Electronic Device Having A Position Sensor

• US 20080136793A1
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Scholey, Ian, Tozer, Andrew, Oda, Yasuo, Yamamoto, Sado, Ito, Masamitsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,903,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device comprising: —a position sensor (102; 302; 502), —a first integrated circuit component (106; 306; 506) coupled to the position sensor for acquisition of position data (112; 312), —a memory (114; 314) for storing the position data, a second integrated circuit component (108; 308), wherein the first integrated circuit component comprises means (110; 348) for signalling the acquisition of the position data to the second integrated circuit component, the second integrated circuit component comprising means (108; 364, 374) for reading the position data from the memory in response to the signalling.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a position sensor,

a first integrated circuit component coupled to the position sensor for acquisition of position data,

a memory for storing the position data, and

a second integrated circuit component,

wherein the first integrated circuit component comprises means for signalling the acquisition of the position data to the second integrated circuit component, the second integrated circuit component comprising means for reading the position data from the memory in response to the signalling.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the position sensor comprises a touch screen.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is an inductive sensor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the position sensor has at least one conductor for electromagnetic coupling with an entry pen.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the position sensor is positioned behind a display.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit component comprises analogue circuitry for driving the position sensor and receiving a position sensor signal, and logic circuitry for processing the position sensor signal in order to provide the position data.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit component has control means for repetitively performing the acquisitions to provide position data sets, and generator means for generating an identifier for each position data set.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the generator means has a counter, the counter being adapted to change its counter value with each acquisition, the counter value providing the identifier for the acquired position data set.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the memory has a first memory location for storing the identifier and second memory locations for storing the position data set.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit component is adapted to overwrite the position data stored in the memory after a consecutive acquisition of new position data.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first integrated circuit component is adapted to write an identifier of an acquired position data set and the position data set to the memory in a predefined sequential order starting with the identifier of the position data set.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the means for signalling is adapted to generate a first interrupt for the second integrated circuit component.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the second integrated circuit component is adapted to receive a second interrupt from an application, the second integrated circuit component comprising means for handling the first and second interrupts.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first and second integrated circuit components are coupled by a data bus.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data bus is an SPI, an IIC and/or an UART bus.

16. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the second integrated circuit component has means for reading the memory by sequentially reading the first memory location, the second memory locations and re-reading the first memory location.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a portable, battery powered device.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of a computer, a mobile phone, a personal handy phone system (PHS), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telecommunication device, a navigation system, an electronic organizer or another portable electronic device.

19. An integrated circuit component comprising:

means for acquisition of position data,

memory means for storing the position data, and

means for signalling the acquisition of the position data to a host.

20. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, wherein the means for acquisition of the position data comprises analogue circuitry for driving a position sensor and logic circuitry for processing a position signal delivered by the position sensor in order to provide the position data.

21. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, further comprising control means for repetitively performing the acquisition to provide position data sets and generator means for generating an identifier for each position data set.

22. The integrated circuit component of claim 21, wherein the generator means has a counter, the counter being adapted to change its counter value with each acquisition, the counter value providing the identifier for the acquired position data set.

23. The integrated circuit component of claim 21, wherein the memory has a first memory location for storing the identifier and second memory locations for storing the position data set.

24. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, wherein the integrated circuit component is adapted to overwrite the position data stored in the memory after a consecutive acquisition of new position data.

25. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, wherein the integrated circuit component is adapted to write an identifier of an acquired position data set and the position data set to the memory in a predefined sequential order starting with the identifier of the position data set.

26. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, wherein the means for signalling is adapted to generate a first interrupt for the second integrated circuit component.

27. The integrated circuit component of claim 19, further comprising a data bus interface.

28. The integrated circuit component of claim 27, wherein the data bus interface is an SPI, an IIC and/or an UART bus interface.

33. The method of claim 19, further comprising acquiring up-to-data position data and overwriting position data stored in the memory with the up-to-data position data, wherein the steps of acquiring and overwriting are performed repetitively.

29. A method of operating an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:

acquiring position data,

storing the position data in a memory coupled to the integrated circuit, and

signalling the acquisition of the position data to a host being coupled to the integrated circuit.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the acquisition of the position data is performed repetitively to provide position data sets, each position data set having an assigned identifier.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the identifier is a counter value.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the identifier is written to a first predefined memory location and the position data set is written to a second predefined memory location.

34. A digital storage medium, comprising program code including instructions for controlling a processor to perform steps, comprising:

acquiring position data,

storing the position data in a memory coupled to the integrated circuit, and

signalling the acquisition of the position data to a host being coupled to the integrated circuit.

35. A method of reading position data from a memory comprising:

a) receiving signalling data,

b) reading a first predefined memory location being assigned to an identifier of the position data,

c) reading a second predefined memory location being assigned to the position data,

d) re-reading the first predefined memory location, and

e) determining if the position data read from the second predefined memory location is valid using the data read from the first predefined memory location.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the signalling is received as an interrupt.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising performing the steps b) to e) again if the position data is invalid.

38. A digital storage medium, comprising program code including instructions for controlling a processor to perform steps comprising:

a) receiving signalling data,

b) reading a first predefined memory location being assigned to an identifier of the position data,

c) reading a second predefined memory location being assigned to the position data,

d) re-reading the first predefined memory location, and

e) determining if the position data read from the second predefined memory location is valid using the data read from the first predefined memory location.

39. An integrated circuit component comprising:

means for receiving a signal being indicative of an acquisition of position data, and

means for reading the position data from a memory in response to the signal.

40. The integrated circuit component of claim 39, wherein the signal is an interrupt.

41. The integrated circuit component of claim 39, wherein the means for reading the position data is adapted to sequentially read a first predefined memory location and a second predefined memory location of the memory.

42. The integrated electronic circuit of claim 40, wherein the first predetermined memory location is assigned to an identifier of the position data and the second predetermined memory location being assigned to the position data.