Stylus to host synchronization

• US 10,031,597 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Kremin, Viktor, Ryshtun, Andriy, Wright, David, Boschee, Jeff M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Priyank
• Application Number:
  US15/097,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing a stylus to a capacitive sense array. The system including a capacitive sense array which includes a plurality of electrodes. A synchronization signal is transmitted to the stylus using the plurality of electrodes. The synchronization signal is transmitted to the stylus by capacitively coupling the stylus to the capacitive sense array.

Claims

1. A signal processing device configured to be coupled to a sensor array including first electrodes extending in a first direction and second electrodes extending in a second direction different from the first direction, the signal processing device comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate a first sensor transmission signal and a second sensor transmission signal, wherein a frequency of the first sensor transmission signal is greater than a frequency of the second sensor transmission signal; and

a processor coupled to the signal generator and configured to;

transmit the first sensor transmission signal to an active stylus, capacitively via the sensor array and time-divisionally with respect to the second sensor transmission signal, wherein the first sensor transmission signal allows the active stylus to determine when to transmit a stylus transmission signal to the sensor array;

receive the stylus transmission signal from the active stylus in response to the first sensor transmission signal, wherein the stylus transmission signal is distinguishable from the first sensor transmission signal and is capacitively received by the sensor array in a first time period;

determine whether the active stylus is present on the sensor array based on the stylus transmission signal received in the first time period;

after determining that the active stylus is present on the sensor array, detect a position of the active stylus on the sensor array based on the stylus transmission signal capacitively received by the sensor array in a second time period subsequent to and different from the first time period; and

transmit the second sensor transmission signal via the first electrodes of the sensor array in a third time period, which does not overlap with the first and second time periods, and receive signals indicative of a presence of a passive object via the second electrodes of the sensor array in a fourth time period, which does not overlap with the first and second time periods, wherein the third time period overlaps with the fourth time period.

2. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the frequency of the first sensor transmission signal is a multiple of the frequency of the second sensor transmission signal.

3. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a power management command for the active stylus.

4. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a user feedback command for the active stylus.

5. The signal processing device of claim 4, wherein the user feedback command is a command that controls an LED provided on the active stylus.

6. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a data packet.

7. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor transmission signal defines a frequency of the stylus transmission signal.

8. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes configuration data that configures the active stylus.

9. A signal processing device configured to be coupled to a sensor array including first electrodes extending in a first direction and second electrodes extending in a second direction different from the first direction, the signal processing device comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate a first sensor transmission signal and a second sensor transmission signal, wherein a frequency of the first sensor transmission signal is greater than a frequency of the second sensor transmission signal; and

a processor coupled to the signal generator and configured to;

transmit the first sensor transmission signal to an active stylus, capacitively via the sensor array and time-overlappingly with respect to the second sensor transmission signal, wherein the first sensor transmission signal allows the active stylus to determine when to transmit a stylus transmission signal to the sensor array;

receive the stylus transmission signal from the active stylus in response to the first sensor transmission signal, wherein the stylus transmission signal is distinguishable from the first sensor transmission signal and is capacitively received by the sensor array in a first time period;

determine whether the active stylus is present on the sensor array based on the stylus transmission signal received in the first time period;

after determining that the active stylus is present on the sensor array, detect a position of the active stylus on the sensor array based on the stylus transmission signal capacitively received by the sensor array in a second time period subsequent to and different from the first time period; and

transmit the second sensor transmission signal via the first electrodes of the sensor array in a third time period, and receive signals indicative of a presence of a passive object via the second electrodes of the sensor array in a fourth time period, wherein the third time period overlaps with the fourth time period.

10. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal is distinguishable from the second sensor transmission signal in signal types.

11. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal is distinguishable from the second sensor transmission signal in frequencies.

12. The signal processing device of claim 9, the frequency of the first sensor transmission signal is a multiple of the frequency of the second sensor transmission signal.

13. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a power management command for the active stylus.

14. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a user feedback command for the active stylus.

15. The signal processing device of claim 14, wherein the user feedback command is a command that controls an LED provided on the active stylus.

16. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a data packet.

17. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal defines a frequency of the stylus transmission signal.

18. The signal processing device of claim 9, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes configuration data that configures the active stylus.