Abstract:
The invention relates to a touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus. The object of the invention is to provide a small touchscreen-sensitive stylus whose power requirements are low and which allows transponder communication. The inventive stylus is characterized in that a hand-piece also accommodates an RF-ID electronic system and that it comprises a tip range that tapers in at least one direction of its scanning tip. Said tip area is provided with an antenna preferably in the form of an electric coil and is configured in such a manner that it is devoid of an electromagnetic screening, that an electromagnetic field emitted at the tapered end is substantially not attenuated and that it is suitable for the optically exact scanning of screens.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to a touchscreen sensing and transponder reading stylus according to the kind of the patent claims.  
         [0002]     It is generally known to use so-called pens for working with sensitive-to-touch screens (touch screens) of computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs, for example, pens for PSION, series 5). These generally have sensing tips of rounded design in order to avoid damaging the very sensitive surfaces of the screens. Furthermore, there are laser-pens known for scanning bar codes or for the automatic detection of characters.  
         [0003]     Write devices are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,629 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,735 which are suited for use as styluses on screens.  
         [0004]     Furthermore, there are known transponder-write-and-read devices for communicating with transponders via an inductive coupling or radio frequencies coupling (refer to Technical information of the enterprise MICRO-SENSYS ltd. concerning the RF-Identification System iID-2000). Due to the antenna design employed up-to-now with these devices they, however, are not suited for use on touchscreens.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a touchscreen-sensitive stylus whose power requirements is low and which simultaneously or sequentially allows for communication with transponders as well with computer devices or telephones.  
         [0006]     The object is realized by the features of the first Patent claim. Advantageous embodiments are covered by the dependent claims.  
         [0007]     Thereby, there can be a connection by wire as well as a wireless connection, unidirectional or bi-directional, between the stylus with its optical sensing and the computer and/or the control unit and/or the transponder. The antenna for the RF-ID (Radio Frequency Identification)-electronics is preferably but not necessarily designed as a coil. This at least one antenna is preferably arranged in the tip range of and for a compactly designed and easily to handle touchscreen and transponder reading stylus, resulting in the electromagnetic field being advantageously emitted from the tapering end of the tip range of the hand-piece. In this case the preferably cylindrical range of the hand-piece is made of a suitable metal and its tip range is made of a suitable synthetical material. Furthermore, the stylus is not restricted to a definite shape: provided that it seems to be ergonomically favorable or trendy the stylus maybe at least partially designed as a sphere, a cone, a cuboid or a pyramid.  
         [0008]     The advantages of the present invention consist in a small and compact design similar to a ball-pen which permits a universal application. When using PDAs the user must not use two separate devices as common according to the prior art, such as touch-pens and or read-pens. Furthermore, the invention enables to provide for an energy-saving stylus what in particular is of importance when battery operated devices are concerned.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The invention will be explained in more detail by virtue of the schematical drawings, in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an inventional touchscreen sensing and transponder reading stylus a) in a schematic view and b) in a longitudinal sectional view,  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a first embodiment of the tip of the stylus in addition to a first write/read antenna,  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a second embodiment of the tip of the stylus in addition to an embodiment of a second write/read antenna a) in a sectional view and b) in a schematical view,  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a third embodiment of the tip of the stylus in addition to the embodiment of a third write/read antenna a) in a sectional view and b) in a bottom schematical view,  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a fourth embodiment of the tip of the stylus in a sectional view,  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a setup in detail according to  FIG. 5  in an axial sectional view,  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a fifth detailed embodiment of the tip of the stylus in an axial sectional view,  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a sixth embodiment of the tip of the stylus in an axial sectional view,  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a seventh embodiment of the scanning tip of the stylus in an axial sectional view,  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a stylus interacting with a computer screen and a transponder,  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a block scheme of all relevant components housed within the stylus, and  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a scheme of function for the use of a stylus according to the invention. 
     
    
       [0022]     In  FIG. 1  and inventional touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus  20  comprises a hand-piece  21  in which a preferably cylindrical portion is followed by a tip range  22  which, being particularly conical or pyramidal, tapers towards a round scanning tip  23 . The tip range  22  is configured such to allow for accommodating differently designed antenna  25  in its specially shaped range  24 . The scanning tip  23  is adapted to touch touchscreens not shown here. Alternatively, both ranges  23  and  24  can merge into each other. The antennae  25  are preferably realized by electrical coils which emit a magnetic field. Furthermore, the stylus  20  includes a write/read electronics  26 , described in  FIG. 11 , the write/read electronics  26  is connected to the antenna  25  via coil wires  27 . Furthermore, the stylus  20  comprises possible additional components  28  such as batteries, connectors or cables, radio data modules etc. which are known at least partially.  
         [0023]     Since the special embodiment and the geometry of the tip and the antenna are important, the following will at first deal therewith.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of the tip range  22  in axial symmetry in addition to a write/read antenna configured as a coil  29 , which is connected via wires  27  to the electronics  26 . In this example, a ferro-magnetic rod-shaped core  30  is used about which a coil  29  is wrapped, wherein the tip range  22  is designed axially symmetrically tapering and the scanning tip  23  is rounded.  
         [0025]     When there is sufficient coupling between the antenna  25  and a transponder illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the core  30  can in special cases and possibly be omitted. This applies also for the following examples, however, must not be considered as a preferred embodiment.  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates a second embodiment of a tip range  22  together with the embodiment of a second write/read antenna  29  having a U-shaped core  31 , the antenna  29  being particularly suited for glass-transponder and transponders with pot core. Thereby the scanning tip has a longitudinally extending rounded edge  32 , as the oval shape of the front view of the tip range  22  in  FIG. 3   b  shows. As concerns the ferro-magnetic U-shaped core  31 , the coil  29  is wrapped around the core range  311  which connects at right angles the two legs being parallel to each other, whereby the tip range  22  is on both sides in one dimension tapering and the rounded edge  32  is slantingly arranged. The proper scanning tip of the tip range  22  is at  33  where the oval  32  of the rounded edge has its smallest radius of curvature.  
         [0027]     When the edge  32 , differing from  FIG. 3 , is directed at right angles to the geometrical axis X-X of the stylus  20  and the tip range  22 , respectively, the oval range of the rounded edge  32  has two equal ranges of smallest radius of curvature.  
         [0028]     According to  FIG. 4 , there is a pot core  34  in the tip range  22  into which the coil  29  is inserted, whereby the tip range  22  extends tapering and off-center to the geometrical axis X-X and is provided with a slant in the scanning tip  23 . Thus an elliptical slanting area  35  results. Hence, the tip range offers space for the a-symmetrical pot-core  34  and achieves a punctual geometry. The proper scanning tip lies at  33  where the boundary line of the slanting area  35  has its smallest radius of curvature.  
         [0029]     The scanning tips of  FIGS. 3 and 4  are optimally used in the course of scanning the touchscreens in a vertical position and, when used on transponders, at an inclination of 10° to 45° relative to an object in which or upon which the transponder is arranged.  
         [0030]     With all the embodiments described above the maximal diameter of the tip range  22  at the hand-piece should not exceed about 15 mm. Furthermore, in the embodiments of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the slanting surfaces  32  and  35 , respectively, in the range  33  of the smallest radius of curvature can also be designed rounded.  
         [0031]     The shape of the scanning tip is designed in each of the embodiments such, that the size of the tip is adapted to uniquely touch the smallest possible touch field on a touchscreen and that a sufficiently wide distance between the transponder and the antenna is ensured. The touch field shall be smaller than 1 mm to minimally limit the visible range for the user when it is used as a stylus or as a transponder reading stylus for small transponders. An ergonomical handling of the stylus at a possibly wide communication distance between the stylus and transponder is ensured. The tip range is preferably made of a synthetic material and there is no magnetic flux obstructing medium provided in front of the scanning tip so that there is no magnetic screening and no substantial attenuation of the magnetic field.  
         [0032]     In order to activate a write/read-electronics and, if required, for data transfer, the inventional touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus is provided with an opto-electric sensor.  
         [0033]     In  FIG. 5  there again is provided a stylus  20  having a hand-piece  21  and a tip range  22 , in which a light guide in the form of a light conducting cable  36  extending up to the scanning tip  23  establishes the optical connection to an optical sensor (light sensor, see  FIG. 8 ) which is part of a write/read electronics such as represented, for example, in  FIG. 11 . Thereby a not shown lens for light collecting and imaging, respectively, can be pre-positioned to the light conducting cable  36 . An antenna  37  including electrical connections  38  is provided around the light conducting cable in the range of the tip  22 , said electrical connections  38  lead to a not shown printed circuit board provided in the stylus  20 . The advantage of an opto-electronical activation consists in that a switch-on operation of the energy-consuming electronics can be carried out without energy consumption or with only a very low energy consumption.  
         [0034]     In  FIG. 6  an antenna designed as a coil  29  is wrapped upon a ferrite core  30  upon which also a light guide  36  is arranged. The remaining components of the tip range are omitted in the representation for the sake of simplicity. The light guide  36  can also be inserted into a respective recess or groove at the ferrite core.  
         [0035]     In  FIG. 7 a  ferrite core  30  is provided around which an antenna  37  is wrapped and which is provided with a cylindrical recess and bore, respectively,  301 . In said cylindrical recess and bore, respectively,  301  there is a light sensor (photo cell)  42  directly mounted in the scanning tip  23  and protected against damaging influences. From the light sensor (photo cell) an electric signal transmitting line  39  leads to a not shown write/read electronics in the not shown stylus  20 .  
         [0036]     According to  FIG. 8 , a ferrite core  30  around which an antenna  37  is wrapped can furthermore be embedded in a hardened and sealing compound  40  which at least fills the tip range  22 . This sealing compound  40  is transmissive for optical radiation  41  and not obstructive for magnetic fields. The sealing compound directs the light radiation  41  entering the tip range  22  after reflection at a coat  43  to a light sensor  42  arranged within the interior of the stylus  20 , whereby the light sensor can be mounted together with the write/read electronics on a printed circuit board  58 . The light-reflecting coat  43  is arranged between the not shown inner wall of the stylus and the sealing compound  40  and embraces this sealing compound in a manner that it covers in the direction of the stylus tip or scanning tip  23  only maximally 90% of the antenna  37  and thus a too strong an attenuation of the electromagnetic field emitted by it is avoided.  
         [0037]     In  FIG. 9  similar to  FIG. 5 a  light guide  361  is enclosed by an antenna  37 . Thereby a short piece of light guide is concerned having a refractive index n 1  which is followed by a photo-cell  42 . The piece of light guide  361 , the antenna  37 , and the photo-cell  42  are externally enclosed by a light conducting body  44  which can be made by casting and which has a refractive index n 2 . With respect to the refractive indices the relation n 1 &lt;n 2  is valid so that the light  41  directed in the light guide  361  may not exit from the light guide  361 . The photo-cell  42  is connected to a not shown electronic circuit via a signal transmitting line  39 .  
         [0038]     In  FIG. 10  there are shown a computer  45  with a screen  451  and a HF-detector  452 , a touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus  46  having a tip  461  (scanning tip), and a connecting cable and a radio antenna  462 , respectively, as well as a transponder  47 . On the screen  451  there are provided switching fields  453  which emit or reflect modulated light. The screen  451  including the switching fields  453  are touched by the tip  461 , whereby an already and repeatedly mentioned photo-detector or optical sensor element within the stylus  46  is adapted to detect the modulated light emitted by the switching fields  453 .  
         [0039]     In  FIG. 11  there is shown a block diagram of a touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus  46 . The computer  45  images on its screen, for example, three switching fields (function keys)  453  which after having been touched by the scanning tip  461  of the inventional stylus  46  with its integrated light sensor  42 , will be detected and demodulated and then passed on to a controller  48  attached to the stylus  46 . The controller performs a plausibility check and, at a successful transfer, stores the control information and the data information in an input and data storage  49  and, if required, initiates a data transfer via an RF-ID-emitter and modulator stage  50 , as common use with transponder applications, or, if required a data transfer via a cable channel or radio channel. The signal emitted by the RF-ID-emitter and modulator stage  50  will be detected by a HF-receiver  452  ( FIG. 10 ) which is provided at the computer  45 , and will be processed as acknowledgement, for example, by opening a result window of the computer  45  or by a mere screen display on the screen  451 .  
         [0040]     In the meantime the stylus  46  can process according to its programming the instructions (control information) received in the input and data storage  49 , that is, it can communicate the status of its operating state to an optional display  51  such as an LED, and in particular the RF-ID-functions transferred to it via the emitter and modulator stage  50 , the light sensor  42 , the demodulator  52  and an antenna coil  37  common with RF-ID-systems. To this end, the stylus  46  has to be moved within the communication range of a transponder  47 .  
         [0041]     The module RF-ID-detector and demodulator  57  comprises an arrangement of components which are adapted to detect the data emitted by the transponder  47  and the conversion thereof into signals comprehensible to the controller  48 .  
         [0042]     It is important in the scope of the invention, that the communication protocols and/or types of modulation, driven via the RF-ID-emitter and modulator stage  50 , in the course of signal transfer to the transponder  47  and to the HF-receiver  452  at the computer  45  can be different so that a unique function of the transponder  47  and of the computer  45  is ensured. When the communication with the transponder  47  has been completed, that is, when the instruction or the instruction set (a plurality of commands which have to be serially processed), buffered in the input storage und data storage  49 , has been successfully processed or there was a timeout or there were communication problems, the stylus  46  controlled by the controller  48  transmits the data of an output storage  53  and diverse status information about the RF-ID-emitter and modulator stage  50  to the HF-receiver  452  or, via a radio channel  55  or via a cable channel  56  to the computer  45 . A feedback to the computer  45  can also be carried out via the identical or parametrizable arrangement  50 ,  37  which is required for the transponder communication. Thus, the use of a separate radio channel and cable channel, respectively, becomes superfluous. The transmission can also be carried out by aid of harmonic waves.  
         [0043]     The resulting data from the transponder communication are buffered in the output storage  53 .  
         [0044]     All further processes are then controlled by the computer  45  as generally known for RF-ID-systems. The output data, for example, from the storage  53  based on the transponder data are indicated and new menu windows are opened on the screen  451  of the computer. These menu windows, in turn, can comprise switching field as described above.  
         [0045]     In the case of an incorrect transponder communication or of transmission errors between the RF-ID-emitter and modulator stage  50  and the HF-receiver  452 , error messages are made on the computer screen  451  and respective changes of the program control are triggered.  
         [0046]     When an instruction set has been processed in the stylus  46 , the stylus will be switched to an economy mode either automatically, or after a predetermined time or actively by a special instruction code via a modulated switching field  453  and the light sensor  42 . Consequently, all functions of the stylus  46  are turned-OFF except a Power-On-Reset-(POR)-input  54  of the controller  48  and the light sensor  42 . In this mode, the light sensor  42  can work without an internal energy supply and it is set in such a manner that its threshold value will only be switched (mostly to logic H), when activated by light effect of the switching fields  453  upon the output (POR). In this way the controller  48  is activated (POR) and turns-ON the entire functions, in particular the active part of the light sensor  42  and the demodulator  52 .  
         [0047]     All of the essential units and processes mentioned hereinbefore are represented summarized in  FIG. 12 . Thereby a logically predetermined operational sequence is followed, starting with a defined screen display on the computer screen  451  in the form of function keys (switching fields)  453 , followed by activating the stylus  46  by the stylus touching the keys  453 . Particularly while touching the key, a transfer of control information and/or data to the stylus  46  can take place. The contact between the stylus  46  and the screen  451  results in switching-ON and activating, respectively, the energy consuming electronics of the stylus. In order to have a control function for this operation, an acknowledgement can be given to the HF-receiver  452  of the computer  45  by aid of the LED  51  or by a signal emitted via one of the radio channels  55  or  50 ,  37 , respectively, via the cable channel  56 . By activating the stylus  46  the communication to the transponder  47  is switched-ON. As a result of this communication with the transponder  47 , the stylus  46  provides feedback information via the mentioned radio systems or cable connections. The LED may also be used for acknowledgement information.  
         [0048]     The signals received by the computer  45  are displayed as results on the screen and can in special cases result in the formation of new key fields. Thus, the detection cycle can be started again or finished. The deactivation of the stylus  46  will take place advantageously automatically after an appropriate period of time. Provided that internal operations in the detection cycle are not finished correctly, error messages will be sent to the computer  45  via one of the radio channels or via the cable which also leads to a deactivation of the stylus  46 .  
         [0049]     The features disclosed in the specification, in the subsequent claims, and in the drawing are substantial for the invention both, individually and in any combination with one another.  
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS  
       [0000]    
       
           20 , 46  touchscreen-sensitive and transponder reading stylus  
           21  hand-piece  
           22  tip range  
           23  scanning tip  
           24  specially shaped range  
           25 , 29 , 37  antenna/coil  
           26  write/read electronics  
           27  coil wires  
           28  additional components  
           30  ferromagnetic core/ferrite core  
           31  U-shaped core  
           32  rounded edge  
           33  proper scanning tip  
           34  pot-core  
           35  slanting area  
           36 , 361  light guide/light conducting cable  
           38  electrical connections  
           39  electric signal transmitting line  
           40  sealing compound  
           41  light radiation  
           42  light sensor/photo cell  
           43  coat  
           44  light conducting body  
           45  computer  
           47  transponder  
           48  controller  
           49  input and data storage  
           50  emitter and modulator stage  
           51  optional display  
           52  demodulator  
           53  output storage  
           54  power-on-reset input  
           55  radio channel/radio system  
           56  cable channel  
           37  RF-ID-communication detector  
           58  printed circuit board  
           301  recess/bore  
           311  core range  
           451  screen  
           452  HF-receiver  
           453  switching fields (function keys)  
           461  scanning tip  461   
           462  connecting cable/radio antenna  
          X-X axis