Stylus signal detection and demodulation architecture

• US 9,811,178 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shahparnia, Shahrooz
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARKER, JEFFREY ALAN
• Application Number:
  US13/830,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser

Abstract

A touch input device configured to detect stylus signals generated by an external stylus is provided. The touch input device includes a plurality of stylus signal detectors that can receive the stylus signal and estimate the start and end time of the stylus signal in order to facilitate windowed demodulation of signal. The start and end times are then used to facilitate a windowed demodulation of the stylus signal.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a presence of a stylus signal generated by an asynchronous external stylus on a touch input device, the method comprising:

receiving the stylus signal generated by the asynchronous external stylus,

wherein the asynchronous external stylus generates the stylus signal asynchronously from the touch input device, and the stylus signal generated by the asynchronous external stylus has a beginning time and an end time;

determining a first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the received stylus signal based on an analysis of the received stylus signal;

determining a second time value corresponding to the end time of the received stylus signal based on the analysis of the received stylus signal, wherein determining the second time value includes;

performing a spectral analysis of the received stylus signal, the spectral analysis comprising;

performing a plurality of estimates of a magnitude of the stylus signal, each estimate of the magnitude corresponding to a transform of the plurality of single frequency Fourier transforms; and

determining a peak magnitude from the plurality of estimates of the magnitude; and

determining a time at which the peak magnitude occurred,

wherein determining the time at which the peak magnitude occurred includes;

determining a third time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a first pre-determined threshold;

determining a fourth time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a second pre-determined threshold; and

calculating a time centroid based on the determined third value of time and the determined fourth value of time; and

demodulating the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and second time value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the stylus signal includes operating the touch input device in a stylus detection mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the received stylus signal includes determining the second time value corresponding to the end time of the received stylus signal and subtracting a pre-determined amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein demodulating the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and the second time value includes performing a time windowed demodulation of the stylus signal, wherein a time window of the windowed demodulation is determined by the first and second time values.

5. An apparatus for detecting a presence of stylus signals generated by an asynchronous external stylus on a touch input device, the apparatus comprising:

receive circuitry capable of receiving a stylus signal generated by the external asynchronous stylus, wherein the asynchronous external stylus generates the stylus signal asynchronously from the touch input device, and the stylus signal generated by the external asynchronous stylus has a beginning time and an end time;

a stylus signal beginning and end time detector coupled to the receive circuitry and configured to determine a first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the stylus signal based on an analysis of the received stylus signal and determine a second time value corresponding to the end time of the stylus signal based on the analysis of the received stylus signal, wherein determining the second time value includes;

performing a spectral analysis of the received stylus signal, the spectral analysis comprising;

performing a plurality of estimates of a magnitude of the stylus signal, each estimate of the magnitude corresponding to a transform of the plurality of single frequency Fourier transforms; and

determining a peak magnitude from the plurality of estimates of the magnitude; and

determining a time at which the peak magnitude occurred,

wherein determining the time at which the peak magnitude occurred includes;

determining a third time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a first pre-determined threshold;

determining a fourth time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a second pre-determined threshold; and

calculating a time centroid based on the determined third value of time and the determined fourth value of time; and

a demodulator coupled to the receive circuitry and configured to demodulate the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and second time value.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the receive circuitry is switchably configured to operate as touch detection circuitry in a touch detection mode.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein determining the first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the received stylus signal includes determining the second time value corresponding to the end time of the received stylus signal and subtracting a pre-determined amount of time.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein demodulating the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and the second time value includes performing a time windowed demodulation of the stylus signal, wherein a time window of the windowed demodulation is determined by the first and second time values.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions for detecting and demodulating a stylus signal generated by an asynchronous external stylus, that when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

receive a stylus signal generated by an asynchronous external stylus,

wherein the asynchronous external stylus generates the stylus signal asynchronously from the touch input device, and the stylus signal generated by the asynchronous external stylus has a beginning time and an end time;

determine a first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the received stylus signal based on an analysis of the received stylus signal;

determine a second time value corresponding to the end time of the received stylus signal based on the analysis of the received stylus signal, wherein determining the second time value includes;

performing a spectral analysis of the received stylus signal, the spectral analysis comprising;

performing a plurality of estimates of a magnitude of the stylus signal, each estimate of the magnitude corresponding to a transform of the plurality of single frequency Fourier transforms; and

determining a peak magnitude from the plurality of estimates of the magnitude; and

determining a time at which the peak magnitude occurred,

wherein determining the time at which the peak magnitude occurred includes;

determining a third time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a first pre-determined threshold;

determining a fourth time value corresponding to when an estimate of the magnitude of the plurality of estimates of the magnitude crosses a second pre-determined threshold; and

calculating a time centroid based on the determined third value of time and the determined fourth value of time; and

demodulate the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and second time value.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein receiving the stylus signal further includes operating the touch input device in a stylus detection mode.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining the first time value corresponding to the beginning time of the received stylus signal includes determining the second time value corresponding to the end time of the received stylus signal and subtracting a pre-determined amount of time.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein demodulating the stylus signal based on the determined first time value and the second time value includes performing a time windowed demodulation of the stylus signal, wherein a time window of the windowed demodulation is determined by the first and second time values.