Digital Pen Movable Control Bar Adjusts Resonant Frequency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital pens vary in their pressure sensitivity due to differences in resonant circuit characteristics, pen tip materials, and housing dimensions, leading to inconsistent line thickness expressions, where some pens produce thick lines with light pressure and others require forceful pressing for desired thickness, making manual adjustment cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A digital pen design featuring a housing, pen tip, rod, resonant circuit, and a movable control bar that surrounds the coil, allowing the user to adjust the resonant frequency and line thickness by changing the position of the control bar, which affects the inductance and thus the resonant frequency of the magnetic field signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a digital pen uses a resonant circuit with fixed components (coil, capacitor) to generate magnetic field signals, then the basic functionality of pressure sensing is achieved, but the resonant frequency and line thickness vary inconsistently across different pens due to manufacturing deviations in components and housing dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable control bar that can be adjusted by the user to change its position relative to the coil. This dynamic adjustment allows the user to modify the inductance of the resonant circuit, thereby changing the resonant frequency and line thickness to compensate for manufacturing variations. The control bar's position is not fixed but can be dynamically adjusted to achieve consistent performance across different pens.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the resonant circuit by introducing a controllable inductance adjustment mechanism. The control bar's position changes the inductance parameter of the coil, which directly affects the resonant frequency (f = 1/(2π√LC)). By allowing users to adjust this parameter, the system compensates for manufacturing deviations and achieves consistent line thickness across different pens.
2Reliability
If the resonant frequency is adjusted to compensate for manufacturing deviations, then line thickness consistency is improved, but the device requires additional movable parts and adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to self-adjust the control bar position based on their own handwriting preferences and needs. Each user can independently calibrate their pen by moving the control bar to achieve the desired line thickness, without requiring manufacturer intervention or complex calibration procedures. The system serves itself by allowing end-users to perform the adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces electronic calibration procedures with a simple mechanical adjustment mechanism. Instead of requiring users to navigate through software menus or perform electronic calibration steps, the system provides a direct mechanical control (the movable control bar) that users can physically adjust to achieve the desired effect.
3Ease of operation
If a control bar is added to allow users to adjust resonant frequency, then ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control bar serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element, a magnetic shielding component, and an inductance adjustment mechanism. By combining these functions into a single component, the patent reduces the number of separate parts that need to be manufactured and assembled, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process despite adding adjustment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the control bar with the housing structure in some embodiments, where the control bar is integrated into the pen body rather than being a separate detachable component. This integration reduces assembly steps and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining the adjustment functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables users to directly adjust line thickness without using menu configurations, ensuring consistent and desired line thickness regardless of pen variations, by mechanically altering the resonant frequency in response to pressure applied through the control bar's position.
Implementation Method 1
a coil received inside the housing, wound multiple times around the longitudinal axis in a direction in which the longitudinal axis extends, and producing an electric current by a first magnetic field signal from the outside
Implementation Method 2
a resonant capacitor configured to accumulate an electric charge by the electric current produced in the coil, and to discharge the accumulated electric charge to the coil such that the coil produces a second magnetic field signal
Implementation Method 3
a variable capacitor configured to change the resonant frequency of the second magnetic field signal produced by the coil according to the pressure transferred from the pen tip via the rod
Implementation Method 4
The control bar is shaped to surround the longitudinal axis, is movable from a first position at which the control bar does not surround the coil to a second position at which the control bar surrounds at least a part of the coil, and includes a metallic part to change the resonant frequency of the second magnetic field signal produced by the coil
Implementation Method 5
In a state where the current is blocked by the coil of the sensor panel, an induced electromotive force may be produced in the coil of the sensor panel by an input signal produced by the coil of the input device. The electronic device may determine the position of the input device based on the production of induced electromotive force.
Data Source
AI summary
A digital pen includes a housing, a pen tip exposed through an end of the housing, a rod extending from the pen tip into the housing, a resonance circuit and a control bar. The resonant circuit includes a coil to generate an electric current by a first signal, a resonance capacitor for discharging the accumulated electric charge to the coil such that the coil generates a second signal, and a variable capacitor for changing the resonance frequency of the second signal depending on pressure transferred from the pen tip through the rod. The control bar is movable from a first position, in which the control bar does not surround the coil, to a second position, in which the control bar surrounds a part of the coil, and has a metallic part to change the resonance frequency of the second signal.