Capacitive touch screens, unlike resistive ones, are convenient to use without stylus. But the need for this tool still arises if it is necessary not to press a virtual key, but to write or draw something. One of the devices designed for this was recently patented by Apple.
Instructions
Step 1
A stylus designed for a resistive touchscreen will not work with a capacitive one. The reason for this is simple: a capacitive sensor only reacts to contact with conductive objects. Even if you have a glove in the palm of your hand, you will not be able to control your phone. Unless a special glove is used, with conductive pads on the fingertips.
Step 2
The massive transition from resistive to capacitive screens in all but the cheapest smartphones has been to the liking of almost everyone - except those who wish to write or draw on them. Soon, many new types of styluses were launched on the market, designed specifically for devices with such displays. They differ from the previous ones by the presence of conductive tips, to the touch of which the sensors react. And Samsung was one of the first to decide to include a stylus in the set of one of its devices - Galaxy Note.
Step 3
But the new stylus, patented by Apple in May 2012, does not directly affect the display's capacitive sensor. It itself contains a built-in microcomputer that communicates with a phone or tablet via a wireless interface (which one has not yet been announced). At the same time, the ability to act on the touchscreen with your fingers remains.
Step 4
The technology used in the new instrument is not new: it is based on a miniature video camera. Similar solutions are used in the Nintendo Wii Remote, as well as in all optical mice. But it was in the stylus that the camera was used as a sensor for the first time. In this case, it is aimed directly at the screen of a smartphone or tablet. The device determines its location by which part of the picture falls into the frame.
Step 5
If you now press the stylus on the screen, the pressure sensor built into the instrument will be triggered. If you start moving it, the speed of movement will be determined not only from the information from the camera, but also from the data obtained from the semiconductor accelerometer built into the device.
Step 6
The new Apple stylus is good for everyone, except for one thing: you can't buy it yet. It is not only not yet released, but not a word is said about the date of its launch in production. Only one thing is clear: it will probably see the light of day within the next 20 years. Until the patent expires.
