Detecting touch input provided by signal transmitting stylus

• US 10,048,811 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheng, Samuel W., Shih, Shih-Ming, Hsieh, Yenyu, Hamblin, Mark, Lynn, Lapoe E.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHENG, TOM V
• Application Number:
  US15/267,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20170083164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 13/0062 Zadoff-Chu

Abstract

A touch input provided by a touch input indicator device is received on a propagating medium of a receiving device. The touch input indicator device includes a transmitter that transmits a signal to the propagating medium when the touch input indicator device contacts the propagating medium. The signal encodes a digital binary data identifying the signal. The signal that has been propagated through the propagating medium is received at a receiver of the receiving device. The receiver is coupled to the propagating medium. The digital binary data is detected in the received signal. Based at least in part on the detection of the digital binary data, the touch input provided by the touch input indicator device is detected.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a propagating medium configured to receive a first touch input provided by a touch input indicator device, wherein the touch input indicator device includes a transmitter that transmits a first signal to the propagating medium when the touch input indicator device contacts the propagating medium and the first signal encodes a digital binary data;

a receiver coupled to the propagating medium, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the first signal, from the touch input indicator device, that has been propagated through the propagating medium; and

a fixed transmitter coupled to the propagating medium at a fixed location and the fixed transmitter is configured to transmit a second signal to be propagated through the propagating medium and received at the receiver; and

a processor configured to detect the digital binary data in the received signal and detect based at least in part on the detection of the digital binary data, the first touch input provided by the touch input indicator device, and identify a location of a second touch input provided on the propagating medium at least in part by analyzing a disturbance by the second touch input to the second signal propagated through the propagating medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the digital binary data includes correlating the received propagated signal with a reference signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the propagating medium includes a cover glass of a touch screen.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the propagating medium is metal or plastic.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the touch input indicator device is a stylus.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is a piezoelectric transducer and the first signal is an ultrasonic signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital binary data includes a pseudorandom binary sequence.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the first touch input includes identifying a location of the first touch input on a surface of the propagating medium based at least in part on a time value associated with a distance traveled by the first signal.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the first touch input includes identifying a force of the first touch input on a surface of the propagating medium based at least in part on a magnitude of the received propagated signal of the first signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the identified force was determined based at least in part on an orientation angle associated with the first touch input.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting the first touch input includes identifying an orientation angle of the first touch input indicator device when the first touch input was provided based at least in part on a determined distance traveled by the first signal within a tip of the touch input indicator device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the orientation angle corresponding to the distance traveled by the first signal within the tip.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a third signal from a second touch input indicator device that has been propagated through the propagating medium, wherein the third signal encodes a second digital binary data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first signal includes a second communication channel that includes a signal component encoding digital data specifying a type property associated with the first touch input.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second communication channel is associated with a second frequency range, a first communication channel includes a primary signal component encoding the digital binary data, and the first communication channel is associated with a first frequency range different from the second frequency range.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first frequency range and the second frequency range are both within an ultrasonic frequency range.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the touch input indicator device identifies a selected touch input option among a plurality of options.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving a first touch input provided by a touch input indicator device on a propagating medium, wherein the touch input indicator device includes a transmitter that transmits a signal to the propagating medium when the touch input indicator device contacts the propagating medium and the signal encodes a digital binary data;

receiving at a receiver the first signal, from the touch input indicator device, that has been propagated through the propagating medium, wherein the receiver is coupled to the propagating medium;

detecting the digital binary data in the received signal;

detecting based at least in part on the detection of the digital binary data, the first touch input provided by the touch input indicator device; and

identifying a location of a second touch input provided on the propagating medium at least in part by analyzing a disturbance by the second touch input to a second signal propagated through the propagating medium, wherein a fixed transmitter is coupled to the propagating medium at a fixed location and the fixed transmitter transmitted the second signal and the receiver received the second signal that has been disturbed by the second touch input.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the digital binary data includes a pseudorandom binary sequence.

20. A touch input indicator device, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first signal that encodes a digital binary data; and

a contact tip coupled to the transmitter and configured to contact a propagating medium of a receiving device to propagate the first signal through the propagating medium;

wherein when the receiving device receives the first signal that has been propagated through the propagating medium, the receiving device detects the digital binary data in the received signal and detects based at least in part on the detection of the digital binary data, a first touch input provided by the touch input indicator device, and a fixed transmitter is coupled to the propagating medium at a fixed location, the fixed transmitter is configured to transmit a second signal to be propagated through the propagating medium and received at the receiving device, and the receiving device is configured to identify a location of a second touch input provided on the propagating medium at least in part by analyzing a disturbance by the second touch input to the second signal propagated through the propagating medium.