Proximity sensor for determining two-dimensional coordinates of a proximal object

US9164625B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Neonode Inc. · SE

Inventors

• Stefan Holmgren · Sollentuna, SE
• Sairam Iyer · Sunnyvale, US
• Richard Berglind · Ayacucho, PE
• Karl Erik Patrik Nordström · Huddinge, SE
• Lars Sparf · Ljungby, SE
• Per Rosengren · Solna, SE
• Erik Anders Claes Rosengren · Stockholm, SE
• John Karlsson · Brooklyn, US
• Thomas Eriksson · Stockholm, SE
• Alexander Jubner · Spånga, SE
• Remo Behdasht · Chatswood, AU
• Simon Fellin · Floda, SE
• Robin Kjell Åman · Spånga, SE
• Joseph Shain · Rehovot, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 24, 2014
• Grant date: Oct 20, 2015
• Expiry date: Jun 24, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2203/04809
• WIPO field: Furniture, games
• WIPO sector: Other fields

Abstract

A proximity sensor including a housing, a plurality of light pulse emitters for projecting light out of the housing along a detection plane, a plurality of primary light detectors for detecting reflections of the light projected by the emitters, by a reflective object in the detection plane, a plurality of primary lenses oriented relative to the emitters and primary detectors in such a manner that for each emitter-detector pair, light emitted by the emitter of that pair passes through one of the primary lenses and is reflected by the object back through one of the primary lenses to the detector of that pair when the object is located at a position, from among a primary set of positions in the detection plane, that position being associated with that emitter-detector pair, and a processor for co-activating emitter-detector pairs, and configured to calculate a location of the object in the detection plane.