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US 6,888,538 B2Granted
Position sensor
AssigneeSynaptics (UK) Limited
InventorsDavid T. E. Ely, Andrew N. Dames
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low cost x-y digitising system is provided for use in consumer electronic devices, such as portable digital assistants, mobile telephones, web browsers and the like. The digitiser includes a resonant stylus, an excitation winding for energising the resonant stylus and a set of sensor windings for sensing the signal generated by the stylus, from which the x-y position of the stylus is determined.
Claims28
A hand-held portable battery-powered data processing device comprising:
- a freely movable stylus comprising an electromagnetic resonator;
- and
- a housing comprising:
- a memory for storing data;
- a display for displaying data within an X-Y display area to a user;
- a user interface via which the user can manipulate the stored data using said stylus;
- a main processor operable to receive data from the user interface and to control the operation of the device to effect the desired user manipulation of the stored data;
- and
- a power circuit operable to receive energy front a battery and to provide power to said memory, display, user interface and the main processor;
- wherein said user interface comprises:
- a base mounted substantially parallel to and overlapping said X-Y display area and carrying:
- (i) an excitation winding for receiving an excitation signal and for generating an electromagnetic field to cause said electromagnetic resonator resonate when said stylus is in the vicinity of said base;
- (ii) an X sensor winding which extend is substantially over the whole X-Y display area and which is operable to output a signal that varies with the relative X position between the stylus and the X-Y display area when said electro magnetic resonator resonates in the vicinity of said base;
- and (iii) one or more Y sensor windings which are arranged substantially over the whole X-Y display area and which are operable to output signals that vary with the relative Y position between the stylus and the X-Y display area when said electromagnetic resonator resonates in the vicinity of said base;
- an excitation circuit operable to receive energy from said battery and operable to generate said excitation signal for output to said excitation winding;
- and
- a position processor operable to process the signals from said X and Y sensor windings to provide position information of said stylus relative to said X-Y display area to said main processor.
14 more elements
A hand-held portable battery-powered data processing device comprising:
- a memory for storing data;
- a display for displaying data with an X-Y display area to a user;
- a user interface via which the user can manipulate the stored data;
- a main processor operable to receive data from the user interface and to control the operation of the device to effect the desired user manipulation of the stored data;
- and
- a power circuit operable to receive energy from a battery and to provide power to said memory, display, user interface and the main processor;
- wherein said user interface comprises:
- a stylus freely movable over the display by the user and comprising an electromagnetic resonator;
- a base mounted substantially parallel to and overlapping said X-Y display area and carrying:
- (i) an excitation winding for receiving an excitation signal and for generating an electromagnetic field to cause said electromagnetic resonator to resonate when slid stylus is in the vicinity of said base;
- and (ii) X and Y sensor windings which are arranged substantially over the whole X-Y display area and which are operable to output signals that vary with the relative position between the stylus and the X-Y display area when said electromagnetic resonator resonates in the vicinity of said base;
- an excitation circuit operable to receive energy from said battery and operable to generate said excitation signal for output to said excitation winding;
- a position processor operable to process the signals from said X and Y sensor windings to provide position information of said stylus relative to said X-Y display area to said main processor;
- wherein said memory, main processor, power circuit, excitation circuit and position processor are located on a printed circuit board located under said base relative to said display.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.