Display system with electrostatic and radio links

• US 9,606,646 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Westhues, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Simpson, Lixi C
• Application Number:
  US14/678,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/04166 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 3/0445 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

Systems and methods for transmitting information in interactive display systems are provided. In one example, an interactive display system comprises an interactive display including an electrode matrix, a display-side radio transceiver, and an input device including an electrode tip and an input device-side radio transceiver, wherein the interactive display is configured to communicate over an electrostatic link formed between the electrode matrix of the display and the electrode tip of the input device, wherein the input device is configured to detect a position signal, and to transmit data to the interactive display via a radio link, and wherein the input device is configured to sever the radio link and power down the input device-side radio transceiver if the input device has been separated from the interactive display by at least a threshold distance for at least a threshold duration.

Claims

1. An interactive display system, comprising:

an input device including an electrode tip and an input device-side radio transceiver;

wherein the input device is configured to communicate over an electrostatic link formed between an electrode matrix of an interactive display and the electrode tip of the input device,

wherein the input device is configured to detect a position signal, and to transmit data to the interactive display via a radio link between the input device-side transceiver and a display-side transceiver of the interactive display, and

wherein the input device is configured to sever the radio link and power down the input device-side radio transceiver if the input device has been separated from the interactive display by at least a threshold distance for at least a threshold duration, the threshold distance being one of less than an outermost limit of a range of the electrostatic link and the outermost limit of the range of the electrostatic link.

2. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein the electrode matrix includes row and column electrodes,

wherein the position signal indicates a nearest row electrode in the electrode matrix adjacent which the electrode tip is positioned, and

wherein the data indicates the nearest row electrode.

3. The interactive display system of claim 2, wherein the input device includes a voltage source configured to drive the electrode tip with a time-varying voltage, and

wherein the interactive display is configured to drive all row electrodes with a constant voltage and sequentially measure currents resulting from the time-varying voltage in each column electrode after receiving the data indicating the nearest row electrode to determine a nearest column electrode in the electrode matrix adjacent which the electrode tip is positioned.

4. The interactive display system of claim 2, wherein the interactive display is configured to transmit a channel identifier via the electrostatic link, and

wherein the input device is configured to transmit the data indicating a nearest row electrode via the radio link on a channel of the radio link identified by the channel identifier.

5. The interactive display system of claim 4, wherein the input device includes a processor and memory holding instructions executable by the processor to:

retrieve a radio frequency from a table stored in the memory based on the channel identifier; and

transmit the data indicating the nearest row electrode via the radio link at the radio frequency.

6. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein the input device is sensed at the threshold distance by sensing a signal strength of the electrostatic link.

7. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein the interactive display is configured to transmit a synchronization pattern via the electrostatic link, the synchronization pattern being used to synchronize timing of sequential driving of the electrode matrix of the interactive display and the input device, the position signal detected after transmission of the synchronization pattern.

8. The interactive display system of claim 1, wherein the position signal is sent from the interactive display via the electrostatic link to the electrode tip of the input device.

9. The interactive display of claim 1, wherein the radio link is reestablished based on a degree to which the input device is separated from the interactive display.

10. The interactive display of claim 1, wherein the electrode tip includes a depressible switch configured to provide a first output if the input device is in contact with the interactive display and a second output if the input device is not in contact with the interactive display.

11. A method of transmitting information between an interactive display and an input device, the method comprising:

transmitting a channel identifier to the input device via an electrostatic link formed between the interactive display and the input device; and

receiving a parameter from the input device via a radio link formed between a display-side radio transceiver in the interactive display and an input device-side radio transceiver in the input device, the parameter received on a channel of the radio link identified by the channel identifier,

wherein the input device is configured to sever the radio link and power down the input device-side radio transceiver if the input device has been separated from the interactive display by at least a threshold distance for at least a threshold duration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the parameter is a y-coordinate of the input device, the method further comprising:

determining an x-coordinate of the input device by driving all row electrodes in the electrode matrix with a constant voltage and sequentially measuring currents in each column electrode of the electrode matrix, the currents resulting from application of a time-varying voltage to the interactive display, an electrode tip of the input device being driven with the time-varying voltage.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving one or more measurements from the input device via one or both of the electrostatic link and the radio link.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more measurements include force measurements, the input device including a force-sensitive tip.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the channel identifier identifies a channel in a frequency hopping spread spectrum transmission.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the interactive display is configured to receive input from a plurality of input devices, each of the plurality of input devices configured to transmit coordinates via the radio link at a different phase in a frequency hopping sequence.

17. An input device, comprising:

an electrode configured to electrostatically receive data from an interactive display;

an input device-side radio transceiver;

a processor; and

memory holding instructions executable by the processor to;

determine a channel identifier based on the electrostatically received data;

transmit data indicating a position of the input device via a radio link formed between a display-side radio transceiver of the interactive display and the input device-side radio transceiver on a channel identified by the channel identifier; and

sever the radio link and power down the input device-side radio transceiver if the input device has been separated from the interactive display by at least a threshold distance for at least the threshold duration.

18. The input device of claim 17, wherein the interactive display is configured to transmit an acknowledgement signal after receiving a complete data packet from the input device via the radio link.