Disabling stylus to prevent worn tip performance degradation and screen damage

• US 9,904,379 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Marshall, Blake R., Shah, Apexit, Benbasat, Ari Y., Tan, Li-Quan, Bhandari, Priyanka, Nasiri Mahalati, Reza, Bolton, Sarah M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Ibrahim A
• Application Number:
  US15/057,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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

Abstract

A level of wear of a stylus tip can be estimated and in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip exceeds a threshold, the stylus input functionality of an electronic device can be disabled. The threshold can be set such that the stylus can be disabled before the stylus sensing performance degrades to a degree perceptible to a human and/or before exposing internal portions of the stylus that can scratch a touch screen. Additionally or alternatively, a notification can be provided to indicate to a user that the stylus tip should be replaced. In some examples, the estimated level of wear can also be used to provide warning notifications. Stylus tip wear can be estimated, for example, based on a detected total signal strength or based on an estimated total distance traversed by the stylus tip across a surface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a touch sensor panel; and

a processor coupled to the touch sensor panel and capable of;

tracking a parameter representative of an amount of tip wear of a tip portion of an active stylus, the parameter updated based on an input received at the touch sensor panel from the active stylus, wherein the parameter comprises a measure of a total capacitive signal strength of the input from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes of the touch sensor panel;

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed a first threshold, performing an action associated with the input from the active stylus; and

in accordance with a determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, rejecting the input from the active stylus.

2. The system of claim 1, the processor further capable of:

in accordance with the determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, displaying a notification to replace the tip portion of the active stylus.

3. The system of claim 1, the processor further capable of:

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed the first threshold and that the parameter exceeds a second threshold, displaying a warning notification.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold is set based on a tilt angle of the active stylus.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameter is based on a history of measurements of a total capacitive signal strength of inputs from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes of the touch sensor panel.

6. A method comprising:

tracking a parameter representative of an amount of tip wear of a tip portion of an active stylus, the parameter updated based on an input received from the active stylus, wherein the parameter comprises a measure of a total capacitive signal strength of the input from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes of a touch sensor panel;

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed a first threshold, performing an action associated with the input from the active stylus; and

in accordance with a determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, rejecting the input from the active stylus.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in accordance with the determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, displaying a notification to replace the tip portion of the active stylus.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed the first threshold and that the parameter exceeds a second threshold, displaying a warning notification.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the first threshold is set based on a tilt angle of the active stylus.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the parameter is based on a history of measurements of a total capacitive signal strength of inputs from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

track a parameter representative of an amount of tip wear of a tip portion of an active stylus, the parameter updated based on an input received from the active stylus, wherein the parameter comprises a measure of a total capacitive signal strength of the input from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes of a touch sensor panel;

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed a first threshold, perform an action associated with the input from the active stylus; and

in accordance with a determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, reject the input from the active stylus.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

in accordance with the determination that the parameter exceeds the first threshold, display a notification to replace the tip portion of the active stylus.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

in accordance with a determination that the parameter does not exceed the first threshold and that the parameter exceeds a second threshold, display a warning notification.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first threshold is set based on a tilt angle of the active stylus.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the parameter is based on a history of measurements of a total capacitive signal strength of inputs from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the parameter is a measure of an estimated distance traversed by the tip portion of the active stylus across a touch sensitive surface.

17. An electronic device for use with a stylus comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processor coupled to the touch screen and capable of;

estimating a level of wear of a stylus tip by tracking a parameter representative of an amount of tip wear of a tip portion of an active stylus the parameter updated based on an input received at the touch sensor panel from the active stylus, wherein the parameter comprises a measure of a total capacitive signal strength of the input from the active stylus detected at one or more electrodes of the touch screen;

in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip exceeds a first threshold, disabling stylus input functionality of the electronic device; and

in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip does not exceed the first threshold while the stylus input functionality of the electronic device is disabled, re-enabling the stylus input functionality of the electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, the processor further capable of:

in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip exceeds the first threshold, displaying on the touch screen a notification including instructions to replace the stylus or stylus tip.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, the processor further capable of:

in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip does not exceed the first threshold and that the level of wear of the stylus tip exceeds a second threshold, displaying on the touch screen a notification including a warning regarding the level of wear.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, the processor further capable of:

in accordance with a determination that the level of wear of the stylus tip does not exceed the first threshold while displaying the notification, cease displaying the notification on the touch screen.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein estimating the level of wear of the stylus tip comprises measuring an average total capacitive signal strength of inputs from the stylus tip detected on the touch screen.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein estimating the level of wear of the stylus tip comprises estimating a total distance traversed by the stylus tip across the touch screen.