Acoustic touch apparatus
View Patent ↗An improved acoustic touch apparatus that has a logo or application icon applied on the back surface of a propagating substrate which can be viewed through the substrate and an acoustic element situated adjacent the logo or application icon that can compensate for phase velocity shifts of surface acoustic waves in propagating over the logo or application icon.
1. A method comprising:
transmitting surface acoustic waves from an acoustic wave transducer on a first surface of a substrate, wherein the first surface is configured to propagate the surface acoustic waves;
acoustically coupling the surface acoustic waves to propagate between the first surface of the substrate and a second surface of the substrate;
intercepting and causing variations in phase velocity of the surface acoustic waves by a first acoustic element;
equalizing the variations in the phase velocity of the surface acoustic waves by a second acoustic element formed with a shape that is a compensating pattern of the first acoustic element; and
receiving the surface acoustic waves.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein equalizing the variations in the phase velocity of the surface acoustic waves comprises cancelling out, by the second acoustic element, phase advance or delay of any portion of the surface acoustic waves that was intercepted and caused to have the variations in the phase velocity by the first acoustic element.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one reflective array on at least the first surface acoustically couples the surface acoustic waves to propagate on the first surface.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming, as the second acoustic element, a frit pattern configured to provide a gradated compensation of changes to phase velocities of the surface acoustic waves passing over acoustic material disposed on a propagating surface and forming an indicia.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
a. forming the frit pattern with a first segment that leads into a first end of the acoustic material of the indicia and a second segment that leads into a second end of the acoustic material of the indicia; and
b. forming the segments of the frit pattern with graded dimensions to provide a gradated change in the phase velocities of the surface acoustic waves from the surrounding propagating surface to the acoustic material of the indicia.
6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising forming the frit pattern with at least a third segment that fills in at least one area of the propagating surface surrounding the acoustic material of the indicia.
7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising juxtaposing the segments of the frit pattern and the acoustic material of the indicia in a compact manner.
8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising adjusting the frit pattern to accommodate a plurality of configurations and features on the propagating surface.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising counteracting changes in phase velocities of the propagating surface acoustic waves passing over acoustic material disposed on the propagating surface as an indicia.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein counteracting comprises passing the surface acoustic waves through a frit pattern on the propagating surface adjacent the acoustic material of the indicia.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein counteracting comprises equalizing the phase velocities of surface acoustic wave beams that comprise the propagating surface acoustic waves passing over the acoustic material of the indicia.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic material of the indicia comprises an identification marking.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the acoustic material of the indicia comprises a logo.