ACTIVE STYLUS

• US 20150103049A1
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: SIMON, David I., HARLEY, Jonah A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,519,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

An active stylus is disclosed. The stylus includes an electrode at a tip of the stylus; and powered circuitry coupled to the electrode and configured for capacitively coupling the electrode with a capacitive touch sensor panel. The powered circuitry can further include drive circuitry configured to output a drive voltage at the electrode and/or sense circuitry configured to sense a voltage received at the electrode.

Claims

1. An active stylus, comprising:

an electrode at a tip of the stylus; and

powered circuitry coupled to the electrode and configured for capacitively coupling the electrode with a capacitive touch sensor panel, the powered circuitry comprising;

a clock to generate a drive voltage;

a microcontroller connected to the clock and configured to control the drive voltage; and

an amplifier connected to the microcontroller and configured to adjust the drive voltage and output the drive voltage at the electrode.

2. The active stylus of claim 1, further comprising a power source coupled to the powered circuitry for supplying power to the powered circuitry.

3. The active stylus of claim 1, wherein the electrode is stimulated at a frequency to identify the presence of the stylus.

4. The active stylus of claim 1, wherein the electrode is stimulated with a pattern that identifies a presence of the stylus.

5. The active stylus of claim 1, wherein the stylus is in communication with a host device comprising the capacitive touch sensor panel via a physical cable or a wireless channel.

6. The active stylus of claim 5, wherein the wireless channel is a WiFi or BlueTooth channel.

7. The active stylus of claim 1, wherein the stylus can include a plurality of electrodes.

8. The active stylus of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors including one or more of a pressure sensor, a motion sensor, an orientation sensor, an accelerometer, a touch sensor and a rotation sensor.

9. The active stylus of claim 8, wherein the drive voltage is a encoded with information from the one or more sensors to transmit to a host device.

10. The active stylus of claim 1, wherein the stimulation signal of the active stylus can be synchronized with a host device.

11. The active stylus of claim 1, the active stylus incorporated into a touch-based input system, the system comprising:

a capacitive touch sensor panel including a plurality of sense lines; and

one or more sense channels coupled to the plurality of sense lines, the one or more sense channels configured for detecting a change in capacitance between the electrode and one or more sense lines to determine a location of a touch by the active stylus on the touch sensor panel.

12. The active stylus of claim 11, wherein the one or more sense channels comprise at least one row channel and at least one column channel.

13. The active stylus of claim 11, wherein one or more sense channels comprise:

a sense amplifier to adjust a detected change in capacitive coupling;

a clock to generate a demodulation signal;

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

a set of mixers to receive the detected change in capacitive coupling and either the demodulation signal or the phase-shifted demodulation signal to demodulate the sensed voltage.

14. The active stylus of claim 13, wherein the mixer receiving the demodulation signal produces an in-phase component;

wherein the mixer receiving the phase-shifted demodulation signal produces a quadrature component; and

wherein the in-phase component and the quadrature component are combined to determine an amplitude proportional to a capacitance formed by the drive channel and the sense channel.

15. The active stylus of claim 11, wherein the capacitive touch sensor panel further comprises at least one drive line configured to generate a signal that can be sensed by at least one of the sense channels.

16. The active stylus of claim 15, wherein the at least one drive line is capable of generating a signal with a frequency different than the stimulation signal of the active stylus.

17. The active stylus of claim 13, wherein the clock is capable of generating a demodulation signal with a frequency matching the stimulation signal of the active stylus.

18. The active stylus of claim 13, wherein the at least one drive line is capable of being stimulated by a signal when the capacitive sensor circuitry is not detecting the change in capacitance between the active stylus and the one or more sense lines.

19. A method for stimulating a touch sensor panel of a touch sensing device with a stylus, comprising:

generating a clock signal at the stylus;

controlling the clock signal with a microcontroller to generate a drive signal;

amplifying the drive signal to generate a stimulation signal;

applying the stimulation signal at a powered electrode of the stylus; and

capacitively coupling the powered electrode with the touch sensor panel by forming a mutual capacitance between the powered electrode and the touch sensor panel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the stimulation signal generated at the powered electrode has a first frequency different than a second frequency used to by the touch sensing device to stimulate drive lines of the touch sensor panel.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

synchronizing the generation of the stimulation signal at the powered electrode of the stylus with the touch sensing device using a wireless channel.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the wireless channel is a WiFi or BlueTooth channel.