JP2001067177A - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To refer to a coordinate value only while generating a function for calculating the coordinate value once and giving its parameter by obtaining the numbers of first and second electrode lines concerning the abutment area of a detecting means and obtaining the abutment coordinate of the detecting means by uniquely executing calculation from the number of each electrode line. SOLUTION: One electrode line group is connected to the electrode lines 1-4 and the other electrode line group is connected to the electrode lines 507. In this case, the numbers of the electrodes to obtain a max. signal level by the electrode with a narrow pitch and the electrode with the broad pitch are respectively denoted N and M. When the total of N and M exceeds the number of the electrodes with the broad pitch (2 in a figure), 1 is subtracted from N. Then N and M are totally normalized. Thus, the normalized N is multiplied by the number of the electrode lines with the broad pitch (2 in the figure) and the value of M is added to it so that the coordinate value is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for inputting Chinese characters and items, or a coordinate input device (digitizer) as an input device for a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a capacitively coupled tablet, the applicant of the present invention has filed an application whose purpose is to reduce the cost by reducing the number of parts and to improve the performance by shortening the time required for deriving the coordinates. No.
Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 4-17457 and 4-17524 are known. In the above publication, instead of providing individual electrodes in an area for obtaining each contact coordinate,
Two groups of electrodes having different pitches are provided for each of X and Y, and the coordinates are obtained from the number of the electrode that has obtained the maximum output. Further, in the above-mentioned application, in deriving the coordinates, a reference table stored in a ROM, for example, is obtained from the value of the number of the signal line from which the maximum level signal is obtained in each electrode group, although not explicitly shown. The main point was to seek from.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned application (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-17456, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-17457, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-17524), which are filed by the applicant of the present invention, the coordinates are certainly The value is obtained by referring to the table corresponding to the hardware at that time. However, each time the size of the input panel surface is changed or the required accuracy is changed, the optimal number of electrodes changes, so the table must be rebuilt each time, and the table is said to be correct. This had to be verified on real equipment. In order to further reduce costs,
When the core part of the control circuit is a (semi) custom IC or when a one-chip CPU is to be masked, it is not necessary to have a plurality of tables in consideration of various sizes of the board surface and required accuracy. Did not become. In addition, the design other than the one assumed at the time of design had to be newly redesigned. In view of the above circumstances, the present application
Once a software function is created, it is possible to cope with the change in the number of electrodes, so that it is not necessary to perform verification every time, and it is also easy to make a (semi) custom IC and mask a one-chip CPU.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has a plurality of X and Y electrode lines provided with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. Divided into groups at a time,
X and Y digit electrode lines are arranged in parallel so as to form a pair with each of the Y electrode lines, and the number of these X and Y electrode lines is smaller than the group of the X and Y electrode lines as one unit. In a capacitive coupling tablet in which X and Y digit electrodes are connected in common by units, the coordinates of X and Y are calculated from the number of the signal line from which the signal of the maximum level belonging to each of the X and Y electrode groups is obtained. The present invention proposes a coordinate input device obtained by calculation.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the coordinate derivation according to the present invention, first, the number of the electrode which gives the maximum output in the group of X and Y electrodes is obtained, and the coordinates are obtained from the number by calculation. . When implementing as a digitizer that requires a resolution finer than the electrode pitch,
It can be realized by obtaining an electrode that can obtain the third output as a whole in either group, and subdividing the coordinates calculated from the two electrodes from the ratio of the magnitudes of the three signals.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, an explanation will be given using the configuration of the electrode disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 17456/1992 as FIG. In FIG. 1, only electrodes for obtaining a coordinate system on one side of X and Y are shown, but by arranging similar electrode groups via an insulating layer so as to be orthogonal to the electrode groups, two-dimensional An apparatus for inputting coordinates can be configured. In the above publication, if the numbers of the electrode lines for which the maximum output signal was obtained in each group can be specified in the first group of electrode lines and the second group of electrode lines, the coordinates on the board surface are determined by the numbers of the two electrode lines. Has been shown to be uniquely determined. However, the calculation of the coordinate values at that time was obtained by referring to the calculation table from the numbers of the two electrode lines. Here, turning to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
One electrode line group is connected to 2, 3, and 4, and the other electrode line group is connected to electrode lines 5, 6, and 7. The difference between the number of electrodes of one electrode group (electrode lines 1, 2, 3, 4) and the number of electrodes of the other electrode line group is 1 when the efficiency is highest, so this is shown (in this example, Each electrode is composed of four wires and three wires. Although not necessarily required, a 2Z electrode is arranged on the left of 1A as shown in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-17456). In the calculation method using the algorithm described below, the difference is 1
Applicable even in other cases. In FIG. 1, the electrodes of both groups project from opposite directions, but this does not matter even if they project from the same direction for convenience of explanation.

Hereinafter, a method of calculating coordinates will be described. The numbers of the electrodes with the maximum signal level obtained by the narrow pitch electrode and the wide electrode are denoted by N and M, respectively. When the sum of N and M exceeds the number of electrodes having a wide pitch (2 in FIG. 1), 1 is subtracted from N. This means that N is normalized to M. Therefore, the coordinate value is obtained by multiplying the normalized N by the number of electrode lines having a wide pitch (2 in FIG. 1) and adding the value of M thereto. The number of electrodes of the other party is set on a dip switch (not shown) provided on a control board (not shown) of the coordinate input device, or an EEPROM (not shown) provided inside the coordinate input device. If they are stored in the storage means and read out at the time of startup, ICs for controlling them can be masked with (semi) custom ICs or one-chip CPUs, and cost can be reduced.

[0008]

According to the present invention, if a function for calculating a coordinate value is created once, the coordinate value can be referred only by giving its parameter, so that it is not necessary to verify even when the number of electrodes changes. When a (semi) custom IC or a one-chip CPU is to be masked, if the difference in the number of electrodes between the two is limited to 1, which is the most efficient, the number of electrodes in one of X and Y From the port or EE
By substituting the parameters of the reading function from a storage medium such as a PROM, it becomes possible to cope with most input panel sizes and accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

Fig. 1 Example of electrode configuration

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 electrode wire 2 electrode wire 3 electrode wire 4 electrode wire 5 electrode wire 6 electrode wire 7 electrode wire

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first plurality of electrode lines and a second plurality of electrode lines are alternately arranged in the same direction, the first electrode lines are connected in parallel every m lines, and the second electrode is m + n. Tablets which are connected in parallel to each other and are an electrode line group, an electrode line group scanning means for sequentially applying a scanning pulse to the electrode line group, and a detecting means for detecting the applied scanning pulse,
Based on the magnitude of the detected scan pulse signal, the first electrode line and the second electrode
A coordinate input device for obtaining the numbers of the electrode lines, and calculating the contact coordinates of the detecting means by uniquely calculating from the numbers of the respective electrode lines. 2. A plurality of first electrode lines and a plurality of second electrode lines are alternately arranged in the same direction, and the first electrode lines are connected in parallel every m lines, and the second electrodes are m + n lines. A tablet which is connected in parallel to each other and is an electrode line group, and an electrode line group scanning means for sequentially applying a scanning pulse to the electrode line group,
Detecting means for detecting the applied scanning pulse; and numbers of the first electrode line and the second electrode line related to the contact area of the detecting means based on the magnitude of the detected scanning pulse signal. In the coordinate input device obtained by calculating the abutment coordinates of the detection means from the number of each electrode line uniquely, the number of electrodes required for the calculation, the dip switch etc. A coordinate input device characterized in that it is set or stored in a storage means such as an EEPROM and the value is read to calculate and detect coordinates.