Active Stylus for Use with Touch-Sensitive Interfaces and Corresponding Method

• US 20120154340A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cranfill, David, Olley, Michael, Valentine, Mark F., Vuppu, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 8,766,954 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 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser

Abstract

A stylus (100) is configured for actively interacting with a touch-sensitive interface (201) by injecting or sinking charge in response to a touch-detection signal emitted from the touch-sensitive interface (201). One stylus (100) includes a stylus body (104) and a compound tip (105) extending axially from the stylus body (104). The compound tip (105) can include a center electrode (101) that is configured to detect electric field variations from the touch-sensitive interface (201) and a shroud electrode (102) that is concentrically disposed about the center electrode (101). An active circuit (103) coupled between the center electrode (101) and the shroud electrode (102) is configured to apply a gain to the detected electric field variations and to change a potential of the shroud electrode (102) synchronously with the electric field variations detected by the center electrode (101).

Claims

1. A stylus configured for actively interacting with a touch-sensitive interface, the stylus comprising:

a stylus body; and

a compound tip extending axially from the stylus body, the compound tip comprising;

a center electrode configured to detect electric field variations;

a shroud electrode electrically isolated from and disposed about the center electrode; and

an active circuit coupled between the center electrode and the shroud electrode and configured to apply a gain to the electric field variations and to change a potential of the shroud electrode with the electric field variations.

2. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the shroud electrode is conical in shape, with a broader portion being proximately located with the stylus body and a narrower portion being distally located from the stylus body.

3. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the active circuit comprises:

a gyrator having an input coupled to the center electrode and an output coupled to the shroud electrode.

4. The stylus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication circuit, operable with the active circuit, and configured to communicate with an electronic device having the touch-sensitive interface.

5. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the active circuit comprises:

a buffer powered by a voltage source, the buffer having an input coupled to the center electrode and an output coupled to the shroud electrode.

6. The stylus of claim 5, further comprising:

a voltage divider coupled to the voltage source and having a central node coupled to the input,

wherein the voltage divider is configured such that a central-node potential is set at a threshold level of the buffer,

the threshold level causing the output to toggle from one of an active high state to an active low state or the active low state to the active high state.

7. The stylus of claim 1, wherein the gain is negative.

8. The stylus of claim 1, further comprising:

a suppression shroud disposed between the center electrode and the shroud electrode,

wherein the suppression shroud is electrically isolated from each of the center electrode and the shroud electrode, further wherein the suppression shroud is electrically coupled to a common node of the stylus.

9. The stylus of claim 1 further comprising one of a force sensor, an optical sensor, a communication circuit, or a switch, operable with the active circuit and configured to selectively actuate the active circuit.

10. The stylus of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical retraction mechanism operable with the center electrode and configured to selectively retract the center electrode within the stylus body.

11. The stylus of claim 1, further comprising a timer operable with the active circuit and configured to place the active circuit in a low-power mode upon non-detections of the electric field variations for at least a predetermined time threshold.

12. The stylus of claim 1, further comprising a second compound tip extending axially from the stylus body at a distal end from the compound tip.

13. A stylus for active interaction with a touch-sensitive interface, comprising:

a compound tip having concentrically aligned transmit and receive electrodes configured to produce a Miller capacitance between the compound tip and the touch-sensitive interface; and

an active circuit configured to inject charge into the touch-sensitive interface synchronously with electric field variations detected by the receive electrode of the compound tip.

14. The stylus of claim 13, wherein the electric field variations detected by the receive electrode of the compound tip comprise positive transitions and negative transitions, wherein the active circuit is configured to inject the charge only on a predetermined sequence of positive transitions, negative transitions, or combinations thereof.

15. The stylus of claim 13, wherein the active circuit is configured to invert and amplify the electric field variations detected by the receive electrode of the compound tip.

16. The stylus of claim 13, wherein the transmit electrode is geometrically configured to deliver a slant detection indication to the touch-sensitive interface.

17. The stylus of claim 13, wherein the compound tip comprises a force sensor, wherein the active circuit is configured to alter a magnitude of the charge as a function of forces detected by the force sensor.

18. The stylus of claim 13, wherein the active circuit is configured to inject the charge in accordance with a rolling code signal.

19. In a stylus, a method for interacting with a touch-sensitive user interface, comprising:

detecting electric field variations with a receive electrode of a compound tip of the stylus;

applying a gain with an active circuit to a signal corresponding to the electric field variations; and

injecting charge from a transmit electrode of the compound tip of the stylus, synchronously with the signal corresponding to the electric field variations, by altering an electric field defined between the receive electrode and the transmit electrode.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising one or more of the following:

inverting the signal corresponding to the electric field variations with the active circuit;

altering the gain in response to a force signal generated by a force detector operable with the compound tip;

or

altering the signal corresponding to the electric field variations with an identification code.