Position detector and position indicator

• US 8,982,044 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Katsurahira, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US12/888,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A position detector includes a tablet and a position indicator, which includes a coil and configured to continuously transmit a coil-based signal to the tablet as a position signal and to intermittently transmit the coil-based signal to the tablet as a non-positional signal. The tablet is configured to detect a position on its surface pointed to by the position indicator by detecting the continuously-transmitted coil-based signal, and to determine non-positional information regarding the position indicator (e.g., pen pressure, pen ID, etc.) by detecting the intermittently-transmitted coil-based signal. The position indicator further includes position indicator control circuitry configured to control the position indicator to: (i) receive an indicator control signal from the tablet; (ii) based on the received indicator control signal, select one type of non-positional information from among multiple types of non-positional information regarding the position indicator; and (iii) transmit the selected one type of non-positional information to the tablet.

Claims

1. A position detector comprising:

a position indicator including a coil, the coil being configured to continuously transmit a coil-based signal to a tablet as a position signal and to intermittently transmit the coil-based signal to the tablet as a non-positional signal, the position indicator further including an amplifying circuit and a switch configured to activate the amplifying circuit in synchronization with completion of each continuous transmission of the coil-based signal as the position signal and to deactivate the amplifying circuit after a fixed period of time; and

the tablet configured to determine a position on its surface pointed to by said position indicator by detecting the continuously-transmitted coil-based signal, and to determine non-positional information regarding the position indicator by detecting the intermittently-transmitted coil-based signal,

wherein said position indicator further includes position indicator control circuitry configured to control the position indicator to;

(i) receive, during said fixed period of time, an indicator control signal via the coil from said tablet and amplify the received indicator control signal via the amplifying circuit selectively activated by the switch and deactivate the amplifying circuit after said fixed period of time, and (ii) based on the received and amplified indicator control signal, select one type of non-positional information from among multiple types of non-positional information regarding the position indicator, and (iii) transmit the selected one type of non-positional information regarding the position indicator as the non-positional signal to said tablet via the coil,

wherein said tablet includes tablet control circuitry configured to control the tablet to;

(a) continuously receive the coil-based signal from said position indicator to determine the positional information and to intermittently receive the coil-based signal from said position indicator to determine the non-positional information, and (b) determine a timing at which the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal is completed, and (c) transmit, during said fixed period of time, the indicator control signal to said position indicator synchronously with the determined timing.

2. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein the indicator control signal transmitted from said tablet is transmitted as digital information expressed in a plurality of bits.

3. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein said tablet further includes a display device, which includes one or more loop coils made of a transparent conductive material and disposed on a front surface of said display device.

4. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein the multiple types of non-positional information include pen pressure information detected by the position indicator.

5. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein the multiple types of non-positional information include identification (ID) information of the position indicator.

6. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein the multiple types of non-positional information include slider status information detected by the position indicator.

7. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein said tablet control circuitry of the tablet are configured to control the tablet to (c) transmit the indicator control signal to said position indicator after determining that the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal from the position indicator as the positional signal is stopped.

8. The position detector according to claim 7, wherein said tablet control circuitry of the tablet determine that the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal from the position indicator as the positional signal is stopped when detecting that a voltage corresponding to the coil-based signal that has been continuously generated for a defined period of time falls below a threshold.

9. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein the position indicator includes a power source comprising a battery.

10. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein said position indicator control circuitry of the position indicator are configured to control the position indicator to (i) receive the indicator control signal from the tablet after stopping the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet as the positional signal.

11. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein said position indicator control circuitry of the position indicator are further configured to control the position indicator to:

(iv) cease transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet when not detecting the indicator control signal during a defined period of time after stopping the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet as the positional signal.

12. The position detector according to claim 1, wherein said position indicator control circuitry of the position indicator are further configured to control the position indicator to:

(iv) cease transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet when continuously not detecting the indicator control signal from the tablet for a defined period of time.

13. A position detector comprising:

a position indicator including a coil, the coil being configured to continuously transmit a coil-based signal to a tablet as a positional signal and to intermittently transmit the coil-based signal to the tablet as a non-positional signal, the position indicator further including an amplifying circuit and a switch configured to activate the amplifying circuit in synchronization with completion of each continuous transmission of the coil-based signal as the position signal and to deactivate the amplifying circuit after a fixed period of time; and

the tablet configured to determine a position on its surface pointed to by said position indicator by detecting the continuously-transmitted coil-based signal, and to determine the non-positional information regarding the position indicator by detecting the intermittently-transmitted coil-based signal,

wherein said tablet is configured to transmit, during said fixed period of time, an indicator control signal to the position indicator to initiate intermittent transmission of the coil-based signal from said position indicator, and

wherein said position indicator is configured to receive, during said fixed period of time, the indicator control signal via the coil and to amplify the received indicator control signal via the amplifying circuit selectively activated by the switch, to deactivate the amplifying circuit after said fixed period of time, and to start the intermittent transmission of the coil-based signal as the non-positional signal to the tablet via the coil according to the received and amplified indicator control signal.

14. A position indicator comprising:

a coil, the coil being configured to continuously transmit a coil-based signal to a tablet as a position signal and to intermittently transmit the coil-based signal to the tablet as a non-positional signal,

an amplifying circuit and a switch configured to activate the amplifying circuit in synchronization with completion of each continuous transmission of the coil-based signal as the position signal and to deactivate the amplifying circuit after a fixed period of time, and

position indicator control circuitry configured to control the position indicator to;

(i) receive, during said fixed period of time, an indicator control signal via the coil from said tablet and amplify the received indicator control signal via the amplifying circuit selectively activated by the switch and deactivate the amplifying circuit after said fixed period of time; and

(ii) determine whether or not a strength of the received and amplified indicator control signal is equal to or larger than a predetermined level; and

(iii) based on the received and amplified indicator control signal determined to be equal to or larger than the predetermined level, select one type of non-positional information from among multiple types of non-positional information regarding the position indicator; and

(iv) transmit the selected one type of non-positional information regarding the position indicator as the non-positional signal to said tablet via the coil.

15. The position indicator according to claim 14, wherein the multiple types of non-positional information include one or more of pen pressure information detected by the position indicator, identification (ID) information of the position indicator, and slider status information detected by the position indicator.

16. The position indicator according to claim 14, which further includes a power source comprising a battery.

17. The position indicator according to claim 14, wherein said position indicator control circuitry are configured to control the position indicator to (i) receive the indicator control signal from the tablet after stopping the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet as the positional signal.

18. The position indicator according to claim 14, wherein said position indicator control circuitry are further configured to control the position indicator to:

(v) cease transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet when not detecting the indicator control signal during a defined period of time after stopping the continuous transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet as the positional signal.

19. The position indicator according to claim 14, wherein said position indicator control circuitry are further configured to control the position indicator to:

(v) cease transmission of the coil-based signal to the tablet when continuously not detecting the indicator control signal from the tablet for a defined period of time.

20. A position indicator comprising:

a coil, the coil being configured to continuously transmit a coil-based signal to a tablet as a position signal and to intermittently transmit the coil-based signal to the tablet as a non-positional signal,

an amplifying circuit and a switch configured to activate the amplifying circuit in synchronization with completion of each continuous transmission of the coil-based signal as the position signal and to deactivate the amplifying circuit after a fixed period of time,

a pressure detecting circuit configured to detect a pressure applied to a tip of the position indicator to generate pressure information indicative of the detected pressure, and

position indicator control circuitry configured to control the position indicator to;

(i) receive, during said fixed period of time, an indicator control signal via the coil from said tablet and amplify the received indicator control signal via the amplifying circuit selectively activated by the switch and deactivate the amplifying circuit after said fixed period of time; and

(ii) determine whether or not a strength of the received and amplified indicator control signal is equal to or larger than a predetermined level; and

(iii) based on the received and amplified indicator control signal determined to be equal to or larger than the predetermined level, select one type of non-positional information from among multiple types of non-positional information regarding the position indicator including the pressure information; and

(iv) transmit the selected one type of non-positional information regarding the position indicator as the non-positional signal to said tablet via the coil.

21. The position indicator according to claim 20, further comprising:

a slider switch provided on an exterior surface of the position indicator; and

a slider detecting circuit configured to detect slider information indicative of a positional status of the slider switch relative to the exterior surface of the position indicator,

wherein the multiple types of non-positional information regarding the position indicator that may be transmitted to the tablet via the coil includes the slider information.