Abstract: An imaging optical system includes an imaging device and an optical waveguide. The waveguide includes structures configured to couple light from an external environment into the waveguide. The structures direct the light to propagate in the waveguide via total internal reflection and towards the imaging device.

Abstract: An optical touch-sensitive device is able to determine the locations of multiple simultaneous touch events. The optical touch-sensitive device can include an optical waveguide, an emitter, and an emitter coupler. The emitter produces optical beams, and the emitter coupler is on a surface of the waveguide and is configured to direct at least some of the optical beams to propagate via total internal reflection (TIR) through the waveguide as coupled optical beams. Touches on the top surface of the waveguide disturb the coupled optical beams, and the touch-sensitive device determines touch events based on the disturbances.

Abstract: An optical touch-sensitive device is able to determine the locations of multiple simultaneous touch events on a surface. The optical touch-sensitive device includes multiple emitters and detectors. Each emitter produces optical beams which are received by the detectors. Touch events on the surface disturb the optical beams received by the detectors. Based on the disturbed beams, a map of the touch activity on the surface is generated. Touch characteristics and touch types for each touch event are determined from the map. By applying the touch characteristics and touch types to contextual information, a machine learned model, or a set of predefined rules, touches can be classified as wanted or unwanted touch events. Unwanted touch events may be ignored to improve user experience.

Abstract: A touch sensitive surface has emitters and detectors arranged around a periphery of the touch sensitive surface. The emitters produce optical beams that are received by the detectors. A stylus is configured to disturb one or more of the optical beams by a variable amount when in contact with the touch sensitive surface. The variable amount depends on an amount of force applied to the stylus towards the touch sensitive surface. A controller of the touch sensitive surface is configured to determine the touch strength of a touch event performed by the stylus based on disturbances of one or more of the optical beams. The touch strength provides a measure of the amount of force applied to the stylus.

Abstract: A stylus is communicatively coupled to a touch-sensitive device. The stylus includes a contact sensor and a reporting unit. The stylus or touch-sensitive device includes a contact detection controller. The contact sensor measures one or more properties. The contact detection controller determines, based on measurements of the one or more properties from the contact sensor, whether the stylus is in contact with a surface. The reporting unit transmits an indication of whether the stylus is in contact with the surface to the touch-sensitive device.

Abstract: A touch system includes a touch-sensitive surface with emitters and detectors arranged around its periphery. A touch event caused on an object interacts with optical beams that propagate from the emitters along the touch-sensitive surface to the detectors. Beam data indicating detected intensities of the optical beams is received. The touch system determines a set of measured interactions of the optical beams with the detected touch event from the beam data and compares the set of measured interactions with sets of model interactions of the optical beams for different candidate touch feature sets. Based on the comparison, the touch system selects one of the candidate touch features sets for the touch event. The touch system may also classify the touch event as having been caused by a particular object (or class of object) based on the selected touch feature set.

Abstract: A touch sensitive system includes a touch surface, a display, and a latency control system. The latency control system reduces the latency between a touch event occurring on the touch surface and a graphical response displayed by the display. Specifically, the latency control system is a feedback system that synchronizes touch scan and display operations. The touch scan and display operations are synchronized by adjusting timing parameters, such as the start times and frequencies of the scan and display operations. Thus, the latency control system is an adaptable system that may reduce latency even when the processing times of various operations vary over time.

Abstract: A touch sensitive device includes a touch surface and emitters and detectors. The emitters produce optical beams that propagate across the touch surface and are received by the detectors. Touch events from a touch object disturb the beams propagating toward the detectors. Beam values are recorded by the detectors and used to determine the touch events. The touch sensitive device also includes a camera that captures images of touch objects. The images and variations in the beams are analyzed to continuously track the touch object before, during, and after touch events.

Abstract: An optical touch-sensitive device includes a touch-sensitive surface over which touch events are detectable. The device also includes surface features on the surface that reduce touch object friction relative to an absence of surface features. Emitter and detectors are arranged along a periphery of the touch-sensitive surface. The emitters can produce optical beams that travel across the touch-sensitive surface to the detectors. Touches on the touch-sensitive surface disturb the optical beams and the touch-sensitive device determines touch events based on the disturbed optical beams. The surface features may also be arranged to reduce glare by diffusing light. In some embodiments, an anti-reflective layer is on top of the touch-sensitive surface and the surface features.

Abstract: A touch sensitive surface has emitters and detectors arranged around at least a portion of a periphery of the touch sensitive surface. The emitters produce optical beams that are received by the detectors. Touch events disturb the beams propagating toward the detectors. Variations in the beams resulting from the touch events are captured and are used to determine the touch events. A stylus disturbs beams when in contact with the touch sensitive surface. The stylus includes a control that can change the stylus from a default state to an alternative state, where the stylus disturbs the beams differently in each state. A controller determines the state of the stylus based on the beams received by the detectors.

Abstract: An optical touch-sensitive device is able to determine the locations of multiple simultaneous touch events. The optical touch-sensitive device can include an optical waveguide, an emitter, and an emitter coupler. The emitter produces optical beams, and the emitter coupler is on a surface of the waveguide and is configured to direct at least some of the optical beams to propagate via total internal reflection (TIR) through the waveguide as coupled optical beams. Touches on the top surface of the waveguide disturb the coupled optical beams, and the touch-sensitive device determines touch events based on the disturbances.

Abstract: A touch-sensitive device includes multiple emitters and detectors and at least one acoustic sensor. Each emitter produces optical beams which are received by the detectors. Touch objects (e.g., fingers, pens, styluses) disrupt some of the optical beams and generate vibrations that are detected by the acoustic sensor. The touch-sensitive device determines information about touch events based on beam data derived from the output of the detectors and acoustic data derived from the output of the acoustic sensor.