Patent ID: 9092094
Filing Date: 2015-07-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computing device, comprising: a liquid crystal display (LCD) element including an optically transmissive layer having at least one side surface being substantially orthogonal with respect to an exposed front surface of the LCD, the side surface at least partially exposed, the side surface further being configured to receive a user input corresponding to a finger of the user contacting the side surface; an infrared (IR) light emitting diode (LED) positioned to direct IR radiation into the optically transmissive layer such that at least a portion of the IR radiation from the LED incident on an internal surface of the at least one at least partially exposed side surface of the optically transmissive layer undergoes total internal reflection (TIR) when the at least one at least partially exposed side surface is not in contact with a finger of a user; at least one IR detector operable to detect IR radiation reflected by the internal surface of the at least one at least partially exposed side surface and transmitted through at least one side surface of the optically transmissive layer; and a processor configured to execute instructions to analyze the detected IR radiation to determine variations in a measured intensity of the IR radiation, the processor further operable to determine a reflection position corresponding to a decrease in the measured intensity, the decrease in the measured intensity at the reflection position being indicative of the finger of the user contacting the at least one at least partially exposed side surface at the reflection position when the decrease in the measured intensity with respect to a default measured intensity at least meets a threshold value.