Patent ID: 12189889

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG.1depicts a configuration of an electronic device1according to the present embodiment. The electronic device1is an apparatus that supports pen input and finger touch input, such as a tablet computer. As illustrated inFIG.1, the electronic device1includes a sensor controller2, a host processor3, and a sensor electrode group combined with a display4.

FIG.1also illustrates an active pen PE for pen input on the electronic device1. The active pen PE is a stylus in compliance with an active capacitive system. The active pen PE can perform two-way communication with the sensor controller2or can perform one-way signal transmission to the sensor controller2. Hereinafter, a signal transmitted from the sensor controller2to the active pen PE will be referred to as an uplink signal US, and a signal transmitted from the active pen PE to the sensor controller2will be referred to as a downlink signal DS. A user operates the active pen PE on a panel surface1a(touch surface) provided on the electronic device1, to make pen input, and traces the panel surface1awith a finger to make finger touch input.

The host processor3is a processor that controls the entire electronic device1. Operations of components in the electronic device1to be described later are executed under the control of the host processor3. The sensor controller2is an integrated circuit that uses a sensor electrode group (described later) in the sensor electrode group combined with a display4to derive the position of an indicator, such as the active pen PE and a finger of the user, in the panel surface1aand to receive data transmitted from the active pen PE. The sensor controller2is configured to sequentially output the derived position and the data received from the active pen PE, to the host processor3. The host processor3generates digital ink and renders a drawing on the basis of the position and the data input in this way.

The sensor electrode group combined with a display4is an apparatus including a combination of a sensor electrode group for realizing pen input and finger touch input and an electrode group that forms a display. Examples of specific types of the sensor electrode group combined with a display4include an in-cell type and an on-cell type. In the in-cell type, part or whole of the electrode group included in the display is also used as part or whole of the sensor electrode group. In the on-cell type, the electrode group included in the display and the sensor electrode group are electrically separated. The sensor electrode group combined with a display4is the in-cell type in the description of the present embodiment. However, the present disclosure can also be applied to a case in which the sensor electrode group combined with a display4is the on-cell type or a case in which the sensor electrode group and the display are separate apparatuses. Various displays such as a liquid crystal display and an organic electroluminescence (EL) display can be used as the display included in the sensor electrode group combined with a display4. In the description of the present embodiment, the display is a thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display.

FIG.2depicts details of the sensor electrode group combined with a display4. As illustrated inFIG.2, the sensor electrode group combined with a display4includes, from the side closer to the panel surface1a, a plurality of island-like conductors4marranged in a matrix in an xy plane, a plurality of linear conductors4xextending in an x-direction and arranged side by side along a y-direction, and a plurality of linear conductors4yextending in the y-direction and arranged side by side along the x-direction. Although the actual sensor electrode group combined with a display4includes various additional components such as a liquid crystal layer, those additional components are not illustrated inFIG.2.

The plurality of island-like conductors4m, the plurality of linear conductors4y, and the plurality of linear conductors4xcan be each selectably connectable, by switching, either to the host processor3or to the sensor controller2. The host processor3executes the switching in a time division manner. The sensor electrode group combined with a display4is used as a display when the conductors are connected to the host processor3, and is used as a sensor electrode group when the conductors are connected to the sensor controller2.

When the sensor electrode group combined with a display4is used as a display, the host processor3supplies common potential Vcom to each of the plurality of island-like conductors4m. The host processor3uses the plurality of linear conductors4xas gate lines for controlling on/off of pixel transistors (not illustrated), and uses the plurality of linear conductors4yas data/source lines for supplying data to pixels.

On the other hand, when the sensor electrode group combined with a display4is used as a sensor electrode group, the sensor controller2uses the plurality of island-like conductors4mas sensor electrodes to perform self-capacitive detection of the finger touch, and uses the plurality of linear conductors4xand4yas sensor electrodes to perform active capacitive detection of the active pen PE.

FIG.2also illustrates an internal configuration of the active pen PE. As illustrated inFIG.2, the active pen PE includes a core body20, a pen tip electrode21, a pressure sensor22, a switch23, a control circuit24, and a battery25.

The core body20is a member included in a pen tip of the active pen PE. A proximal end of the core body20is connected to the pressure sensor22. The pen tip electrode21is an electrode provided near a distal end of the core body20and is electrically connected to the control circuit24. The pressure sensor22is a sensor that detects the pressure applied to the distal end of the core body20. The switch23is a switch element provided on the surface of a housing of the active pen PE, and the user can turn on and off the switch23.

The control circuit24is a circuit that uses power supplied from the battery25, to operate and execute various processes. Examples of the processes executed by the control circuit24include control of the respective components of the active pen PE, as well as a process of controlling the potential of the pen tip electrode21to transmit the downlink signal DS and a process of detecting and demodulating a change in the potential of the pen tip electrode21to receive the uplink signal US.

FIG.3AandFIG.3Bdepict formats of the downlink signal DS transmitted from the control circuit24.FIG.3Aillustrates the downlink signal DS transmitted from the control circuit24that has not detected the sensor controller2yet when the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform two-way communication. The downlink signal DS in this case includes a burst signal that is an unmodulated carrier signal having a predetermined frequency.

FIG.3Billustrates the downlink signal DS transmitted from the control circuit24according to the received uplink signal US when the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform two-way communication. A similar downlink signal DS is also used when the active pen PE performs one-way signal transmission to the sensor controller2. The downlink signal DS includes a burst signal that is an unmodulated carrier signal having a predetermined frequency, and also includes a data signal in which a carrier signal having a predetermined frequency is modulated with transmission data.

The transmission data transmitted in the data signal includes a preamble indicating the start of the data signal and data requested by the uplink signal US as illustrated inFIG.3B. Note that data for error detection, such as a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code, may be arranged at the end of the data signal.

The preamble is predetermined data shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE and is used by the sensor controller2to detect the data signal from the reception signal. The data requested by the uplink signal US includes a pen pressure value indicating the pressure detected by the pressure sensor22, switch information indicating on/off state of the switch23, a pen ID stored in a memory of the control circuit24, and the like. The control circuit24acquires data from the pressure sensor22and the like according to a command included in the received uplink signal US and arranges the data in the data signal.

FIG.4is an explanatory diagram of a modulation process of the data signal. As illustrated inFIG.4, the control circuit24first acquires a symbol sequence included in the transmission data. A symbol is a unit of information used for modulation. The symbols include values converted into bit sequences and values not converted into bit sequences. “P” illustrated inFIG.4is an example of a value of the symbol not converted into a bit sequence. The value converted into a bit sequence is a value corresponding to a bit sequence of a predetermined number of bits, andFIG.4illustrates an example of a bit sequence of four bits.

The control circuit24stores, in advance, a table associating the values of the symbols with spread codes (chip sequences) and converts each of the symbols included in the transmission data, into a chip sequence according to the table. The control circuit24then applies Manchester coding to the obtained chip sequences so that 0 or 1 will not be repeated, and uses the chip sequences that have been subjected to the Manchester coding to modulate the carrier signal. AlthoughFIG.4illustrates an example of using binary phase shift keying (BPSK) to perform the modulation, other modulation systems may be used. The waveform of the carrier signal modulated in this way provides the waveform of the downlink signal DS transmitted from the pen tip electrode21(transmission waveform).

With reference again toFIG.2, an example of the case in which the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform two-way communication is used to describe an outline of the detection of the active pen PE. The sensor controller2that has not yet detected the active pen PE uses both the plurality of linear conductors4xand the plurality of linear conductors4yor either the plurality of linear conductors4xor the plurality of linear conductors4yto periodically transmit the uplink signal US. The active pen PE that has received the uplink signal US first transmits the downlink signal DS of the type illustrated inFIG.3A. The sensor controller2sequentially scans all of the plurality of linear conductors4xand the plurality of linear conductors4yto acquire the signal level of the downlink signal DS in each of the linear conductors4xand4y. The sensor controller2then derives the position of the active pen PE on the basis of the distribution of signal levels and stores the position in the memory (global scan).

Subsequently, the active pen PE that has again received the uplink signal US transmits the downlink signal DS of the type illustrated inFIG.3B. The sensor controller2that receives the downlink signal DS first uses only a predetermined number of linear conductors4xand4ypositioned near the position of the active pen PE stored in the memory, to receive the burst signal, and newly derives the position of the active pen PE on the basis of the distribution of signal levels of the burst signal. The sensor controller2updates the position of the active pen PE stored in the memory, to the derived position (local scan). The sensor controller2then uses one linear conductor4xor linear conductor4yclosest to the position of the active pen PE to receive the data signal to thereby acquire the data transmitted by the active pen PE. The position stored in the memory and the acquired data are sequentially output from the sensor controller2to the host processor3as described above.

The one-way transmission of the downlink signal DS from the active pen PE to the sensor controller2will be briefly described. The active pen PE is configured to periodically transmit the downlink signal DS of the type illustrated inFIG.3B. When the active pen PE is not yet detected, the sensor controller2performs the global scan on the basis of the downlink signal DS. After temporarily storing the position of the active pen PE in the memory in the global scan, the sensor controller2performs the local scan and receives the data signal on the basis of the downlink signal DS continuously transmitted from the active pen PE. In this way, the sensor controller2can update the position of the active pen PE and acquire the data transmitted from the active pen PE, as in the case where the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform the two-way communication. The position stored in the memory and the acquired data are also sequentially output from the sensor controller2to the host processor3as in the case where the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform the two-way communication.

FIG.1will be further described. When the active pen PE transmits the downlink signal DS, the downlink signal DS is also transmitted to the body of the user holding the active pen PE, through the housing of the active pen PE. As a result, the downlink signal DS is also transmitted from a palm PA of the user as illustrated inFIG.1when the user places the hand on the panel surface1a. Consequently, there are two peaks in the signal levels detected in the global scan, and the sensor controller2may not properly detect the position of the active pen PE. Therefore, the present embodiment utilizes that the downlink signal DS includes a predetermined waveform portion (that is, the transmission waveform corresponding to a preamble) shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE, and on the basis of the phase of the predetermined waveform portion, the sensor controller2can determine whether or not the phase of the received downlink signal DS matches the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE, to thereby exclude the contact position of the palm PA from the instruction position of the active pen PE.

To realize the exclusion, the phase of the downlink signal DS needs to be determined before the determination of the instruction position of the active pen PE. Therefore, a plurality of positions need to be detected in the global scan, and the local scan and the data signal reception need to be performed at each of these plurality of positions. In the present embodiment, this process is realized by forming a reception unit in the sensor controller2.

Hereinafter, the relation between the downlink signal DS and the phase will be described first with reference toFIGS.5to7. The configuration of the reception unit provided in the sensor controller2will be described next with reference toFIG.8, and then, the process executed by the sensor controller2will be described in detail with reference toFIG.9.

FIG.5depicts an equivalent circuit of the active pen PE, the palm PA, and the sensor electrode group combined with a display4. In the equivalent circuit, it is assumed that the human body is a complete conductor and is floating. As illustrated inFIG.5, the equivalent circuit includes four types of capacitance C1to C4. The capacitance C1is a coupling capacitance between the linear conductor4ywhich is closest to the pen tip electrode21(referred to as a “linear conductor4y-1”) and the pen tip electrode21. The capacitance C2is a coupling capacitance between the linear conductor4ywhich is closest to the palm PA (referred to as a “linear conductor4y-2”) and the palm PA. The capacitance C3is a coupling capacitance between the linear conductor4y-1and the ground end of the electronic device1, and the capacitance C4is a coupling capacitance between the linear conductor4y-2and the ground end of the electronic device1.

The relation between potential VTof the pen tip electrode21with respect to the ground end of the electronic device1, potential VBof the palm PA with respect to the ground end of the electronic device1, and potential VSof the downlink signal DS is as indicated in the following Equation (1).
VT−VB=VS(1)

The following Equation (2) is established by Kirchhoff's first law, where ZTGrepresents the impedance between the ground end of the electronic device and the pen tip electrode21, and ZBGrepresents the impedance between the ground end of the electronic device1and the palm PA.
VT/ZTG+VB/ZBG=0  (2)

The following Equation (3) and Equation (4) can be obtained from Equation (1) and Equation (2).
VT=−VSZBG/(ZTG+ZBG)  (3)
VB=VSZBG/(ZTG+ZBG)  (4)

It can be understood from Equation (3) and Equation (4) that the potential V T of the pen tip electrode21and the potential VBof the palm PA are in opposite phases. The sensor controller2according to the present embodiment uses this relation to execute the process of excluding the contact position of the palm PA from the instruction position of the active pen PE.

FIG.6AandFIG.7Adepict time variation of the potential V T and the potential VBsimulated by using the equivalent circuit ofFIG.5.FIG.6BandFIG.7Bdepict time variation of potential V4y-1of the linear conductor4y-1and potential V4y-2of the linear conductor4y-2simulated by using the equivalent circuit ofFIG.5. The coupling capacitance C1is 1 pF in the case illustrated inFIG.6AandFIG.6B, and the coupling capacitance C1is 0.1 pF in the case illustrated inFIG.7AandFIG.7B. InFIG.6Ato FIG.7B, the coupling capacitance C2is 3 pF, the coupling capacitance C3is 100 pF, and the coupling capacitance C4is 100 pF.

As illustrated inFIG.6AandFIG.7A, the potential V T of the pen tip electrode21and the potential V B of the palm PA are in opposite phases. This is a result as also indicated in Equation (3) and Equation (4) above. On the other hand, it can be recognized from the results ofFIG.6AandFIG.7Athat the amplitude of the potential V B is smaller than the amplitude of the potential VT.

As illustrated inFIG.6BandFIG.7B, the potential V4y-1of the linear conductor4y-1and the potential V4y-2of the linear conductor4y-2are in opposite phases, and this is similar to the potential VTand the potential VB. However, unlike the potential VTand the potential VB, the potential V4y-1and the potential V4y-2have the same value of amplitude. The sensor controller2actually detects the potential V4y-1and V4y-2instead of the potential VTand VB. Therefore, on the basis of the results ofFIG.6BandFIG.7B, it can be understood that the instruction position of the active pen PE and the contact position of the palm PA cannot be distinguished from each other just by looking at the amplitude of the detected potential. Therefore, the sensor controller2according to the present embodiment executes a process of referring to the phases of the potential V4y-1and V4y-2to exclude the contact position of the palm PA from the instruction position of the active pen PE.

FIG.8depicts a configuration of the sensor controller2according to the present embodiment.FIG.8illustrates only the part related to the reception of the downlink signal DS among various components provided in the sensor controller2. As illustrated inFIG.8, the sensor controller2according to the present embodiment includes a micro control unit (MCU)10, a memory11, n reception units12-1to12-n, and a selection unit13.

The MCU10is a processor that reads and executes a program stored in the memory11. Processes executed by the MCU10include control of the respective components in the sensor controller2. The memory11is a storage device including one of or both a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory11stores the program executed by the MCU10and functions as a work memory of the MCU10. Functions of the work memory include a function of temporarily storing one or more positions derived by the MCU10as a result of the global scan and the local scan. The memory11also plays a role of storing the same table as the table of spread codes (chip sequences) stored in the control circuit24of the active pen PE.

Each of the reception units12-1to12-nincludes a buffer30, a band-pass filter31, an analog-to-digital (AD) conversion unit32, a demodulation unit33, and a correlation calculation unit34. The buffer30is connected to one of the plurality of linear conductors4xand the plurality of linear conductors4ythrough the selection unit13. The buffer30plays a role of amplifying the current led to (induced in) the connected linear conductors and supplying the current to the band-pass filter31.

The band-pass filter31is a filter circuit that extracts, from the output current of the buffer30, only signals in a predetermined frequency band to which the frequency of the downlink signal DS belongs. The band-pass filter31plays a role of removing low frequency noise and harmonic noise from the output current of the buffer30.

The AD conversion unit32is a circuit that samples and quantizes the output signal of the band-pass filter31to acquire the reception level values of the downlink signal DS. Note that the sampling frequency of the AD conversion unit32is set to a frequency sufficiently higher than the frequency of the downlink signal DS. The AD conversion unit32is configured to sequentially supply the acquired reception level values to the MCU10and the demodulation unit33.

The demodulation unit33is a circuit that demodulates the downlink signal DS on the basis of the series of reception level values output from the AD conversion unit32, to acquire the series of chip sequences transmitted from the active pen PE. The series of chip sequences acquired by the demodulation unit33is supplied to the correlation calculation unit34.

The correlation calculation unit34is a circuit that calculates the correlation between the series of chip sequences supplied from the demodulation unit33and the plurality of chip sequences stored in advance in the memory11, to restore the sequence of symbols included in the downlink signal DS. The sequence of symbols restored by the correlation calculation unit34is supplied to the MCU10.

The selection unit13is a multiplexer provided between the plurality of linear conductors4xand4yand the reception units12-1to12-n. The connection state of the selection unit13is controlled by the MCU10. Specifically, the MCU10controls the selection unit13to sequentially connect the plurality of linear conductors4xand4yto the reception unit12-1in the global scan. The MCU10then refers to the reception level values sequentially output from the AD conversion unit32of the reception unit12-1, to acquire the distribution of reception levels of the downlink signal DS, thereby deriving the position of the peak of the distribution. When there are a plurality of peaks in the distribution, there are also a plurality of positions derived. The MCU10stores, in the memory11, the derived one or more positions as detection results of the global scan.

In the local scan, the MCU10allocates a different reception unit12-k(k is one of 1 to n) to each of one or more positions stored in the memory11and controls the selection unit13to sequentially connect a predetermined number of linear conductors4xand4ypositioned near the corresponding position, to each of the allocated reception units12-k. The MCU10refers to the reception level values sequentially output from the AD conversion unit32of the reception unit12-k, as a result of the control, to thereby acquire the distribution of reception level of the downlink signal DS for each of the reception units12-k. The MCU10then derives the position of the peak of the distribution for each of the reception units12-kand overwrites the corresponding position stored in the memory11, with the derived position.

In receiving the data signal, the MCU10allocates a different reception unit12-kto each of one or more positions stored in the memory11and controls the selection unit13to connect the linear conductor4x(or the linear conductor4y) closest to the corresponding position, to each of the allocated reception units12-k. The MCU10then refers to the symbol sequences sequentially output from the correlation calculation unit34of each reception unit12-k, as a result of the control, and attempts to detect the preamble first. In this case, the MCU10also attempts to detect, in addition to the preamble stored in advance, a part (referred to as an “inverted preamble”) corresponding to the preamble in the symbol sequences output when the phase of the downlink signal DS input to the reception units12-kis inverted. When the preamble is detected, the MCU10determines that the phase of the downlink signal DS matches the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE. On the other hand, when the inverted preamble is detected, the MCU10determines that the phase of the downlink signal DS does not match (inverted) the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE.

As a result of the determination, the MCU10acquires the transmission data of the active pen PE on the basis of the symbol sequences output from the reception unit12-kthat has received the downlink signal DS for which the MCU10has determined that the phase matches the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE. The MCU10outputs the transmission data to the host processor3along with the position stored in the memory11in relation to the reception unit12-k. The other positions are not output to the host processor3, and therefore, the contact position of the palm PA can be excluded from the instruction position of the active pen PE.

FIG.9is a flow chart illustrating the pen detection process executed by the sensor controller2. As illustrated inFIG.9, the sensor controller2first enters into a discovery mode for detecting the active pen PE (step S1) and executes the global scan for sequentially scanning all of the plurality of linear conductors4xand4y(step S2). The sensor controller2determines whether or not the downlink signal DS is detected as a result of the execution of the global scan (step S3), and returns to step S2to repeat the global scan if the downlink signal DS is not detected.

On the other hand, if the sensor controller2determines that the downlink signal DS is detected in step S3, the sensor controller2derives one or more positions on the basis of the result of the global scan and stores the positions in the memory11illustrated inFIG.8(step S4). The details of the derivation are as described above. The sensor controller2which has finished with step S4enters into an operation mode for receiving pen input of the detected active pen PE (step S5).

The sensor controller2which has entered into the operation mode uses the reception units12-1to12-nillustrated inFIG.8, to perform the local scan in parallel at one or more positions stored in the memory11(step S6). The sensor controller2then determines whether or not the downlink signal DS is detected as a result of the execution of the local scan (step S7), and returns to the discovery mode to continue the process if the downlink signal DS is not detected. On the other hand, if the sensor controller2determines that the downlink signal DS is detected, the sensor controller2derives the position on the basis of the result of the local scan and overwrites the position stored in the memory11, with the position (step S8). The details of the derivation are also as described above. Here, the peak may not be detected in the distribution of reception levels of the downlink signal DS depending on the position. In such as a case, the sensor controller2executes a process of deleting the corresponding position from the memory11.

Next, the sensor controller2receives the data signal at each position stored in the memory11(step S9). Specifically, the sensor controller2acquires the symbol sequences output from each reception unit12-killustrated inFIG.8. The sensor controller2then determines the phase for each of the received data signals (symbol sequences) (step S10, determination step). As described above, in the determination, the sensor controller2attempts to detect the preamble and the inverted preamble in the symbol sequences output from each reception unit12-k. When the preamble is detected, the sensor controller2determines that the phase of the downlink signal DS matches the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE. On the other hand, when the inverted preamble is detected, the sensor controller2determines that the phase of the downlink signal DS does not match (inverted) the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE.

Subsequently, the sensor controller2acquires the transmission data of the active pen PE on the basis of the data signal for which the sensor controller2has determined that the phase of the downlink signal DS matches in step S10(step S11), and outputs the transmission data to the host processor3along with the position stored in the memory11, in association with the data signal (step S12, output step). The other positions stored in the memory11are not output. In this way, only the position derived on the basis of the downlink signal DS with the phase matching the phase shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE and the data acquired on the basis of the downlink signal DS are output to the host processor3. The sensor controller2then returns to step S6to continue the process.

As described above, according to the method of palm rejection executed by the sensor controller2of the present embodiment, the phase of the downlink signal DS is determined in step S10, and the position derived on the basis of the downlink signal DS detected through the human body can be discerned. Therefore, the contact position of the palm PA can be excluded from the instruction position of the active pen PE, without relying on a result of a detection process, such as a touch detection process, different from the detection process of detecting the active pen PE.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure has been described, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment, and various modification are possible as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

For example, although the MCU10executes the process of attempting to detect the preamble and the inverted preamble in the symbol sequences output from each reception unit12-kin the example described in the embodiment, the process need not be executed when the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform two-way communication. That is, when the sensor controller2and the active pen PE perform two-way communication, the sensor controller2in the operation mode is in synchronization with the active pen PE. Therefore, the timing at which the preamble is included in the downlink signal DS can be known in advance, and therefore it is possible to determine the phase of the downlink signal DS by determining which one of the preamble or the inverted preamble is output from each reception unit12-kat that timing.

Although the phase of the downlink signal DS is determined on the basis of the phase of the preamble in the example described in the embodiment, data other than the preamble can similarly be used to determine the phase of the downlink signal DS, as long as the data is predetermined data shared in advance between the sensor controller2and the active pen PE. For example, when the data signal includes a start bit and a stop bit, the phase of the downlink signal DS may be determined on the basis of the phase of one or both of these bits.

Further, in a case where the data signal includes data for error detection, a case in which errors are continuously detected can be treated as a case in which the phase of the downlink signal DS is inverted. Further, in a case where an error is detected, the chip sequences output from the demodulation unit33may be inverted and input again to the correlation calculation unit34to acquire the symbol sequences again. When the preamble is included in the acquired symbol sequences, it may be determined that the phase of the downlink signal DS is inverted.

Although the plurality of reception units12-1to12-nare provided in the sensor controller2in the example described in the embodiment, only one reception unit may be provided. In this case, the phase of the downlink signal DS cannot be determined in parallel at a plurality of positions. However, at least which one of the pen tip electrode21or the palm PA has transmitted the received downlink signal DS can be determined.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified to provide yet further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.