Stylus and sensor controller
A stylus capable of bidirectionally communicating with a sensor controller includes a receiver that receives an uplink signal sent by the sensor controller, a controller that determines whether a signal having a predetermined waveform is to be continuously sent over a second time period or to be continuously sent over a first time period longer than the second time period, on the basis of the uplink signal, and a transmitter that continuously sends the signal having the predetermined waveform over the first time period or the second time period on the basis of the result of determination by the controller. As a result, the sensor controller can detect a burst signal from the stylus over a wide range in a sensor touch surface, to thereby reduce the possibility that the sensor controller may fail to detect the burst signal.
1. A stylus capable of bidirectionally communicating with a sensor controller, comprising:
a receiver that receives an uplink signal sent by the sensor controller;
a controller, which,
in response to a data of the uplink signal indicating a request for a data signal, determines to send a normal burst signal, which has a predetermined pattern that is known in advance between the stylus and the sensor controller, over a second time period T 2 ; and
in response to a data of the uplink signal indicating a request for a long burst signal having the predetermined pattern and used to identify a position of the stylus, determines to send the long burst signal over a first time period T 1 longer than the second time period T 2 ; and
a transmitter that sends the normal burst signal or the long burst signal on the basis of a result of the determination to send the normal burst signal or the long burst signal, respectively, by the controller.
2. The stylus according to claim 1 , wherein when the controller determines to send the normal burst signal, the transmitter transmits the data signal in a time period corresponding to a difference between the second time period T 2 and the first time period T 1 .
3. The stylus according to claim 1 , wherein
the data of the uplink signal varies depending on whether the sensor controller has detected or not detected a presence or position of the stylus, and
when the data of the uplink signal indicates that the sensor controller has not detected the presence or position of the stylus, the controller determines to send the long burst signal.
4. The stylus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines whether to send the normal burst signal or the long burst signal, irrespective of a state of the stylus being either a hover state or a contact state.
5. The stylus according to claim 1 , wherein the normal burst signal and the long burst signal having the predetermined pattern have a predetermined frequency.
6. A stylus capable of bidirectionally communicating with a sensor controller, comprising:
a receiver that receives an uplink signal sent by the sensor controller;
a controller that determines a state of the sensor controller based on the uplink signal; and
a transmitter, which,
in response to the controller determining, based on the uplink signal, that the sensor controller has not detected the stylus, continuously sends a long burst signal used to identify a position of the stylus and having a predetermined pattern that is known in advance between the stylus and the sensor controller over a predetermined time period, and
in response to the controller determining, based on the uplink signal, that the sensor controller has derived a position of the stylus, sends a data signal indicative of an operation state of the stylus, rather than continuously sending the long burst signal having the predetermined pattern over the predetermined time period.
7. The stylus according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined pattern is a pattern including a series of a signal having a first frequency and a signal having a second frequency different from the first frequency.
8. The stylus according to claim 6 , wherein, in response to the controller determining, based on the uplink signal, that the sensor controller has derived the position of the stylus, the transmitter continuously sends a signal having the predetermined pattern over a time period shorter than the predetermined time period and sends the data signal.
9. The stylus according to claim 6 , wherein the operation state of the stylus is a pen pressure level sensed by a pressure sensor.
10. The stylus according to claim 6 , wherein the transmitter determines whether to send the long burst signal or the data signal, irrespective of a state of the stylus being either a hover state or a contact state.
11. The stylus according to claim 6 , wherein the long burst signal having the predetermined pattern has a predetermined frequency.