JPH0973362A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device without requiring tablet for input as before, small in size and easy in maintenance. SOLUTION: An input mechanism is equipped with a reflecting ball 13, four laser light projecting elements 11a-11b, and a light receiving element 12. The laser light projecting elements are prepared in pairs for X-directional and Y- directional detection respectively and irradiate the reflecting ball with laser lights which are different in frequency and has constant wavelength. Consequently, interference fringes are formed on the reflecting ball and those interference fringes move at a specific speed in one direction. The reflecting ball 13, on the other hand, scatters the laser lights, so an increase or decrease in the quantity of photodetected light varies as interference fringes pass through the scattered lights and the variation speed varies according to the rotation of the reflecting ball. This Doppler effect is detected to input the moving direction and movement quantity of the pen tip of an electronic pen.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device for inputting coordinates and a position, and more particularly to a novel input device that can be downsized and does not require maintenance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an input device, for example, a mouse cursor displayed on a screen of a display device is moved to point a specific point, and various data for inputting desired position and direction data to a computer at high speed. Pointing devices have been proposed. As this method, the most general method is to use a mouse device that can move the mouse itself placed on a desk and input the above data. Such a mouse device rotates a built-in ball by moving the mouse itself, and detects the direction and amount of rotation of the ball from a roller that abuts the ball, and the computer detects the distance and direction of movement of the mouse itself. Move the mouse body on the mouse pad with the mechanical type to input and the special grid on the surface, irradiate the light on the pad, and the movement distance and movement of the mouse body from the light receiving pattern of the reflected light An optical type is known in which a direction is obtained and input to a computer.

In the former mechanical type, it is difficult to miniaturize the device because a roller (encoder) for detecting the rotation of the ball is incorporated, and the mouse must be disassembled and cleaned periodically, and maintenance is required. There is a problem that is troublesome. Furthermore, it is necessary that the mouse is always brought into contact with a predetermined operation surface. Further, the latter optical type does not require disassembly and cleaning, but has a problem that a dedicated mouse pad is required.

In contrast to such a mouse type input device, a pen input system has recently been considered as an input system suitable for human sensitivity. In this pen input method, for example, a position and a velocity are detected by bringing a special pen having a conductive tip into contact with a tablet provided with a transparent conductive film. As the tablet, I used a special optical tablet on the LCD screen.

[0005]

However, in the conventional pen-input type input device as described above, it has been assumed that a tablet is usually adopted. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a place to install the tablet, and there is a problem that the input work itself can be performed only in a limited place on the tablet. Therefore, it is not possible to input in a free place even though it is pen input. Although it is a pen input method, the reality is that it is far from the input method that is close to human sensitivity.

As a future input method, it is necessary to develop an input device capable of data input with the concept of an electronic pen, just like a human being writing on paper. This input work does not require a tablet as in the past,
It is required that it can be carried anywhere, and it must be small and easy to maintain so that it can be carried.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a novel input device that does not require a tablet for input, is small, and is easy to maintain. It is in.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, an input device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an operating body which is held by an operator and is moved along a predetermined plane, and an operating body which is rotated by the operating body. A rotatable body that is held so that it can be rotated according to the movement of the operating body, and a light projecting unit that forms interference fringes by irradiating the surfaces of the rotatable body with laser beams of different frequencies from different directions. Light receiving means for receiving the reflected light of the detection light from the rotating body and generating a detection signal according to the amount of the received light, and scattered light from the surface of the rotating body interferes based on the detection signal from the light receiving means. A detection unit that detects the changing speed of the received light amount when passing through the stripe, and an output unit that calculates and outputs the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body based on the changing speed detected by the detecting unit. I have it.

The light projecting means irradiates the surface of the rotating body with laser light having different frequencies from different directions. As is well known, interference fringes are formed at the intersections of the laser beams. At this time, since the frequencies of the laser light are different from each other, the interference fringes flow (move) at a constant speed from one side to the other side in the fringe arrangement direction in the image area of the interference fringes.
I have. This interference fringe is imaged on the surface of the rotating body.

Further, there is a portion where the laser light is scattered and reflected on the surface of the rotating body. The rotating body scatters and reflects the laser light due to its surface roughness (fine irregularities).
This scattering of laser light is caused by the irradiation target (in this case, the rotating body).
If the surface of R is rough, it is generated.

The light receiving means receives the reflected light from the rotating body and generates a detection signal according to the amount of the received light. When the rotating body is stationary, the emission position of the scattered light is constant, but since the interference fringes pass through the scattered light at a constant speed, the received light amount is at a predetermined speed. It will increase or decrease.

On the other hand, when the rotating body is rotated, the emission position of the scattered light is moved, and the relative speed with respect to the interference fringes flowing at the constant speed is changed. That is, when the emission position of the scattered light is moved in the direction in which the interference fringes flow, the amount of received light is repeatedly increased and decreased at a speed obtained by subtracting the moving speed of the emission position of the scattered light from the flow speed of the interference fringes. That is, the change speed of the received light amount becomes slow. On the contrary, when the emission position of the scattered light is moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which the interference fringes flow, the amount of received light increases or decreases at the speed obtained by adding the moving speed of the emission position of the scattered light to the speed at which the interference fringes flow. Will be repeated. That is, the rate of change in the amount of received light becomes faster. The so-called Doppler phenomenon occurs.

The detecting means detects the changing speed of the received light amount based on the detection signal from the light receiving means, and the output means detects the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body based on the detected changing speed of the received light amount. It is calculated and output. That is,
The Doppler phenomenon is detected and the moving direction and the moving amount are calculated.

Further, in the input device according to the present invention, the rotating body is a spherical rotating body, and the light projecting means irradiates the spherical rotating body with laser light from the first and second positions, respectively. First laser light projecting means for forming first interference fringes;
A second laser light projecting means for irradiating the spherical rotating body with laser light from the third and fourth positions, respectively, in order to form a second interference fringe that intersects the direction of the first interference fringe. The detecting means detects a first rate of change in the amount of received light when the scattered light passes through the first interference fringes, and the amount of received light when the scattered light passes through the second interference fringes. The second change speed of the
The moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body are calculated based on the second changing speed.

That is, the first and second laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means are used to form the first and second laser beams on the surface of the spherical rotary member.
Interference fringes are formed respectively, and the first and second changing speeds of the received light amount when the emission position of the scattered light passes through the first and second interference fringes are detected by the detection means, and the output means is operated. Is calculated and output. That is, the movement position information in the biaxial directions can be input.

Further, in the input device according to the third aspect, the first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means are located at the detection position set on the top of the spherical rotating body. Interference fringes and second interference fringes are formed alternately, and the detection means is responsive to the alternating formation of the first interference fringes and the second interference fringes, and the first change speed and the second change. Alternately detect speed. Therefore, there is only one interference fringe formation position,
The operating body can be miniaturized.

Further, in the input device according to the present invention, the operating body is provided with the rotating body, the light projecting means and the light receiving means, and the detecting means and the output means are separate from the operating body. The operating body is further provided with transmitting means for transmitting the detection signal generated by the light receiving means to the detecting means. Therefore, the operating body has only the minimum necessary configuration, and the operating body can be further downsized.

On the other hand, in the input device according to the fifth aspect, the light projecting means irradiates the plane of movement of the operating body with laser beams having different frequencies from different directions to form interference fringes on the plane. The light receiving means receives the reflected light of the laser light from the flat surface, and generates a detection signal according to the received light amount. The interference fringes flow from one to the other in the direction in which the fringes are arranged due to the difference in the frequency of the laser light. Here, the flat surface scatters laser light due to its surface roughness. Therefore, the amount of received light is repeatedly increased and decreased at the speed at which the interference fringes flow. Therefore, when the operating body is moved, the moving direction of the emission position of the scattered light changes according to the moving direction. That is, since the moving direction of the emission position changes with respect to the flow direction of the interference fringes, the change speed of the increase / decrease in the amount of received light may become faster or slower. The detection means detects the changing speed, and the output means calculates and outputs the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body based on the detected changing speed. That is, in the first aspect, the interference fringes are formed on the rotating body. However, since the input device of the fifth aspect is directly formed on the plane of movement of the operating body, the rotating body is not required and the operating body is further updated. It is possible to reduce the size.

The input device according to claim 6 is the first device.
When the first and second interference fringes are formed on the plane by the laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means, respectively, and the emission position of the scattered light passes through the first and second interference fringes. The first and second changing speeds of the received light amount are detected by the detecting means, and the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body are calculated and output by the output means. That is, the movement position information in the biaxial directions can be input.

Further, in the input device according to the seventh aspect, the first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means alternate the first interference fringes and the second interference fringes at the same position. Formed into
The detection means alternately detects the first changing speed and the second changing speed in response to the alternating formation of the first interference fringe and the second interference fringe. Therefore, since the interference fringes are formed at only one position, the operating body can be downsized.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings embodied as a pen-type input device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pen-type input device. This input device (hereinafter referred to as an electronic pen for convenience)
Has a pen-shaped frame 1 as an operating body,
In appearance, the clip 2, the switch 3, and the input mechanism 1
0 is provided. The clip 2 is used for holding a mobile phone like an ordinary pen. The switch 3 is a so-called power switch, and turns on / off the operation of the electronic pen.

Details of the input mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.
To explain. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the input mechanism, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of the input mechanism.

The input mechanism is built in the tip portion of the frame 1, and has a reflecting ball 13 as a spherical rotating member rotatably supported at the tip of the frame and a projection for irradiating the reflecting ball with laser light. An optical element (light projecting means) 11,
The light receiving element (light receiving means) 12 for receiving the reflected light of the laser light from the reflecting ball 13.

The reflecting ball 13 is a spherical body having a diameter of several millimeters or less, and metal, plastic, ceramic or the like can be used as the material. It is formed with general processing accuracy and scatters laser light due to surface roughness. Due to the scattering of the laser light, the reflective ball may be surface-treated within a range that does not hinder the rotation of the reflective ball.
In other words, it does not have to be a mirror surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to embed a large number of fine particles 14 in the reflecting ball 13. Specifically, a method in which a metal such as nickel, copper, or zinc and Teflon, silicon carbide, boron nitride fine particles, or the like are dispersed and combined to form a plate can be applied.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the surface of is a mirror surface in which the scattering of the laser light is hard to occur, it is possible to write the fine particle shape 15 by engraving. As this method, a laser processing method, an etching method, a machining method such as cutting, or the like can be applied.

Around the reflecting ball 13, an axis (X, Y) orthogonal to the center of the reflecting ball 13 when viewed in plan view is provided.
Four laser light projecting elements 11a to 11d are arranged along the axis, and these laser projecting elements are arranged so that the laser light can be emitted toward the top of the reflecting ball. The installation position of the laser light projection element 11a is the first position, the installation position of the laser light projection element 11b is the second position, the installation position of the laser light projection element 11c is the third position, and the laser light The installation position of the light projecting element 11d is referred to as a fourth position.

Along the X axis, the laser light projecting element 11a and the laser light projecting element 11b are arranged so as to direct the reflecting ball 13 to each other, and the frequency of the laser light emitted from the laser light projecting element 11a is The frequency of the laser beam emitted from the laser beam projecting element 11b is slightly different. Due to this slight difference, the laser light applied to the top of the reflecting ball 13 interferes with each other to form an interference fringe. The stripes of the interference fringes are formed in the Y-axis direction, and the stripes are arranged in the X-axis direction.
Axial direction. Since the frequencies are different from each other, the interference fringes that are formed do not stand still, and the fringes flow from one side to the other side along the alignment direction (X-axis direction). The laser light projecting element 11a and the laser light projecting element 11b constitute a first light projecting means.

On the other hand, the laser light projecting element 1 is arranged along the Y axis.
1c and the laser beam projecting element 11d mutually reflect the ball 13
And the frequency of the laser light emitted from the laser light projecting element 11c is set so that
It is slightly different from the frequency of the laser light emitted from 1d. Due to this slight difference, the laser light applied to the top of the reflecting ball 13 interferes with each other to form an interference fringe. The fringes of the interference fringes are formed in the X-axis direction, and the fringes are arranged in the Y-axis direction. Since the frequencies are different from each other, the interference fringes that are formed do not stand still, and the fringes flow from one side to the other side along the alignment direction (X-axis direction). The laser light projecting element 11c and the laser light projecting element 1
A second light projecting unit is constituted by 1d.

As the laser light projecting elements 11a to 11d, those having a semiconductor laser or a microlens incorporated therein are preferable, and the frequency of the semiconductor laser is 760 in wavelength.
It is preferably about 830 nm. This is because those in this wavelength band are easily available.

FIG. 6 is an arrangement side view with respect to the arrangement plan view of the laser light projecting element of FIG. The laser light projecting element 11a and the laser light projecting element 11b irradiate laser light having different frequencies (wavelengths) to the irradiation position (top of the reflecting ball) P from a direction of an angle θ with respect to the central axis line 1 of the electronic pen, In order to receive the reflected light, a light receiving element 12 as a light receiving means is arranged on the central axis l. This light receiving element 12
Generates a detection signal whose voltage changes in proportion to the amount of received light, and uses, for example, a pin photodiode.

Next, the electrical configuration of the electronic pen will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 7 is an overall block diagram, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the signal analysis circuit.

The electronic pen is operated by a battery inside the frame 1, and includes a CPU 21 and a ROM 22.
a, a control circuit such as a RAM 22b, a signal analysis circuit 30, and an infrared type wireless transmission circuit 23.

The signal analysis circuit (detection means) 30 is a known circuit that receives the detection signal from the laser light receiving element 12, detects the speed of the change in the voltage value, and outputs it to the CPU 21, and the filter 31. , A waveform shaping circuit 32, and a frequency counter 33. The value of the frequency counter 33 is used as the change frequency F of the received light amount by the CPU 21.
Is output to.

As described above, the detected voltage value of the laser light receiving element 12 is proportional to the received light amount, and the received light amount is the flow (moving) speed of the interference fringes and the moving direction of the scattered light from the reflecting ball 13. And the amount of received light changes at the changing speed. The signal analysis circuit 30 detects this changing speed. Specifically, the frequency is output.

The CPU 21 constituting the output means drives the laser light projecting elements 11a to 11d according to a program (see FIG. 9) stored in the ROM 22a, as will be described later, and performs arithmetic processing based on the changing speed and infrared transmission. The data is output to the circuit 23. The infrared transmission circuit 23 receives the data from the CPU 21 as an infrared LED.
Is converted into an ON / OFF signal and wirelessly transmitted to the external device 100.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the user turns on the switch 3 at the end of the electronic pen to activate the apparatus. Then, power is supplied to the internal control circuit and the CPU starts operating. The user holds the electronic pen and starts input. For example, the user may write on the electronic pen as if he / she operates a normal ball-point pen, and input it regardless of the place such as a notebook, a table, or a palm. Reflection ball 1 of the pen tip on any flat plate
When the pen tip is moved in contact with 3, the reflection ball 13
Is rotated according to the moving direction of the pen tip. This movement is detected.

First, the CPU 21 controls the laser light projecting element 11
By driving a and 11b, laser light of a single wavelength (frequency) is applied to the top of the reflecting ball 13 (S2). The frequencies of the laser beams at this time are slightly different from each other. This difference in frequency is within the range where interference fringes are formed on the reflecting ball 13.

Next, the increasing / decreasing rate of the amount of received light received by the laser light receiving element 12 is read from the signal analysis circuit 30 (S4). The speed change at this time will be described in detail below.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the laser light whose beam has been narrowed is scattered particles (emission position of scattered light) on the reflecting ball at an angle of θ with respect to the central axis of the electronic pen. Cross. The scattered light is detected by the light receiving element 12 arranged on the vertical line. This method is a principle of measurement called the laser Doppler method in principle, and in particular, this optical system is called a self-comparison type two-beam incidence type differential type. With this optical system, a light intensity signal due to scattering particles called a Doppler beat signal is obtained. When the Doppler beat signal is Fourier-transformed to remove the low frequency component called the pedestal component, the frequency change Δf of the Doppler effect due to scattering particles is obtained. Furthermore, the Doppler beat frequency Δf and the scattering particle velocity v have the following relationship.

Δf = 2 sin θ · v / λ That is, the velocity v of the scattering particles can be measured by measuring the Doppler beat frequency Δf. Here, λ is an approximate value of the wavelength of the laser light from the laser light projecting elements 11a and 11b. The moving amount of the scattering particles can be calculated by integrating the velocity v of the scattering particles with time.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, interference fringes Mx are formed on the top of the reflecting ball 13 by the laser light projecting elements 11a and 11b. This interference fringe Mx flows to the right or left in FIG. 10 at a constant speed due to the difference in the frequency of the laser light. The flowing direction is the laser light projecting elements 11a, 1
1b changes depending on the magnitude of the frequency of each laser beam. The laser light projecting element 11b is the laser light projecting element 1
When the frequency is higher than 1a, the interference fringes flow to the left, and in the opposite case, the interference fringes flow to the right. In the present embodiment, the interference fringe Mx is assumed to flow to the right in FIG. In FIG. 10, the fringe of the interference fringe Mx indicates a shaded portion, the light intensity of this portion is weak, and the light intensity between the fringes is strong.

Here, the laser light is scattered by the scattering particles on the reflecting ball 13 (fine irregularities due to the surface roughness and fine particles adhered to the surface, which are indicated by the symbol K in the figure), and the scattered light is scattered. The emission position does not change when the reflective ball 13 is stopped (the electronic pen is stationary), and the interference fringes relatively pass through the scattered light. Therefore, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 12 is equal to the period S as shown in FIG.
It will increase or decrease with (1 / S (Hertz)). The rate of change of the amount of received light at this time is RA as the reference frequency F _xref.
It is stored in advance in M22b.

On the other hand, when the electronic pen is moved, the emission position of the scattered light moves to the right or left. Since the interference fringes Mx are flowing to the right, when the emission position of the scattered light is moving to the right, the speed at which the interference fringes pass through the scattered light becomes relatively slow. The detection signal waveform of the light receiving element 12 at this time is shown in FIG. It increases and decreases in the cycle S2 (S2> S). That is, the frequency becomes 1 / S2, which is lower than when the electronic pen is stopped.

On the contrary, when the emission position of the scattered light is moving to the left, the speed at which the interference fringes pass through the scattered light becomes relatively high. The detection signal waveform of the light receiving element 12 at this time is shown in FIG. It increases and decreases in the cycle S1 (S1 <S). That is, the frequency becomes 1 / S1, which is higher than when the electronic pen is stopped.

Thus, the frequency is the reference frequency F
Big whether the moving direction of the electronic pen becomes possible to determine in than _xref, change from the reference frequency F _xref is proportional to the moving speed. Therefore, the moving speed of the electronic pen is calculated, and the moving amount can be calculated by integrating the moving speed with time.

In step S4, the CPU 21 stops driving the laser light projecting elements 11a and 11b after reading the increase / decrease rate (frequency) of the amount of received light received by the laser light receiving element 12 from the signal analysis circuit 30. (S6),
After comparing the read frequency of increase / decrease in the received light amount (rate of increase / decrease) F _x with the reference frequency F _xref stored in the RAM 22b (S8), the detected frequency F _x
When the reference frequency F _xref is substantially the same, the amount of movement in the X direction is determined to be zero and the data is stored (S10). When the frequency F _x is greater than the reference frequency F _{xref, the} movement direction is determined to be left. , The amount of movement in the X direction is calculated from the amount of change in frequency, and the data is stored (S12).
The calculation formula at this time is as follows.

[0051]

[Equation 1]

Further, the frequency F _x is the reference frequency F _xref
If it is smaller than that, the movement direction is determined to be right, the movement amount in the X direction is calculated from the amount of change in the frequency, and the data is stored (S14). The calculation formula of the movement amount at this time is as follows.

[0053]

[Equation 2]

After this, similarly to the detection in the X direction, the CPU 2
1 drives the laser light projecting elements 11c and 11d to irradiate laser light of a single wavelength (frequency) to the top of the reflecting ball 13 (S16), and the laser light projecting elements 11c and 11d are projected onto the reflecting ball 13 as shown in FIG.
The interference fringes My shown in (b) are formed, and the signal analysis circuit 3 is formed.
The frequency of increase / decrease (increase / decrease speed) F _y of the received light quantity is read from 0 (S18). Then, the laser light projecting elements 11c, 1
The driving of 1d is stopped (S20). In the RAM 22b, the increasing / decreasing frequency of the received light amount when the reflecting ball is stopped is stored in advance as a reference frequency F _yref .

After step S20, the CPU 21 determines the magnitude relationship between the detected increase / decrease frequency F _y and the reference frequency F _yref (S22), and when the detected frequency F _y and the reference frequency F _yref are substantially the same, the direction of Y is set. The amount of movement is determined to be zero and the data is stored (S24). When the frequency F _y is greater than the reference frequency F _yref , the direction of movement is determined to be downward, and the amount of movement in the Y direction is calculated from the change in frequency. Then, the data is stored (S26). The calculation formula of the movement amount at this time is as follows.

[0056]

(Equation 3)

Further, the frequency F _y is the reference frequency F _yref
If it is smaller than that, the movement direction is determined to be upward, the movement amount in the Y direction is calculated from the amount of change in the frequency, and the data is stored (S28). The calculation formula of the movement amount at this time is as follows.

[0058]

(Equation 4)

Thereafter, the CPU 21 reads the moving direction and the moving amount (the moving direction and the moving amount of the pen tip of the electronic pen) of the reflecting ball 13 from the RAM 22b and outputs the data to the infrared transmitting circuit 23 (S30). The process returns to step S2 again. Repeat this series of operations,
Data is sequentially transmitted from the infrared transmission circuit 23 to the external device 100. The electronic pen has its frame 1
A click switch 1a is provided in the vicinity of a portion gripped by an operator on the peripheral surface of the CPU 1. When the switch 1a is clicked, the CPU 21 interrupts the above-described processing and transmits a click signal to the external device 100. Of.

In the external device 100, the transmitted data is received by the infrared receiving circuit 101, processed by the CPU 102, and then the cursor position on the display 103 is changed. The control of the cursor position and the click signal allow the external device 100 to input coordinates and the like.

Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it does not have a reflecting ball that scatters the laser beam, but has a pen tip with an opening, and the interference fringes are It is formed near the opening. Others are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the details are omitted. When this pen tip is moved along a plane that is not a mirror surface as a moving surface of the pen tip, the scattered light passes through the interference fringes as in the first embodiment, so that the amount of light received by the light receiving element 12 increases or decreases. The changing frequency is detected. In the first embodiment, a reflective ball (not a mirror surface) is used to easily generate scattered light, but in principle, a reflective ball may be used as long as scattered light is generated. The movement of the pen tip can be detected.

As described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, although the rotating body is used in the first embodiment, a disk may be used as the rotating body instead of the reflective ball. At this time, the movement direction and the movement amount in only one axis direction are detected.

Further, the following modifications are possible in both the first and second embodiments. That is, the first interference fringes (X direction) and the second interference fringes (Y direction) were alternately formed at the same position, but the formation positions of the interference fringes were separated from each other, and the rotator (detection plane) It is also possible to receive the scattered light of each by separate light receiving elements. At this time, since the interference fringes are formed at two positions, the device can be slightly enlarged, but the laser light can be irradiated at the same time, so that the detection speed can be increased. Further, only the reflecting ball 13, the laser light projecting element and the light receiving element are incorporated in the frame 1 of the electronic pen, and the control circuit (CP
(U, ROM, RAM) and the signal analysis circuit 30 are incorporated,
Further, by incorporating a transmission means for transmitting the detection signal of the light receiving element to the signal analysis circuit 30 into the frame 1 (operation body) of the electronic pen, the electronic pen itself can be further downsized. The transmission means may be a cable or a wireless transmission circuit.

[0065]

As is apparent from the above description, in the input device according to the first aspect of the invention, the light projecting means irradiates the surface of the rotator with laser beams having different frequencies from different directions, thereby unidirectionally. Since the light receiving means receives the scattered light from the surface of the rotating body by forming the flowing interference fringes, the amount of light received by the light receiving means increases or decreases, and the changing speed is detected by the detecting means, and based on the changing speed. Since the output means calculates and outputs the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body, as in the conventional case,
It does not require a tablet for input, has a small size and is easy to maintain.

In the input device according to the second aspect, the rotating body is a spherical rotating body, and the light projecting means irradiates the spherical rotating body with laser light from the first and second positions, respectively.
Laser light projecting means for forming the interference fringes and the second interference fringes intersecting in the direction of the first interference fringes are formed. A second laser beam projecting unit for irradiating a laser beam, wherein the detecting unit detects a first change speed of the received light amount when the scattered light passes through the first interference fringes, and The second amount of received light when the scattered light passes through the second interference fringes.
Of the operating body and the moving amount of the operating body are calculated based on the first and second changing speeds, the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body are input in two axial directions. It has the effect of being able to.

In the input device according to the third aspect, the first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means have the first interference fringes at the detection position set on the top of the spherical rotating body. And second interference fringes are alternately formed, and the detection means is configured to
In response to the alternate formation of the interference fringes and the second interference fringes, the first change speed and the second change speed are alternately detected. Therefore, since there is only one position where the interference fringes are formed, there is an effect that the operating body can be downsized.

In the input device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the operating body is provided with the rotating body, the light projecting means and the light receiving means, and the detecting means and the output means are provided separately from the operating body. The body is further provided with transmitting means for transmitting the detection signal generated by the light receiving means to the detecting means. Therefore, the operating body has only the minimum necessary configuration, and has the effect of further miniaturizing the operating body.

On the other hand, in the input device according to the fifth aspect, the light projecting means irradiates the plane of movement of the operating body with laser beams having different frequencies from different directions to form interference fringes on the plane. Since the light receiving means receives the reflected light from the plane, the amount of light received by the light receiving means increases or decreases, and the changing speed is detected by the detecting means, and the output means moves the operating body based on the changing speed. Since the direction and the movement amount are calculated and output, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a small-sized input device which does not require a tablet for input and is easy to maintain unlike the conventional case.

In the input device according to the sixth aspect, first and second interference fringes are formed on the plane by the first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means, respectively. The detecting means detects the first and second changing speeds of the received light amount when the emission position passes through the first and second interference fringes, and the output means calculates and outputs the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body. Therefore, there is an effect that the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body can be input in the biaxial directions.

In the input device according to the seventh aspect, the first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means alternately form first interference fringes and second interference fringes at the same position. However, the detecting means alternately detects the first change speed and the second change speed in response to the alternating formation of the first interference fringes and the second interference fringes. Since there is only one formation position, the operation body can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of an electronic pen according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an input mechanism of an electronic pen.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an input mechanism of the electronic pen.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an example of a rotating body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another example of a rotating body.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of optical measurement.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic pen.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a signal analysis circuit 30.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the CPU.

FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram showing interference fringes in the X direction. (B) is an explanatory view showing interference fringes in the Y direction.

FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram showing a waveform of a detection signal from the light receiving element when the electronic pen is stationary. (B)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a waveform of a detection signal from the light receiving element when the electronic pen moves to the left. (C) is an explanatory view showing a waveform of a detection signal from the light receiving element when the electronic pen moves to the right.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an overview of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 input mechanism 11a laser light projecting element 11b laser light projecting element 11c laser light projecting element 11d laser light projecting element 12 light receiving element 13 reflecting ball 21 CPU 23 infrared transmitting circuit 30 signal analyzing circuit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An operating body which is held by an operator and is moved along a predetermined plane, a rotating body which is rotatably held by the operating body and which is rotated according to the movement of the operating body, Projecting means for forming interference fringes by irradiating the surface of the rotating body with laser beams of different frequencies from different directions, and receiving the reflected light of the laser beam from the rotating body and detecting it according to the received light amount. A light receiving means for generating a signal, and a detecting means for detecting a changing speed of the received light amount when scattered light from the surface of the rotating body passes through the interference fringes, based on a detection signal from the light receiving means, and its detection An input device for calculating and outputting a moving direction and a moving amount of the operating body based on the changing speed detected by the input device. 2. The rotating body is a spherical rotating body, and the light projecting means irradiates the spherical rotating body with laser light from first and second positions respectively to form a first interference fringe. In order to form the second laser light projecting means and the second interference fringe that intersects the direction of the first interference fringe, a second laser irradiating means for irradiating the spherical rotating body with laser light from the third and fourth positions, respectively. Laser light projecting means, and the detecting means detects a first rate of change in the amount of received light when the scattered light passes through the first interference fringes, and scatters the second interference fringes. The second changing speed of the received light amount when light passes through, and the output means calculates the moving direction and the moving amount of the operating body based on the first and second changing speeds. Item 1
An input device according to claim 1. 3. The first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means alternate a first interference fringe and a second interference fringe at a detection position set on the top of the spherical rotating body. Formed into
The detection means alternately detects the first change speed and the second change speed in response to the alternating formation of the first interference fringes and the second interference fringes. The input device according to 2. 4. The operating body is provided with the rotating body, a light projecting means, and a light receiving means, and the detecting means and the output means are provided separately from the operating body. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting the detection signal generated by the light receiving means to the detecting means. 5. An operating body, which is held by an operator and is moved along a predetermined plane, and laser beams of different frequencies which are provided on the operating body and which are radiated from different directions on the plane to cause interference. A light projecting unit that forms a stripe on the plane, a light receiving unit that is provided on the operating body, receives the reflected light of the laser beam from the plane, and generates a detection signal according to the received light amount, and the light receiving unit. Detecting means for detecting the changing speed of the received light amount when the scattered light from the plane passes through the interference fringes based on the detection signal from the means, and the operation based on the changing speed detected by the detecting means. An input device comprising: an output unit that calculates and outputs a moving direction and a moving amount of a body. 6. The first light projecting means for irradiating the flat surface with laser light from the first and second positions to form first interference fringes, and the first light projecting means. In order to form a second interference fringe that intersects the direction of the interference fringe, a second laser beam is irradiated onto the plane from the third and fourth positions, respectively.
Laser light projecting means, and the detecting means includes the first
Detecting the first changing speed of the received light amount when the scattered light passes through the interference fringes, and detecting the second changing speed of the received light amount when the scattered light passes through the second interference fringe. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the output means calculates a moving direction and a moving amount of the operating body based on the first and second changing speeds. 7. The first laser light projecting means and the second laser light projecting means alternately form first interference fringes and second interference fringes at the same position, and the detecting means comprises: 7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the first change speed and the second change speed are alternately detected in response to the alternating formation of the first interference fringe and the second interference fringe. .