US Patent 9218073 Determining forces of contacts between styluses and objects

An apparatus comprising a stylus with a dynamically switch tip shield is provided. The apparatus includes an elongated stylus housing having an end, a conductive tip disposed at least partially inside the stylus housing and extending from the end, a force sensor coupled to the conductive tip and configured to detect contact between the conductive tip and an object, a tip shield coupled with the stylus housing and extending from the end, and a switch coupled to the tip shield and the conductive tip. The force sensor may be an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, a piezo sensor, a force sensing resistor sensor, or an optical sensor.