TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is in the field of interactive display systems.

BACKGROUND

The control and operation of electronic items has largely moved from mechanical to touch interfaces. Touch screens are widely used to provide an intuitive pointing surface. It provides a compact, convenient and simple input means for a user. For example, touch screens are used in mobile phones, digital cameras, laptops, household items like microwave ovens, air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, security applications like fingerprint lock, electronic door locks and many more. In most touch screen applications, the touch sensitive surface is permanently mounted on a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), or a liquid crystal display (LCD). Touch screens can use resistive, capacitive, acoustic, or infrared sensors.

Generally, the touch surface or panel enables a user to perform functions specific to a particular use. For example, the touch panel of a mobile phone provides the functionality to control the features of the mobile phone. Interactive gaming tables provide playing surface for players and control panel to administer the game. Touch screens and walls are used in education system for making the learning more interactive and interesting. In all of these applications, touch panel has the capability for a specific usage and does not provide freedom to the user for different applications. Consequently, the user needs to interact with multiple devices for performing different tasks. Furthermore, these touch panels have the provision of a single touch which limits the working capability.

In light of the above limitations, it is desirable to provide an interactive touch system which enables the user to perform multiple functions. The touch system should also facilitate multiple users to work on it simultaneously. The interactive systems described herein come to address this need.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure concerns a system that includes a multi-touch-sensitive display unit and sensing modules that are associated with the display unit for sensing force applied onto the display unit. It is to be noted that the term “touch” may refer to a touch of a user, e.g. a human or a touch of an object, such as pots, canisters, etc. The display unit is configured to display the sensed signal that is indicative of the force that is applied onto the display unit, in association with the position of the application of force. One realization of the system is for weighing objects on the touch-sensitive display unit. A user may place an object on the display unit and trigger weighing process by an interface of the multi-touch-sensitive display unit. The weighing process is carried out by the sensing modules and the weight of the object is displayed on the display unit in association with the object, e.g. in the vicinity to where the object is placed on the display unit.

Therefore, a first aspect of the present disclosure concerns a system that includes a touch-sensitive display unit (may be referred throughout the application as display unit) for displaying an image. The display unit is configured to detect a touch of one or more objects onto the display unit, the touch of the object affects the image that is displayed thereon. The display unit may be formed from a few layers, such as a layer of a display, a layer of touch-sensitive surface and a protective layer.

The system further includes one or more sensing modules that are associated with the touch-sensitive display unit and configured to generate a sensed signal proportional to a force applied onto the display unit in a direction normal to its surface.

One or more control units are coupled to the sensing modules and to the display unit and are configured to receive the sensed signal. The one or more control unit generate an output signal indicative of the force applied onto the display unit based on the sensed signal. The output signal is communicated to the touch-sensitive display unit, and the display units is configured to display data related to the force.

In order to be configured for weighing objects, at least a portion of the display unit is planar for placing objects thereon. Therefore, the display unit is typically configured for horizontal orientation to define a planar outer face and for determining weight of objects placed thereon.

The system is configured to detect multiple touches of objects thereon that may affect, simultaneously, the image that is displayed by the display unit. For example, a plurality of objects may be placed on the display unit, each is weighed by the system independently and data of the weight of each of the objects is displayed on the display unit in association with its corresponding object.

In some embodiments of the system, at least one of the sensing modules includes a proximity sensor. The proximity has a first member associated and movable with the display unit and a second member. The sensed signal that is proportional to the force that is applied onto the display unit is proportional to the proximity between the first and the second members. In other words, the proximity between the two members is indicative of the force that is applied onto the display unit.

In some embodiments of the system, the two members define a hall-effect sensor couple. Namely, one of the members is being a magnet and the other being a hall-effect sensor. The first member may be attached to an inner face of the touch-sensitive display unit and is moveable therewith, upon application of force on the touch-sensitive display unit. The second member is disposed on a platform, and the hall-effect sensor couple is configured to provide a hall-effect signal based on the distance between the two members and generate the sensed signal.

In some embodiments of the system, the second member is disposed on a displaceable platform configured to displace towards the display unit to an extent proportional to the force applied on the display unit.

In some embodiments of the system, a portion of the display unit is displaced in a first extent proportional to the force applied onto said unit and the displaceable platform is displaced in a second, amplified extent. This allows to amplify the sensed signal of the at least some of the sensing modules to facilitate discerning between different extents of force application.

The amplified extent of the displaceable platform may be performed by an amplification unit, which can be mechanical-, pneumatic- or hydraulic-based.

For example, the amplification unit may include a first arm that is attached to or supporting an inner face of the touch-sensitive display unit and is movable therewith. Typically, the first arm is attached at the vicinity of the first member of the proximity sensor. A second arm is supporting the displaceable platform and a movement of the touch-sensitive display unit together with the first arm is translated to an amplified movement of the second arm, resulting in an amplified displacement between the first and the second members.

In some embodiments of the system, at least one of the sensing modules comprises a load cell that is configured to sense the force applied on the touch-sensitive display unit and generate the sensed signal. It is to be noted that some sensing modules may include load cells and other sensing modules may include proximity sensors, as described above, that provide together a common sensed signal that is translated to the force, or weight, that is applied on the display unit.

The load cell may be of any type, such as hydraulic, pneumatic, and strain gauge.

In some embodiments of the system, the display unit is horizontal and the system further includes a plurality of load cells fixed on a base structure and supporting the display unit. In this embodiments, the display unit is supported merely by the load cells and floats thereon.

In some embodiments of the system, the base structure includes a levelling arrangement for levelling the base structure. This allows to level the load cells that are fixed to the base structure, e.g. for a calibration.

In some embodiments, the system includes a planar light-transmissive medium, e.g. a polymer or glass, permitting transmission of light in a direction parallel to a planar outer face of the touch-sensitive display unit.

The system further includes one or more light emitters configured to emit light into the medium and one or more light detectors configured to detect light from at least one of the emitters. The detected light is analyzed by a processor to identify changes in the expected characteristics of the light. The identified changes in the characteristics of the light are indicative of at least one of (i) degree of force applied on the touch-sensitive display unit, which is indicative of the weight in the event that the plane is horizontal, and (ii) the location where the force is applied onto the touch-sensitive display unit.

In other words, the emitters emit identical light beams at a very high frequency, which are constantly detected by the light detectors. Application of force on the display unit, and hence on the light-transmissive medium, causing an interference in the light path of the light beams that are emitted by the emitters that results in a change of the characteristics of the lights, such as delay of time of arrival to the detector, frequency shifting, etc. This detected light beams are analyzed and the changes of the light characteristics are identified by processing modules of the system that generate based thereon light data that is indicative of the (i) degree of force applied on the touch-sensitive display unit, which is indicative of the weight in the event that the plane is horizontal, and/or (ii) the location where the force is applied onto the touch-sensitive display unit. The system is fed with this light data and affect the displayed image based thereon.

In some embodiments of the system, the light-transmissive medium includes light-reflective edges. The optical path of the light between the emitter and the detector includes multiple reflections from said light-reflective edges. For example, the light beam that is emitted from an emitter may be reflected from a first edge and propagates to a second edge to be reflected therefrom towards the first edge again. Each reflection location on the first and second edges may be slightly spatially deviated from a previous reflection location until it is received by the light detector.

In some embodiments of the system, the optical path spans throughout a major portion of the medium. Therefore, the light-transmissive medium is sensitive for application of force generally in its entirety.

In some embodiments of the system, the medium is rectangular, namely the light-reflective edges that confines the medium, are having a rectangular shape. The light emitters and the lights detectors form optical couples, each couple includes a light emitter and a light detector that is configured to detect light from its light emitter member.

In some embodiments, one member of the couple is disposed proximal to one light-reflective edge and the other at the opposite light-reflective edge of the rectangle.

In some embodiments of the system, the sensing modules are arranged in an irregular array. In other words, there is no defined symmetry between groups of the sensing modules.

In some embodiments of the system, the irregular array includes sub-arrays, each sub-array includes an internal linear or symmetric arrangement. Each sub-array is arranged in a non-linear arrangement, namely non-symmetric arrangement, with respect to one or more, or even any other sub-arrays.

In some embodiments, the system is configured to measure weights of a plurality of objects simultaneously.

In some embodiments of the system, the touch-sensitive display unit includes a protective layer that is disposed on the touch-sensitive display unit. The protective layer serves as a barrier between the touch-sensitive display unit and objects that are placed on or pushed against the touch-sensitive display unit. It is to be noted, that in some embodiments, the protective layer may form the light-transmissive medium as described above.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a system that includes a touch-sensitive display unit for displaying an image and configured to detect a touch of one or more objects onto said unit to thereby affect said image, wherein the touch-sensitive display unit defines a planar outer face.

The touch-sensitive display unit includes a planar light-transmissive medium permitting transmission of light in a direction parallel to the outer face. The touch-sensitive display unit further includes one or more light emitters configured to emit light into the medium and one or more light detectors configured to detect light from at least one of the emitters, wherein changes in characteristics of the light detected by a detector is indicative of at least one of (i) degree of force applied on the touch-sensitive display unit and (ii) the location where the force is applied onto the touch-sensitive display unit.

In some embodiments of the system the light-transmissive medium includes light-reflective edges. The optical path of the light between the emitter and the detector includes multiple reflections from said light-reflective edges.

In some embodiments of the system, the optical path spans throughout a major portion of the medium.

In some embodiments of the system, the medium is rectangular. The light emitters and the lights detectors are two members of an optical couple, in which the detector is configured to detect the light from its coupled emitter; and wherein one member of the couple is being disposed proximal to one edge and the other at the opposite edges of the rectangle.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a hand-held tool for operating a touch-sensitive display unit. The tool includes an engagement portion that is configured for affecting the touch-sensitive display unit upon engagement with the touch-sensitive display unit. For example, the image that is displayed on the touch-sensitive display unit may response to engagement of the engagement portion.

The hand-held tool further includes a gripping portion that is configured for gripping the hand-held tool; and a communication module for communicating with the touch-sensitive display unit.

The engagement portion includes a first force-sensitive unit that is configured to sense, upon engagement with the touch-sensitive display unit, the amount of force applied by the engagement portion on the touch-sensitive display unit and generate first pressure data based thereon. The communication module is configured to transmit the first force data to the touch-sensitive display unit to trigger a response in a displayed image of the display unit based thereon, namely affect the displayed image.

Therefore, the hand-held tool is configured as an input device for the display unit that transmits data thereto to affect the image that is displayed thereby and/or operate the display unit.

In some embodiments of the hand-held tool, the gripping portion includes a second force-sensitive unit that is configured to sense the amount of force applied on the gripping portion and generate second force data. The communication module is configured to transmit the second force data to the touch-sensitive display unit to trigger a response based thereon and/or the first pressure data together. The first and second force data may be translated to a plurality of gestures, each triggers a different response in the image of the display unit.

In some embodiments of the hand-held tool, the engagement portion (at the tip thereof) includes a capacitance meter that is configured to sense the rate of movement of the engagement portion from or to the touch-sensitive display unit and generates movement data. The communication module is configured to transmit the movement data to the touch-sensitive display unit and triggers a response based thereon. Typically, the capacitance meter is disposed at the tip of the engagement portion.

In some embodiments of the hand-held tool, the first force-sensitive unit comprises a plurality of first force sensors. The first force data is constituted by sensed data from each of the plurality of first force sensors. The combination of sensed data from the different first force sensors may trigger different gestures on the display unit.

In some embodiments of the hand-held tool, the second force-sensitive unit comprises a plurality of second force sensors. The second force data is constituted by sensed data from each of the plurality of second force sensors. The combination of sensed data from the different second force sensors may trigger different gestures on the display unit.

The second force sensors may be formed on the circumference of a body of the hand-held tool, namely on the circumference of a body portion of the gripping portion, such that the second force-sensitive unit is configured to sense independently the force that is applied on each portion of the circumference of the gripping portion.

In some embodiments, the engagement portion includes an imaging unit for capturing images and communicate them to the display unit for affecting the displayed image on the display unit. Furthermore, the imaging unit is configured to provide additional gestures that are triggered by imaged data that is provided by the imaging unit in combination with the data that is provided by the first and second force-sensitive units or by the imaging data alone. This permits the ease of use for the user with new kind of interactive gestures.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure provides an induction system that combines the functionality of an induction hob and an interactive display unit.

The induction system includes a display unit layer configured for displaying an image. An electromagnetic-blocking layer is formed on the display unit layer to form a barrier between the display unit layer and an induction-generating layer that is formed on the electromagnetic-blocking layer. The induction-generating layer is configured for generating an electromagnetic induction for heating suitable conductive tools, such as pots, that are placed thereon, and the electromagnetic-blocking layer is configured for blocking at least a portion of the electromagnetic induction to protect electrical components of the display unit. The layers are formed such that displaying components of the display unit, e.g. LEDs, are visible through the induction-generating layer and the electromagnetic-blocking layer.

In some embodiments, to allow the visualization of the display unit through the layers, the electromagnetic-blocking layer is having a latticed formation. The display unit components are visualized through the gaps of the lattice formation. In the same manner, the induction-generating layer is formed with matching gaps/spaces to allow the visualization of the display unit therethrough.

In some embodiments of the induction system, the induction-generating layer comprises an induction element, e.g. induction coil, that is formed within a medium, e.g. glass or polymer. In some embodiments, the induction element may be disposed in an induction space within the medium and is configured for retraction from the induction space into a retracted space. For example, when a user desires to use the induction functionality, the induction element is extracted into the induction space and may be operated for heating. When the induction element is not being used, it may be retracted into a retracted space to allow the portion of the display unit below the induction space to be visualized, so as to display images therethrough.

In some embodiments of the induction system, the space is positioned outside vertical boundaries of the display unit layer. In other words, the retracted space is formed in a position where there is no layered formation of the display unit layer, the induction-generating layer and the electromagnetic-blocking layer, so when the induction element is retracted, it does not block the visualization any portion of the display unit.

In some embodiments, the induction system further includes a touch-sensitive surface associated with the display unit, namely a portion thereof is associated with a corresponding portion of the display unit, and is configured to detect a touch of one or more objects thereon to thereby affect the image on the display unit.

It should be noted that embodiments of the induction system may be combined with any of the embodiments of the system described above to form an integral system that includes an interactive display unit and is configured for weighing and heating objects.

