Device including electrode having thickness to facilitate tracking

• US 9,678,584 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Coppin, Justin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELSEN, NATHAN ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US14/679,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20160291707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/0412 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 3/0441 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Devices are described herein that include an electrode having a thickness to, among other things, facilitate tracking. For example, the thickness of an electrode that is included in a device may be configured to cause a midpoint of a projection of the electrode on a sensor matrix to track a point on the device (or on a portion thereof, such as the electrode) that is closest to the sensor matrix. In another example, the thickness may be configured to cause a location of the electrode that is detected by the sensor matrix to track a point on the device (or on a portion thereof, such as the electrode) that is closest to the sensor matrix.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a member having a proximal end and a distal end at opposing ends of an axis;

a first electrode positioned at the proximal end, the first electrode configured to provide a write signal to a sensor matrix of a computing device in response to the first electrode being placed proximate the sensor matrix; and

a second electrode positioned at the distal end, the second electrode configured to provide an erase signal to the sensor matrix of the computing device in response to the second electrode being placed proximate the sensor matrix,

the second electrode having a thickness along the axis, the thickness configured to cause a midpoint of a projection of the second electrode on the sensor matrix to track a point on the second electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix as the member is rotated about a pivot point from a first position in which the member is orthogonal to the sensor matrix to a second position in which the member is non-orthogonal to the sensor matrix,

the pivot point defined to be a point on the second electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix when the member is in the first position,

a projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a first distance from the midpoint of the projection of the second electrode on the sensor matrix,

the projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a second distance from the point on the second electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix,

the thickness configured to cause the first distance to remain less than or equal to the second distance as the member is rotated about the pivot point from the first position to the second position.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a driver circuit configured to generate the erase signal;

wherein the erase signal is an active signal; and

wherein the second electrode is configured to provide the erase signal electrostatically to the sensor matrix in response to the second electrode being placed proximate the sensor matrix.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the thickness is configured to be approximately equal to a width of the second electrode in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the thickness is configured to be greater than or equal to three millimeters.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the second electrode increases from a first cross-sectional area in a first plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a first point on the axis to a second cross-sectional area in a second plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a second point on the axis;

wherein the first point is a first distance from the proximal end;

wherein the second point is a second distance from the proximal end; and

wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the thickness is configured to cause the midpoint of the projection of the second electrode on the sensor matrix to track the point on the second electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix as the member is rotated about the pivot point from the first position to the second position at least up to an angle of thirty degrees.

7. A device comprising:

a member having a proximal end and a distal end at opposing ends of an axis; and

an electrode positioned at a designated end of the member, the designated end being the proximal end or the distal end, the electrode configured to provide a signal to a sensor matrix of a computing device in response to the electrode being placed proximate the sensor matrix,

the electrode having a thickness along the axis, the thickness configured to cause a location of the electrode that is detected by the sensor matrix to track a point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix as the member is rotated about a pivot point from a first position in which the member is orthogonal to the sensor matrix to a second position in which the member is non-orthogonal to the sensor matrix,

the pivot point defined to be a point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix when the member is in the first position,

a projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a first distance from a projection of the location of the electrode that is detected by the sensor matrix on the sensor matrix,

the projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a second distance from the point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix,

the thickness configured to cause the first distance to remain less than or equal to the second distance as the member is rotated about the pivot point from the first position to the second position.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a driver circuit configured to generate the signal;

wherein the signal is an active signal; and

wherein the electrode is configured to provide the signal electrostatically to the sensor matrix in response to the electrode being placed proximate the sensor matrix.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the electrode is configured to be a passive slug.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the thickness is configured to be approximately equal to a width of the electrode in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the thickness is configured to be greater than or equal to thirty percent of a width of the electrode in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein a cross-sectional area of the electrode increases from a first cross-sectional area in a first plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a first point on the axis to a second cross-sectional area in a second plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a second point on the axis;

wherein the first point is a first distance from a specified end of the member, the specified end being the proximal end or the distal end that is not the designated end;

wherein the second point is a second distance from the specified end; and

wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the electrode is configured to have a shape of a conical frustum.

14. The device of claim 7, wherein the thickness is configured to cause the location of the electrode that is detected by the sensor matrix to track the point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix as the member is rotated about the pivot point from the first position to the second position at least up to an angle of thirty degrees.

15. A device comprising:

a member that extends along an axis; and

a module coupled to an end of the member, the module including an electrode that is configured to provide a signal to a sensor matrix of a computing device,

the electrode having a thickness along the axis, the thickness configured to cause a midpoint of a projection of the electrode on the sensor matrix to track a point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix as the member is rotated about a pivot point from a first position in which the member is orthogonal to the sensor matrix to a second position in which the member is non-orthogonal to the sensor matrix,

the pivot point defined to be a point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix when the member is in the first position,

a projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a first distance from the midpoint of the projection of the electrode on the sensor matrix,

the projection of the pivot point on the sensor matrix being a second distance from the point on the electrode that is closest to the sensor matrix,

the thickness configured to cause the first distance to remain less than or equal to the second distance as the member is rotated about the pivot point from the first position to the second position.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the thickness is configured to be approximately equal to a width of the electrode in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the thickness is configured to be greater than or equal to fifty percent of a width of the electrode in a plane that is perpendicular to the axis.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the member extends along the axis between the end to which the module is coupled and a second end;

wherein a cross-sectional area of the electrode increases from a first cross-sectional area in a first plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a first point on the axis to a second cross-sectional area in a second plane that is perpendicular to the axis and that includes a second point on the axis;

wherein the first point is a first distance from the second end of the member;

wherein the second point is a second distance from the second end of the member; and

wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the signal is an active signal;

wherein the device further comprises;

a driver circuit configured to generate the active signal to initiate an erasure operation with respect to content displayed by the computing device; and

wherein the electrode is configured to provide the active signal electrostatically in accordance with the erasure operation.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the signal is an active signal;

wherein the device further comprises;

a driver circuit configured to generate the active signal to initiate a write operation to provide writing on a display of the computing device; and

wherein the electrode is configured to provide the active signal electrostatically in accordance with the write operation.