Stylus to host synchronization

• US 10,037,092 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• 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:
  US15/096,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 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 the second sensor transmission signal is usable for sensing a passive object on the sensor array; and

a processor coupled to the signal generator and configured to;

transmit the first sensor transmission signal capacitively via the sensor array to an active stylus, wherein the first sensor transmission signal allows the active stylus to determine when to transmit a stylus transmission signal to the sensor array;

determine whether the active stylus is present on the sensor array based on the stylus transmission signal, which is capacitively received by the sensor array in a first time period and is distinguishable from the first sensor transmission signal; and

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.

2. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the processor time-divisionally transmits the first sensor transmission signal and the second sensor transmission signal.

3. The signal processing device of claim 1, wherein the processor time-overlappingly transmits the first sensor transmission signal and the second sensor transmission signal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. An active stylus configured to indicate a position on 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 active stylus comprising:

signal reception circuitry which, in operation, capacitively receives a first sensor transmission signal, from the sensor array and determines when to transmit a stylus transmission signal based on the received first sensor transmission signal; and

signal transmission circuitry which, after the signal reception circuitry receives the first sensor transmission signal, transmits the stylus transmission signal that is distinguishable from the first sensor transmission signal, wherein the stylus transmission signal transmitted in a first time period allows the sensor array to detect a presence of the active stylus and the stylus transmission signal transmitted in a second time period subsequent to and different from the first time period allows the sensor array to detect a position of the active stylus, and

wherein the sensor array transmits a second sensor transmission signal distinguishable from the first sensor transmission signal, a frequency of the first sensor transmission signal being greater than a frequency of the second sensor transmission signal, via the first electrodes of the sensor array in a third time period, and receives 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.

11. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a power management command for controlling the active stylus.

12. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes a user feedback command for controlling the active stylus.

13. The active stylus of claim 12, wherein the user feedback command is a command that controls an LED provided on the active stylus.

14. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor transmission signal defines a frequency of the stylus transmission signal.

15. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor transmission signal includes configuration data that configures the active stylus.

16. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the data included in the stylus transmission signal includes at least one of stylus force data and stylus button data.

17. The active stylus of claim 10, wherein the stylus transmission signal includes data.