Combination touch and transducer input system and method

摘要

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.

主权项

1. A combination pen and touch input system, comprising:
a pen-shaped transducer; and a sensor including an array of electrodes and a sensor controller connected to the array of electrodes, the array of electrodes including first electrodes disposed along a first direction and second electrodes disposed along a second direction different from the first direction; wherein the pen-shaped transducer includes a pressure sensor configured to detect pressure applied to a tip of the pen-shaped transducer, a transducer controller configured to generate a signal corresponding to a pressure value detected by the pressure sensor, and an antenna configured to transmit the signal corresponding to the pressure value to the sensor, wherein the transducer controller is further configured to format the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor in a data frame and encode the data frame pursuant to a defined encoding method to transmit the pressure value encoded by the defined encoding method with a start signal indicative of a start of the data frame via the antenna to the sensor, wherein the sensor controller connected to the array of electrodes is configured: (i) to supply defined signals to the first electrodes disposed along the first direction and to measure attributes of signals detected by the second electrodes disposed along the second direction, to thereby capacitively detect a non-transducer object on or near the array of electrodes, (ii) to control the array of electrodes to measure attributes of signals detected by the first and the second electrodes, to thereby detect the pen-shaped transducer on or near the array of electrodes, and (iii) to time-divisionally control the array of electrodes to switch between detecting the non-transducer object and detecting the pen-shaped transducer in an alternating manner; and wherein the sensor controller connected to the array of electrodes is further configured to repeatedly detect attributes of signals, which are asynchronously transmitted from the pen-shaped transducer to the sensor, within a defined time period, to thereby detect the pen-shaped transducer and decode the encoded data frame.