Patents by Inventor Jonathan Westhues

Jonathan Westhues has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11954282
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to methods and computing devices for determining a distance of an input device from a surface of a computing device. In one example, a method comprises receiving a plurality of input device signals via the input device. A portion of the input device signals are used to determine an effective voltage of the input device. Adjusted input device signals are generated by adjusting another portion of input device signals using the effective voltage of the input device. The method further comprises providing the adjusted input device signals as an input to a distance model, and receiving and outputting the distance of the input device from the surface of the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Igor Grebnev, Jonathan Westhues
  • Publication number: 20230236693
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed that relate to methods and computing devices for determining a distance of an input device from a surface of a computing device. In one example, a method comprises receiving a plurality of input device signals via the input device. A portion of the input device signals are used to determine an effective voltage of the input device. Adjusted input device signals are generated by adjusting another portion of input device signals using the effective voltage of the input device. The method further comprises providing the adjusted input device signals as an input to a distance model, and receiving and outputting the distance of the input device from the surface of the computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2021
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Igor GREBNEV, Jonathan WESTHUES
  • Patent number: 11435859
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device, including a capacitive touch-sensitive surface including an array of electrodes. The touch-sensitive device may further include processing circuitry configured to determine a detected position at which a stylus contacts or hovers above the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. The processing circuitry may determine, based at least in part on the detected position, a first and second electrode set of the electrodes included in the array. The detected position may be located proximate to one or more first row electrodes and/or one or more first column electrodes included in the first electrode set. The second electrode set may include a plurality of second row electrodes and a plurality of second column electrodes not included in the first electrode set. The touch-sensitive device may further include a driving circuit configured to transmit a first driving signal to the first electrode set and a second driving signal to the second electrode set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: On Haran, Gilad Pundak, Amir Zyskind, Jonathan Westhues
  • Publication number: 20220137745
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device, including a capacitive touch-sensitive surface including an array of electrodes. The touch-sensitive device may further include processing circuitry configured to determine a detected position at which a stylus contacts or hovers above the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. The processing circuitry may determine, based at least in part on the detected position, a first and second electrode set of the electrodes included in the array. The detected position may be located proximate to one or more first row electrodes and/or one or more first column electrodes included in the first electrode set. The second electrode set may include a plurality of second row electrodes and a plurality of second column electrodes not included in the first electrode set. The touch-sensitive device may further include a driving circuit configured to transmit a first driving signal to the first electrode set and a second driving signal to the second electrode set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: On HARAN, Gilad PUNDAK, Amir ZYSKIND, Jonathan WESTHUES
  • Patent number: 11182036
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device includes a touch sensor having a plurality of display electrodes and control logic coupled to the plurality of display electrodes. The control logic is configured to receive, for each of a plurality of stylus electrodes of an active stylus interacting with the touch-sensitive display device, a spatial capacitance measurement over the touch sensor for that stylus electrode. Relative to the touch sensor, and based on spatial capacitance measurements of the stylus electrodes, the control logic is configured to determine (i) a tip position of the active stylus, (ii) a tilt parameter of the active stylus, and (iii) a twist parameter of the active stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Whipple Case, Jr., Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Patent number: 11099686
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to various operational modes of a capacitive touch sensor. One example provides a touch-sensitive input device comprising receive circuitry, a capacitive touch sensor having a plurality of portions, and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to not detecting a finger or a pen, operate the touch sensor in a locating mode by successively driving each portion with a fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the portion to the receive circuitry in a predefined sequence, and responsive to detecting the pen, operate the touch sensor in a tracking mode by driving a selected portion with the fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the selected portion to the receive circuitry to track the pen, the selected portion selected based on a detected location of the pen relative to the touch sensor and being varied as the detected location changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Arie Yehuda Gur, Zohar Nagola, Jonathan Westhues
  • Patent number: 11009992
    Abstract: An active stylus includes a stylus electrode, receive circuitry, and transmit circuitry. The stylus electrode is configured to capacitively couple with one or more electrodes of a capacitance-based touch sensor of a touch-sensitive device. The receive circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to receive a synchronization waveform from the touch-sensitive device. The transmit circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to, upon receiving the synchronization waveform, transmit stylus information to the touch-sensitive device according to a communication frame including a first set of sub-frames and a second set of sub-frames. The transmit circuitry is configured to transmit a first waveform during the first set, if the active stylus is hovering, transmit the first waveform during the second set, and if the active stylus is not hovering, transmit one or more additional waveforms during the second set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Publication number: 20200333904
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to various operational modes of a capacitive touch sensor. One example provides a touch-sensitive input device comprising receive circuitry, a capacitive touch sensor having a plurality of portions, and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to not detecting a finger or a pen, operate the touch sensor in a locating mode by successively driving each portion with a fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the portion to the receive circuitry in a predefined sequence, and responsive to detecting the pen, operate the touch sensor in a tracking mode by driving a selected portion with the fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the selected portion to the receive circuitry to track the pen, the selected portion selected based on a detected location of the pen relative to the touch sensor and being varied as the detected location changes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Arie Yehuda GUR, Zohar NAGOLA, Jonathan WESTHUES
  • Patent number: 10788935
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device includes a capacitance-based touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes, a display including a plurality of pixels, an image source configured to output image frames at a video frame rate, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform capacitance measurements on the capacitance-based touch sensor in capacitance-measurement intervals of a touch-sensing frame, and perform display-write operations on the display to write each image frame to the display in display-write intervals of the touch-sensing frame that do not temporally overlap with the capacitance-measurement intervals of the touch-sensing frame. The controller is configured repeat the touch-sensing frame at a fixed touch-sensing frame rate that is different than the video frame rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Westhues, Amir Zyskind
  • Patent number: 10712884
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to various operational modes of a capacitive touch sensor. One example provides a touch-sensitive input device comprising receive circuitry, a capacitive touch sensor having a plurality of portions, and a controller. The controller is configured to, responsive to not detecting a finger or a pen, operate the touch sensor in a locating mode by successively driving each portion with a fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the portion to the receive circuitry in a predefined sequence, and responsive to detecting the pen, operate the touch sensor in a tracking mode by driving a selected portion with the fixed DC voltage and multiplexing the selected portion to the receive circuitry to track the pen, the selected portion selected based on a detected location of the pen relative to the touch sensor and being varied as the detected location changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Arie Yehuda Gur, Zohar Nagola, Jonathan Westhues
  • Publication number: 20200192521
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device includes a touch sensor having a plurality of display electrodes and control logic coupled to the plurality of display electrodes. The control logic is configured to receive, for each of a plurality of stylus electrodes of an active stylus interacting with the touch-sensitive display device, a spatial capacitance measurement over the touch sensor for that stylus electrode. Relative to the touch sensor, and based on spatial capacitance measurements of the stylus electrodes, the control logic is configured to determine (i) a tip position of the active stylus, (ii) a tilt parameter of the active stylus, and (iii) a twist parameter of the active stylus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Whipple Case, Jr., Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Patent number: 10613662
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive in-cell display device includes an active matrix of row conductors and column conductors, a plurality of pixels, and a controller. Each pixel is connected to a row conductor and a column conductor at a different intersection of the active matrix and each pixel is connected to a common electrode. The controller is configured to perform a display-write operation on a pixel at a first time at least by applying different voltages to the row conductor, the column conductor, and the common electrode connected to the first pixel, and perform an electrostatic measurement at a second time at least by applying a same common-mode excitation voltage to the row conductor, the column conductor, and the common electrode connected to the pixel, while measuring a current through a designated conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventor: Jonathan Westhues
  • Patent number: 10613676
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device includes a touch sensor including a plurality of electrodes and receive circuitry configured to interpret a response on one or more electrodes of the plurality of electrodes based on stylus waveforms being driven on a stylus electrode of an active stylus. The touch-sensitive device is configured to correlate the stylus waveforms with one or more reference waveforms to produce correlation magnitudes; The touch-sensitive device is further configured to map each correlation magnitude to a demodulation symbol selected from a plurality of demodulation symbols of a one-dimensional, non-uniform constellation. Each demodulation symbol encodes multiple data bits. The touch-sensitive device is further configured to decode the mapped demodulation symbols to determine a plurality of data bits of stylus information of the active stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Patent number: 10585529
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to reducing noise in received signals. An example provides a method comprising receiving, via one or more electrodes of an input device, a capacitive signal, for each of two or more reference sequences designed for a respective capacitive signal condition, correlating the capacitive signal with the reference sequence, and identifying a particular one of the two or more reference sequences that produced a highest noise immunity when correlated with the capacitive signal. The method may further comprise correlating the identified reference sequence with a subsequent capacitive signal to thereby receive information in the subsequent capacitive signal regarding an input device condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Tianzhu Qiao, Jonathan Westhues
  • Patent number: 10572063
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive display device includes a touch sensor having a plurality of display electrodes and control logic coupled to the plurality of display electrodes. The control logic is configured to receive, for each of a plurality of stylus electrodes of an active stylus interacting with the touch-sensitive display device, a spatial capacitance measurement over the touch sensor for that stylus electrode. Relative to the touch sensor, and based on spatial capacitance measurements of the stylus electrodes, the control logic is configured to determine (i) a tip position of the active stylus, (ii) a tilt parameter of the active stylus, and (iii) a twist parameter of the active stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Whipple Case, Jr., Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Publication number: 20200004382
    Abstract: An active stylus includes a stylus electrode, receive circuitry, and transmit circuitry. The stylus electrode is configured to capacitively couple with one or more electrodes of a capacitance-based touch sensor of a touch-sensitive device. The receive circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to receive a synchronization waveform from the touch-sensitive device. The transmit circuitry is operatively coupled to the stylus electrode and configured to, upon receiving the synchronization waveform, transmit stylus information to the touch-sensitive device according to a communication frame including a first set of sub-frames and a second set of sub-frames. The transmit circuitry is configured to transmit a first waveform during the first set, if the active stylus is hovering, transmit the first waveform during the second set, and if the active stylus is not hovering, transmit one or more additional waveforms during the second set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan WESTHUES, Tianzhu QIAO
  • Patent number: 10481705
    Abstract: An active stylus includes a stylus electrode configured to electrostatically couple with one or more electrodes of a display device having a capacitance-based touch sensor, transmit logic configured to drive the stylus electrode with a synchronization waveform that is configured, via interpreting a response on one or more electrodes of a first display device, to enable the first display device to become time synchronized with the active stylus in a stylus-initiated synchronization mode, receive logic configured to interpret a response on the stylus electrode caused by a synchronization waveform being driven on one or more electrodes of a second display device, to enable the active stylus to become time synchronized with the second display device in a display-initiated synchronization mode, and a controller configured, in response to detection of a condition, to cause the active stylus to switch from one of the synchronization modes to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Tianzhu Qiao, Jonathan Westhues
  • Patent number: 10455115
    Abstract: The presently disclosed technology uses predefined handwriting characteristics to create and/or refine a stylus position interpolation function over time to provide more accurate and adaptive renderings of the user's handwriting on a touch screen. As the presently disclosed technology is performed on a specific device and uses data collected from one or more specific users, it adapts the stylus position interpolation function for any device-specific or user-specific variations. Further, as the stylus position interpolation function adapts iteratively over time, it may not converge and continues to adapt as the device ages, the user's habits change, or identify of the user changes, and environmental conditions of the device change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Amir Zyskind, Jonathan Westhues, Ilan Geller, On Haran
  • Patent number: 10444927
    Abstract: A touch-sensitive device includes a capacitance-based touch sensor, drive circuitry configured to drive touch sensor electrodes with a synchronization waveform to enable an active stylus to become time synchronized with the touch-sensitive device, and receive circuitry configured to determine a position of the active stylus based on electrostatically receiving a first waveform from the active stylus. Depending on when the touch-sensitive device receives the first waveform from the active stylus, the touch-sensitive device interprets the first waveform differently to determine a position of the active stylus or determine that the active stylus is hovering. In either case, the same waveform is used to communicate different information about the active stylus to the touch-sensitive device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao
  • Patent number: 10444873
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to communication between a capacitive touch sensor and an active stylus. An example provides an active stylus comprising an electrode tip, and receive circuitry coupled to the electrode tip. The receive circuitry may be configured to receive a capacitive signal from a touch sensor through the electrode tip, determine which of two or more drive signals produced by respective regions of the touch sensor most strongly influenced the capacitive signal, each drive signal being associated with a different operating mode, and configure one or both of the active stylus and the touch sensor to operate in the operating mode associated with the determined drive signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Westhues, Tianzhu Qiao