Integrated circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12489458-B2
Application number	US-202318452458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2023
Priority date	Jun 25, 2021
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

A delta-sigma modulation circuit is enabled to be used to detect a pen signal. An integrated circuit according to the present disclosure is a sensor controller that detects pen signals transmitted from an active pen. The integrated circuit includes a delta-sigma modulation circuit including a subtractor that subtracts a feedback signal from a received signal input from a sensor, an integrator that integrates an output signal of the subtractor, a quantizer that quantizes an output signal of the integrator, and a digital analog converter that generates the feedback signal based on an output value of the quantizer. The integrated circuit also has a processor that detects a level of the received signal based on an output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit, and a gain controller that a level of the feedback signal based on the level of the received signal detected by the processor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An integrated circuit that detects a pen signal transmitted from an active pen, the integrated circuit comprising:
a delta-sigma modulation circuit including:
a subtractor that, in operation, subtracts a feedback signal from the pen signal that is input from a sensor,
an integrator that, in operation, integrates an output signal of the subtractor,
a quantizer that, in operation, quantizes an output signal of the integrator, and
a digital analog converter that, in operation, generates the feedback signal based on an output value of the quantizer;
a processor that, in operation, detects a level of the pen signal based on an output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit; a gain controller that, in operation, controls a level of the feedback signal based on the level of the pen signal detected by the processor; and a gain adjustment circuit that, in operation, generates the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit by adjusting a gain of the output value of the quantizer, wherein the digital analog converter, in operation, generates the feedback signal based on the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit, and wherein the gain controller, in operation, controls the level of the feedback signal and the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit by controlling the gain of the gain adjustment circuit based on the level of the pen signal detected by the processor.

2 . The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the delta-sigma modulation circuit, in operation, performs 1-bit delta-sigma modulation for which the quantizer is constituted by one comparator.

3 . The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the gain controller, in operation, controls the level of the feedback signal by controlling the digital analog converter based on the level of the pen signal detected by the processor.

4 . The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein, in the delta-sigma modulation circuit, the subtractor, the integrator, and the quantizer are configured by analog circuits, and the gain adjustment circuit is configured by a digital circuit.

5 . The integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the processor includes a low-pass filter that, in operation, restores the pen signal based on the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit and a quadrature demodulation circuit that, in operation, performs quadrature detection of the pen signal restored by the low-pass filter, and
the processor, in operation, detects the level by using a result of the quadrature detection.

6 . An integrated circuit that detects a pen signal transmitted from an active pen, the integrated circuit comprising:
a delta-sigma modulation circuit including:
a subtractor that, in operation, subtracts a feedback signal from the pen signal that is input from a sensor,
an integrator that, in operation, integrates an output signal of the subtractor,
a quantizer that, in operation, quantizes an output signal of the integrator, and
a digital analog converter that, in operation, generates the feedback signal based on an output value of the quantizer;
a processor that, in operation, detects a level of the pen signal based on an output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit; and a gain controller that, in operation, controls a level of the feedback signal based on the level of the pen signal detected by the processor, wherein the processor includes a low-pass filter that, in operation, restores the pen signal based on the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit and a quadrature demodulation circuit that, in operation, performs quadrature detection of the pen signal restored by the low-pass filter, wherein the processor, in operation, detects the level by using a result of the quadrature detection, and wherein the processor, in operation, detects the level by performing statistical processing of a level derived using the result of the quadrature detection.

7 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the statistical processing is smoothing processing that smooths the level derived using the result of the quadrature detection or prediction processing that predicts a future level based on the derived level.

8 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the processor includes a noise filter that, in operation, removes noise from an output signal of the quadrature demodulation circuit, and
wherein the processor, in operation, detects the level based on the output signal of the quadrature demodulation circuit, the output signal being obtained before noise thereof is removed by the noise filter.

9 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the processor includes a plurality of quadrature demodulation circuits that, in operation, perform quadrature detection at frequencies different from each other, and
wherein the processor detects the level for each of the quadrature demodulation circuits.

10 . The integrated circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the gain controller includes a level determination circuit that, in operation, determines the level of the pen signal to be used to control the level of the feedback signal, based on a plurality of levels detected by the processor.

11 . The integrated circuit according to claim 10 , wherein the level determination circuit, in operation, performs a summation process of summing the plurality of levels detected by the processor or a selection process of selecting one of the plurality of levels detected by the processor, to determine the level of the pen signal to be used to control the level of the feedback signal.

12 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the delta-sigma modulation circuit, in operation, performs 1-bit delta-sigma modulation for which the quantizer is constituted by one comparator.

13 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the gain controller, in operation, controls the level of the feedback signal by controlling the digital analog converter based on the level of the pen signal detected by the processor.

14 . The integrated circuit according to claim 6 , wherein the processor includes a low-pass filter that, in operation, restores the pen signal based on the output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit and a quadrature demodulation circuit that, in operation, performs quadrature detection of the pen signal restored by the low-pass filter, and
the processor, in operation, detects the level by using a result of the quadrature detection.

15 . An integrated circuit that detects a pen signal transmitted from an active pen, the integrated circuit comprising:
a delta-sigma modulation circuit including:
a subtractor that, in operation, subtracts a feedback signal from the pen signal that is input from a sensor,
an integrator that, in operation, integrates an output signal of the subtractor,
a quantizer that, in operation, quantizes an output signal of the integrator,
a digital analog converter that, in operation, generates the feedback signal based on an output value of the quantizer,
a comparator that, in operation, detects that an absolute value of a level of the output signal of the integrator exceeds a predetermined value, and
an adder that, in operation, controls the level of the feedback signal in a case where the comparator detects that the absolute value of the level of the output signal of the integrator exceeds the predetermined value;
a processor that, in operation, detects a level of the pen signal based on an output value of the delta-sigma modulation circuit; and a g

Assignees

• Wacom Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koike Takeshi

Classifications

• G06F3/0441 Primary

  using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals · CPC title

• G06F3/04162

  for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware · CPC title

• H03M3/464

  Details of the digital/analogue conversion in the feedback path · CPC title

• H03M3/43

  the quantiser being a single bit one · CPC title

• H03M3/344

  by filtering other than the noise-shaping inherent to delta-sigma modulators, e.g. anti-aliasing · CPC title