Touch panel system and electronic device

• US 9,710,075 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hamaguchi, Mutsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Moon, Seokyun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US14/783,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20160070372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

For detecting a signal based on driving of a pen point of a stylus pen satisfactorily, a stylus pen (15) includes a changeover switch (34) having a grip portion terminal (35) of a grip portion (28), a pen point terminal (36) of a pen point (38), and a ground terminal (37) of a ground, the changeover switch (34) switching connection of the grip portion terminal (35) to either the pen point terminal (36) or the ground terminal (37).

Claims

1. A touch panel system including:

a stylus pen for touching a touch panel which has M first signal lines (M is plural), K second signal lines (K is plural) which intersect with the M first signal lines, and (M×

K) electrostatic capacitances formed at respective intersections of the first signal lines and the second signal lines; and

a touch panel controller that detects a position of the stylus pen, wherein

the stylus pen has;

a grip portion to be gripped by a user;

a pen point that touches the touch panel;

a ground having a ground potential; and

a changeover switch configured to switch between the pen point and the ground to connect the grip portion to either the pen point or the ground, wherein the touch panel controller includes;

a driver that drives the M first signal lines to output a first linear sum signal based on charges, which are accumulated in the electrostatic capacitances, along the K second signal lines, and then drives the K second signal lines to output a second linear sum signal based on the charges, which are accumulated in the electrostatic capacitances, along the M first signal lines; and

position detection means that detects a position of a target, which has touched the touch panel, based on the first linear sum signal and the second linear sum signal, and

the stylus pen has;

a synchronization circuit that receives a synchronization signal output from the driver; and

a driving circuit that drives the pen point based on an output from the synchronization circuit.

2. The touch panel system according to claim 1, wherein

the touch panel system has a sense mode in which the synchronization circuit receives the synchronization signal from the touch panel controller and a driving mode in which the driving circuit drives the pen point, and

the changeover switch connects the grip portion to the pen point in the sense mode and connects the grip portion to the ground in the driving mode.

4. An electronic device including the touch panel system according to claim 1.

3. A touch panel system including:

a plurality of stylus pens for touching a touch panel which has M first signal lines (M is plural), K second signal lines (K is plural) which intersect with the M first signal lines, and (M×

K) electrostatic capacitances formed at respective intersections of the first signal lines and the second signal lines; and

a touch panel controller that detects a position of each of the stylus pens, wherein each of the stylus pens has;

a grip portion to be gripped by a user;

a pen point that touches the touch panel;

a ground having a ground potential; and

a changeover switch configured to switch between the pen point and the ground to connect the grip portion to either the pen point or the ground, wherein the touch panel controller includes;

a driver that drives the M first signal lines to output a first linear sum signal based on charges, which are accumulated in the electrostatic capacitances, along the K second signal lines, and then drives the K second signal lines to output a second linear sum signal based on the charges, which are accumulated in the electrostatic capacitances, along the M first signal lines; and

position detection means that detects a position of a target, which has touched the touch panel, based on the first linear sum signal and the second linear sum signal, and the stylus pen has;

a synchronization circuit that receives a synchronization signal output from the driver; and

a driving circuit that drives the pen point based on an output from the synchronization circuit.