixedly on said free surface 409.
• the interaction interface 200 or 300 may comprise, for the attachment of the transmitters 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 21 1, 213, 301, 302, 303 and the receivers 207, 212, 204, other plates printed circuit boards attached to the frame 407 in a manner comparable to the printed circuit board support plate 406.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Position Input By Displaying (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=52808053

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (4)

• 2015
  • 2015-02-23 FR FR1551535A patent/FR3033059B1/fr active Active
• 2016
  • 2016-02-15 WO PCT/FR2016/050344 patent/WO2016135392A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2016-02-15 EP EP16714959.0A patent/EP3262492A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (4)

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