Patent ID: 8243015

Claim:
A virtual data entry device comprising: an illuminator generating a generally planar beam of light; and an impingement sensor assembly operative to sense at least one location of impingement of said planar beam of light by at least one object, said impingement sensor assembly comprising: at least one optical element arranged to receive light from said planar beam reflected by said at least one object, said at least one optical element having optical power in a first direction such that it focuses light from said planar beam reflected by an object at one of a plurality of focus line locations, which said one of a plurality of focus line locations is a function of the location of said object relative to said at least one optical element; at least one multi-element detector arranged to receive light passing through said at least one optical element, said at least one multi-element detector being inclined with respect to said at least one optical element such that said multi-element detector intersects said plurality of focus line locations; and processing circuitry operative to determine a distance between said at least one object and said at least one optical element, without using triangulation, based on a location of an intersection between said plurality of focus line locations and a detector line along which are arranged in a side-by-side orientation multiple elements of said multi-element detector.