Patents by Inventor Tomas Christiansson
Tomas Christiansson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10372265Abstract: Touch sensitivity is enabled using a touch system that comprises a panel configured to conduct signals, along detection lines across a touch surface. A signal processor operates in a sequence of repetitions to: generate data samples that represent detected signal energy on the actual detection lines; generate based on the data samples, an interpolated sinogram comprising interpolation samples that represent fictitious detection lines which have a desired location on the touch surface; and reconstruct a signal interaction pattern for the touch surface based on the interpolated sinogram. The signal processor implements an error correction to counteract the influence of a change in validity status for a data sample among the data samples, by identifying interpolation samples affected by the change in validity status, and by setting each identified interpolation sample to a value that maintains a relative signal transmission of the fictitious detection line from a former repetition.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2017Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas Christiansson, Andreas Bjorklund, Mats Petter Wallander, Nicklas Ohlsson
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Patent number: 10324566Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes an touch sensing part which operates a touch sensor arrangement to provide signal data representing a touch within a touch-sensing region on a front surface of a light transmissive panel; The touch-sensitive apparatus further includes a computer vision system part which operates a camera system to image a scene located externally of the touch-sensitive apparatus, and operates a computer vision controller to detect, based on image data generated by the camera system, at least one object within the scene. The touch-sensitive apparatus enables user interaction by touch control, gesture control and hover control.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2017Date of Patent: June 18, 2019Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventor: Tomas Christiansson
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Patent number: 10318041Abstract: A signal processor implements a technique for detecting objects on a panel which transmits signals inside the panel such that the objects are allowed to interact with (e.g. attenuate) the signals by contact with a touch surface of the panel. The signal processor operates to define cells that have a given location on the touch surface and are associated with a respective set of intersecting paths for the signals across the touch surface. The signal processor operates to obtain (90) an output signal from a signal detection arrangement that measures a signal property for each path; process (91) the output signal to obtain an interaction value for each path; and generate (93-95?) a cell value of a selected cell among the cells as either a robust measure of central tendency (e.g. a median) or a minimum/maximum among the interaction values for the intersecting paths. The signal processor determines (97) presence or absence of an object in the selected cell based on the cell value.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2013Date of Patent: June 11, 2019Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Andreas Björklund, Tomas Christiansson, Mats Petter Wallander, Nicklas Ohlsson
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Publication number: 20190094990Abstract: A touch sensing apparatus includes a group of emitters arranged to emit light to illuminate at least part of the touch surface, a light detector arranged to receive light from the group of emitters, and a processing element. Each emitter is controlled to transmit a code by way of the emitted light such that the code identifies the respective emitter. The codes may at least partly be transmitted concurrently. The codes may be selected such that a value of an autocorrelation of each code is significantly higher than a value of a cross-correlation between any two codes of different emitters. The processing element processes an output signal from the light detector to separate the light received from the individual emitters based on the transmitted codes, and to determine the position of the object/objects based on the light received from the individual emitters.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2018Publication date: March 28, 2019Inventors: Christer FAHRAEUS, Henrik WALL, Ola WASSVIK, Tomas CHRISTIANSSON
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Publication number: 20190025977Abstract: A device obtains a signal representative of objects on a touch surface of a multi-touch sensing apparatus and executes a method for extracting touch data from the signal. The method operates in a sequence of detection frames. Each detection frame comprises the steps of: obtaining (300) the signal; processing (301) the signal for identifying touches; determining (302) a set of identified touches and touch data for the set of identified touches; and outputting (303) the touch data. At least one of the steps of processing (301) and determining (302) includes a prioritization that actively favors certain touches to be identified and included in the set of identified touches, respectively. Temporal prioritization favors a touch that corresponds to a previous touch, which is identified in one or more preceding detection frames. Spatial prioritization favors a touch that is located within at least one predefined subarea on the touch surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2018Publication date: January 24, 2019Inventors: Tomas CHRISTIANSSON, Ola WASSVIK, Christer FAHRAEUS
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Patent number: 10161886Abstract: A device implements a method for detecting contamination of an FTIR-based panel. The apparatus generates projection signals representing detection lines that have propagated on a plurality of propagation paths by total internal reflection (TIR) inside a transmissive panel such that contamination on the panel surface causes attenuation (frustration) of at least one of the projection signals. The device generates a transmission value for each detection line in the transmissive panel, and determines the presence of contamination on the surface of the panel by comparing the transmission values according to at least one of the presented comparison techniques.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2015Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Nicklas Ohlsson, Tomas Christiansson
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Publication number: 20180356940Abstract: An optical IR touch sensing apparatus configured to determine, based on output signals of light detectors, a light energy value for each light path across a touch surface, and generate a transmission value for each light path based on the light energy value. A processor is then configured to operate an image reconstruction algorithm on at least part of the thus-generated transmission values and determine a position of a touching object on the touch surface, and an attenuation value corresponding to the attenuation of the light resulting from the object touching the touch surface. Using these values, the processor is configured to identify the type of object.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2016Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Tomas CHRISTIANSSON, Mattias KRUS, Kristofer JACOBSON, David GILLSJÖ
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Publication number: 20180275830Abstract: An optical IR touch sensing apparatus configured to determine, based on output signals of light detectors, a light energy value for each light path across a touch surface, and generate a transmission value for each light path based on the light energy value. A processor is then configured to process the transmission values to determine a region around the object reference point on the touch surface and a set of light paths intersecting the region. By performing statistical analysis of the set of light paths, characteristics of the object may be determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2018Publication date: September 27, 2018Inventors: Tomas Christiansson, Kristofer Jakobson, Nicklas Ohlsson, Mattias Krus, Magnus Hollström
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Publication number: 20180275831Abstract: An optical IR touch sensing apparatus can determine, based on output signals of light detectors, a light energy value for each light path across a touch surface, and generate a transmission value for each light path based on the light energy value. A processor can operate an image reconstruction algorithm on at least part of the thus-generated transmission values and determine a position of a touching object on the touch surface, an attenuation value corresponding to the attenuation of the light resulting from the object touching the touch surface, and an occlusion compensation value for compensating the occlusion affect from other objects on the touch surface. Using these values, the processor can identify the type of object.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2018Publication date: September 27, 2018Inventors: Tomas Christiansson, Kristofer Jakobson
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Publication number: 20180275788Abstract: An optical IR touch sensing apparatus configured to determine, based on output signals of light detectors, a light energy value for each light path across a touch surface, and generate a transmission value for each light path based on the light energy value. A processor is then configured to process the transmission values to determine an object reference point on the touch surface where the light is attenuated or occluded by an object and determine, from a set of light paths unaffected by an object, a set of object boundary light paths comprising one or more light paths passing closest to the object reference point. The characteristics of the object may then be determined in dependence on the set of object boundary light paths.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2018Publication date: September 27, 2018Inventors: Tomas Christiansson, Kristofer Jakobson, Nicklas Ohlsson
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Publication number: 20180253187Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus comprises a panel configured to conduct signals from a plurality of peripheral incoupling points to a plurality of peripheral outcoupling points. Actual detection lines are defined between pairs of incoupling and outcoupling points to extend across a surface portion of the panel. The signals may be in the form of light, and objects touching the surface portion may affect the light via frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR). A signal generator is coupled to the incoupling points to generate the signals, and a signal detector is coupled to the outcoupling points to generate an output signal. A data processor operates on the output signal to enable identification of touching objects. The output signal is processed (40) to generate a set of data samples, which are indicative of detected energy for at least a subset of the actual detection lines.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 8, 2018Publication date: September 6, 2018Applicant: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas CHRISTIANSSON, Peter Juhlin
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Patent number: 10048773Abstract: A touch sensing apparatus includes a group of emitters arranged to emit light to illuminate at least part of the touch surface, a light detector arranged to receive light from the group of emitters, and a processing element. Each emitter is controlled to transmit a code by way of the emitted light such that the code identifies the respective emitter. The codes may at least partly be transmitted concurrently. The codes may be selected such that a value of an autocorrelation of each code is significantly higher than a value of a cross-correlation between any two codes of different emitters. The processing element processes an output signal from the light detector to separate the light received from the individual emitters based on the transmitted codes, and to determine the position of the object/objects based on the light received from the individual emitters.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2016Date of Patent: August 14, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Christer Fahraeus, Henrik Wall, Ola Wassvik, Tomas Christiansson
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Patent number: 10031623Abstract: Touch sensitivity is enabled using a touch system that comprises a panel configured to conduct signals along detection lines across a touch surface. A signal processor obtains observed values for the detection lines, and identifies an interaction pattern on the touch surface as a solution to a function that comprises an aggregation of differences, for each detection line, between the observed value and a projected value, which is given by a projection function that defines a functional relation between the interaction pattern and the projected value for each detection line. The signal processor implements a normalization to ensure that the interaction pattern indicates weak touches even in the presence of strong touches.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2017Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas Christiansson, Nicklas Ohlsson
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Patent number: 10019113Abstract: A signal processor in a touch-sensitive apparatus generates a 2D representation of touch interaction on a touch surface by tomographic processing. The signal processor generates observed values for detection lines that correspond to signal propagation paths across the touch surface. The observed values correspond to sampling points in a sample space defined by a first dimension representing a rotation angle of the detection line on the touch surface and a second dimension representing a distance of the detection line from a predetermined origin on the touch surface. The signal processor processes the observed values, by interpolation in the sample space, to generate estimated values for matched sampling points in the sample space using a tomographic reconstruction function.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2014Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Inventors: Tomas Christiansson, Nicklas Ohlsson, Markus Andreasson
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Patent number: 10013107Abstract: A device obtains a signal representative of objects on a touch surface of a multi-touch sensing apparatus and executes a method for extracting touch data from the signal. The method operates in a sequence of detection frames. Each detection frame comprises the steps of: obtaining the signal; processing the signal for identifying touches; determining a set of identified touches and touch data for the set of identified touches; and outputting the touch data. At least one of the steps of processing and determining includes a prioritization that actively favors certain touches to be identified and included in the set of identified touches, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2017Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas Christiansson, Ola Wassvik, Christer Fahraeus
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Patent number: 9996196Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus comprises a panel configured to conduct signals from a plurality of peripheral incoupling points to a plurality of peripheral outcoupling points. Actual detection lines are defined between pairs of incoupling and outcoupling points to extend across a surface portion of the panel. The signals may be in the form of light, and objects touching the surface portion may affect the light via frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR). A signal generator is coupled to the incoupling points to generate the signals, and a signal detector is coupled to the outcoupling points to generate an output signal. A data processor operates on the output signal to enable identification of touching objects. The output signal is processed (40) to generate a set of data samples, which are indicative of detected energy for at least a subset of the actual detection lines.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2016Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas Christiansson, Peter Juhlin
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Publication number: 20180129354Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes an touch sensing part which operates a touch sensor arrangement to provide signal data representing a touch within a touch-sensing region on a front surface of a light transmissive panel; The touch-sensitive apparatus further includes a computer vision system part which operates a camera system to image a scene located externally of the touch-sensitive apparatus, and operates a computer vision controller to detect, based on image data generated by the camera system, at least one object within the scene. The touch-sensitive apparatus enables user interaction by touch control, gesture control and hover control.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2017Publication date: May 10, 2018Applicant: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventor: Tomas CHRISTIANSSON
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Patent number: 9927920Abstract: A device implements a method of tracking objects on a touch surface of an FTIR based touch-sensitive apparatus. An interaction map is generated that indicates local changes in interaction on the touch surface. The interaction map is processed for identification of positive and negative peaks that represent a locally increased and decreased interaction in the interaction map, respectively. To suppress the impact of interferences, a dedicated first heuristic and/or second heuristic is applied to identify potentially false peaks among the positive peaks. The first heuristic designates a positive peak as a potentially false peak when the positive peak is deemed to be associated with one or more of the negative peaks. The second heuristic designates a positive peak as a potentially false peak when the positive peak is deemed to be located along one of the movement trajectories.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas Christiansson, Nicklas Ohlsson, Andreas Bjorklund
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Publication number: 20180018061Abstract: Touch sensitivity is enabled using a touch system that comprises a panel configured to conduct signals along detection lines across a touch surface. A signal processor obtains observed values for the detection lines, and identifies an interaction pattern on the touch surface as a solution to a function that comprises an aggregation of differences, for each detection line, between the observed value and a projected value, which is given by a projection function that defines a functional relation between the interaction pattern and the projected value for each detection line. The signal processor implements a normalization to ensure that the interaction pattern indicates weak touches even in the presence of strong touches.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2017Publication date: January 18, 2018Applicant: FlatFrog Laboratories ABInventors: Tomas CHRISTIANSSON, Nicklas OHLSSON
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Patent number: 9864470Abstract: A touch-sensitive apparatus includes an touch sensing part which operates a touch sensor arrangement to provide signal data representing a touch within a touch-sensing region on a front surface of a light transmissive panel; The touch-sensitive apparatus further includes a computer vision system part which operates a camera system to image a scene located externally of the touch-sensitive apparatus, and operates a computer vision controller to detect, based on image data generated by the camera system, at least one object within the scene. The touch-sensitive apparatus enables user interaction by touch control, gesture control and hover control.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2015Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: FLATFROG LABORATORIES ABInventor: Tomas Christiansson