Touh screen using echo-location
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDavid J. Benard, Robert C. Addison, Dong-Feng Gu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plurality of acoustic wave transducers are coupled to a substrate at predetermined spaced apart locations. At least one of the transducers is operative to emit an acoustic wave that propagates along the substrate, with the other transducers operating as receivers of acoustic waves. The receivers are coupled to a control system that is operative to determine a location at which the substrate is perturbed based on time associated with travel of an acoustic wave from a transmitter, to the location of the perturbation, and from the perturbation to each of the respective receivers.
Claims23
A touch screen system, comprising:
- a substrate that has a surface;
- a plurality of acoustic wave transducers located near a perimeter of the substrate surface;
- and
- a control component that determines a location of a perturbation on the substrate surface.
A method for determining a location of a perturbation on a substrate surface, comprising:
- transmitting an acoustic wave across a substrate surface;
- detecting the transmitted acoustic wave at at least two points near a perimeter of the substrate surface;
- detecting extant time delays between transmission of the acoustic wave and receipt of the acoustic wave at the at least two points;
- and
- determining a location of perturbation of the substrate surface based at least in part on detected time delays.
A system for determining a perturbation location on a substrate surface, comprising,
- means for transmitting an acoustic wave across a substrate surface;
- means for receiving the transmitted acoustic wave at at least two points near a perimeter of the substrate surface;
- and
- means for determining a location of a perturbation of the substrate surface based at least in part on time delays between transmission and receipt of the acoustic wave.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.