Active stylus with passive mutual measurements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9563304-B2
Application number	US-201213586745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2012
Priority date	Aug 15, 2012
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus includes a sense unit operable to sense a plurality of first signals transmitted on one or more vertical lines and one or more horizontal lines of a touch sensor, the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines operable to drive the plurality of first signals. The apparatus also includes a drive unit operable to transmit, in response to the sense unit sensing at least one of the plurality of first signals, a second signal to the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines, the second signal changing an effective charge of the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a touch sensor and an apparatus;
the apparatus comprising:
a sense unit operable to sense a plurality of first signals transmitted on one or more vertical lines and one or more horizontal lines of a touch sensor, the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines operable to drive the plurality of first signals; and
a drive unit operable to transmit, in response to the sense unit sensing at least a rising edge and a falling edge of one of the plurality of first signals, a second signal comprising an active high voltage output to the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines, the second signal changing an effective charge of the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines, the second signal comprising a modulated waveform;
the touch sensor comprising:
a touch-sensor controller operable to acquire the effective charge of the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines after waiting a predetermined amount of time for a charge transfer to occur, the charge transfer resulting from the active high voltage output the predetermined amount of time calculated based at least in part on a length of time required to transmit the active high voltage output from the drive unit of the apparatus to the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines of the touch sensor; and
wherein the touch-sensor controller includes one or more integrators operable to, based on the acquired effective charge, compute a first weighted average of the one or more vertical lines and a second weighted average of the one or more horizontal lines.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sense unit comprises: a high impedance amplifier operable to buffer and amplify the first signals; and an edge detector operable to detect an edge of at least one of the first signals.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a stylus tip;
a stylus measure state in which the sensor unit is operable to sense the first signals on the stylus tip; and
a stylus active state in which the drive unit is operable to drive the second signal on the stylus tip.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sense unit is further operable to sense a plurality of first signals transmitted on the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines at a substantially same time.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sense unit is further operable to sense a plurality of first signals transmitted on one or more vertical lines and one or more horizontal lines of a touch sensor and the touch sensor is operable to sense the effective charge on the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first signals comprise synchronized signal spikes, and the sense unit is further operable to sense the first signals by detecting at least one of the synchronized signal spikes.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a stylus tip;
wherein the drive unit is further operable to transmit the second signal by activating a voltage on the stylus tip; and
wherein the drive unit comprises a timing circuit operable to, in response to the sense unit sensing at least one of the first signals, activate the voltage.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the voltage is a high voltage operable to decrease the effective charge.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor is operable to determine a location of the apparatus based on the effective charge of the horizontal lines and the vertical lines.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is further operable to modulate the second signal in response to one or more of a detected pressure associated with the apparatus and a detected tilt angle of the apparatus.

11. An apparatus comprising a controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
while in a line active mode, transmit a plurality of first signals to an active stylus on a plurality of horizontal lines and a plurality of vertical lines;
transition from the line active mode to a line measure mode;
while in the line measure mode, sense an effective charge on the plurality of horizontal lines and the plurality of vertical lines, the effective charge responsive to a second signal from the active stylus, wherein the second signal comprises an active high voltage output that is transmitted by the active stylus in response to detecting a rising edge and a falling edge of the first signal, the second signal further comprising a modulated waveform;
while in the line measure mode, acquire the effective charge on one or more of the horizontal lines and one or more of the vertical lines after waiting a predetermined amount of time for a charge transfer to occur, the charge transfer resulting from the active high voltage output, the predetermined amount of time calculated based at least in part on a length of time required to transmit the active high voltage output from a drive unit of the active stylus to the one or more vertical lines and the one or more horizontal lines of the apparatus; and
based on the acquired effective charge, compute, by one or more integrators, a first weighted average of the one or more vertical lines and a second weighted average of the one or more horizontal lines.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , further operable to transmit the plurality of first signals on the plurality of vertical lines and the plurality of horizontal lines at a substantially same time.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein:
the first signals comprise synchronized signal spikes; and
the active stylus is operable to sense the first signals by detecting at least one of the synchronized signal spikes.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 :
further operable to receive a high voltage signal from the active stylus; and
wherein the high voltage signal decreases the effective charge of at least one of the horizontal lines and at least one of the vertical lines.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 , further operable to determine a location of the active stylus based on the effective charge of the plurality of horizontal lines and the plurality of vertical lines.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , further operable to:
detect a modulated effective charge on one or more of the horizontal lines and one or more of the vertical lines; and
determine one or more of a tilt angle of the active stylus and a pressure associated with the active stylus.

17. A method, comprising:
transmitting a synchronized first signal on each of a plurality of horizontal lines and each of a plurality of vertical lines of a touch screen device, wherein the synchronized first signal is sensed on a stylus tip of an active stylus;
sensing an effective charge of the plurality of horizontal lines and the plurality of the vertical lines, wherein the active stylus activates an active high voltage output on the stylus tip in response to detecting a rising edge and a falling edge of the synchronized first signal, the active high voltage operable to change the effective charge on one or more of the horizontal lines and one or more of the vertical lines, the active high voltage comprising a modulated waveform;
acquiring the effective charge of the plurality of horizontal lines and the plurality of the vertical lines after waiting a predetermined amount of time for a charge transfer to occur, the charge transfer resulting from the active high voltage output, the predetermined amount of time calculated based at least in part on a length of time required to

Assignees

• Brunet Samuel
• Hristov Luben H
• Pedersen Trond J
• Sharif Iqbal
• Atmel Corp

Inventors

• Brunet Samuel
• Hristov Luben H
• Pedersen Trond J
• Sharif Iqbal

Classifications

• G06F3/03545

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• 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

• G06F3/0442

  using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser · CPC title