Touch sensitive device with stylus support

• US 9,389,724 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Weaver, Billy L., Hable, Brock A., Rebeschi, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Simpson, Lixi C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM LU, NGAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/878,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20120062498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1811, 178 1901- 1907
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

A touch-sensitive device with stylus includes a touch panel, a stylus drive unit, a touch panel sense unit, and a measurement unit. A touch by a stylus proximate to a touch panel electrode changes a capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and a stylus electrode. The amplitude of the response signal is responsive to the capacitive coupling between the touch panel electrode and the stylus electrode, and is measured to provide an indication of the position of the stylus electrode relative to the touch panel.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive system comprising:

a touch panel comprising a transparent capacitive sensing medium including a first set of electrodes and a second set of electrodes arranged to form a matrix and an insulating layer arranged between the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes, the matrix having a plurality of nodes defined by areas on a touch surface of the transparent capacitive sensing medium where the first set of electrodes and the second set of electrodes traverse one another;

a stylus electrode arranged in a stylus housing;

a stylus drive unit configured to provide a stylus drive signal to the stylus electrode;

a touch panel sense unit configured to generate, for each stylus drive signal provided to the stylus electrode, if capacitively coupled to an electrode in the touch panel, touch panel response signals, each of the touch panel response signals comprising a differentiated representation of the stylus drive signal, the differentiated representation of the stylus drive signal being an output signal of a differentiation circuit, the output signal being substantially a derivative with respect to time of an input signal received by the differentiation circuit, the input signal being indicative of the stylus drive signal, an amplitude of each of the response signals being responsive to the coupling capacitance between the stylus electrode and at least one electrode in the touch panel, the amplitude of the response signals being substantially linearly proportional to the coupling capacitance;

a measurement unit configured to measure or receive input indicative of the amplitude of the touch panel response signals and to determine therefrom the position of the stylus, if present, on the touch surface.

2. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the touch panel sense unit is communicatively coupled to both the first and the second set of electrodes by way of one or more communication wires.

3. The touch sensitive system of claim 2, wherein the first and the second sets of electrodes each comprise a plurality of electrodes.

4. The touch sensitive system of claim 3, further comprising a touch panel multiplexer to communicatively couple the touch panel sense unit with electrodes in either the first or the second sets of electrodes.

5. The touch sensitive system of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of additional touch panel sense units, the number of additional touch panel sense units equal to the greater of:

(1) the number of electrodes in the first set of electrodes;

or (2) the number of electrodes in the second set of electrodes.

6. The touch sensitive system of claim 5, wherein each touch panel sense unit is coupled to all electrodes that comprise the first set of electrodes, and each generates response signals, if any at all, for each drive signal, simultaneously or approximately simultaneously.

7. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is communicatively coupled to the stylus drive unit.

8. The touch sensitive system of claim 7, further comprising:

control logic associated with the measurement unit that coordinates activity of the stylus drive unit and the touch panel sense unit such that a stylus drive signal is delivered to the stylus electrode while the touch panel sense unit is configured to generate response signals for the first set of electrodes, then a subsequent stylus drive signal is delivered to the stylus electrode while the touch panel sense unit is configured to generate response signals associated with the second set of electrodes.

9. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, further comprising:

a stylus processor unit communicatively coupled to the stylus drive unit, and mechanically coupled to the stylus housing, and wherein the stylus drive unit is mechanically coupled to the stylus housing, and further wherein the stylus processor unit is communicatively coupled to the measurement unit and is configured to receive from the measurement unit information to coordinate the functionality of the stylus drive unit.

10. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the stylus drive signal comprises a series of digital pulses, at least some having frequencies different from others.

11. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the stylus drive signal comprises a single pulse.

12. The touch sensitive system of claim 11, wherein the single pulse comprises a square wave.

13. The touch sensitive system of claim 10, wherein the stylus drive signal comprises a series of digital pulses having differing duty cycles.

14. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the touch panel sense unit includes a peak detector configured to provide a peak detector output representative of a maximum amplitude of the respective touch panel response signal.

15. The touch sensitive system of claim 14, wherein the peak detector comprises a diode coupled to a capacitor.

16. The touch sensitive system of claim 14, wherein the peak detector comprises a sample/hold buffer.

17. The touch sensitive system of claim 1, wherein the differentiation circuit includes an operational amplifier having an inverting input coupled to an electrode in the first or second set of electrodes.

18. The touch sensitive system of claim 17, wherein the differentiation circuit includes a feedback resistor connected between the inverting input and an output of the operational amplifier.

19. The touch sensitive system of claim 18, wherein the inverting input is adapted to receive the input signal and the output of the operational amplifier is adapted to provide the output signal.