Active stylus ring electrode

• US 10,025,401 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bhandari, Priyanka, Marshall, Blake R., Tan, Li-Quan, Nasiri Mahalati, Reza, Zimmerman, Aidan N., Brooks, Ryan P., Armendariz, Kevin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEPP JONES, SHAWNA T
• Application Number:
  US14/848,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 5/12 due to rotation of part-cylindrical, conical, or spherical electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 5/145 with profiled electrodes

Abstract

A ring electrode to determine the orientation of the stylus relative to the surface. The stylus can include a ring electrode configuration which can improve capacitive coupling between the ring electrode and the touch panel. The ring electrode configuration can include a ring electrode and ground ring, and ground plate. By varying the lengths of ring electrode, ground ring, ground plate, and the distance between these elements, the electric field emanating from the ring electrode can be tuned to optimize the capacitive coupling between the ring electrode and surface. In some examples, the ring electrode can include multiple sub-rings. In some examples, the ring electrode can comprise a crown shape including projections, each having a width that tapers to a minimum width along the length of the ring electrode.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a base formed of a non-conductive material;

a ring electrode formed of a conductive material and encircling the base;

a ground ring formed of the conductive material and encircling the base and separated from the ring electrode by a first distance; and

a ground plate formed of a second conductive material and separated from the ring electrode by a second distance;

wherein the ring electrode is connected to a drive circuitry, the ground ring is connected to a reference potential, and the ground plate is connected to the reference potential.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the ring electrode is a hollow cylindrical shape having a first outer diameter, and wherein at least a portion of the ground electrode is a hollow cylindrical shape having the first outer diameter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the ring electrode has a length greater than the first outer diameter of the ring electrode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ring electrode has a first length and the ground ring has a second length less than the first length.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first distance between the ring electrode and ground ring is smaller than the first length of the ring electrode.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first length is in a range of 3 mm and 7 mm.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first distance is in a range of 3.5 mm and 6 mm.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second distance is in a range of 2 mm and 4 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus further comprises a first connector configured to couple the apparatus to a tip electrode of a stylus device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ring electrode is configured to capacitively couple to a touch-sensitive surface, and the ring electrode is also configured to capacitively couple to the ground ring.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising one or more first conductive traces coupled to the ring electrode, one or more second conductive traces coupled to the ground ring, wherein the first and second conductive traces are routed through the base.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising one or more first vias configured to couple the first conductive traces to the ring electrode and one or more second vias configured to couple the second conductive traces to the ground ring.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the one or more second vias has a circular shape with a second diameter which is larger than a length of the ground ring.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reference potential is a ground voltage.

15. An electrode for an active stylus, comprising:

a plurality of hollow cylindrical sub-rings positioned parallel to one another along a length of the electrode;

wherein each of the sub-rings is separated from adjacent sub-rings in a first direction by a respective separation distance and wherein each of the sub-rings is electrically connected to one or more of the adjacent sub-rings via one or more conductive traces disposed between the adjacent sub-rings such that each of the sub-rings of the electrode are at a same electrical potential; and

wherein a respective length of each sub-ring increases with each of the hollow cylindrical sub-ring along the length of the electrode in the first direction.

16. The electrode of claim 15, wherein the respective length of each sub-ring along the length of the electrode increases by a scaling factor.

17. The electrode of claim 16, wherein the scaling factor is in a range of 1.5 and 2.5.

18. The electrode of claim 15, wherein a separation distance between a first sub-ring and a second sub-ring adjacent in a first direction is equal to a length of the first sub-ring.

19. The electrode of claim 15, wherein each of the conductive traces in the electrode are formed on a same cylindrical contour and are situated at different angles with respect to a radial axis of the cylindrical contour.

20. The electrode of claim 15, wherein

a surface area of a first half of the electrode is greater than a surface area of a second half of the electrode, wherein the first half of the electrode and second half of the electrode are of equal axial length and are defined by a plane orthogonal to a radial axis of the electrode.

21. An electrode for an active stylus, comprising:

a hollow cylindrical ring portion;

a plurality of projections forming a crown shape;

wherein each of the plurality of projections originates at the hollow cylindrical ring portion and extends from the hollow cylindrical ring portion along a length of the electrode toward a first end, and

wherein each of the plurality of projections has a maximum width at the hollow cylindrical ring portion which tapers to a minimum width at the first end of the electrode.

22. The electrode of claim 21, wherein

each of the plurality of projections has a first length;

and

the hollow cylindrical ring portion has a second length less than the first length.

23. The electrode of claim 22, wherein

a ratio of the first length to the second length is in a range of 2:

1 and 3;

1.

24. The electrode of claim 22, wherein

the first length is in a range of 2.5 mm and 4.5 mm, and

the second length is in a range of 0.5 mm and 2.5 mm.

25. An input device comprising:

a body including a shaft portion and a tip portion;

a tip electrode at a distal end of the input device and disposed in the tip portion;

a ring electrode apparatus disposed in the tip portion distal to the tip electrode, wherein the ring electrode apparatus includes;

a base formed of a non-conductive material;

a ring electrode formed of a conductive material and encircling the base;

a ground ring formed of the conductive material and encircling the base and separated from the ring electrode by a first distance;

a ground plate formed of a second conductive material and separated from the ring electrode by a second distance;

stimulation circuitry coupled to the ring electrode and configured to generate one or more stimulation signals.