Digitizer system

• US 7,812,268 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Synaptics (UK) Ltd. (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Synaptics (UK) Ltd. (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ely, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherman; Stephen G
• Application Number:
  US10/569,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20070085836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/174, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 178 1901- 1906, 178 2001- 2004
• US Class Current: 178/18.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

An X-Y digitizer system is described for embedding within a host device, such as a tablet PC, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant or the like. The digitizer is configurable so that it can detect and track the position of different types of position indicator. The digitizer that is described also includes novel digitizer windings and novel excitation circuitry for energizing the windings.

Claims

1. A digitizer system comprising:

at least one set of N digitizer conductors that are connected together and arranged in an array over a working area, each digitizer conductor (C_i, where i=1 to N) of the array extending in a first direction and being spaced apart from an adjacent digitizer conductor (C_i+1) of the array along a second direction; and

a digitizer controller comprising;

an excitation signal generator for generating an excitation signal for application to selected ones of said digitizer conductors;

conductor select switching circuitry operable;

i) to receive the excitation signal generated by the excitation signal generator; and

ii) to apply the excitation signal to the selected digitizer conductors identified by one or more select control signals; and

a controller operable to generate said one or more select control signals for controlling said conductor select switching circuitry;

wherein said controller is operable, in a first mode, to generate select control signals for causing said conductor select switching circuitry to apply, at the same time, said excitation signal to digitizer conductors of said array which are separated within the array by p other digitizer conductors (where p is an integer greater than

     1) and which are spaced apart along said second direction by a first spacing so that a first portion of said working area is energized; and

is operable, in a second mode, to generate select control signals for causing said conductor select switching circuitry to apply, at the same time, said excitation signal to digitizer conductors of said array which are separated within the array by q other digitizer conductors (where q is an integer less than p) and which are spaced apart along said second direction by a second smaller spacing so that a second smaller portion of said working area is energized.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said digitizer conductors are spaced in a second direction which is substantially orthogonal to said first direction.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said digitizer conductors are connected together at or near one end by a connecting conductor and wherein the other end of some or all of said digitizer conductors are for connection to said conductor select switching circuitry.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a movable indicator for moving over said working area and for interacting with said digitizer conductors.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said movable indicator is a position indicator.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said controller has a survey mode in which the controller is operable to determine initial data relating to said position indicator, and a tracking mode in which the controller is operable to track the position of the position indicator over said working area.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said first mode of said controller corresponds to said survey mode.

8. A system according to claim 6, wherein said second mode of said controller corresponds to said tracking mode.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein said one or more select control signals are for causing said conductor select switching circuitry to apply said excitation signal to digitizer conductors in the vicinity of a previously reported position of said position indicator.

10. A digitizer controller comprising:

an excitation signal generator for generating an excitation signal for application to selected ones of a plurality of digitizer conductors;

conductor select switching circuitry operable;

i) to receive the excitation signal generated by the excitation signal generator; and

ii) to apply the excitation signal to the selected digitizer conductors identified by one or more select control signals; and

a controller operable to generate said one or more select control signals for controlling said conductor select switching circuitry;

wherein said controller is operable, in a first mode, to generate select control signals for causing said conductor select switching circuitry to apply, at the same time, said excitation signal to digitizer conductors which are spaced apart along said second direction by a first spacing so that a first portion of said working area is energized and is operable, in a second mode, to generate select control signals for causing said conductor select switching circuitry to apply, at the same time, said excitation signal to digitizer conductors which are spaced apart along said second direction by a second smaller spacing so that a sub-portion of said first portion of said working area is energized.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for causing a programmable computer device to become configured as the digitizer controller of claim 10.

12. A digitizer system comprising:

a plurality of sensor conductors arrayed over a working area of the digitizer;

a plurality of excitation conductors arrayed over the working area of the digitizer;

a position indicator which is movable over the working area and which, in use, is electromagnetically coupled with said sensor conductors and said excitation conductors;

an excitation circuit operable to generate an excitation signal for application to a selected one or more of said excitation conductors, for transmitting signals to said position indicator;

a sensing circuit operable to sense signals generated in said sensor conductors as a result of an electromagnetic interaction between the sensor conductors and the position indicator, each sensor signal varying with a respective electromagnetic coupling between the position indicator and the corresponding sensor conductor; and

a digitizer controller comprising;

i) a processing circuit operable to process the sensor signals sensed by said sensing circuit in response to the application of said excitation signal to an initial excitation configuration of the excitation conductors, to determine which one or more of said excitation conductors should be selected to receive the excitation signal generated by said excitation circuit in a subsequent excitation process;

wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine a coupling measure for each of a plurality of candidate excitation configurations, each candidate excitation configuration corresponding to the selection of a respective one or more of said excitation conductors and each coupling measure being determined from one or more of said sensor signals sensed in response to the application of said excitation signal to said initial excitation configuration of the excitation conductors and being an indication of an electromagnetic coupling between the one or more excitation conductors for that candidate excitation configuration and said position indicator;

wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine said coupling measure for at least one of said candidate excitation configurations as a function of two or more of said sensor signals obtained from said sensing circuit in response to the application of said excitation signal to said initial excitation configuration of the excitation conductors; and

ii) a selection circuit operable to process the determined coupling measures for the plurality of candidate excitation configurations to select a candidate excitation configuration to be used to transmit said signals to said position indicator in said subsequent excitation process.

13. A digitizer according to claim 12, wherein one or more of the sensor conductors are also excitation conductors.

14. A digitizer according to claim 12, wherein said sensor conductors and said excitation conductors are arrayed in first and second directions over said working area.

15. A digitizer according to claim 12, wherein, the signals transmitted by said excitation conductors are for energizing said position indicator.

16. A digitizer according to claim 12, wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine a measure of the amplitude of the sensor signals and is operable to determine said coupling measure for each excitation configuration in dependence upon the amplitude of one or more of said sensor signals.

17. A digitizer according to claim 16, wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine the coupling measure for an excitation configuration in dependence upon the sensor signals from three or more sensor conductors that are in the vicinity of the excitation conductors for that excitation configuration.

18. A digitizer according to claim 12, wherein said sensing circuit is operable to sense signals generated in sensor coils formed by two or more of said sensor conductors and wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine a coupling measure for one or more of said excitation configurations as a function of the sensor signals sensed by said sensing circuit from two or more of said sensor coils.

19. A digitizer controller comprising:

a processing circuit operable to process sensor signals sensed by a digitizer sensing circuit in response to the application of an excitation signal to an initial excitation configuration of plurality of excitation conductors, to determine which one or more excitation conductors of the digitizer should be selected to receive an excitation signal generated by a digitizer excitation circuit in a subsequent excitation process;

wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine a coupling measure for each of a plurality of candidate excitation configurations, each candidate excitation configuration corresponding to the selection of a respective one or more of said excitation conductors and each coupling measure being determined from one or more of said sensor signals sensed in response to the application of said excitation signal to said initial excitation configuration of the excitation conductors and being an indication of the electromagnetic coupling between the one or more excitation conductors for that candidate excitation configuration and a position indicator;

wherein said processing circuit is operable to determine a coupling measure for at least one of said candidate excitation configurations as a function of two or more of said sensor signals obtained from said sensing circuit in response to the application of said excitation signal to said initial excitation configuration of the excitation conductors; and

a selection circuit operable to process the determined coupling measures for the plurality of candidate excitation configurations to select a candidate excitation configuration to be used to transmit signals to said position indicator in said subsequent excitation process.