STYLUS ORIENTATION DETECTION

• US 20120327042A1
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: HARLEY, Jonah A., TAN, Li-Quan, HOTELLING, Steven Porter, MUKHERJEE, Debanjan
• Granted Patent: US 8,638,320 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

Stylus orientation detection is disclosed. In an example, the orientation of a stylus relative to a contacting surface, e.g., a touch panel, can be detected by detecting a capacitance at one or more locations on the stylus relative to the surface, and then using the capacitance(s) to determine the orientation of the stylus relative to the surface. In another example, the orientation of a stylus relative to a contacting surface, e.g., a touch panel, can be detected by first detecting the orientation of the stylus relative to a reference, detecting the orientation of the contacting surface relative to the reference, and then calculating the orientation of the stylus relative to the contacting surface using the two detected orientations.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an orientation of an input device, comprising:

detecting a first capacitance at a first location on the input device;

detecting a second capacitance at a second location on the input device;

correlating the first and second capacitances; and

calculating the orientation of the input device based on the correlation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first capacitance comprises:

capturing an image of the first capacitance on a touch sensitive surface; and

determining a location of the image of the first capacitance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the second capacitance comprises:

capturing an image of the second capacitance on a touch sensitive surface; and

determining a location of the image of the second capacitance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein correlating the first and second capacitances comprises:

determining proximity of the detected first and second capacitances relative to each other in an image; and

determining relative position of the detected first and second capacitances in the image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the orientation of the input device comprises:

determining the orientation based on at least one of a proximity or relative position of locations captured in an image of the detected first and second capacitances on a touch sensitive surface,

wherein the closer the proximity the closer the orientation to being perpendicular with respect to the touch sensitive surface.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining whether the input device has rotated based on the detected second capacitance.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining whether the device has rotated comprises:

determining which portion of the input device forms the second capacitance; and

determining the rotation according to the determined portion.

8. A capacitive input device comprising:

a first electrode at a tip of the input device; and

a second electrode proximate to the first electrode,

wherein the first electrode is configured to form a first capacitance and the second electrode is configured to form a second capacitance, the first and second capacitances for detecting an orientation of the input device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the second electrode forms a ring around the input device at a distance from the tip.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the second electrode comprises multiple segments.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the segments form a broken ring around the input device at a distance from the tip.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the segments are aligned in parallel around the input device at a distance from the tip.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the second electrode is at the tip of the input device, the tip is flat, and the first and second electrodes are adjacent to each other, a flat surface of each of the first and second electrodes forming the flat tip.

14. The device of claim 8, comprising:

a drive circuit to output a drive voltage through the first electrode, the drive circuit comprising

a clock to generate the drive voltage,

a microcontroller to control the drive voltage, and

at least one amplifier to adjust the drive voltage.

15. The device of claim 8, comprising:

a sense circuit to sense a voltage at the first electrode, the sense circuit comprising

a sense amplifier to adjust the sensed voltage,

a clock to generate a demodulation signal,

a phase shifter to shift the phase of the demodulation signal, and

a set of mixers to receive the sensed voltage and either the demodulation signal or the phase-shifted demodulation signal to demodulate the sensed voltage.

16. A method for detecting an orientation of a first device relative to a second device, comprising:

sensing with a first sensor in the first device an orientation of the first device relative to a reference;

sensing with a second sensor in the second device an orientation of the second device relative to the reference; and

calculating an orientation of the first device relative to the second device based on the sensed orientations of the first and second devices relative to the reference.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

sensing with a third sensor in the first device the orientation of the first device relative to the reference; and

comparing the sensed orientations from the first and third sensors to confirm the orientation of the first device relative to the reference.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

transmitting the sensed orientation of the first device to the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein calculating the orientation of the first device relative to the second device comprises:

upon receipt of the transmitted sensed orientation of the first device, the second device calculating the orientation of the first device relative to the second device.

20. A system comprising:

a first device including a first sensor to detect an orientation of the first device relative to a reference and a transmitter to transmit the detected orientation of the first device; and

a second device including a second sensor to detect an orientation of the second device relative to the reference, a receiver to receive the detected orientation from the first device, and a processor to calculate an orientation of the first device relative to the second device based on the detected orientations of the first and second devices relative to the reference.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first device includes a third sensor to detect a force applied by the first device to the second device.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the first device includes a power switch in communication with the first sensor to control power to the first device.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the input device is a stylus.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the other device is at least one of a mobile phone, a digital media player, or a personal computer.

23. A system for detecting an orientation of an input device comprising:

at least one sensor associated with the input device, the at least one sensor configured to measure a parameter of the input device indicative of the orientation of the input device; and

a processor in communication with the input device and configured to receive the parameter measurement from the at least one sensor and to determine the orientation of the input device based on the received parameter measurement,

wherein the orientation of the input device is determined relative to another device associated with the processor.

26. A capacitive input device comprising:

an electrode at a tip of the input device, the electrode configured to form a capacitance having an image shape and size indicative of an orientation of the input device.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the electrode forms the entire tip.

28. A method for detecting an orientation of an input device, comprising:

detecting a capacitance on the input device;

determining a shape and a size in an image of the detected capacitance; and

calculating the orientation of the input device based on the determination.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein calculating the orientation of the input device comprises:

calculating the orientation based on whether the shape in the image is a triangle or a circle and based on the shape size,

wherein the more circular the shape the closer the orientation to being perpendicular to a surface, and

wherein the smaller the size the closer the orientation to being perpendicular to the surface.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein calculating the orientation of the input device comprises:

calculating the orientation based a location of a base of a triangular image relative to an apex of the triangular image,

wherein, if the base is to the right of the apex in the triangular image, the orientation is tilted to the right.