US 11,669,177 B2
Frequency diverse e-pen for touch sensor and e-pen systems
Patrick Troy Gray, Cedar Park, TX (US); Gerald Dale Morrison, Redmond, WA (US); Daniel Keith Van Ostrand, Leander, TX (US); Richard Stuart Seger, Jr., Belton, TX (US); Michael Shawn Gray, Cedar Park, TX (US); and Kevin Joseph Derichs, Buda, TX (US)
Assigned to SIGMASENSE, LLC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed by SIGMASENSE, LLC., Wilmington, DE (US)
Filed on Dec. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/552,668.
Application 17/552,668 is a continuation of application No. 17/083,998, filed on Oct. 29, 2020, granted, now 11,237,653.
Application 17/083,998 is a continuation of application No. 16/195,041, filed on Nov. 19, 2018, granted, now 10,852,857, issued on Dec. 1, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0113815 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 3/038 (2013.01); G06F 3/041 (2006.01); G06F 3/0354 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 3/0383 (2013.01) [G06F 3/03545 (2013.01); G06F 3/0416 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system including an electronic pen (e-pen) and a touch sensor device comprising:
the e-pen including:
an e-pen sensor electrode; and
a first drive-sense circuit (DSC) operably coupled to the e-pen sensor electrode, wherein, when enabled, the first DSC configured to drive an e-pen signal having a first frequency via a first single line coupling to the e-pen sensor electrode, wherein based on interaction of the e-pen with the touch sensor device, the e-pen signal is coupled into a touch sensor electrode of the touch sensor device; and
the touch sensor device including a second DSC operably coupled to the touch sensor electrode of the touch sensor device, wherein, when enabled, the second DSC configured to:
drive a touch sensor signal having a second frequency via a second single line coupling to the touch sensor electrode of the touch sensor device and simultaneously sense, via the second single line, change of the touch sensor signal including sensing the e-pen signal coupled from the e-pen sensor electrode into the touch sensor electrode of the touch sensor device; and
process the change of the touch sensor signal to generate a digital signal that is representative of an electrical characteristic of the touch sensor electrode.