Universal stylus communication with a digitizer

• US 9,746,944 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2016
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gur, Arie, Zyskind, Amir, Geller, Ilan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/986,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20160195943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A method includes generating a first signal type and a second signal type in a handheld device and transmitting both the first signal type and the second signal type in a transmission cycle of the handheld device. The first signal type and the second signal type are different in at least one of frequency or modulation and are defined to include a same information related to the handheld device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a first signal type and a second signal type in a handheld device, wherein the first signal type is selected to be compatible with a first detection method of a first touch enabled computing device and the second signal type is selected to be compatible with a second detection method of a second touch enabled computing device and wherein the first signal type and the second signal type are different in at least one of frequency or modulation and wherein the first signal type and the second signal type are defined to include the same information related to the handheld device; and

transmitting both the first signal type and the second signal type over the same transmission cycle of the handheld device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is included in the first signal type based on frequency modulation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein encoding the information in at least one of the first signal type and the second signal type is based on digital encoding.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digital encoding includes at least one of frequency shift keying (FSK), phase shift keying (PSK), and amplitude shift keying (ASK).

5. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting a plurality of first signal types and a plurality of second signal types in the transmission cycle, wherein each first type and second signal type of the plurality includes different information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is selected from a group including:

indication of pressed buttons, pressure level on tip, hover or tip status, tilt and identification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal type are transmitted simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal type includes the information with less resolution than the second signal type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal type includes more information than the first signal type.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal type and the second signal type also include different information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein both the first signal type and the second signal type is transmitted via a tip of the handheld device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal type is transmitted via a first electrode of the handheld device and the second signal type is transmitted via a second electrode of the handheld device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the first or second electrodes is a tip of the handheld device.

14. A method comprising:

detecting a first signal and a second signal from a handheld device with a touch enabled computing device, wherein the first signal and the second signal include the same information related to the handheld device and wherein the first signal includes the information based on frequency modulation and the second signal includes the information based on digital encoding and wherein the information in the second signal is provided with higher resolution as compared to the information in the first signal;

decoding the information in both the first signal and the second signal;

verifying a most significant bit in the second signal based on the first signal; and

reporting the information as verified to a host of the touch enabled computing device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the information is output from a sensor embedded in the handheld device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the information is pressure applied on a tip of the handheld device, wherein the tip is configured to interact with the touch enabled device by touch.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first signal and the second signal are transmitted over the same transmission cycle of the handheld device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second signal is transmitted over a plurality of transmission cycles of the handheld device.

19. A device comprising:

an electrode;

a circuit in communication with the electrode, the circuit comprising a signal generator;

wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a first signal type and a second signal type, wherein the first signal type is selected to be compatible with a first detection method of a first touch enabled computing device and the second signal type is selected to be compatible with a second detection method of a second touch enabled computing device and wherein the first signal type and the second signal type are different in at least one of frequency or modulation and wherein the first signal type and the second signal type are defined to include the same information related to the device; and

wherein the circuit is configured to transmit both the first signal type and the second signal type in the same transmission cycle of the device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the information is included in the first signal type based on frequency modulation.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein encoding the information in at least one of the first signal type and the second signal type is based on digital encoding.