Method for identifying changes in signal frequencies emitted by a stylus interacting with a digitizer sensor

• US 8,629,358 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: N-Trig Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rimon, Ori, Kerner, Ariel, Weizman, Rina
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US12/232,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20090078476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18.03
• US Class Current: 178/18.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A method for dynamically updating at least one pre-defined value of a parameter used to identify at least one operational mode of an object for user interaction with a digitizer sensor during interaction with the digitizer sensor comprises detecting signal outputs from a plurality of sensing elements of a digitizer sensor during user interaction with the digitizer sensor; characterizing a pattern formed by the signal outputs from the plurality of sensing elements; identifying a pre-defined event associated with an operational mode of the object based on the pattern; determining a value of the parameter from the signal outputs in response to identification of the pre-defined event; and updating the pre-defined value used to identify the operational mode based on the value of the parameter determined from the identified event.

Claims

1. A method for identifying that an object configured for interacting with a digitizer sensor is hovering over the digitizer sensor, the method comprising:

triggering circuitry of the object with a triggering signal to produce a response from the object;

detecting the presence of the object in the vicinity of the digitizer sensor from the response of the object as detected from a peak formed by signal outputs obtained from a plurality of sensing elements of the digitizer sensor, wherein each of the plurality of sensing elements is associated with a different area on the digitizer sensor;

identifying at least one sensing element providing a highest amplitude signal output from the plurality of sensing elements;

characterizing a width of the peak with at least one ratio between amplitude of signal output from the at least one sensing element identified and amplitude of signal output from at least one other sensing element and with a defined distance between the at least one sensing element and the at least one other sensing element; and

identifying that the object is hovering based on the characterization of the width by comparing the at least one ratio to a threshold level for hovering, the threshold level associated with the defined distance between the sensing elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining frequency content of a hovering signal obtained from the at least one sensing element over a plurality of cycles of sampling the digitizer sensor outputs;

determining an extent of variations in the frequency content of the hovering signal over the plurality of cycles; and

identifying hovering below the pre-defined maximum height of the object when the extent of the variations determined is less than a pre-defined threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining frequency of the signal outputs during hovering; and

matching the triggering frequency of the triggering signal to the determined frequency for hovering.

4. The method according to claim 3 comprising:

defining a frequency for identifying each of a plurality of operational modes; and

updating the frequency defined for identifying at least one operational mode, other than the hover operational mode, based on the determined frequency of the hovering operational mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one ratio is a ratio between a highest amplitude signal output obtained from a first sensing element on the digitizer sensor and an amplitude obtained from signal output of a second sensing element contiguous to the first sensing element.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising determining a height of the object above the digitizer sensor based on a pattern formed from amplitudes obtained from different sensing elements from the response produced by the object in response to the same triggering signal and comparing the pattern to a pattern associated with a defined height of the object.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the height determined is a qualitative height.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the qualitative measure for height includes low hovering, medium hovering and high hovering of the object.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining a height of the object above the digitizer sensor, wherein the height is a function of the at least one ratio and pre-defined coefficients.

10. The method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining at least two ratios between amplitudes formed by the signal outputs from different pairs of sensing elements, wherein the signal outputs are obtained from the response produced by the object in response to the same triggering signal; and

resolving ambiguity of the height of the object above the digitizer sensor by comparing the at least two ratios.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is selected from a group including:

stylus, token, and game piece.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object interacts with the digitizer sensor in a plurality of operational modes.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of operational modes includes at least one of hovering operation mode, object touching operational mode, right mouse click emulation, and erasing.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object includes a passive resonant circuit configured to transmit a signal in response to a triggering pulse.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the resonant circuit is configured for resonating at a different frequency for each operational mode.

16. The method according claim 1, wherein the object includes a resonant circuit and at least one capacitor connected in parallel to the resonant circuit via a user controllable switch, and wherein an operational mode of the object is selected by activating the switch.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the object is a pressure sensitive stylus sensitive to pressure applied to a tip of the stylus.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the pressure sensitive stylus includes a resonant circuit, wherein the resonant circuit includes a variable element and wherein the element is varied in response to varying pressure applied on the tip of the stylus.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensing elements include a grid of conductive lines.