Position detector and position indicator

• US 10,185,411 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Katsurahira, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/460,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• 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 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A position indicator is provided, which includes a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure applied to a tip of the position indicator. The position indicator further includes a storage configured to store the pressure as one type of digital data and to store at least one other type of digital data. The position indicator also includes a receiver configured to receive a command signal transmitted from a position sensor, and a control circuit configured to select one or more types of digital data in the storage based on the command signal. The position indicator includes a transmitter configured to transmit the selected one or more types of digital data to the position sensor.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting indicator information from a position indicator to a position detector including a tablet sensor surface, comprising:

transmitting a first position indication signal from the position indicator, wherein the first position indication signal is usable for detection of a first position indicated by the position indicator on the tablet sensor surface;

detecting a pressure applied to the position indicator and storing the pressure as one type of digital data in the position indicator;

providing at least one other type of digital data in the position indicator;

selecting one or more types of digital data based on a command signal transmitted from the position detector;

transmitting the selected one or more types of digital data to the position detector; and

in response to a first command signal requesting transmission of the pressure, transmitting the first position indication signal and the digital data indicating the pressure to the position detector; and

in response to a second command signal requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information, transmitting to the position detector a second position indication signal from the position indicator, wherein the second position indication signal is usable for detection of a second position indicated by the position indicator on the tablet sensor surface and wherein the second position indication signal and the first position indication signal collectively indicate the rotational angle information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other type of digital data is identification (ID) information of the position indicator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other type of digital data is position information of a slider switch provided on the position indicator.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

alternating between a transmission operation of transmitting the first position indication signal and a reception operation of receiving the command signal transmitted from the position detector.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

the position indicator entering a standby state when not detecting the command signal during the reception operation.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

alternating between transmitting the first position indication signal and transmitting the selected one or more types of digital data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the second position indication signal from the position indicator is activated by a switch.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

the position indicator entering a standby state when not detecting the command signal for a defined period of time.

9. A position indicator for use with a position detector including a tablet sensor surface, comprising:

an oscillation circuit transmitter including a first coil configuration and a second coil configuration different from the first coil configuration, and configured to transmit a first position indication signal from the first coil configuration and a second position indication signal from the second coil configuration;

a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure applied to the position indicator;

a storage configured to store the pressure as one type of digital data among one or more types of digital data of the position indicator; and

control circuitry configured to select one or more types of digital data based on a command signal from the position detector;

wherein the oscillation circuit transmitter, in operation, transmits the selected one or more types of digital data to the position detector;

in response to a first command signal from the position detector requesting transmission of the pressure, transmits the first position indication signal and the digital data indicating the pressure to the position detector and;

in response to a second command signal from the position detector requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information, transmits the second position indication signal to the position detector, where the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal collectively indicate the rotational angle information.

10. The position indicator of claim 9, wherein the at least one other type of digital data is identification (ID) information of the position indicator.

11. The position indicator of claim 9, wherein the at least one other type of digital data is position information of a slider switch provided on the position indicator.

12. The position indicator of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry enters a standby state when not detecting the command signal from the position detector for a defined period of time.

13. The position indicator of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry alternates between a transmission operation of controlling the oscillation circuit transmitter to transmit the first position indication signal and a reception operation of receiving the command signal from the position detector.

14. A position detector, comprising:

a tablet sensor surface configured to receive a first position indication signal from a first coil configuration of a position indicator and a second position indication signal from a second coil configuration of the position indicator different from the first coil configuration, to transmit a command signal to the position indicator, and to receive one or more types of digital data from the position indicator, wherein the one or more types of digital data indicate one or more non-positional characteristics of the position indicator including a pressure applied to the position indicator and are selected based on the command signal; and

a sensor Central Processing Unit (CPU) configured to detect the one or more types of digital data received by the tablet sensor surface and to detect one or more positions indicated by the position indicator on the tablet sensor surface based on at least one of the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal received by the tablet sensor surface;

wherein the tablet sensor surface, in response to transmitting a first command signal requesting the pressure, receives the first position indication signal and the digital data indicating the pressure from the position indicator and, in response to transmitting a second command signal requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information, receives the second position indication signal from the position indicator, and the sensor CPU is configured to calculate the rotational angle information based on the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal.

15. The position detector of claim 14, wherein the one or more types of digital data include identification (ID) information of the position indicator.

16. The position detector of claim 14, wherein the one or more types of digital data include position information of a slider switch provided on the position indicator.

17. The position detector of claim 14, wherein:

the sensor CPU is configured to control transmission of the command signal based on a signal level of the first position indication signal received by the tablet sensor surface.

18. A position indicator for transmitting information to a position sensor of a position detector, the position indicator comprising:

a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure applied to the position indicator;

a storage configured to store the pressure as one type of digital data among one or more types of date of the position indicator;

an oscillation circuit transmitter configured to transmit one or more types of digital data, to transmit a first position indication signal for indicating a position of the position indicator relative to the position sensor, and to transmit a second position indication signal for indicating a position of the position indicator relative to the position sensor, different from the position indicated by the first position indication signal, the oscillation circuit transmitter configured to control transmitting one or both of the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal; and

control circuitry configured to select the one or more types of digital data for transmission in response to a command signal transmitted from the position detector, configured to transmit the first position indication signal and the digital data indicating the pressure in response to a first command signal transmitted from the position detector requesting the pressure of the position indicator, and configured to transmit the second position indication signal in response to a second command signal transmitted from the position detector requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information of the position indicator.

19. The position indicator of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is configured to transmit both of the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal to indicate multiple positions of the position indicator in response to the second command signal requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information of the position indicator.

20. The position indicator of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry controls a reception period in which to receive the second command signal requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information of the position indicator, a first transmission period in which to transmit the first position indication signal, and a second transmission period in which to transmit the second position indication signal in response to the second command signal requesting signals for detecting rotational angle information of the position indicator.

21. The position indicator of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry controls a switch to transmit the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal.