A patent filing from Apple published today, outlines the company’s exploration with infra-red technology, specifically in allowing users to invoke functions without having to actually touch a surface or display.
DISPLAY INTEGRATED PHOTODIODE MATRIX: The use of one or more proximity sensors alone or in combination with one or more touch sensors in a multi-touch panel to detect the presence of a finger, body part or other object and control or trigger one or more functions in accordance with an “image” of touch provided by the sensor outputs is disclosed. In some embodiments, one or more infrared (IR) proximity sensors can be driven with a specific stimulation frequency and emit IR light from one or more areas, which can in some embodiments correspond to “pixel” locations. The reflected IR signal, if any, can be demodulated using synchronous demodulation.
Essentially, this patent aims at core user input functionality. Apple is researching alternative user input methods, as they have explained in the past. Hovering over a screen to call up commands without actually needing to physically touch the device seems like a natural progression in user input. Apple itself calls this method of future input desirable. A user would be able to control everything from dimming the screen, powering the device on and off, and individually controlling elements of the device, all without ever physically touching the display.
“Additionally, merely by placing a finger, hand or other object near a touch panel, virtual buttons on the display screen can be highlighted without actually triggering the ‘pushing’ of those buttons to alert the user that a virtual button is about to be pushed should the user actually make contact with the touch panel,” the filing says. “Furthermore, the combination of touch panel and proximity (hovering) sensor input devices can enable the computing system to perform additional functions not previously available with only a touch panel.”
As AppleInsider notes, the filing is from July 2008, however wasn’t published until today. The patent gives credit to Apple employees Steve Hotelling, Brian Lynch, and Jeffrey Bernstein.
