Timing synchronization of active stylus and touch sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733731-B2
Application number	US-201414275462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2014
Priority date	May 12, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

In one embodiment, a stylus includes a controller, a delay line, a coefficient line and a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The controller is operable to receive a synchronization signal that is transmitted from a computing device and received by the stylus. The delay line is operable to store a first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal. The coefficient line includes a pre-determined coefficient vector. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodies logic that is configured when executed to: determine a first correlation between the first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector of the coefficient line; remove oldest signal period of edges of the first consecutive edges from the delay line; store next signal period of new consecutive edges of the synchronization signal to the delay line, the new consecutive edges composing a second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal; determine a second correlation between the second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector; and synchronize one or more timings for communication between the stylus and the computing device based at least in part on the first and second correlations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stylus comprising:
a controller, the controller being operable to receive a synchronization signal, wherein the synchronization signal is transmitted from a computing device and received by the stylus;
a delay line, the delay line being operable to store first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal;
a coefficient line, the coefficient line being operable to store a pre-determined coefficient vector; and
a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is configured when executed to:
determine a first correlation between the first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector of the coefficient line;
remove oldest signal period of edges of the first consecutive edges from the delay line;
store next signal period of new consecutive edges of the synchronization signal to the delay line, the new consecutive edges comprising second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal;
determine a second correlation between the second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector; and
synchronize one or more timings for communication between the stylus and the computing device based at least in part on the first and second correlations.

2. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein a size of the delay line is determined based at least in part on a sampling frequency of the stylus and a modulated frequency of the synchronization signal.

3. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein:
the stylus comprises one or more electrodes disposed on a tip of the stylus, wherein the one or more electrodes transmit signals wirelessly to and receive signals wirelessly from the computing device via a touch sensor of the computing device; and
the computing device is a tablet computer.

4. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein the pre-determined coefficient vector is programmable.

5. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein the logic is further configured when executed to:
send data to the computing device at a data rate that is based at least in part on a data rate of the synchronization signal and at a timing that is based at least in part on a timing of the synchronization signal.

6. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein synchronizing the one or more timings comprises:
determining whether each of the first and second correlations passes a threshold; and
obtaining a lock on the one or more timings based at least in part on one or more of the first and second correlations that pass the threshold.

7. The stylus of claim 6 , wherein the logic is further configured when executed to:
if first and second correlations pass the threshold, send data to the computing device at a data rate that is based at least in part on a time difference between the first and second correlations.

8. The stylus of claim 6 , wherein the threshold is programmable.

9. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein the delay line comprises storage registers.

10. The stylus of claim 1 , wherein each edge of the consecutive edges is a signal representing a rising edge, a falling edge, or no edge.

11. A computing device comprising:
a controller, the controller being operable to receive a synchronization signal, wherein the synchronization signal is transmitted from a stylus and received by the computing device;
a delay line, the delay line operable to store first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal;
a coefficient line, the coefficient line being operable to store a pre-determined coefficient vector; and
a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is configured when executed to:
determine a first correlation between the first consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector of the coefficient line;
remove oldest signal period of edges of the first consecutive edges from the delay line;
store next signal period of new consecutive edges of the synchronization signal to the delay line, the new consecutive edges comprising second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal;
determine a second correlation between the second consecutive edges of the synchronization signal and the pre-determined coefficient vector; and
synchronize one or more timings for communication between the stylus and the computing device based at least in part on the first and second correlations.

12. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein a size of the delay line is determined based at least in part on a sampling frequency of the controller and a modulated frequency of the synchronization signal.

13. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein:
the stylus comprises one or more electrodes for transmitting signals wirelessly to and receiving signals wirelessly from the computing device via a touch sensor of the computing device; and
the computing device is a tablet computer.

14. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the pre-determined coefficient vector is programmable.

15. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the logic is further configured when executed to:
send data to the stylus at a data rate that is based at least in part on a data rate of the synchronization signal and at a timing that is based at least in part on a timing of the synchronization signal.

16. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein synchronizing the one or more timings comprises:
determining whether each of the first and second correlations passes a threshold; and
obtaining a lock on the one or more timings based at least in part on one or more of the first and second correlations that pass the threshold.

17. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the logic is further configured when executed to:
if first and second correlations pass the threshold, send data to the stylus at a data rate that is based at least in part on a time difference between the first and second correlations.

18. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the threshold is programmable.

19. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein the delay line comprises storage registers.

20. The computing device of claim 11 , wherein each edge of the consecutive edges is a signal representing a rising edge, a falling edge, or no edge.

Assignees

• Bakken Vemund
• Holsen Eivind
• Atmel Corp

Inventors

• Bakken Vemund
• Holsen Eivind

Classifications

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title

• G06F3/03545 Primary

  Pens or stylus · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · 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