Wacom Co., Ltd.

Yoshio Nomura

Yuhi Hatano

Sadao Yamamoto

Yasuo Oda

Hideyuki Hara

Thilo Naoki Hornung

Kazuhiro Miyoshi

Kenichi Ono

Masayuki Miyamoto

Shigeyuki Sano

Jui Min Liu

Paiching Hsiao

Provided is a sensor controller that controls an operation of a touch sensor that detects a position of a passive pointer. The sensor controller includes a transmission circuit transmitting a transmission signal in a third period at a predetermined cycle, the third period including a first period and a second period, a processor that measures a level of electromagnetic noise at a frequency associated with each period in the first period and the second period, and that selects, as a scan frequency of the transmission signal in the second period, one of a first predetermined number of frequencies and selects, as backup frequencies of the transmission signal in the first period, a second predetermined number of frequencies fewer than the first predetermined number of frequencies different from the scan frequency, in each third period and according to a measurement result.

Sensor controller, electronic device, and control method of sensor controller

Provided is a position detection circuit for detecting a position of an electronic pen and a position of a passive pointer on a touch surface disposed on a capacitive touch sensor constituted by a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged two-dimensionally, the electronic pen being configured to be capable of transmitting a pen signal, the passive pointer not transmitting any signal, the position detection circuit configured to detect a touch position indicative of the position of the passive pointer, and output the touch position if a size of a region forming the touch position is within a predetermined range, in which, if the electronic pen was in contact with the touch surface and becomes detached therefrom, the output of the touch position is temporarily inhibited.

Position detection circuit, position detection system, and position detection method in which output of touch position is temporarily inhibited

Provided is a sensor controller connected to a capacitive touch sensor. The sensor controller includes a scan execution circuit which, in operation, repeatedly performs a first scan and a second scan on the capacitive touch sensor in a time-division manner, a first calculation circuit which, in operation, calculates a first pen position from a first detection signal acquired through the first scan performed by the scan execution circuit, a second calculation circuit which, in operation, calculates a touch position and a second pen position from a second detection signal acquired through the second scan performed by the scan execution circuit, and an output processing circuit which, in operation, outputs a pen position that differs depending on a result of a comparison process in which the first pen position calculated by the first calculation circuit is compared with the second pen position calculated by the second calculation circuit.

Sensor controller, electronic device, and position detection method

A pointer position detection method performed by a sensor controller connected to a sensor pattern includes: detecting a pen signal transmitted via a pen electrode provided at a distal end of an active pen, detecting a position of the active pen based on a level of the pen signal detected; detecting one or more candidate touch positions of a passive pointer that does not transmit a signal by detecting one or more changes of one or more capacitances of the sensor pattern, and outputting, as the position of the passive pointer, the one or more candidate touch positions remaining after excluding the position of the active pen from the one or more candidate touch positions.

Method of outputting pen-up information based on detected position of active pen

Disclosed herein is a touch state detection circuit which is connected to a capacitance-type touch sensor including sensor electrodes disposed in a planar manner and which detects a touch state of a user by executing a scan process that reads out and processes detection signals sequentially output from the sensor electrodes. The touch state detection circuit includes a setting circuit which sets a scan condition related to an execution frequency of the scan process or an execution period of the scan process, and a detection circuit which detects the touch state by executing the scan process under the scan condition set by the setting circuit. When a determination condition indicating a situation in which the scan condition is required to be changed is satisfied, the setting circuit changes and resets the scan condition, and the detection circuit detects the touch state under the scan condition reset by the setting circuit.

Touch state detection circuit, electronic device including touch state detection circuit, and touch state detection method

A pen state detection circuit that is connected to a touch sensor of a capacitance type and adapted to detect a state of an electronic pen in accordance with an output signal from the touch sensor. The touch sensor includes sensor electrodes disposed in a planar manner, and the electronic pen includes a first electrode and a second electrode. The pen state detection circuit includes a processor configured to sequentially and repeatedly: acquire first and second coordinate values in a sensor coordinate system, the coordinate system being defined on a detection surface of the touch sensor, the first coordinate values indicating a projected position of the first electrode, the second coordinate values indicating a projected position of the second electrode; calculate an inclination value indicative of an inclination of the electronic pen from the acquired first and second coordinate values in accordance with calculation rules; and output the inclination value.

Pen state detection circuit and method inhibiting unexpecterd results from periphery of touch sensor

A touch controller includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the touch controller to: operate in an uplink power saving mode in which an uplink signal is transmitted with reduced power in response to reception of a suspend order from a host computer, and operate in a normal mode in which the uplink signal is transmitted with normal power in response to detection of a predetermined trigger during operation in the uplink power saving mode.

Touch controller and pen input system

Disclosed is a detection method performed by a sensor controller connected to a sensor including a plurality of sensor electrodes, the method detecting, with use of the sensor, a position of a passive pointer that does not transmit a signal and a position of an active pen that transmits a pen signal from a pen electrode provided on an end of the active pen. The method includes acquiring a pen pressure value indicating pressure applied to a pen tip of the active pen, and controlling an operation mode of the sensor controller according to the pen pressure value.

Position detection method of pointer and sensor controller

Provided is a position detection circuit that uses a touch sensor of a capacitance type including sensor electrodes to detect a first position indicated by a first indicator that communicates with the touch sensor to indicate the first position and a second position indicated by a second indicator that indicates the second position without communicating with the touch sensor, the position detection circuit including a first detection circuit that detects a touch of the second indicator to an input surface arranged on the touch sensor, a second detection circuit that detects the first indicator when proximity information indicating a proximity of the first indicator to the touch sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold, and a changing circuit that changes the threshold to a larger value when the first detection circuit detects the touch compared to when the first detection circuit does not detect the touch.

Position detection circuit, position detection method, and position detection system

Disclosed herein is a sensor system that detects a stylus on at least one panel surface having an effective region. The sensor system includes a memory device including computer-executable instructions, and a processor. The processor, when loaded with the computer-executable instructions, performs: and obtaining a position of the stylus and a pen pressure value indicating a pressure applied to a pen tip of the stylus; outputting the position and the pen pressure value to a host processor. In response to the position being outside the effective region, the processor performs processing to conceal from the host processor occurrence of at least one of a pen-down indicating the stylus contacting the panel surface and a pen-up indicating the stylus being removed from the panel surface.

Sensor system

A position detection system is provided including an electronic pen including M (M is a natural number) pen electrodes, and a sensor control circuit that is connected to a capacitance touch sensor including N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) sensor electrodes. The sensor control circuit controls transmission of uplink signals through the touch sensor. The electronic pen selects one or more reception electrodes from the M pen electrodes, and the sensor control circuit selects transmission electrodes that are L sensor electrodes satisfying 1<L<N from the N sensor electrodes. A set of the transmission electrodes and the reception electrodes of the uplink signals is changed according to time.

Position detection system, sensor control circuit, and electronic pen using selected portion of sensor electrodes as transmission electrodes

A method performed by a device (e.g., touch controller) includes deriving a pen position, and transmitting a report indicating the derived pen position to a host computer. The report includes a first area storing position data indicating the derived position and a second area storing non-position data different from the position data. The method includes securing a buffer area for retaining a plurality of the reports in a memory, deriving the pen position at each determined scanning time, and generating a report including the position data indicating the derived position. The method includes storing the report in the buffer area and, in response to obtaining the non-position data, writing the non-position data in the second area of each of one or more of the reports stored in the buffer area. The method includes transmitting the plurality of the reports stored in the buffer area to the host computer.

Method and device for deriving pen position and reporting pen position to host computer

A stylus capable of bidirectionally communicating with a sensor controller includes a receiver that receives an uplink signal sent by the sensor controller, a controller that determines whether a signal having a predetermined waveform is to be continuously sent over a second time period or to be continuously sent over a first time period longer than the second time period, on the basis of the uplink signal, and a transmitter that continuously sends the signal having the predetermined waveform over the first time period or the second time period on the basis of the result of determination by the controller. As a result, the sensor controller can detect a burst signal from the stylus over a wide range in a sensor touch surface, to thereby reduce the possibility that the sensor controller may fail to detect the burst signal.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Yoshio Nomura