Patent Publication Number: US-2015084935-A1

Title: Electromagnetic and capacitive pointer

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a pointer, and more particularly to an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Electromagnetic-type input technology applies electromagnetic pens and the input device with induction sensor coils. Electromagnetic pen has advantages of convenient for writing, tip pressure level function, and certain sensing height. Although electromagnetic type input technology has advantages of convenient for writing, tip pressure level function, and certain sensing height as mentioned above, an user&#39;s finger(s) or other touch sources will not work and a particular stylus must be used for input operation. Capacitive touch input technology has been widely applied in touch panel. Capacitive touch input technology has advantages of allowing the use of variety of touch sources such as an user&#39;s finger(s) for input operation and multi-touch gestures for various operations and functions. Various applications can be assigned corresponding to multi-touch gestures. Thus integrating both electromagnetic and capacitive input technologies into a touch panel will have both advantages thereof and significantly increase convenience of use. 
     The trend of development of touch panel is toward light weight, thin thickness and low production cost. Conventional arrangement of placing an electromagnetic induction substrate beneath a touch panel has the advantage of not affecting optical characteristics of the touch panel but also has disadvantages of increase weight and cost and alignment problem between a display panel and an electromagnetic induction substrate during manufacture processes. 
     In order to save costs, new technologies directly omit the substrate for supporting electromagnetic induction sensor coils and form electromagnetic induction sensor coils on a peripheral area of a sensor layer of a touch panel. Furthermore, in order to perform input operation on a touch panel with electromagnetic and capacitive input functions, a pointer with electromagnetic and capacitive functions must be used. The invention provides an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer to meet the requirement of using a pointer on a touch panel with electromagnetic and capacitive input functions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer with both electromagnetic and user hand held capacitive input functions to meet the requirement of using a pointer on a touch panel with electromagnetic and capacitive input functions. 
     According to the object, one embodiment of the present invention provides an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer comprising a tube assembly and a conductive tube assembly, a first ferrite core and a second ferrite core, an non-magnetic and conductive pin penetrating through the first ferrite core and the second ferrite core and being moveable through the first ferrite core, a control circuit board connecting a coil winding the first ferrite core to form a resonance circuit, a conductive pin holder, the second ferrite core and one end of the non-magnetic and conductive pin being sheathed in the conductive pin holder, and a holder. The conductive pin holder and one end of the control circuit board are sheathed in the holder, the holder has conductive layers on surfaces between the holder and the control circuit board and the conductive pin holder, the other end of the control circuit board has a conductive contact and is sheathed in and contacts the conductive tube assembly. The non-magnetic and conductive pin, the conductive pin holder, the holder, the control circuit board and the conductive tube assembly constitute a conductive path. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the present invention and are a part of the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. 
         FIG. 1A  shows an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a sectional view of the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer shown in  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1C  is an exploded view of the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer shown in  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The detailed description of the present invention will be discussed in the following embodiments, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but can be adapted for other applications. While drawings are illustrated in details, it is appreciated that the scale of each component may not be expressly exactly. 
       FIG. 1A  shows an electromagnetic and capacitive pointer according to one embodiment of the invention. The electromagnetic and capacitive pointer  10  comprises a tube assembly  11 , a conductive tube assembly  12 , a pen tip  14  and a button  15 . The electromagnetic and capacitive pointer  10  of this embodiment will be further described in detail with  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 1C . 
       FIG. 1B  is a sectional view of the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer shown in  FIG. 1A . The electromagnetic and capacitive pointer  10  further comprises an non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  or a conductive pin with a low permeability μ, a first ferrite core  18 , a buffer component  19 , a second ferrite core  20 , a conductive spring  21 , a conductive elastomer  22 , a conductive pin holder  23 , holders  24  and  26 , and a control circuit board  28 . The control circuit board  28  has a conductive contact  27  or a conductive elastic strip so as to contact the conductive tube assembly  12 . An elastomer  17  is located on the first ferrite core  18  and between the first ferrite core  18  and the tube assembly  11 . 
     The tube assembly  11  comprises an non-conductive tube assembly while the conductive tube assembly  12  comprises a tube assembly of conductive material or a tube assembly with inner and outer conductive plated surfaces. The pen tip  14  comprises a rubber pen tip or a conductive pen tip. The non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  comprises a conductive pin of non-magnetic metal materials such as stainless steel. The buffer component  19  is located between the first ferrite core  18  and the second ferrite core  20 . The buffer component  19  comprises mylar. The conductive elastomer  22  comprises a conductive rubber. The control circuit board  28  comprises a printed circuit board with a resonance circuit and components thereon so that the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer can resonate with the electromagnetic signals from sensor coils or antennas of a touch panel. 
       FIG. 1C  is an exploded view of the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer shown in  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B . The tube assembly  11  and the conductive tube assembly  12  constitute a hollow assembly to accommodate the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16 , the first ferrite core  18 , the second ferrite core  20 , the conductive spring  21 , the conductive pin holder  23 , the conductive elastomer  22 , the holders  24  and  26 , the control circuit board  28 . The diameters of the tube assembly  11  and the conductive tube assembly  12  are preferably about 5.5 millimeter, but not limited to 5.5 millimeter. 
     The first ferrite core  18 , the second ferrite core  20  and a coil (not shown) winding the first ferrite core  18  constitute a variable inductor, and the coil electrically connects to the control circuit board  28  through a conductive wire (not shown) to complete a resonance circuit. The first ferrite core  18  and the second ferrite core  20  are hollow and the diameters of the first ferrite core  18  and the second ferrite core  20  are slightly larger than that of the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  so that the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  can move through the centers of the first ferrite core  18  and the second ferrite core  20 . The inductance can be changed through the relative displacement between the first ferrite core  18  with the winding coil and the second ferrite core  20  by pushing the second ferrite core  20  and the conductive pin holder  23  via the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16 . 
     One end of the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  contrary to the tip and the second ferrite core  20  are sheathed in the conductive pin holder  23 . The conductive elastomer  22  is sheathed in the conductive spring  21  and both are located between the second ferrite core  20  and the control circuit board  28 . The conductive pin holder  23  contacts the conductive spring  21 . The ends of the second ferrite core  20  and the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16  contrary to the tip and the conductive pin holder  23  are sheathed in the holders  24  and  26 . One end of the control circuit board  28  toward the tip is also sheathed in the holders  24  and  26 . The contact surfaces between the holder  26  and the control circuit board  28  and between the holder  26  and the conductive pin holder  23  have conductive layers thereon. The contact surfaces between the control circuit board  28  and the holder  26  and between the control circuit board  28  and the conductive spring  21  have electrodes (not shown) thereon. Thus the non-magnetic and conductive pin  16 , the conductive pin holder  23 , the conductive spring  21 , the holder  26 , the control circuit board  28  and the conductive tube assembly  12  constitute a conductive path. When an user uses the electromagnetic and capacitive pointer  10  to contact or approach the surface of a touch panel, the user (fingers), the conductive tube assembly  12  and the touch panel constitute a conductive path through the conductive path mentioned above so as to perform input operation. 
     The electromagnetic and capacitive pointer in one embodiment of the invention has both electromagnetic and user hand held capacitive input functions to meet the requirement of using a pointer on a touch panel with electromagnetic and capacitive input functions. 
     Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.