Active Stylus Timing Synchronization for Reliable Touch Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-sensitive systems face challenges in synchronizing the timing between active styluses and touch sensors, leading to unreliable data communication due to noise and timing discrepancies, which affect the accuracy and reliability of interactions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a synchronization routine to align the transmitter and receiver timings between the active stylus and touch-sensor controller, using synchronization signals to establish a synchronized frequency and phase, thereby improving data transmission reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If timing synchronization is implemented between active stylus and touch sensor, then data communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs timing synchronization preliminarily by establishing a reference clock relationship between the active stylus and touch sensor before data communication begins. The touch sensor controller sends timing signals that the stylus controller uses to align its internal clock, ensuring both devices operate on the same time base before actual data transmission occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the touch sensor controller monitors timing discrepancies between the stylus and sensor, and adjusts timing parameters accordingly. The stylus controller receives timing feedback signals from the touch sensor and modifies its transmission timing to maintain synchronization, creating a closed-loop timing control system.
2Measurement precision
If timing synchronization is implemented between active stylus and touch sensor, then signal transmission accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensor controller serves multiple functions: it acts as both the touch sensing controller and the timing signal generator for synchronization. The stylus controller similarly performs dual roles as both stylus operation controller and timing signal receiver/adjuster. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated timing components, simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service timing synchronization where the stylus and touch sensor automatically adjust their own timing based on mutual signaling without requiring external calibration equipment or manual configuration. The devices use their existing communication channels to exchange timing information and autonomously align their clocks, eliminating the need for specialized manufacturing calibration processes.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a stylus includes one or more electrodes included in a tip, and a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium embodying logic that is configured when executed to receive, by the one or more electrodes and an analog front end, signals transmitted from a touch sensor coupled to a touch-sensor controller, and convert the signals into sequences of digital signals. The logic is further configured when executed to feed the sequences of digital signals received in different periods into a memory; correlate each of the sequences of digital signals with a digital data defined by a wide-band code to generate multiple correlations; and transmit a transmission signal to the touch-sensor controller according to a synchronization timing determined based at least in part on one or more of the multiple correlations.