Light-based proximity detection system and user interface

Abstract

A light-based proximity sensor, including light emitters mounted in a housing alongside one side of the housing, oriented to emit light beams in a direction outside of the housing, light receivers mounted alongside the same one side oriented to receive light beams entering from inside the housing, the receivers being farther away from the one side than the emitters so as not to receive light beams emitted by the emitters that are not reflected, at least one reflective surface mounted farther away from the one side than the receivers, for redirecting light beams entering from outside the housing so as to enter the receivers, and a processor for controlling the emitters and the receivers, and for calculating a location of a nearby object outside of the housing that reflects light beams exiting the housing back into the housing, based on the reflected light beams received by the receivers.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A proximity sensor, comprising:
 a housing;   back-to-back rows of emitters and receivers mounted inside said housing, wherein the emitters are operative when activated to emit light outwards from a first side of said housing, and wherein the receivers are operative when activated to receive light arriving inwards from the opposite side of said housing;   an optical assembly mounted on said housing in such a way that light emitted by said emitters that exits said housing is reflected by a reflective object located outside said housing back into said housing and onto said receivers; and   a processor mounted inside said housing and coupled with said emitters and receivers, for controlling activation of said emitters and receivers, and for calculating a location of the reflective object, based on light received by said receivers.   
     
     
         20 . The proximity sensor of  claim 19 , further comprising a barrier inside said housing, between the row of emitters and the row of receivers, to prevent light emitted by said emitters that does not exit said housing from arriving at said receivers. 
     
     
         21 . The proximity sensor of  claim 19 , wherein the location of the object comprises a distance from one side of said housing. 
     
     
         22 . The proximity sensor of  claim 19 , wherein the location of the object comprises a two-dimensional location relative to one side of said housing. 
     
     
         23 . The proximity sensor of  claim 19 , wherein said emitters and receivers are distributed along the length and width of one side of said housing. 
     
     
         24 . The proximity sensor of  claim 23 , wherein the location of the object comprises a three-dimensional location relative to the one side. 
     
     
         25 . The proximity sensor of  claim 19 , wherein said processor detects a motion gesture performed by one or more reflective objects located outside of said housing, based on a time series of light beams received by said receivers. 
     
     
         26 . The proximity sensor of  claim 25 , wherein the detected gesture is a pinch gesture. 
     
     
         27 . The proximity sensor of  claim 25 , wherein the detected gesture is a spread gesture. 
     
     
         28 . The proximity sensor of  claim 25 , wherein the detected gesture is a slide gesture. 
     
     
         29 . The proximity sensor of  claim 28 , configured as an interactive element for an electronic device connected to the proximity sensor, wherein a sound volume of the electronic device is raised or lowered in response to the detected slide gesture, according to a direction of the slide. 
     
     
         30 . The proximity sensor of  claim 25 , wherein the detected gesture comprises the one or more reflective objects tapping a surface outside of the housing. 
     
     
         31 . The proximity sensor of  claim 30 , wherein the detected gesture comprises at least two reflective objects alternatingly tapping the surface outside of the housing.