Stylus With Inertial Sensor

• US 20160139690A1
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Ray L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,400,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• 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 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A stylus may have an elongated body with opposing first and second ends. Electronic equipment may have a touch sensor that receives electromagnetic signals from one or more electrodes at the first end. The stylus may have a six-axis inertial sensor at the second end. Force sensors may be located at the first and second ends. User input from the force sensors, the inertial sensor, and other input-output devices may be used to supply the stylus with mode change commands. In response to the mode change commands the stylus may transition between operating modes such as a touch sensor mode and one or more inertial sensor modes. Inertial sensor data may be used to allow the stylus to operate as a joystick, a rotational controller, an air mouse, or other input devices in addition to serving as a touch sensor input device.

Claims

1. A stylus that provides input to external equipment, comprising:

an elongated body with first and second opposing ends;

an inertial sensor in the elongated body that gathers inertial sensor data;

an electrode at the first end;

wireless circuitry including a radio-frequency transceiver and an antenna; and

control circuitry that provides touch input to a touch sensor in the external equipment by transmitting electromagnetic signals to the touch sensor with the electrode at the first end when operating in a touch sensor mode and that provides inertial sensor input to the external equipment by transmitting the inertial sensor data to the external equipment using the radio-frequency transceiver and the antenna when operating in an inertial sensor mode.

2. The stylus defined in claim 1 wherein the inertial sensor comprises an inertial sensor selected from the group consisting oft a six-axis inertial sensor and a nine-axis inertial sensor.

3. The stylus defined in claim 2 wherein the control circuitry switches between the touch sensor mode and the inertial sensor mode in response to a mode change command.

4. The stylus defined in claim 3 further comprising:

an input-output device with which the control circuitry receives the mode change command.

5. The stylus defined in claim 4 wherein the input-output device comprises a force sensor at the first end.

6. The stylus defined in claim 5 wherein the inertial sensor mode comprises a joystick mode in which tilt data is gathered by the control circuitry using the inertial sensor.

7. The stylus defined in claim 5 wherein the inertial sensor mode comprise a rotational controller mode in which rotational input is gathered by the control circuitry using the inertial sensor.

8. The stylus defined in claim 5 wherein the inertial sensor mode comprises an air mouse mode in which motion input is gathered by the control circuitry using the inertial sensor.

9. The stylus defined in claim 3 wherein the control circuitry receives the mode change command using the inertial sensor.

10. The stylus defined in claim 2 wherein the elongated body has a tip at the first end and wherein the inertia sensor mode comprises a joystick mode in which tilt data is gathered by the control circuitry using the inertial sensor while the tip contacts the touch screen display.

11. The stylus defined in claim 10 wherein the inertial sensor is located at the second end.

12. The stylus defined in claim 11 further comprising a force sensor at the second end.

13. A method of gathering stylus input with electronic equipment having a touch sensor and a display, comprising:

receiving touch sensor input from the stylus while a tip of the stylus is in contact with the touch sensor; and

wirelessly receiving at least six axes of inertial sensor input from the stylus while the tip of the stylus is in contact with the touch sensor.

14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein receiving the touch sensor input comprises receiving electromagnetic signals provided by at least one electrode at the tip of the stylus.

15. The method defined in claim 14 wherein the inertial sensor input comprises rotational input gathered by rotating the stylus about an axis, the method further comprising rotating an object displayed on the display in response to the rotational input.

16. The method defined in claim 14 further comprising drawing a line on the display in response to the touch sensor input.

17. A stylus, comprising:

a body having opposing first and second ends;

a tip at the first end;

an electrode at the first end that emits electromagnetic signals for a touch sensor;

an inertial sensor at the second end;

wireless circuitry; and

control circuitry that operates in a first mode in which the electromagnetic signals are emitted and a second mode in which inertial sensor data from the inertial sensor is wirelessly transmitted using the wireless circuitry.

18. The stylus defined in claim 17 wherein the inertial sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a six-axis inertial sensor and a nine-axis inertial sensor), the stylus further comprising a force sensor at the first end, wherein the control circuitry gathers signals from the force sensor.

19. The stylus defined in claim 18 wherein the control circuitry switches between operation in the first mode and operation in the second mode in response to the signals gathered from the force sensor.

20. The stylus defined in claim 19 wherein the tip comprises an elastomeric tip and wherein the inertial sensor data comprises tilt data corresponding to how much the body is tilted with respect to the touch sensor while the tip is in contact with the touch sensor.

21. The stylus defined in claim 20 wherein the control circuitry gathers rotation data from the inertial sensor while the tip contacts the touch sensor and wirelessly transmits the rotation data using the wireless circuitry.

22. The stylus defined in claim 17 further comprising an additional electrode located at the second end that emits electromagnetic signals for the touch sensor.