JPS5852255B2 - Interactive character/graphic/symbol input/output device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an interactive character/graphic/symbol input/output device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a combination of a CRT display and a light pen has been widely used as an input or output device for characters, figures, symbols, etc.

However, this device has the disadvantage that the screen size is limited, the accuracy is not satisfactory depending on the field of application, and furthermore, continuous use for long periods of time is not desirable from the viewpoint of occupational hygiene.

ηIn short, it is necessary to display characters and figures on a CRT and give instructions with a light pen, and it is not possible to obtain a so-called hard copy directly, but to input the characters and figures directly from paper on a desk, or , it is not a method that directly outputs characters, figures, and symbols onto desk paper.

Moreover, the input device and the output device are configured separately and independently.

If it were possible to input and output data to and from desk paper using one device, the creation of charts and tables such as train schedules and weather maps would be extremely efficient.

In order to develop such an input/output device, the present inventor completed the present invention as a result of various researches.

As a means of achieving the object of the present invention, it may be possible to incorporate the conventional input device and output device of this type into the same device, but this would adversely affect each other and reduce the accuracy of both. , and the operability of the input device also deteriorates.

In view of such circumstances, the first object of the present invention is to use the same surface as an input surface that can directly input characters, figures, etc. from desk paper such as train schedules, and a recording surface that can directly output characters, figures, etc. We are here to provide you with the equipment you need.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a device that, even when an input device and an output device are incorporated into one device, can maintain sufficient accuracy when using each of them alone, and has good operability. There is something to do.

The output mechanism in the present invention is a flatbed digital XY block that draws characters and figures from digital information.

On the other hand, as an input mechanism used in combination with this mechanism, an input device using an electric field detection method (hereinafter referred to as a "digitizer") using a flat tablet is used.

As input methods using a flat tablet, methods using magnetostriction, electromagnetic induction, and ultrasonic waves are known.

However, according to the research of the present inventors, those based on magnetostriction and electromagnetic induction are adversely affected by the magnetic field generated by the XY plotter, making it difficult to maintain normal input function.
Furthermore, it has been found that methods using ultrasonic waves have drawbacks such as the ultrasonic waves being blocked or reflected by objects on the tablet, causing problems in input functions.

The outline of the present invention having such a basic configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows the overall structure of the character/figure/input/output device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the main body of the human output section in FIG. 1.

1 represents the main body of the character/figure human output section;
teeth.

A box-like object 2 provided in the center of a known flatbed digital XY plotter 2 (hereinafter referred to as "plotter 2")
A flat tablet 4 is provided on top of the tablet 1.

The upper surface of the tablet 4 serves as an input surface as well as a recording surface.

22 is a recording pen holder of the XY block 2.

A group of Y-axis transmission lines is embedded in the tablet 4, which includes a group of X-axis transmission lines stretched in parallel at a predetermined interval and a group of parallel lines perpendicular to the X-axis transmission lines stretched at a predetermined interval.

The XY plotter 2 is connected to a known plotter control section 3, and both constitute an output section.

The tablet 4 is connected to the digitizer control section 6, and together with a pen 5 or a cursor (hereinafter referred to as "pen 5") having a built-in antenna connected to the digitizer control section 6, constitutes a digitizer as an input section.

Using the input/output device of the present invention having such a configuration, characters and
In order to input and output figures and symbols, a well-known computer CPU is required.
This is done by connecting the plotter control section 3 and digitizer system section 6 to the .

At that time, an interface may be provided as necessary.

When a sheet of paper is fixedly placed on the tablet 4 and the pen 5 is used to draw characters, figures, or symbols on the sheet of paper, or when the pen 5 touches a certain position on the sheet to specify the position, the contact between the tablet 4 and the pen 5 is made. 8=jA position coordinates are encoded one after another and output from the digitizer control section 6.

The computer CPU receives this output coordinate data group and performs necessary processing.

In order to draw plotting data inputted to the computer from a digitizer or other input device and subjected to necessary processing on recording paper, it is passed through the computer CPU and the plotter control section 3,
A pulse train representing the amount of pen movement of the XY plotter is output to the XY plotter 2, and a recording pen is driven based on this output signal to draw characters, figures, and symbols on paper.

This series of operations enables so-called man-machine interaction.

The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

In FIG. 3, the tablet 4 has a flat plate insulator 43 with
X consisting of a group of parallel transmission lines spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance
The Y-axis transmission line group 42 consists of an axis transmission line group 41 and a group of parallel lines arranged at a predetermined interval so as to be perpendicular to the axis transmission line group 41! It consists of being embedded over the entire surface of the tablev.

The transmission lines of the X-axis transmission line group 41 and the Y-axis transmission line group 42 are both stretched in parallel with equal intervals of about 1 crfL, for example.

There is.

Both transmission line groups are electrically insulated from each other as shown in FIG.

A known drive circuit is connected to the base of each transmission line constituting the transmission line group 41 or 42.

The output from the digitizer control unit 6 causes the drive circuit to set 0 points for the transmission lines constituting the X-axis transmission line group or the Y-axis transmission line group (for the X-axis transmission line group, for example, the lowest Regarding the line group, voltages having the same frequency are sequentially applied from the transmission line (for example, the leftmost transmission line) to the other transmission line while switching.

In this case, the voltages applied to adjacent transmission lines are out of phase by a predetermined angle, for example, 900 degrees.

Therefore, a point within a unit area surrounded by adjacent transmission lines can be detected by detecting an electric field phase difference that changes in proportion to the distance from the group of transmission lines to the point.

A pen 5 is used as this detection mechanism.

The pen 5 has an antenna inside thereof, and when the tip of the antenna comes into contact with an arbitrary point on the upper surface of the tablet, the contact and dissipation behavior within the above-mentioned unit area of the tablet is detected from the electric field phase.

Note that auxiliary transmission lines parallel to the transmission line may be provided within the unit area, if necessary, and their bases may be connected in parallel to the resistor.

A block diagram of the digitizer control section 6 is shown in FIG.

The digitizer control unit 6 includes an X-axis or Y-axis drive control unit 611 or 612 connected to an oscillator 60 and a group of drive circuits connected to the base of each transmission line of the tablet 4; an amplifier 62 connected to the antenna; a phase detector 6 connected to the amplifier 62;
A/D converter 64°A connected to 3° phase detector 63
/timing generator 6 connected to D converter 64
5. A counter 66 connected to the timing generator 65 and sending a control signal to the X- or Y-axis drive leg 611, 612, an adder 67 connected to the A/D converter 64 and the counter 66, and an 8-counter 67. X that is connected to and outputs the X or Y coordinate value to the computer CPU
It consists of 68 Y resistors.

With the digitizer control section 6 having such a configuration, the digitizer operates as follows, for example.

When the pen 5 touches any point on the tablet 4, the Y-axis drive control section 612 is activated.

Thereby, the Y-axis drive control unit 612 transfers the reference phase to the leftmost reference Y-axis transmission line of the tablet (functioning as the Y-axis of the tablet coordinates) to the adjacent transmission line, for example, at the same frequency that is 90 degrees out of phase with it. The voltages are sequentially applied to the adjacent transmission lines, such as voltages with a phase shift of 90', while switching voltages having the same frequency but with a predetermined angle phase shift for each transmission line.

A predetermined signal cannot be obtained in the area where the pen is not in contact, and the output is applied to the timing generator 65 via the phase detector 63 and the A/D converter 64 at each switching. Counter 66 counts each input to input 65.

The drive circuit repeats this process sequentially until it reaches the unit area that the pen 5 contacts.

When the pen is driven to a unit area that it touches, the pen detects a signal by the electric field from the unit area.

The signal is amplified by an amplifier 62, and a phase detector compares the phase difference with the reference phase and converts it into a voltage.
It is digitized by a D converter and the distance from the Y-axis transmission line within the unit area touched by the pen is detected.

Since the adjacent Y-axis transmission lines are set to have equal intervals, the distance from point O to the unit area in contact with the pen is calculated by the count number of the counter 66 x the distance between the Y-axis transmission lines. The distance and the position within the unit area can be detected by the pen 5.

The signal from the A/D converter and the signal from the counter 66 are multiplied by η by an 8-counter 67 and inputted to a data register 68 as an actual distance on the Y-axis.

The X-axis is also switched in exactly the same manner as the Y-axis, and the positions of the pen contact points on the X-axis and Y-axis are input as coordinate digital signals to the data register 68.

This data is input to the computer CPU as a digital signal.

To input characters, figures, and symbols, while the pen or cursor is in contact with the tablet to write characters, input point coordinate data repeatedly at regular intervals, and then input the characters into the calculator. A point coordinate data group is input.

Next, when the tablet 4 is used as a recording surface in the present invention, the following procedure is performed.

The XY plotter 2 in the present invention is a known one, and is one of the XY plotters that receives a pulse signal and drives a recording pen on both the X and Y axes using a pulse motor and converts it into linear motion.

Due to its structure, the recording surface is flat.

The plotter control unit 3 receives and receives data and side leg information necessary for operating the plotter from the computer.

This is a well-known device that converts into a predetermined symbol format required by the plotter and outputs it to the plotter 2.

Characters entered into a computer and subjected to necessary known processing
Drawing data of figures and symbols can be drawn on recording paper by following a known method.

Next, an example will be shown in which the device of the present invention is connected to a computer and used to create one train schedule.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart thereof.

Set the printed diamond paper on the tablet in step (3).

In step (3), determine what the output from the digitizer indicates.

■ is a case where there is an instruction to set a train, and the starting station and starting time are specified by writing with a diamond symbol digitizer pen.

■ Indicates the terminal station and time in the same way as ■.

■ Calculate the times at stations along the way using a calculator.

■: The time is plotted in the form of a diamond using blocks.

A train schedule is created by repeating this sequence.

The main effects of the present invention are as follows.

By using the device of the present invention, characters, figures, and
Symbols can be entered directly into the computer, and the computer can also be used to interact with the computer by writing directly on the same sheet of paper, using the same device, and from the same direction as input, streamlining the work process when creating train schedules, weather maps, etc. It is measured.

Further, the device of the present invention has a flatbed type digital
Although it incorporates a Y-plotter and an i-field detection type digitizer into the same device, the functions of both do not deteriorate at all compared to when they are used alone, resulting in highly accurate text and graphic processing. Input and output can be performed, and operability in input is also good.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 show embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body of the character/figure output section in FIG. 1. , FIG. 3a is a partially cutaway plan view of the tablet in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 3a, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the digitizer foot, and FIG. Fig. 1 is a flowchart 1 of ρ when used to create a train schedule. 1...Character and figure input/output device, 2...Flatbed type digital XY plotter, 3...Plotter system department, 4...Tablet, 5・・・
・・・Pen 6-・・・Digitizer control leg.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flatbed type digital XY plotter, which receives a predetermined input signal and gives the necessary signals to the plotter to operate the plotter.
The X-axis transmission line group consists of a group of parallel lines arranged, and the Y axis consists of a group of parallel lines arranged at a predetermined interval orthogonal thereto.
a pen or cursor with a built-in antenna whose tip can be contacted with the top surface of the flat tablet, and a pen or cursor with a built-in antenna whose tip can contact the top surface of the flat tablet; From one driver circuit to the other, the frequency is the same, but the voltage is sequentially switched by a predetermined angle between adjacent transmission lines. Of the unit area formed by transmission lines,
The pen or cursor antenna detects and outputs the coordinate data of the contact point based on the electric field phase received from the unit area in contact with the pen or cursor antenna, and is connected to a flatbed digital XY plotter. The output section is composed of a plotter control leg, and the input section is composed of a text tablet, a digitizer control leg connected thereto, and a pen or cursor, and the flat tablet is fixedly mounted on the plotter, and Interactive text with the top surface of the tablet as input and recording surface.
Graphic/symbol input/output device.