Active pen system
An active pen includes a pen chassis including a pen tip and a pressure sensitive gripping element that is accessible on at least a portion of an outer surface of the pen chassis. The pen chassis houses a communication system, a processor, and a memory that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, causes the processing system to provide a pressure input engine that is configured to capture first force data and first location data generated by a first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a first time. The pressure input engine then uses the first force data and first location data to provide an input to a graphical user interface provided on a display screen of a computer device.
1. An active pen, comprising:
a pen chassis including a pen tip;
a pressure sensing system that includes a pressure sensitive gripping element that is accessible on at least a portion of an outer surface of the pen chassis;
a communication system;
a processing system that is coupled to the pressure sensing system and communication system; and
a memory system that is housed in the pen chassis and that includes instructions that, when executed by the processing system, causes the processing system to provide a pressure engine that is configured to:
capture first force data that is generated in response to a first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a first time when the pen tip is engaged with a display screen of a computer device to provide a first pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
use the first force data and the first pen input to cause a graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen of the computer device to display digital ink having a digital ink characteristic that is provided at a first characteristic level that is based on the first force data;
capture second force data that is generated in response to a second user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a second time when the pen tip is engaged with the display screen of the computer device to provide a second pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
use the second force data and the second pen input to cause the graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen of the computer device to display digital ink having the digital ink characteristics that is provided at a second characteristic level that is based on the second force data, wherein the second force data is different than the first force data and the second characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic is different than the first characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic;
capture first location data generated by the first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the first time;
capture second location data generated by the second user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the second time; and
provide the first force data, the first location data, the second location data, and the second force data via the communication system to the computer device to provide the second pen input to the graphical user interface provided on the display screen.
2. The active pen of claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensitive gripping element includes a pressure sensor grid having a plurality of sensors that are each configured to:
generate a signal that is indicative of an amount of force provided on that sensor during the first user interaction; and
provide coordinates for that sensor during the first user interaction.
3. The active pen of claim 1 , wherein the pressure engine is further configured to:
determine that the first force data and the first location data captured at the first time and the second force data and the second location data captured at the second time are indicative of a gesture performance by a user on the pressure sensitive gripping element that is associated with a stored gesture and, in response, provide instruction associated with the stored gesture to the computer device to cause a gesture input to the graphical user interface provided on the display screen.
4. The active pen of claim 1 , wherein the pressure engine is further configured to:
determine that the first force data indicates that a first predetermined event threshold associated with a first event has been satisfied and, in response, provide first instructions associated with the first event to the computer device.
5. The active pen of claim 1 , wherein the digital ink characteristic includes at least one of a digital ink intensity, a digital ink thickness, and a digital ink texture.
6. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:
a computing device including:
a communication system;
a processing system coupled to the communication system; and
a display screen coupled to the processing system; and
a pen that is configured to provide an input to the computing device, the pen including:
a pen tip;
a pressure sensing system that includes a pressure sensitive gripping element that is accessible on at least a portion of an outer surface of the pen;
a pen communication system;
a pen processing system coupled to the pressure sensing system and the pen communication system; and
a pen memory system that includes instructions that, when executed by the pen processing system, causes the pen processing system to provide a pressure engine that is configured to:
capture first force data that is generated in response to a first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a first time when the pen tip is engaged with the display screen to provide a first pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
use the first force data and the first pen input to cause a graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen to display digital ink having a digital ink characteristic that is provided at a first characteristic level that is based on the first force data;
capture second force data that is generated in response to a second user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a second time when the pen tip is engaged with the display screen to provide a second pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
use the second force data and the second pen input to cause the graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen to display digital ink having the digital ink characteristic that is provided at a second characteristic level that is based on the second force data, wherein the second force data is different than the first force data and the second characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic is different than the first characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic;
capture first location data generated by the first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the first time;
capture second location data generated by the second user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the second time; and
provide the first force data, the first location data, the second location data, and the second force data via the pen communication system to the communication system.
7. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the pressure sensitive gripping element includes a pressure sensor grid having a plurality of sensors that are each configured to:
generate a signal that is indicative of an amount of force provided on that sensor during the first user interaction; and
provide coordinates for that sensor during the first user interaction.
8. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the pressure engine is further configured to:
determine that the first force data and the first location data captured at the first time and the second force data and the second location data captured at the second time are indicative of a gesture performance by a user on the pressure sensitive gripping element that is associated with a stored gesture and, in response, provide instruction associated with the stored gesture to the computing device.
9. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the pressure engine is further configured to:
determine that the first force data indicates that a first predetermined event threshold associated with a first event has been satisfied and, in response, provide first instruction associated with the first event to the computing device.
10. The IHS of claim 6 , wherein the digital ink characteristic is at least one of digital ink intensity, digital ink thickness, and digital ink texture.
11. An active pen method, comprising:
communicatively coupling an active pen including a pen tip via a pen communication system with a computer communication system included on a computing device that includes a display screen;
capturing, at a first time, first force data of a first user interaction with a pressure sensitive gripping element accessible on an outer surface of the active pen when the pen tip is engaged with the display screen to provide a first pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
using the first force data and the first pen input to cause a graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen to display digital ink having a digital ink characteristic that is provided at a first characteristic level that is based on the first force data;
capturing second force data generated by a second user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at a second time when the pen tip is engaged with the display screen to provide a second pen input that is configured to cause the display of digital ink;
using the second force data and the second pen input to cause the graphical user interface that is provided on the display screen to display digital ink having the digital ink characteristic that is provide at a second characteristic level that is based on the second force data, wherein the second force data is different than the first force data and the second characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic is different than the first characteristic level of the digital ink characteristic;
capturing first location data generated by the first user interaction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the first time;
capturing second location data generated by the second user infraction with the pressure sensitive gripping element at the second time; and
providing the first force data, the first location data, the second location data, and the second force data via a communication system to the computing device to provide the second pen input to the graphical user interface provided on the display screen.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
capturing a signal that is indicative of an amount of force provided on a pressure sensor included on a pressure sensor grid including a plurality of pressure sensors during the first user interaction; and
providing coordinates for that pressure sensor during the first user interaction.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining that the first force data and the first location data captured at the first time and the second force data and the second location data captured at the second time are indicative of a gesture performed by a user on the pressure sensitive gripping element that is associated with a stored gesture and, in response, provide instruction associated with the stored gesture to the computing device to cause a gesture input to the graphical user interface provided on the display screen.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining that the first force data indicates that a first predetermined event threshold associated with a first event has been satisfied and, in response, providing first instructions associated with the first event to the computing device.