Combination touch and transducer input system and method
First Claim
1. A pen-shaped stylus for use with an input system including sensing electrodes that are coupled with a sensor controller, comprising:
- signal generation circuitry configured to generate a driving signal;
an antenna configured to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively based on the driving signal;
a pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pen pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped stylus;
a transmitter, which is different from the antenna, configured to transmit the pressure signal generated by the pressure sensor to the input system;
a receiver configured to receive information that is transmitted from the input system; and
a controller, which, in operation,controls the receiver to receive information from the input system, and controls the antenna to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively to indicate a position pointed to by the pen-shaped stylus, and further controls transmitting the pressure signal using at least one of the antenna and the transmitter,wherein, for transmission of the pressure signal through the antenna, a capacitive coupling link is established between the antenna and the sensing electrodes and, for transmission of the pressure signal through the transmitter, a wireless link is established between the transmitter and the input system.
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Abstract
A combination touch and transducer input system is provided, which facilitates user input into an electronic system with a finger and/or a transducer (e.g., a stylus). The system includes a transducer configured to generate an electric field, and a sensor including an array of electrodes and a controller. The transducer is configured to transmit digital data, such as pen pressure data and switch status data, to the sensor. For example, the transducer comprises electronic circuitry configured to encode the digital data in a signal for transmission to the sensor. The sensor controller is configured to operate both in a touch sensing mode and in a transducer sensing mode. During the touch sensing mode, the controller determines a position of a proximate object (e.g., a finger) by capacitively sensing the object with the array of electrodes. During the transducer sensing mode, the controller determines a position of the transducer based on a signal received by the array of electrodes from the transducer, and also receives and decodes the digital data encoded in the received signal. Digital data can be encoded in a signal using any suitable digital modulation techniques, such as a Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK) technique.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A pen-shaped stylus for use with an input system including sensing electrodes that are coupled with a sensor controller, comprising:
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signal generation circuitry configured to generate a driving signal; an antenna configured to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively based on the driving signal; a pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pen pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped stylus; a transmitter, which is different from the antenna, configured to transmit the pressure signal generated by the pressure sensor to the input system; a receiver configured to receive information that is transmitted from the input system; and a controller, which, in operation, controls the receiver to receive information from the input system, and controls the antenna to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively to indicate a position pointed to by the pen-shaped stylus, and further controls transmitting the pressure signal using at least one of the antenna and the transmitter, wherein, for transmission of the pressure signal through the antenna, a capacitive coupling link is established between the antenna and the sensing electrodes and, for transmission of the pressure signal through the transmitter, a wireless link is established between the transmitter and the input system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A pen-shaped stylus for use with an input system including sensing electrodes that are coupled with a sensor controller, comprising:
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signal generation circuitry configured to generate a driving signal; an antenna configured to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively based on the driving signal; a transmitter, which is different from the antenna, configured to transmit a stylus ID of the pen-shaped stylus; a receiver configured to receive information that is transmitted from the input system; and a controller, which, in operation, controls the receiver to receive information from the input system, and controls the antenna to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively to indicate a position pointed to by the pen-shaped stylus, and further controls transmitting the stylus ID using at least one of the antenna and the transmitter, wherein, for transmission of the stylus ID through the antenna, a capacitive coupling link is established between the antenna and the sensing electrodes and, for transmission of the stylus ID through the transmitter, a wireless link is established between the transmitter and the input system.
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17. A pen-shaped stylus for use with an input system including sensing electrodes that are coupled with a sensor controller, comprising:
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signal generation circuitry configured to generate a driving signal; an antenna configured to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively based on the driving signal; a transmitter, which is different from the antenna, configured to transmit data of the pen-shaped stylus; a receiver configured to receive information that is transmitted from the input system; and a controller, which, in operation, controls the receiver to receive information from the input system, and controls the antenna to emit an electric field to the sensing electrodes capacitively to indicate a position pointed to by the pen-shaped stylus, and further controls transmitting the data using at least one of the antenna and the transmitter, wherein, for transmission of the data through the antenna, a capacitive coupling link is established between the antenna and the sensing electrodes and, for transmission of the data through the transmitter, a wireless link is established between the transmitter and the input system. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification