Touch 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.
Claims16
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 comprising at least a first acoustic wave transducer that transmits a first acoustic wave across the substrate surface and at least second and third acoustic wave transducers that receive acoustic waves;
- and
- a control component that determines a location of a perturbation based at least in part on time delays between transmission of the first acoustic wave from the first transducer and receipt of a second acoustic wave at each of the at least second and third transducers, the second acoustic wave is one of reflected and scattered from 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 from one or more transducers coupled to a perimeter of the substrate surface;
- detecting the transmitted acoustic wave at two or more points near the perimeter of the substrate surface;
- converting the detected acoustic waves into electrical signals;
- analyzing the electrical signals to determine time delays between transmission of the acoustic wave and receipt of the transmitted acoustic wave at each receiving transducer;
- determining a location of perturbation of the substrate surface based at least in part on the time delays.
A system for determining a perturbation location on a substrate surface, comprising:
- means for converting an electrical signal into a mechanical signal that stresses the substrate surface;
- means for transmitting the mechanical signal as an acoustic wave across a substrate surface from at least one acoustic wave transducer that is coupled to the substrate surface;
- means for receiving the transmitted acoustic wave at two or more points near the 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.