Patent Application
20120162135
This application claims priority of Chinese Application No. 201010613440.6, filed on Dec. 24, 2010.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical touch apparatus, and more particularly to an optical touch apparatus capable of positioning lighting modules in a frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional optical touch sensing apparatus disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 14358363 includes a processing module disposed in a frame, and first and second image capturing modules mounted on the frame. The first and second image capturing modules are connected electrically to the processing module through ribbon cables or electric wires arranged in the frame. Arrangement for the ribbon cables or the electric wires may be complicated. Thus, it may take more time to assemble the conventional optical touch sensing apparatus. Improvements may be made in the above techniques.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical touch apparatus that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, an optical touch apparatus comprises:
a frame having a first side and two corners, the first side of the frame having a first connecting unit;
a lighting module for generating light, the lighting module having a second connecting unit connected to the first connecting unit of the first side of the frame such that the lighting module is mounted to the first side of the frame; and
two optical sensors mounted on the frame and disposed respectively at the corners of the frame, each of the optical sensors sensing the light generated by the lighting module.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater details it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
Referring further to
Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the front side 12 and the lateral sides 12′ of the frame 1 further has a first positioning unit. The stop plate 123 of the front side 12 is formed with a plurality of positioning holes 126 that serve as the first positioning unit of the front side 12. The stop plate 123 of each lateral side 12′ is formed with a plurality of downward extending positioning protrusions 127 that serve as the first positioning unit of a corresponding lateral side 12′ It is noted that each through hole 125 in the stop plate 123 of each lateral side 12′ extends through a corresponding positioning protrusion 127.
The panel module 2 is mounted in the frame 1, and includes a panel 21 having a touch surface 211, and a circuit board 22 disposed under the panel 21.
The lighting modules 3, 3′ are respectively mounted to the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1 for generating light that propagates along the touch surface 211 of the panel module 2. Each of the lighting modules 3, 3′ is connected electrically to the circuit board 22 of the panel module 2 through a first electric wire 31. Each of the lighting modules 3, 3′ has a second connecting unit connected to the first connecting unit of a corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1. In this embodiment, each of the lighting modules 3, 3′ has a main body 30, and a plurality of engaging blocks 31 that extend from the main body 30 and that serve as the second connecting unit. For each of the lighting modules 3, 3′, each engaging block 31 extends into and engages a corresponding engaging hole 121 in the corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1, and is clamped between the stop plate 123 and a corresponding clipping tab 124 of the corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1. In addition, each engaging block 31 is formed with a connecting hole 311, such as a threaded hole, corresponding to a corresponding through hole 125 in the stop plate 123 of the corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1. Each engaging block 31 is anchored to the stop plate 13 of the corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1 by a screw fastener 5 extending through the corresponding through hole 125 and secured in the connecting hole 311.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the lighting modules 3, 3′ further has a second positioning unit engaging the second positioning unit of a corresponding one of the front and lateral sides 12, 12′ of the frame 1. The lighting module 3 further has a plurality of positioning protrusions 32 that extend upward from the main body 30, that serve as the second positioning unit of the lighting module 3, and that extend into and engage the positioning holes 126 in the stop plate 123 of the front side 12 of the frame. Each lighting module 3′ is formed with a plurality of positioning grooves 312 that serve as the second positioning unit of a corresponding lighting module 3′. For each lighting module 3′, each positioning groove 312 is formed in a corresponding one of the engaging blocks 31, and is defined by an inner surrounding wall 314, and a groove-bottom wall 313 formed with the connecting hole 311.
The optical sensors 4, such as image sensors, are mounted to the rear side 11 of the frame 1, and are placed around the periphery of the panel 21 of the panel module 2. In this embodiment, two optical sensors 4 are disposed respectively at two adjacent corners of the frame 1. The optical sensors 4 detects an interruption, which is produced by an object, such as a user's finger, in a light region defined by the lighting modules 3, 3′ to locate the object. Each optical sensor 4 is connected electrically to the circuit board 22 of the panel module 2 through a second electric wire 41.
In sum, due to the presence of the first and second connecting units and the first and second positioning units, the lighting modules 3, 3′ can be accurately positioned and quickly assembled to the frame 1. Furthermore, because each of the first and second electric wires 33, 41 can be easily arranged to have a shorter length, the optical touch apparatus of this invention can reduce signal attenuation and noise interference. In addition, wire entanglement can be avoided during assembly. Therefore, the optical touch apparatus of this invention can be assembled in a reduced time period.
The light-reflecting modules 6 are mounted respectively to the lateral sides 12′ of the frame 1 for reflecting the light generated by the lighting module 3. In this embodiment, the light-reflecting modules 6 have the same mechanical structure as that of the lighting modules 3′. That is, each light-reflecting module 6 has a main body 60, and a plurality of engaging blocks 61 that extend from the main body 60 and engage respectively the engaging holes 121 in a corresponding lateral side 12′ of the frame 1 and that serve as a third connecting unit connected to the first connecting unit of the corresponding lateral side 12′ of the frame 1, and a plurality of positioning grooves 612 formed respectively in the engaging blocks 61 and serving as a second positioning unit engaging the first positioning unit of the corresponding lateral side 12′ of the frame 1. Each engaging block 31 of each light-reflecting module 6 is formed with a connecting hole 611 engaging threadly a corresponding screw fastener 5.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201010613440.6 | Dec 2010 | CN | national |
