# US 10,871,835 B2 · Adaptive transmit voltage in active stylus

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- Number: US 10,871,835 B2
- Document ID: US10871835B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/173,764
- Filed: 2018-10-29
- Published: 2019-03-21
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2011-10-28
- Assignees: Wacom Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Wacom Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Eivind Holsen; Sharooz Shahparnia; Kishore Sundara-Rajan; Trond Jarle Pedersen; Vemund Kval Bakken; James D. Lyle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871835B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/03545: {Pens or stylus}
- G06F 1/3259: {Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball}
- G06F 3/0383: {Signal control means within the pointing device}
- G06F 3/041: Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
- G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers}
- G06F 3/04162: {for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware}
- G06F 3/04164: {Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads}
- G06F 3/04166: {Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving (Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184)}
- G06F 3/044: by capacitive means
- G06F 3/0441: {using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals}
- G06F 3/0442: {using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser}
- G06F 3/0446: {using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes}
- G06F 3/0448: {Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality}
- G06F 2203/04105: Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
- G06F 2203/04108: 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
- Y02D 10/00: Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

In one embodiment, an active stylus includes a transmitter configured to transmit electrical signals to a device through a touch sensor of the device. The active stylus also includes a receiver configured to receive electrical signals from the device through the touch sensor of the device. Furthermore, the active stylus includes a controller configured to determine a strength of an electrical signal received by the receiver from the touch sensor of the device and instruct the transmitter to transmit electrical signals to the device at a voltage based at least on the determined strength of the electrical signal received by the receiver.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An active stylus, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive signals from a device through a touch sensor of the device;
a transmitter configured to transmit signals to the device through the touch sensor of the device; and
a stylus controller coupled to the receiver and the transmitter and configured to:
in idle mode, periodically search for a synchronization signal from the touch sensor,
(a) in response to not detecting the synchronization signal for pre-determined time duration, enter into sleep mode in which the receiver is turned off, and
(b) in response to detecting the synchronization signal in the pre-determined time duration, enter into active mode to turn on the transmitter after completion of synchronization with a touch sensor controller of the touch sensor using the synchronization signal,
wherein,
in the idle mode, the transmitter is turned off and the receiver is operable to receive signals from the touch sensor,
in the sleep mode, the transmitter is turned off and the receiver is turned off,
in the active mode, the receiver is turned on and the transmitter is turned on,
the stylus controller is configured to transition between the sleep mode and the idle mode according to a wake-up timer in the stylus controller,
the transmitter is integrated with or comprises an adaptive voltage generation circuit including:
a boost voltage controller configured to perform a boost by controlling the adaptive voltage generation circuit to generate output voltage (Vout) from a voltage of a power source;
a comparator configured to measure Vout;
a switch control configured to shut off the boost when Vout is above a threshold voltage level and to allow the boost when Vout is below the threshold voltage level; and
a bleeder circuit configured to regulate Vout within a defined time, and
the stylus controller, in the active mode,
(a) if a tip of the stylus is not pressed, controls the adaptive voltage generation circuit and instructs the transmitter to transmit signals, at a second transmit voltage determined based at least on a strength of an electric field between the tip of the stylus and the touch sensor, and
(b) if the tip of the stylus is pressed, controls the adaptive voltage generation circuit and instructs the transmitter to transmit signals indicative of a state of the tip being pressed, from the tip of the stylus to the touch sensor, at a first transmit voltage weaker than the second transmit voltage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The active stylus according to claim 1, wherein the stylus controller, in response to the tip of the stylus being pressed, transitions from the sleep mode to the idle mode.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The active stylus of the claim 2, wherein the tip is integrated with or comprises a pressure sensor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The active stylus of the claim 1, wherein the second transmit voltage is higher than the first transmit voltage.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The active stylus according to claim 1, wherein, in the active mode, the receiver is turned on in one or more time slots when synchronization is expected to occur between the active stylus and the touch sensor controller.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The active stylus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is turned on for a fixed time interval after the active stylus achieves lock with the touch sensor controller.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The active stylus according to claim 1, wherein the active stylus,
in the active mode, operates in a cycle which includes a synchronization timing interval and an integration timing interval, and
(a) in the synchronization timing interval, the transmitter is turned off and the receiver is operable to receive signals from the touch sensor, and
(b) in the integration timing interval, the transmitter is turned on.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The active stylus according to claim 7, wherein the cycle is defined by a frame rate of the active stylus.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The active stylus according to claim 8, wherein the frame rate is between 60 Hz and 200 Hz.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The active stylus according to claim 7, wherein the stylus controller disables the receiver during the integrating timing interval.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The active stylus according to claim 7, wherein the stylus controller, after achieving frequency and/or phase lock with the touch sensor controller based at least on a Tx/Rx transmission sequence of the synchronization timing interval, instructs the transmitter to transmit a response to the touch sensor controller.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The active stylus according to claim 1, wherein the stylus controller enters the idle mode in response to detecting the stylus being lifted off a surface.

### Claim 13

A system comprising:
an active stylus; and
a touch sensor controller, operable with a touch sensor configured to transmit signals to and receive signals from the active stylus, the touch sensor controller comprising a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is configured when executed to:
detect signal levels at intersections between first electrodes and second electrodes of the touch sensor according to an operation cycle, wherein the first electrodes extend in a first direction and the second electrodes extend in a second direction different from the first direction, and
detect the active stylus based on the detected signal levels,
wherein the operation cycle includes a synchronization timing interval and an integration timing interval,
in the synchronization timing interval, the logic instructs the touch sensor to transmit signals to the active stylus and does not detect the active stylus, and in the integration timing interval, the logic instructs the touch sensor to not transmit signals to the active stylus and to receive signals from the active stylus, wherein
the active stylus includes an adaptive voltage generation circuit including:
a boost voltage controller configured to perform a boost by controlling the adaptive voltage generation circuit to generate output voltage (Vout) from a voltage of a power source;
a comparator configured to measure Vout;
a switch control configured to shut off the boost when Vout is above a threshold voltage level and to allow the boost when Vout is below the threshold voltage level; and
a bleeder circuit configured to regulate Vout within a defined time, and
the active stylus is operable in:
an idle mode, in which a transmitter of the active stylus is turned off and a receiver of the active stylus is turned on and operable to receive signals from the touch sensor,
a sleep mode, in which the transmitter of the active stylus is turned off and the receiver of the active stylus is turned off, and
an active mode, in which the adaptive voltage generation circuit is controlled and the transmitter of the active stylus is turned on and operable to transmit signals to the touch sensor, such that:
(a) if a tip of the stylus is not pressed, the transmitter of the active stylus transmits signals, at a second transmit voltage determined based at least on a strength of an electric field between the tip of the stylus and the touch sensor, and
(b) if the tip of the stylus is pressed, instructs the transmitter to transmit signals indicative of a state of the tip being pressed, from the tip of the stylus to the touch sensor, at a first transmit voltage weaker than the second transmit voltage.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein the operation cycle is defined by a frame rate of the active stylus.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system according to claim 14, wherein the frame rate is between 60 Hz and 200 Hz.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The system according to claim 13, wherein the logic of the touch sensor controller, after achieving frequency and/or phase lock with the active stylus based at least on a Tx/Rx transmission sequence of the synchronization timing interval, instructs the touch sensor to receive a response from the active stylus.