Virtual Touch Layer

Lumio has developed a fully scalable Virtual Touch Layer that consists of three modules: illumination module, detection module and the processing unit (Algorithms are light and portable and fit easily onto host environments). This virtual layer can be attached to any surface (or can float in the air) enabling touch/event detection and therefore, convert any flat surface to an interactive one.

This system structure has built in capabilities for addressing a wide range of applications that brings added value to the customer. The same modules can fit different requirements making them ideal for a “family” of products eliminating the need for designing, testing and qualifying each member of the family, and as a result, the inventory costs, stock codes, maintenance costs, support and collateral can be minimized.

From a technology point of view, using a digital sensing approach, with image processing algorithms, keeps the system in the digital world with all the benefits that digital systems bring: drift free, aging free and excellent noise immunity which all analog systems suffer from.

The heart of the system and much of Lumio’s IP lies in the system architecture and in the algorithm implemented both in the optics and in the processing unit. As such, Lumio’s system is based on simple, standard components presenting low risk to the customer in terms of supply chain, reliability, MTBF, temperature range and qualifications for different standards.

As the system detects events as light signals, it can be sealed behind the glass without exposing any electrical, mechanical parts or wiring making it attractive to applications that require this capability for robustness, safety, environmental exposure or simply industrial design considerations.

The Sensing Technologies

Lumio has developed several sensing technologies which cover the gamut of sensing applications. Depending on the sensitivity, resolution and acquisition speed requirements, along with price and opto-mechanical constraints, Lumio can tailor a solution to any requirement. Broadly speaking, the technologies can be divided into two classifications:

 

1D (Low Profile) Sensing Technology

The 1D sensing technology has the advantage

Graphical representation of the ‘low profile’ detection on a host PCB

that both the illumination and sensing modules lie within the sensing plane, i.e. there can be essentially no physical protrusion above the detection surface. 1D sensing typically uses a highly efficient low cost IR-LED illumination module and, depending on resolution requirements, one or more 1D sensing modules. Regardless of the implementation, all the active components lie along a single side of the interaction region, with higher resolutions achievable by using more than one sensor separated by a baseline. Depending on the application we employ a range of measurements looking at reflection, time of flight of light and a range of other measurement capabilities. Low profile sensing can provide very high resolution and high sampling rates, making it ideally suited for graphical input and cursor control application such as touch screens.

 
2D (High Profile) Sensing Technology

2D sensing solutions are well suited to vertical implementations, i.e. situations where the sensing module can be placed outside the detection plane. A typical 2D sensing implementation will incorporate an IR – Laser Diode based illumination module defining the detection plane and a CMOS camera module positioned inline and above it. This configuration provides a great deal of flexibility in designing a sensing system, and is suitable for moderate resolution input such as keyboards, re-configurable controls buttons and simple cursor control. 2D sensing requires no boundary and no base line on the interaction region which make it ideal for integration into mobile device applications.