Pen Pressure Data Transmission During Pairing Initialization

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Solution Overview

Problem

During pen input initialization, the transmission of pen-pressure values is often delayed, leading to unnatural line width or transparency issues at the start of a stroke due to data size constraints, causing deviations in the intended stroke position and quality.

Innovation Solution

The pen periodically transmits a shortened pen-pressure value of high-order bits during pairing initialization, allowing the sensor controller to derive the full value by filling in low-order bits with a predetermined value, ensuring consistent signal transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the pen transmits the full pen-pressure value during pairing initialization, then the data transmission is complete and accurate, but the data size constraint prevents transmission due to large pairing data occupying all available space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepen-pressure value transmissionVSAvoiddata size

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary high-order bits of the pen-pressure value for transmission during pairing initialization, leaving out the low-order bits that can be inferred or filled by the sensor controller. This reduces the transmitted data size to fit within the available space while preserving the essential information needed for stroke rendering.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transmits only a partial representation of the pen-pressure value (high-order bits) during pairing initialization rather than the complete value. This partial transmission is sufficient for maintaining natural stroke appearance, while the sensor controller complements it with filled low-order bits to reconstruct the full pressure value for rendering purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Quantity of substance

If the pen does not transmit the pen-pressure value during pairing, then the data size constraint is satisfied, but the line width or transparency becomes unnatural at the start of the stroke

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata sizeVSAvoidstroke quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and transmits only the critical high-order bits of the pen-pressure value during pairing initialization. This extracted information is sufficient to maintain natural stroke appearance while satisfying data size constraints. The sensor controller then fills in the remaining low-order bits to reconstruct the complete pressure value for accurate stroke rendering.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary approach where the pen transmits a compressed representation (high-order bits) of the pen-pressure value, and the sensor controller acts as a mediator to reconstruct the full value by filling in the low-order bits. This intermediary process ensures both data size compliance and stroke quality maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If the electronic device waits to draw the stroke until the pen-pressure value is received, then the stroke quality is accurate, but the stroke start position deviates from the user's intended position

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestroke accuracyVSAvoidstroke timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary transmission of the high-order bits of the pen-pressure value during pairing initialization, before the actual stroke drawing begins. This allows the sensor controller to have the pressure information ready in advance, eliminating any delay between stroke initiation and rendering, and ensuring the stroke starts at the user's intended position without deviation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent cushions against potential stroke timing delays by pre-transmitting the essential pressure value information during pairing initialization. This beforehand preparation ensures that when the stroke actually begins, the pressure data is already available, preventing any temporal gap that would cause position deviation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS11573660B2System including pen and sensor controller, pen, and sensor controller

Publication Date: 2023.02.07 WACOM CO LTD

AI summary

A system includes a sensor controller, and a pen configured to periodically transmit a pen-pressure value of N bits to the sensor controller, in which the sensor controller and the pen perform pairing by bidirectionally communicating with each other. After processing for the pairing is completed, the pen periodically transmits the pen-pressure value, and, during a period before the processing for the pairing is completed, the pen transmits, instead of the pen-pressure value, a shortened pen-pressure value of high-order M bit(s) that are shorter than the N bits for the pen-pressure value.