Active Capacitive Stylus Discovery With Time-Slot Communication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active capacitive styluses experience communication disruptions and limited speed due to signal attenuation when moving in and out of detection range, necessitating efficient methods to minimize communication resources and distinguish multiple styluses without continuous wireless communication.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a sensor controller to send discovery packets, designate time slots, and transmit operation state data using time division multiplexing, allowing for efficient communication and identification of styluses without continuous wireless communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous wireless communication is used to maintain connectivity between stylus and sensor controller, then communication reliability is improved, but communication resources (time and frequency) are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic discovery packets sent by the sensor controller at predetermined intervals instead of continuous communication. The stylus responds with discovery response packets containing identification information at these periodic intervals, enabling the sensor controller to track stylus presence and maintain communication reliability while significantly reducing time and frequency resource consumption compared to continuous communication protocols.
2Measurement precision
If configuration data is transmitted repeatedly to maintain stylus identification, then identification accuracy is improved, but communication efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transmits configuration data including stylus identification information only during the initial discovery phase using discovery response packets. Once the stylus is identified and tracked through periodic discovery packets, no repeated configuration data transmission is needed. This preliminary action approach ensures accurate stylus identification while avoiding the inefficiency of repeated transmissions during normal operation.
3Reliability
If signal transmission is maintained at high power to overcome attenuation, then communication range is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor controller transmits discovery packets at predetermined intervals rather than continuously, allowing the stylus to enter low-power states between transmissions. The stylus only needs to activate its oscillation circuit and transmit discovery response packets when triggered by discovery packets, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining adequate communication range through periodic high-power transmissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the sensor controller as an intermediary that actively manages communication by sending discovery packets to initiate stylus responses. This asymmetric communication approach allows the power-constrained stylus to conserve energy while the sensor controller, with its power supply from the electronic apparatus, handles the periodic initiation of communication to maintain range and reliability.
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 effective communication and identification of multiple styluses with reduced communication resources, maintaining connectivity during repeated movements and stylus changes, and optimizing signal transmission.
Implementation Method 1
An active capacitive stylus includes an oscillation circuit, which sends out a frequency signal to cause an electrode provided near a tip end of the stylus to generate a variation of an electric field (alternating electric field)
Implementation Method 2
A sensor provided in the electronic apparatus uses a group of electrodes disposed in a matrix form, to detect a variation of the charge amount induced in the electrode group by the variation of the electric field
Data Source
AI summary
A method may be executed by one or more active capacitive styluses and a sensor controller connected to sensor electrodes. The method includes: a discovery step, executed by the sensor controller, of repeatedly sending out a discovery packet for detecting any of the active capacitive styluses; a discovery response step, executed by a first active capacitive stylus among the one or more active capacitive styluses, by which the discovery packet is detected, of returning a response packet to the discovery packet; a configuration step, executed by the sensor controller, of transmitting a configuration packet including time slot designation information that designates a first time slot to the first active capacitive stylus; and a data transmission step, executed by the first active capacitive stylus, of transmitting operation state data indicative of an operation state of the first active capacitive stylus using the designated first time slot.