Stylus

About: Stylus is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8009 publications have been published within this topic receiving 111335 citations.

Microfabrication of cantilever styli for the atomic force microscope

Abstract: Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a newly developed high resolution microscopy technique which is capable of mapping forces near surfaces or, by means of these forces, the topography of the surface itself. In one mode of operation, AFM can resolve individual atoms on both conducting and insulating surfaces. A crucial component for the AFM is a flexible force‐sensing cantilever stylus, whose properties should include, among other things: a sharp tip, a low force constant, and a high mechanical resonance frequency. These requirements can be met by reducing the size of the cantilever stylus through microfabrication techniques and employing novel methods to construct a sharp tip. Presented here are a number of microfabrication processes for constructing cantilever styli with properties ideal for the AFM. These fabrication processes include (1) a method for producing thin film SiO2 or Si3N4 cantilevers without tips, (2) a method for producing Si3N4 cantilevers with integrated pyramidal tips formed by using an e...

Development of methods for the characterisation of roughness in three dimensions

Abstract: 1. Updating introduction to this revised reprint 2. An integrated approach to the assessment of 3-D micro-topography 3. Techniques and fidelity of data collection 4. Measurement strategy of the stylus instrument 5. Effects of stylus geometry and loading 6. Fidelity of the measurement datum 7. The selection of sampling conditions 8. Specification for a unified data file format 9. Reference for 3-D topography characterisation 10. Digital filtering of 3-D surface topography 11. Characterisation techniques 12. Parameters for characterising 3-D surfaces 13. The effects of quantisation on 3-D topography characterisation 14. Functional characterisation of engineering surfaces 15. Calibration of surface topography instruments.

Portable information terminal, display control device, display control method, and computer readable program therefor

Abstract: Predetermined travel locuss are set in a three-dimensional virtual space. Menu panels for displaying menu items are arranged along the travel locuss assuming a display position set as a local origin so that the normal to each LCD panel will face a virtual camera. The transparency of a menu panel is raised in accordance with its distance to the virtual camera. In case a scroll operation is performed, menu panels are moved along the travel locuss connecting display positions P until a selected specific menu panel reaches the display position P 0. A display screen on a portable information terminal is drawn as a screen image V shot with the virtual camera and menu panels are three-dimensionally displayed in rolls. An LCD panel includes an LCD display panel functioning as a display section integral with a transparent touch panel functioning as an input section overlaid on the LCD display panel. By sliding a stylus pen on the LCD panel, that is, by dragging the stylus pen, the menu screen displayed on the LCD panel scrolls at a velocity corresponding to the drag velocity. When the stylus pen is released from the LCD panel 11 , that is, performing a tap-out, an application program corresponding to the menu display entity (crosshatched) is activated.

Shift: a technique for operating pen-based interfaces using touch

Abstract: Retrieving the stylus of a pen-based device takes time and requires a second hand. Especially for short intermittent interactions many users therefore choose to use their bare fingers. Although convenient, this increases targeting times and error rates. We argue that the main reasons are the occlusion of the target by the user's finger and ambiguity about which part of the finger defines the selection point. We propose a pointing technique we call Shift that is designed to address these issues. When the user touches the screen, Shift creates a callout showing a copy of the occluded screen area and places it in a non-occluded location. The callout also shows a pointer representing the selection point of the finger. Using this visual feedback, users guide the pointer into the target by moving their finger on the screen surface and commit the target acquisition by lifting the finger. Unlike existing techniques, Shift is only invoked when necessary--over large targets no callout is created and users enjoy the full performance of an unaltered touch screen. We report the results of a user study showing that with Shift participants can select small targets with much lower error rates than an unaided touch screen and that Shift is faster than Offset Cursor for larger targets.

Handwritten keyboardless-entry computer system

Abstract: A keyboardless entry computer system includes a transparent input screen that generates positional information when contacted by a stylus, and a display screen mounted physically below the input screen such that a character that is displayed can be seen below the input screen. The system includes a computer that has been programmed to compile the positional information into Strokes, to calculate Stroke characteristics, and then compare the Stroke characteristics with those stored in a database in order to recognize the symbol drawn by the stylus. Key features of the system are: (1) transparent position sensing subsystem; (2) underlying display on which to mimic drawing of sensed positions and to show characters or symbols; (3) means to convert sensed positions first into plotted Points and then into recognized characters or symbols; and (4) means to "learn" to associate sensed input positions with a character or symbol.