Handheld device having ultrasonic transducer for axial transmission of acoustic signals
AssigneeMeasurement Specialties, Inc.
InventorMinoru Toda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handheld stylus having an elongated housing, a writing and drawing implement disposed within the housing and including a tip extending through an opening at an end of the housing where ultrasonic waves radiate therefrom and are used for determining a position of the stylus; and at least one ultrasonic transducer disposed within the housing. The transducer may be a cylindrical piezoelectric transducer having a holder and a cylindrical piezoelectric film spanning between at least two spaced apart cylindrical surfaces of the holder, or a flat transducer having a diaphragm, and a piezoelectric material disposed on a surface of the diaphragm.
Claims70
An ultrasonic transducer comprising:
- a holder having at least two spaced apart cylindrical surfaces;
- a cylindrical piezoelectric film spanning between the at least two spaced apart cylindrical surfaces of the holder;
- an outer electrode segment disposed on an outer surface of the film;
- and
- an inner electrode segment disposed on an inner surface of the film;
- wherein the transducer radiating acoustic energy substantially along a longitudinal axis thereof in response to an excitation voltage applied to the film via the electrode segments.
A stylus comprising:
- an elongated housing defining an internal bore and having an opening at an end thereof that communicates with the internal bore;
- a writing and drawing implement disposed within the bore of the housing, the implement having a tip extending through the opening at the end of the housing;
- and
- a transducer disposed within the bore, the transducer comprising:
- a holder having at least two spaced apart cylindrical surfaces;
- a cylindrical piezoelectric film spanning between the at least two spaced apart cylindrical surfaces of the holder;
- an outer electrode segment disposed on an outer surface of the film;
- and
- an inner electrode segment disposed on an inner surface of the film;
- wherein the transducer radiating acoustic energy substantially along a longitudinal axis of the stylus in response to an excitation voltage applied to the film via the electrode segments such that the radiating acoustic energy propagates along the bore toward the end and exits at the opening.
A stylus comprising:
- an elongated housing having an interior, an opening at an end thereof and at least one bore extending between the interior and the opening;
- a writing and drawing implement disposed within the housing, the implement having a tip extending through the opening at the end of the housing;
- and
- at least one transducer disposed within the interior of the housing, the transducer comprising:
- a flat diaphragm;
- a piezoelectric layer disposed on a surface of the diaphragm;
- an outer electrode segment disposed on an outer surface of the piezoelectric layer;
- and
- an inner electrode segment disposed on an inner surface of the piezoelectric layer;
- wherein the transducer radiating acoustic energy substantially along a longitudinal axis of the housing in response to an excitation voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer via the electrode segments such that the radiating acoustic energy propagates along the at least one bore toward the end and exits at the opening.
The stylus of claim 49, wherein one of the bores has a different path length than the other two bores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.