Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for finding the location of a pointing instrument on a tablet

US5428192A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
10References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 10, 1993
Grant dateJun 27, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 10, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F3/046
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing a digital number representing the location of a pointing instrument with respect to a plurality of spaced conductors is disclosed. The instrument has a coil unit which produces an alternating magnetic field for inducing a plurality of alternating current signals in the plurality of spaced conductors, respectively, when an alternating current electrical signal is applied thereto. The conductors are sampled in a predetermined order so as to sense the induced alternating current signals. A phase sensitive detector is employed to detect a phase reversal between the induced alternating current signals induced in ones of the conductors located on opposite sides of the coil to produce a signal waveform which changes polarity in response to the phase reversal. A position counter is then incremented at a predetermined rate upon detection of the phase reversal until sampling of a succeeding one of the conductors which immediately follows the detection of the phase reversal is to be initiated. A processor deducts a digital number in the position counter from a digital number corresponding to a predetermined distance of the succeeding one of the conductors …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.