Combination touch and transducer input system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9753584-B2
Application number	US-201615288862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2008
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A combination touch and transducer input system is provided, which facilitates user input into an electronic system with a finger and/or a transducer (e.g., a stylus). The system includes a transducer configured to generate an electric field, and a sensor including an array of electrodes and a controller. The transducer is configured to transmit digital data, such as pen pressure data and switch status data, to the sensor. For example, the transducer comprises electronic circuitry configured to encode the digital data in a signal for transmission to the sensor. The sensor controller is configured to operate both in a touch sensing mode and in a transducer sensing mode. During the touch sensing mode, the controller determines a position of a proximate object (e.g., a finger) by capacitively sensing the object with the array of electrodes. During the transducer sensing mode, the controller determines a position of the transducer based on a signal received by the array of electrodes from the transducer, and also receives and decodes the digital data encoded in the received signal. Digital data can be encoded in a signal using any suitable digital modulation techniques, such as a Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK) technique.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor controller comprising:
a communication processor configured to:
cause a sensor to establish a wireless link with a pen-shaped transducer, wherein the sensor is comprised of an array of electrodes including first electrodes disposed along a first direction and second electrodes disposed along a second direction different from the first direction, and the pen-shaped transducer is operable to generate an electric field and to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pen pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped transducer,
control the sensor to transmit, over the wireless link to the pen-shaped transducer, information that configures the pen-shaped transducer to transmit the pressure signal at a frequency channel determined from the information, and
control the sensor to capacitively detect the electric field generated by the pen-shaped transducer and to receive the pressure signal transmitted from the pen-shaped transducer at the determined frequency channel; and

a calculation processor configured to:
calculate a position indicated by the pen-shaped transducer on the sensor based on the electric field generated by the pen-shaped transducer and capacitively detected by the sensor, and
determine a pen pressure value based on the received pressure signal.

2. The sensor controller of claim 1 , wherein the wireless link is a capacitive coupling link or an RF channel link between the sensor and the pen-shaped transducer, over which the sensor receives the pressure signal from the pen-shaped transducer.

3. The sensor controller of claim 1 , wherein the communication processor is configured to control the sensor to receive the pressure signal, which is formatted in a data frame and encoded pursuant to a defined encoding method with a start signal indicative of a start of the encoded data frame.

4. The sensor controller of claim 3 , wherein the defined encoding method is selected from a group consisting of a Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK) method, Amplitude-Shift Keying (ASK) method, Phase-Shift Keying (PSK) method, and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) method.

5. The sensor controller of claim 1 , wherein the information configures the pen-shaped transducer to transmit the pressure signal at one or more of multiple frequencies including a first frequency on or around a first base frequency and a second frequency on or around a second base frequency.

6. The sensor controller of claim 5 , wherein the first base frequency is of the order of several hundred kHz and the second base frequency is of the order of several MHz.

7. The sensor controller of claim 6 , wherein the first frequency on or around the first base frequency is 500 kHz and the second frequency on or around the second base frequency is 2 MHz.

8. The sensor controller of claim 1 , wherein the wireless link is an RF channel link pursuant to a defined wireless communication protocol.

9. The sensor controller of claim 8 , wherein the defined wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth® protocol.

10. The sensor controller of claim 1 , wherein the communication processor is configured to control the sensor to transmit, over the wireless link to the pen-shaped transducer, operational mode information indicative of whether the sensor is in a mode to capacitively detect the pen-shaped transducer on the sensor.

11. A method of bi-directional communication between a sensor and a pen-shaped transducer, the method comprising:
establishing a wireless link between the sensor and the pen-shaped transducer, wherein the sensor is comprised of an array of electrodes including first electrodes disposed along a first direction and second electrodes disposed along a second direction different from the first direction, and the pen-shaped transducer is operable to generate an electric field and to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pen pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped transducer,
controlling the sensor to transmit, over the wireless link to the pen-shaped transducer, information that configures the pen-shaped transducer to transmit the pressure signal at a frequency channel determined from the information,
controlling the sensor to capacitively detect the electric field generated by the pen-shaped transducer,
calculating a position indicated by the pen-shaped transducer on the sensor based on the electric field generated by the pen-shaped transducer and capacitively detected by the sensor,
controlling the sensor to receive the pressure signal transmitted from the pen-shaped transducer at the determined frequency channel, and
determining a pen pressure value based on the received pressure signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless link is a capacitive coupling link or an RF channel link between the sensor and the pen-shaped transducer, and the method comprises controlling the sensor to receive the pressure signal from the pen-shaped transducer over the wireless link.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising controlling the sensor to receive the pressure signal, which is formatted in a data frame and encoded pursuant to a defined encoding method with a start signal indicative of a start of the encoded data frame.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the defined encoding method is selected from a group consisting of a Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK) method, Amplitude-Shift Keying (ASK) method, Phase-Shift Keying (PSK) method, and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) method.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the information configures the pen-shaped transducer to transmit the pressure signal at one or more of multiple frequencies including a first frequency on or around a first base frequency and a second frequency on or around a second base frequency.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first base frequency is of the order of several hundred kHz and the second base frequency is of the order of several MHz.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first frequency on or around the first base frequency is 500 kHz and the second frequency on or around the second base frequency is 2 MHz.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the wireless link is an RF channel link pursuant to a defined wireless communication protocol.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the defined wireless communication protocol is a Bluetooth® protocol.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
controlling the sensor to transmit, over the wireless link to the pen-shaped transducer, operational mode information indicative of whether the sensor is in a mode to capacitively detect the pen-shaped transducer on the sensor.

21. A pen-shaped transducer, comprising:
signal generation circuity configured to generate a driving signal;
an antenna configured to emit an electric field based on the driving signal;
a pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure signal indicative of a pen pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped transducer;
a transmitter/receiver configured to transmit the pressure signal generated by the pressure sensor; and
a controller, which, in operation,
establishes a wireless link between the transmitter/receiver and a sensor, wherein the sensor is comprised of an array of electrodes including first electrodes disposed along a first direction and second electrodes disposed along a second direction different from the first direction,
establishes a capacitive coupling link between the antenna and the sensor based on the electric field emitted from the antenna, wherein the capacitive coupl

Assignees

• Wacom Co Ltd

Inventors

• King-Smith Oliver P
• Smit Bernardus H
• Hadizad Peyman

Classifications

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/0418 Primary

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/0383

  Signal control means within the pointing device · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/03545 Primary

  Pens or stylus · CPC title