UNTETHERED DEVICE EMPLOYING TUNABLE RESONANT CIRCUIT

• US 20080150916A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Vos, Martin J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

An untethered device is configured to inductively couple to a source device, which generates a varying magnetic field having a fixed frequency. The untethered device includes a tunable resonant circuit having a resonance frequency and configured to generate a supply voltage for the untethered device in response to the varying magnetic field. The untethered device further includes a frequency control circuit coupled to the tunable resonant circuit and configured to produce a control signal using signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit. The control signal is useable to adjust the resonance frequency of the tunable resonant circuit to the fixed frequency of the source device.

Claims

1. An untethered device configured to inductively couple to a source device, the source device configured to generate a varying magnetic field having a fixed frequency, the untethered device comprising:

a tunable resonant circuit having a resonance frequency and configured to generate a supply voltage for the untethered device in response to the varying magnetic field; and

a frequency control circuit coupled to the tunable resonant circuit and configured to produce a control signal using signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit, the control signal useable to adjust the resonance frequency of the tunable resonant circuit to the fixed frequency of the source device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the tunable resonant circuit comprises an inductive circuit coupled in parallel to a capacitive circuit; and

the frequency control circuit is configured to produce the control signal using voltages associated with the inductive and capacitive circuits, respectively.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the tunable resonant circuit comprises an inductive circuit coupled in parallel to a capacitive circuit, the inductive circuit comprising an inductive component coupled in series to a first resistance, and the capacitive circuit comprising a capacitive component coupled in parallel to a second resistance; and

the frequency control circuit is configured to produce the control signal using voltages developed across the first and second resistances, respectively.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the tunable resonant circuit comprises an inductive circuit coupled in parallel to a capacitive circuit, and the control signal produced by the frequency control circuit is useable to adjust one of the inductive circuit and the capacitive circuit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the tunable resonant circuit comprises an inductive circuit coupled in parallel to a capacitive circuit, and the control signal produced by the frequency control circuit is useable to adjust each of the inductive circuit and the capacitive circuit.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the tunable resonant circuit comprises an inductive circuit coupled in parallel to a capacitive circuit;

the frequency control circuit is configured to produce the control signal using a first voltage (V₁) associated with the inductive circuit and a second voltage (V₂) associated with the capacitive circuit; and

the control signal is defined by V_c cos φ

, where V_c is proportional to V₁ and V₂, and φ

is a phase angle between V₁ and V₂.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the frequency control circuit comprises a multiplier having a plurality of inputs, each of the plurality of inputs configured to receive one of the signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit.

8. The device of claim 7, comprising a low-pass filter coupled to the multiplier, the control signal provided at an output of the low pass filter.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the source device comprises an RFID reader and the untethered device comprises an RFID tag.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the source device comprises a digitizer and the untethered device comprises a stylus.

11. A method implemented in an untethered device configured to inductively couple to a source device, the source device configured to generate a varying magnetic field having a fixed frequency, the method comprising:

generating, by a tunable resonant circuit of the untethered device, a supply voltage for the untethered device in response to the varying magnetic field;

sensing signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit, the signals associated with parallel connected inductive and capacitive circuits, respectively, of the tunable resonant circuit; and

producing a control signal using the sensed signals, the control signal useable to adjust a resonance frequency of the tunable resonant circuit to the fixed frequency of the source device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein sensing signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit comprises sensing voltage signals associated with the inductive and capacitive circuits, respectively.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the inductive circuit comprises an inductive component coupled in series to a first resistance, and the capacitive circuit comprises a capacitive component coupled in parallel to a second resistance; and

sensing signals developed within the tunable resonant circuit comprises sensing voltage signals developed across the first and second resistances, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control signal is defined by V_c cosφ

, where V_c is proportional to the sensed voltage signal developed across the second resistance, and φ

is a phase angle between the sensed voltage signals developed across the first and second resistances, respectively.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal is useable to adjust one of the inductive circuit and the capacitive circuit.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal is useable to adjust each of the inductive circuit and the capacitive circuit.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein producing the control signal comprises performing a multiplier or comparison operation on the sensed signals.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein producing the control signal comprises low-pass filtering an output of the multiplier or comparison operation.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the source device comprises an RFID reader and the untethered device comprises an RFID tag.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the source device comprises a digitizer and the untethered device comprises a stylus.