STYLUS PEN, TOUCH PANEL, AND COORDINATE INDICATING SYSTEM HAVING THE SAME

• US 20160209944A1
• Filed: 01/14/2016
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shim, Hui-jun, Kang, Byung-hoon, Hong, Sung-wan, Han, Se-hyun, Park, Sung-soo
• Granted Patent: US 10,152,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

A touch panel is provided. The touch panel includes a receiver configured to receive response signals from a plurality of objects, and a controller configured to identify positions of the plurality of objects based on different frequencies emitted from each of the plurality of objects in response to the response signals being simultaneously received through the receiver.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a receiver configured to receive response signals from a plurality of objects; and

a controller configured to identify positions of the plurality of objects based on different frequencies emitted from each of the plurality of objects in response to the response signals being simultaneously received through the receiver.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to identify respective objects of the plurality of objects based on a different frequency band corresponding to each of the plurality of objects.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiver includes a plurality of antenna loops.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a detector configured to simultaneously detect the response signals corresponding to the plurality of objects from the plurality of antenna loops,

wherein the detector includes;

an amplifier configured to amplify the response signals received in at least one antenna loop through the receiver and output the amplified response signals;

an analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert the amplified response signals to digital signals; and

a signal processor configured to extract preset frequency components from the response signals converted to the digital signals.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detector is further configured to sequentially detect the response signals of the plurality of antenna loops.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the detector is further configured to detect the response signals of the plurality of antenna loops in parallel in units of a plurality of channels.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to alternately perform a first scanning operation that determines a position of a contact object using all the response signals of the plurality of antenna loops and a second scanning operation that determines a position of a contact object only using a response signal of a loop group corresponding to the detected contact object in the first scanning operation.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the position of the contact object by additionally using a response signal of another loop group adjacent to the loop group in response to a number of contact objects determined in the second scanning operation being smaller than a number of contact objects determined in a previous process.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a type of the contact object, and to perform the second scanning operation by classifying the second scanning operation according to the determined type of the contact object.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the type of the contact object based on a frequency band of a response signal by the contact object.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receiver is further configured to include a plurality of antenna loops and a plurality of electrodes.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a driver configured to apply a driving signal to the plurality of electrodes before the first scanning operation.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a driver configured to, in response to at least one of the contact objects being a passive stylus pen having a resonant circuit, apply a driving signal to the plurality of electrodes before the second scanning operation for determining a position of the passive stylus pen.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of antenna loops are arranged in a second layer below a first layer in which the plurality of electrodes are arranged.

15. A stylus pen comprising:

a divider configured to generate division signals divided into different frequency signals; and

a driver configured to generate a response signal based on a writing pressure value for the stylus pen and the generated division signals to drive the stylus pen.

16. The stylus pen as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

a selector configured to receive selection for an operation state of the stylus pen,

wherein the divider divides a preset frequency by a division ratio corresponding to the selected operation state.

17. The stylus pen as claimed in claim 16, wherein the operation state is at least one of a color state of the stylus pen and an eraser state.

18. The stylus pen as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a tip of which a resistance value is changed according to the writing pressure value of the stylus pen.

19. The stylus pen as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a crystal oscillator configured to generate the preset frequency only in an initial operation of the stylus pen.

20. A coordinating indicating system comprising:

a touch panel configured to detect a plurality of response signals from a plurality of objects; and

a plurality of stylus pens configured to separately transmit the plurality of response signals to the touch panel,

wherein the touch panel simultaneously receives the plurality of response signals corresponding to the plurality of stylus pens, and identifies positions of the plurality of stylus pens based on the plurality of received response signals.