A computer controlled display system with a user interactive touch screen is provided with an on-screen mouse to which user input may be applied by rolling of the touch finger to thereby move displayed information: the pointer or scrolled information on the screen. Means are provided which are activated by the touching of the screen at any random position selected by the user for enabling the detection of any rolling of said placed fingertip in an orthogonal direction. Also provided are means responsive to the detection of said rolling of said placed fingertip for moving said displayed data in an orthogonal direction corresponding to the direction of said rolling. The data moved may be the cursor or pointer or, when scrolling, the whole screen of data may be moved.

Touch screen with random finger placement and rolling on screen to control the movement of information on-screen

A high-intensity light source is formed by a micro array of a semiconductor light source such as a LEDs, laser diodes, or VCSEL placed densely on a liquid or gas cooled thermally conductive substrate. The semiconductor devices are typically attached by a joining process to electrically conductive patterns on the substrate, and driven by a microprocessor controlled power supply. An optic element is placed over the micro array to achieve improved directionality, intensity, and/or spectral purity of the output beam. The light module may be used for such processes as, for example, fluorescence, inspection and measurement, photopolymerzation, ionization, sterilization, debris removal, and other photochemical processes.

High efficiency solid-state light source and methods of use and manufacture

Disclosed is a multiple coordinate controller device having a three-dimensional body with a first surface portion and a second surface portion where the second surface portion is not coplanar with the first surface. A first transducer with a first sensing surface is coupled to the first surface portion of the body and capable of detecting both positions and a range of pressure forces at positions on the first sensing surface. The first transducer is further capable of providing a first range of z coordinates at a detected x,y coordinate in response to the range of pressure forces on said first sensing surface. A second transducer having a second sensing surface is coupled to the second surface portion of the body and capable of detecting both positions and a range of pressure forces at the positions on the second sensing surface. The second transducer is further capable of providing a second range of z coordinates of opposite polarity to the first range of z coordinates in response to the range of forces on second sensing surface.

Methods and apparatus for providing touch-sensitive input in multiple degrees of freedom

A touch screen having a high or fine resolution at relatively low cost is provided. In one embodiment, electrodes are placed directly on the surface of a CRT screen without the need for an electrode positioned on the rear surface. The touch screen may include a conductive coating and a protective coating which are preferably provided in a single vacuum chamber step. A high gain system including a high-frequency sampling bandpass filter provide discrimination of the desired signal over noise. A screen calibration technique is used to achieve linearization in order to convert the electric signals obtained from the screen into data indicative of the position of a touch on the screen.

Reduced noise touch screen apparatus and method

A touch panel apparatus of the type in which a plurality of photo-detecting pairs generate a plurality of detecting beams which cross the display surface and including a circuit for reducing the sensitivity of the photo-detecting pairs at the corners of the display surface to prevent malfunction due to reflected beams caused by the relatively higher intensity beams at those locations resulting from the relatively shorter beam lengths

Touch panel apparatus

A touch entry system employing arrays of emitter (X1...XN, Y1...YN) and detector (X1ʹ...XNʹ, Y1ʹ...YNʹ) opto devices located around the periphery of the irradiated field (12) detects intrusion of an opaque element (18) such as a stylus within the field. The detector analog output is converted to a digital signal for input into a microprocessor (80). Digital signals input into the microprocessor (80) can vary due to inconsistencies in conventional opto devices (101, 102, 103). A programmable amplifier (40) responsive to the microprocessor (80) preconditions the analog signals prior to analog to digital conversion to bring all digital signals corresponding to the unblocked emitter beam condition within a normalized range before input into the microprocessor.

Signal preconditioning for touch entry device

An opto-matrix touch input device which samples and compares beam readings is taught. Briefly stated, phototransistor readings which sample ambient light as well as light from an associated light emitting diode are compared with preset values. If the readings from the phototransistor are below a certain level, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as bad. If the readings are within preset limits, yet below nominal values, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as indicating a marginal beam. In this manner a trouble report may be generated for the purpose of repair or investigation as well as providing a vehicle for keeping a history of the opto-matrix frame condition and thereby a method of early fault detection.

Early fault detection in an opto-matrix touch input device

An opto-matrix touch input device which samples and compares beam readings is taught. Briefly stated, phototransistor readings (Q) which sample ambient light as well as light from an associated light emitting diode (CR) are compared with preset values. if the readings from the phototransistor are below a certain level, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as bad. If the readings are within preset limits, yet below nominal values, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as indicating a marginal beam. In this manner a trouble report may be generated for the purpose of repair or investigation as well as providing a vehicle for keeping a history of the opto-matrix frame condition and thereby a method of early fault detection.

Early fault detection

An opto-matrix touch input device which samples and compares beam readings is taught. Briefly stated, phototransistor readings (Q) which sample ambient light as well as light from an associated light emitting diode (CR) are compared with preset values. If the readings from the phototransistor are below a certain level, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as bad. If the readings are within preset limits, yet below nominal values, then the phototransistor/LED pair are flagged as indicating a marginal beam. In this manner a trouble report may be generated for the purpose of repair or investigation as well as providing a vehicle for keeping a history of the opto-matrix frame condition and thereby a method of early fault detection.

Arthur Bruce Carroll

Papers

Signal preconditioning for touch entry device

Early fault detection in an opto-matrix touch input device

Early fault detection

Early fault detection for a touch input device