JP2001109580A - Device and method for coordinate input, detection, and display and computer-readable recording medium with recorded program making computer to execute processes of same method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coordinate input, detection and display device which detects an operation mode with high precision and stably performs operations corresponding to respective operation modes while a touch panel type coordinate input and detection device is used. SOLUTION: The coordinate input, detection and display device equipped with a coordinate input part 2 having a coordinate input surface is provided with a control and arithmetic part 17 which performs arithmetic processing based upon coordinates detected by the coordinate input part 2 and generates a control signal for controlling display operation, a display 1 whose display contents are operated with the generated control signal, and a changeover switch 3 and a mode switching part 16 for switching the operation of the display 1 by switching the control signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
A display device, a coordinate input / detection / display method, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method, particularly coordinates capable of switching display contents based on input / detected coordinates The present invention relates to an input / detection / display device, a coordinate input / detection / display method, and a computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, there is a coordinate input / detection / display device which has a coordinate input surface and detects and displays coordinates input by touching the coordinate input surface with a finger or a pen. Such a coordinate input / detection / display device is generally called a touch panel type coordinate input / detection / display device. Many touch panel coordinate input / detection / display devices use a display screen of a personal computer (PC) or a display device as a display screen.

A configuration for inputting and detecting coordinates (coordinate input / detection device) used in a touch panel type coordinate input / detection / display device has been intensively studied as a simple information input tool with the spread of personal computers. ing. At present, such a coordinate input / detection device includes an electrostatic force or a change caused by electromagnetic induction when the pen contacts the coordinate input surface or when the pen approaches the coordinate input surface more than a predetermined distance. Some detect the coordinates specified by the pen. Further, for example, as described in JP-A-61-239322, a surface acoustic wave is transmitted to a coordinate input surface, and a finger or a pen touches the coordinate input surface to attenuate the surface acoustic wave to generate a finger. Some also detect coordinates specified by a pen or pen.

The above-described coordinate input / detection device has the advantage that the input operation is simple, but has the following problems. That is, in detecting coordinates input using electrical changes, the cost of the device is relatively high because an electrical switch is required on the coordinate input surface, and a dedicated pen is connected to the main body with a cable. The problem is that the pen operation is restricted due to the connection.

[0005] Further, since the input coordinates are detected by utilizing the attenuation of the surface acoustic wave, it is assumed that the input is mainly performed by a finger. When a straight line is input with a pen made of a member that is absorbed on the surface (more elastic than a finger), when the pen is pressed, sufficient attenuation of surface acoustic waves for detection is obtained, but when the pen is subsequently moved In this case, the attenuation decreases and the input straight line breaks.

When the operator presses the pen against the coordinate input surface with a stronger force in order to prevent such a phenomenon, the pen undergoes a stress-receiving distortion due to its own elasticity, and attempts to restore the distortion. Force is generated. As a result, there is a problem in that the force by which the operator presses the pen against the coordinate input surface becomes unstable, and the surface acoustic wave cannot be attenuated stably.

Further, as a coordinate input / detection device for solving such a problem, those disclosed in JP-A-5-173699 and JP-A-9-319501 are disclosed. Et al.
No. 127035 and Japanese Patent Application No. 10-230960 propose an optical coordinate input / detection device. Such an optical coordinate input / detection device has advantages in that the above-described problem can be solved and the configuration of the coordinate input / detection device can be simplified.

[0008]

However, operating the computer screen involves not only specifying coordinates on the display screen but simply specifying icons and windows (hereinafter collectively referred to as display contents). In some cases, the displayed content is moved by dragging or dropping, or an operation such as scrolling the screen or switching the display color is performed. When such an operation is performed from a touch panel type coordinate input / detection device, such an operation is detected based on the number of times or intervals at which a pen or finger touches a coordinate input surface arranged in parallel with the display screen. I do.

For this reason, in the coordinate input / detection device of the touch panel type, the detection accuracy of the number of touches and intervals of the pen or the like affects the detection accuracy of the operation mode such as dragging and dropping, and the operation mode can be directly input. There is a concern that the detection accuracy of the operation mode is lower than that of a mouse or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and detects an operation mode with high accuracy while using a touch panel type coordinate input / detection device to stably perform an operation corresponding to each operation mode. Coordinate input / detection / display device
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of inputting, detecting, and displaying coordinates and a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method is recorded.

[0011]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems,
In order to achieve the object, a coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a coordinate input surface, and detects and displays coordinates input by coordinate input means from the coordinate input surface. A coordinate input / detection / display device, which performs coordinate input / detection means for optically detecting the coordinates input by the input means, and performs arithmetic processing based on the coordinates detected by the coordinate input / detection means, Control / arithmetic means for generating a control signal for controlling a display operation at the coordinates, and provided substantially parallel to the coordinate input surface,
A display unit having a display screen whose display content is operated by a control signal generated by the control / calculation unit; and switching the operation of the display screen by switching a control signal generated by the control / calculation unit. Screen switching means.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the display operation performed at the coordinates detected by the coordinate input / detection means can be switched by the screen operation switching means. Therefore, without going through the coordinate input / detection means,
The operation of the display screen can be switched by directly switching the control signal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coordinate input / detection / display device, wherein the screen operation switching means is operated by the coordinate input / detection means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the display operation performed at the coordinates detected by the coordinate input / detection means can be switched by the screen operation switching means, and this operation can be performed by the coordinate input / detection means. become able to. Therefore, a normal coordinate input operation on the coordinate input / detection unit and an operation for switching the display operation can be performed as a series of operations.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the coordinate input / detection / display device includes:
It has a plurality of light emitting means and a plurality of light receiving means, and detects the coordinates input by the input means by blocking the light from the light emitting means to the light receiving means by the coordinate input means. I do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an optical coordinate input / detection means can be applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coordinate input / detection / display device, the coordinate input / detection means includes:
An image is generated by capturing an image of the coordinate input means on the coordinate input surface, and the coordinates input by the input means are detected based on the image.

According to the present invention, an optical coordinate input / detection means can be applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

A coordinate input / detection / display method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a coordinate input / detection / display method for detecting and displaying coordinates input from a coordinate input surface. A coordinate input / detection step of optically detecting the coordinates, and a control / calculation step of performing a calculation process based on the coordinates detected by the coordinate input / detection means and generating a control signal for controlling a display operation at the coordinates. When,
A display step of displaying contents based on the control signal generated in the control / calculation step, and a control signal generated in the control / calculation step are switched to operate to switch display contents displayed in the display step. And a screen operation switching step.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the display operation performed at the detected coordinates can be switched in the screen operation switching step. Therefore, the switching of the display operation can be performed in a step different from the coordinate input / detection step.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a storage medium stores a program for causing a computer to execute the steps of the coordinate input / detection / display method according to the fifth aspect. It becomes machine readable, and each step described in claim 6 can be realized by a computer.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Prior to describing an embodiment of a coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention, the following description will be made.
An example of a coordinate input / detection unit applied to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The coordinate input / detection device applied to the embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of light emitting units and a plurality of light receiving units, and light directed from the light emitting units to the light receiving units is shielded by a pen or a finger. Is used to detect coordinates input with a pen or a finger. First Example FIG. 1 is a top view for explaining a coordinate input / detection unit (coordinate input / detection device) of a first example. The illustrated configuration includes a panel 43 serving as a coordinate input surface on which coordinates are input by a pen or finger input unit 15, a light emitting unit, and a light receiving unit provided at a position capable of receiving reflected light of light emitted by the light emitting unit. Certain light receiving / emitting sections 42a, 42b and light receiving / emitting section 42
The retroreflective member 44, which is a reflecting means for recursively reflecting the light emitted by the light-receiving portions 42a and 42b, receives the reflected light reflected by the retroreflective member 44 in accordance with the angle of incidence on the light-receiving / emitting portions 42a and 42b. It has a condenser lens 50 (FIGS. 3 to 5) which is an optical means for receiving light at different positions of the light emitting units 42a and 42b.

In the coordinate input / detection device of the first example, the light receiving / emitting units 42a and 42b serve as light emitting means and light receiving means, respectively. The coordinate input / detection device of the first example includes light emitting / receiving units 42a and 42b, and a panel 43, and is combined with a display device to constitute a coordinate input / detection / display device. Note that a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Device) display, or a plasma display that electronically displays an image may be used as the panel 43.

The light emitted by the light source 41 built in the light emitting / receiving section 42a spreads in a fan shape over the entire area of the coordinate input surface as a light beam having the optical axes L1, L2,. For example, when attention is paid to the optical axis L3 of such light beams, the optical axis L3
The reflected light (optical axis L3 ') of the light beam is reflected by the recursive retroreflective member 44, and travels through the same optical axis as the optical axis L3 toward the light emitting / receiving section 42a. The light receiving / emitting section 42a is provided with a light receiving means described later, and receives the reflected light. Such a light receiving means is configured to be able to receive the reflected light of all the light fluxes represented by the optical axes L1, L2,... Ln.

When the operator places the input means 15 such as a finger or a pen at one point in the panel 43 and inputs coordinates, a part of the light beam including the optical axes L1, L2,... Ln is blocked by the input means 15, It does not reach the retroreflective member 44. For this reason, the reflected light of the light beam blocked by the input means 15 is not received by the light receiving means 12a, and the point where the input means 15 is placed, that is, the optical axis of the light passing through the input coordinates is identified from the light beam not received. it can.

Similarly, the light beam emitted from the light source 41 of the light receiving / emitting section 42b receives the reflected light, and the optical axis passing through the coordinates input by the input means 15 can be identified. In FIG. 1, the optical axis Ln emitted from the light emitting / receiving unit 42a,
The optical axis Rn emitted from the tree light emitting unit 42b is an optical axis passing through the coordinates input by the input unit 15. The coordinates of the input means 15 can be calculated as such an intersection of the optical axis Ln and the optical axis Rn.

At this time, in the coordinate input / detection device of the first example, as shown in FIG. 2, a designated point (input coordinates) designated by the input means 15 and a reference point (the center point of the light source 41) on the panel 43. ) Is specified, and this straight line and the panel 43
Upper reference line (a straight line connecting reference points of the light source 41)
The optical axis Ln and the optical axis Rn passing through the input coordinates are detected by detecting the angles θ _L and θ _R formed by Then, as described later, the angle θ _L , the angle θ _R and the panel 43
The coordinates of the input means 15 are detected using the length W of the upper reference line (the interval between the light emitting / receiving sections 42a and 42b).

Next, in order to explain a specific calculation for obtaining the angles θ _L and θ _R , the light emitting / receiving section 4 will be described.
2a, the configuration of the light receiving / emitting unit 42b and a mechanism for finding the optical axis of the shielded light will be described. In addition, the light emitting and receiving unit 42a,
42b is similarly configured. For this reason, here, only the configuration relating to the light emitting / receiving unit 42a is illustrated, and the description relating to the light emitting / receiving unit 42b is omitted.

FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing the configuration of the light emitting / receiving section 42a, and is a view of the light emitting / receiving section 42a viewed from a direction perpendicular to the panel 43. The light receiving / emitting section 42a is roughly composed of a light source 41, a condenser lens 50, and a light receiving element 51. Light source 4
Numeral 1 illuminates a fan-shaped light on the side opposite to the light receiving element 51, and the fan-shaped light is a set of light beams emitted or reflected in the directions of arrows 53, 54, 58, and 59. it is conceivable that. The light emitted in the direction of the arrow 53 is reflected by the reflecting member in the direction of the arrow 54. Then, the light travels through the condenser lens 50, and the point 5 on the light receiving element 51
The light is received at the position 1b. Light emitted in the direction of arrow 58 is reflected by the reflecting member in the direction of arrow 59 and received at the position of point 51 a on light receiving element 51.

As described above, the optical axis of the light emitted from the light source 41 and reflected by the retroreflecting member has a one-to-one relationship with the light receiving position. From this, the light receiving element 51
By examining the above received light intensity distribution, it is possible to know through which optical axis the shielded light has been irradiated or reflected.
Then, such an optical axis is connected to the light receiving / emitting unit 42a, the light receiving / emitting unit 4
By obtaining both of 2b, two straight lines intersecting at the point input by the input means 15 can be obtained.

In the coordinate input / detection device of the first example, the light receiving element 51 is provided with a CCD (Charged Coupled Device).
It is assumed that a signal representing the light intensity distribution on the light receiving element 51 is output to the outside using a line sensor. In this specification, the light receiving element 51 output by the light receiving element 51 is hereinafter referred to.
The above signal representing the received light intensity distribution is referred to as a light intensity distribution signal.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the light receiving intensity on the light receiving element 51 and the optical axis of the shielded light. In FIG. 4, the condenser lens 50 is arranged so that the center thereof coincides with the light source 41. The light emitted from the light source 41 is recursively reflected by the retroreflective member 44,
Is received on the light receiving element 51 through the center of the light. At this time, the intensity distribution on the light receiving element 51 becomes almost uniform unless there is a light shielding element on the coordinate input surface. However, when the light is blocked by the input means 15 shown in the drawing, the light receiving intensity at the light receiving position of the light passing through the input means 15 on the light receiving element 51 is weakened. Note that such a point on the light receiving element 51 having a low light receiving intensity is hereinafter referred to as a dark point.

FIG. 4 shows a position D _n of a dark point (hereinafter also referred to as a dip position) with reference to the center point of the light receiving element 51. This Dn, the corresponding relationship represented by an angle theta _n with the following equation, which forms a straight line passing through the center point of the straight line and the light receiving element 51 through the dark point (1). θ _n = arctan (D _n / f) Expression (1) _where f in Expression (1) is a distance between the center of the condenser lens 50 and the surface of the light receiving element 51 as shown in FIG.

Here, the angle θ _L shown in FIG. 2 is defined by a straight line L having an angle θ _L and a straight line passing through the center of the light receiving element 51 and the center of the condenser lens 50 as shown in the following equation (2). Is represented by a function of the angle θ _nL . θ _L = g (θ _nL ) Expression (2) where θ _nL = arctan (D _nL / f) Expression (3) The relationship between Expressions (2) and (3) is the same for the light emitting and receiving unit 42b. Holds. Therefore, θ _n on the light emitting / receiving section side is set to θ
and _nR, expressed a theta _R Figure _{2, θ R = h (θ} nR) ... Equation (4) _{where, θ nR = arctan (D nR} / f) ... Equation (5) is obtained.

Here, the coordinates P (x, y) of the point P with the origin at o in FIG. 2 are: x = W · tan θ _R / (tan θ _L + tan θ _R ) Equation (6) y = W · tan θ _L · tan θ _R / (tan θ _L + tan θ _R ) ... Expression (7) As described above, the light emitting and receiving unit 42a,
The coordinates input by the input means 15 can be detected by detecting a dark point on the light receiving element 51 provided at 42b and obtaining the distance from the dark point to the center of the light receiving element 51.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining in more detail the optical system of the light emitting / receiving section 42a shown in FIG.
Is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of light emission and light reception of the light emitting and receiving unit 42a, (b) is a diagram showing a configuration relating to light emission of the schematic diagram of (a), (c) is a light reception of (a) FIG. The light emitting / receiving unit 42a is provided as shown in FIG.
The light receiving and emitting structures shown in (b) and (c) are integrally incorporated. 5A to 5C.
Are viewed from a direction following the coordinate axes shown in the respective drawings.

The light source 41 of the light emitting / receiving section 42a includes a laser diode or a pinpoint LED (Light Emitting Diode).
A light source that can generate a spot light with a small diameter, such as e), is used. Light emitted perpendicularly to the panel 43 from the light source 41 is collimated by the cylindrical lens 84 only in the x direction. The light is further condensed by the cylindrical lens 85 and the cylindrical lens 86 in the y direction in the drawing.

The curvature distribution of the cylindrical lens 84, the cylindrical lens 85, and the cylindrical lens 86 is orthogonal to each other. Light that has passed through the three cylindrical lenses is condensed linearly at the light condensing part c. Since this light condensing portion c corresponds to the light source based on the coordinate detection principle described above, it will be referred to as a secondary light source hereinafter.

A not-shown slit is provided at an outlet for taking out light from a beam shaping lens group consisting of a cylindrical lens 84, a cylindrical lens 85, and a cylindrical lens 86.
Is emitted toward the coordinate input surface. This irradiation light
It is folded back by the half mirror 87 and spreads like a fan when viewed from the front side of the panel 43 (FIG. 5B). At this time, since the irradiation light is collimated by the cylindrical lens 84, it does not spread in the vertical direction of the coordinate input surface, but becomes light parallel to the coordinate input surface.

The light spread on the panel 43 is reflected by the retroreflective member 44, and travels through the same optical axis as when emitted, toward the beam shaping lens group (in the direction of arrow C). Then, after passing through the half mirror 87, the light passes through the condenser lens 50 and the light receiving element 5 which is a CCD line sensor.
1 is received. At this time, the input means 1 is displayed on the panel 43.
If there is 5, the input means 15 acts as a light shield, and a dark spot is generated in any one of the CCD image pickup devices of the light receiving device 51. From the position on the light receiving element 51 of the CCD image pickup element which has become the dark point, D _{n of the} above-mentioned equation (2) is obtained,
Coordinates input means 15 and input based on the D _n can be calculated (FIG. 5 (c)).

Second Example Next, a second example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a coordinate input / detection device of a second example. The coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG.
A light emitting unit 62a for coordinate detection composed of m light emitting diodes (LEDs), and each LE of the light emitting unit 62a for coordinate detection
A coordinate detecting light-receiving portion 61a composed of Xm phototransistors disposed facing each other in a one-to-one correspondence with D, and a coordinate detecting light-emitting portion 62 composed of Yn LEDs disposed in the vertical direction.
b, and a coordinate detection light-receiving unit 61b composed of Yn phototransistors disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with each LED of the coordinate detection light-emitting unit 62b to form a coordinate detection area 6 serving as a coordinate input surface. Form.

When a touch input is performed on, for example, a touch portion t in the coordinate detection area 6, an optical path passing through the touch portion t is blocked.
The amount of received light at a and 61b decreases. Therefore, the positions of the coordinate detecting light receiving units 61a and 61b in which the amount of received light is reduced are averaged to calculate the position P of the touch coordinates. In the coordinate input / detection device of the second example, the above configuration is a coordinate input / detection device, and the coordinate input / detection device is configured by combining the coordinate input / detection device with a display device such as a liquid crystal display. I do.

Third Example Next, a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a coordinate input / detection device of a third example. The coordinate input / detection device according to the third example shown in FIG. 7 includes a coordinate input surface 7 and light emission detection devices 70a and 70b fixed on the coordinate input surface 7 with a distance A therebetween. Device 70
Reference numerals a and 70b include light-emitting units 72a and 72b, respectively, which are light-emitting units for detecting coordinates, and light-receiving angle detecting units 71a, 71b, which are a plurality of light-receiving units for detecting coordinates.

In the coordinate input / detection device of the third example shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate input surface 7 is a rectangular flat plate, and light is emitted at the vertices k1 and k2 of two adjacent corners of the coordinate input surface 7. The detection devices 70a and 70b are fixedly installed. The above configuration is the coordinate input / detection device of the third example, and a coordinate input / detection / display device is configured by combining a display device such as a liquid crystal display with the coordinate input / detection device.

In the coordinate input / detection device of the third example, light is emitted onto the coordinate input surface 7 from the two light emission detection devices 70a and 70b. The operator of the coordinate input / detection / display device indicates an arbitrary position on the coordinate input surface 7 with a dedicated pen 145 which is an input means of the coordinate input / detection device of the third example. At this time, the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b
The pen 1 of the light emitted from the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b
The light reflected at 45 and returned to the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b is detected, and the position coordinates of the pen 145 are calculated.

Here, the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b
Both the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting units 72a and 72b (light emitting optical axis) and the optical axis of the light received by the light receiving angle detection units 71a and 71b (light receiving optical axis) are reference points on the coordinate input surface. P
It is assumed that it is installed on the coordinate input surface 7 so as to face the direction of 0.

In FIG. 7, a line segment a1 connecting the angle k1 of the coordinate input surface 7 and the reference point P0, and a line segment a2 connecting the angle k2 (origin (0, 0)) of the coordinate input surface and the reference point P0 are shown. Direction
The light-emitting optical axis and the light-receiving optical axis of the light-emission detection devices 70a and 70b are defined as the light-emission optical axis and the light-receiving optical axis. In the illustrated example, it is assumed that the line segments a1 and a2 bisect the angle of the coordinate input surface 7 into 45 degrees. Further, the coordinate input surface 7 is defined as X with the origin k (0, 0) at the angle k2.
-Y coordinate system is used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conceptual diagram of the configuration of the light emission detecting devices 70a and 70b. Here, the light-emitting units 72 b and 72 a of the light-emission detecting device include a light source (LED) 81 and an optical lens 80. As the optical lens 80, a cylindrical lens that can change only the magnification in one direction of the image, or a toroidal lens that can change only the magnification in one direction of the image without changing the magnification depending on the incident angle is used. . Also, the light emission detection device 70
a, 70b, the light receiving angle detection units 71a, 71b
It comprises a PSD 833 and a cylindrical lens 82.

The light emission detecting device 70 configured as described above
In FIGS. 9A and 9B, as shown in FIG. 9, the light emitted from the LED 81 is condensed by an optical lens 80 disposed immediately before it so as to be parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 and become a fan-shaped beam. . At this time, the optical lens 80
The LED 81 is arranged such that the light emitting point of the LED 81 comes to the focal position. Such a configuration has an advantage that light can be more effectively used.

Here, as the LED 81, one that emits visible light or L2656 (manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics) that emits infrared light (wavelength: 890 nm) is used. The optical lens 80 has a length of 10 mm in a direction perpendicular to the coordinate input surface 7 and a length of 10 mm in a direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 and perpendicular to the light emitting optical axes of the light emitting units 72a and 72b. The size is about 6 mm and the focal length is about 6 mm.

The cylindrical lens 82 is arranged so as to converge the reflected light from the pen 145 in a direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 as shown. Then, the focused spot light is received by the PSD 83. PSD
Numeral 83 is elongated in a direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7, and its light receiving surface is a PN junction surface for converting incident light into an electric signal.

Further, the PSD 83 is provided with output terminals S1 and S2 at both ends of the light receiving surface for extracting current, and outputs currents I1 and I2 which are inversely proportional to the distance between the light receiving point S0 and the output terminal. , S2. The position of the light receiving point S0 can be specified by A / D converting and calculating the currents I1 and I2, and the light receiving angle of the reflected light from the pen 145 can be calculated. Note that a control circuit for performing this arithmetic processing will be described later. As such a PSD 83, a PSD having a length of about 13 mm in a direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 and a length of about 1 mm in a direction perpendicular to the coordinate input surface 7 may be used. S3270 manufactured by Photonics can be used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific arrangement example of the cylindrical lens 82 and the PSD 83 described above.
Here, the length of the cylindrical lens 82 in the direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 and the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is set to one.
0 mm, the length in the direction perpendicular to the coordinate input surface 7 is 10
mm and a cylindrical lens 82
5. The distance between the optical center position and the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is 6.
It is arranged to be 5 mm. Further, a mask 100 made of a material such as black ABS is arranged around the cylindrical lens 82 so that the reflected light from the pen 145 does not directly enter the light receiving surface of the PSD 83.

Further, since the distance between the lens 9 and the PSD changes due to the difference in the angle of incidence of the reflected light reflected by the pen 145, the focal length of the cylindrical lens 82 is changed between the center of the lens 9 and the light receiving surface of the PSD 83. Any distance between the maximum value and the minimum value of the distance may be used. For example,
In the case of FIG. 10, the maximum value is 9.2 mm and the minimum value is 6.
Since it is 5 mm, a cylindrical lens 82 having a focal length of about 9 mm may be used. The length of the mask 10 in the direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 is PS
It is sufficient that the length is larger than the length of the light receiving surface of D83 (= 13 mm), and in the case of the configuration shown in FIG.

Further, the coordinate input / output of the third example described above
The detection device is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another configuration example of the coordinate input / detection device of the third example. The configuration shown in FIG. 11 is different from the configuration shown in FIG. 8 in that the cylindrical lens 82 is used to squeeze the light reflected by the pen 145 into the spot light, and an aperture 91 having one minute transmission hole 92 is provided. It was used. With this configuration, of the reflected light from the pen 145, only the light that has passed through the transmission hole 92 is received as a spot light at the light receiving point S0 of the PSD 83. Note that, as the aperture 91, a thin plate made of a material such as black ABS can be used.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a specific arrangement example of the aperture 91 and the PSD 83. Here, similarly to FIG. 10, when the length of the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is 13 mm,
The aperture 91 is arranged at a position that is half the distance from the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 by 6.5 mm so that the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 and the surface thereof are parallel to each other.

The size of the aperture 91 is
It is preferable that the light reflected from the light receiving surface 45 is larger than the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 so that the reflected light does not directly enter the light receiving surface of the PSD 83. For example, the size of the light receiving surface of the PSD is 13 mm × 1 m
The size of the aperture 91 is 15 mm x 3 m
m.

The transmission hole 92 is shorter than the length of the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 (13 mm) in the direction parallel to the coordinate input surface 7 and the length of the light receiving surface of the PSD (1 mm) in the direction perpendicular to the coordinate input surface 7. Longer than In the example of FIG.
× 2 mm in size.

8 and 11 described above (LED 81, optical lens 80, PSD 83,
The cylindrical lens 82 or the aperture 91)
The above-mentioned arrangement relationship may be maintained and integrally molded into one housing. However, the light emitting units 72a and 72b (LED 81 and optical lens 80) and the light receiving angle detecting units 71a and 71b (PS
D83, cylindrical lens 82 or aperture 9
In 1), it is necessary to arrange them as close as possible so as not to hinder emission and reception of light. Further, it is necessary that the emission optical axis of the infrared light emitted from the LED 81 and the light reception optical axis of the infrared light received by the cylindrical lens 82 or the aperture 91 be arranged in the same direction.

As described above, by integrally molding the light emitting units 72a and 72b and the light receiving angle detecting units 71a and 71b, the light emitting detecting devices 70a and 70b can be reduced to 20 mm × 15 m.
The size can be about mx 10 mm. For this reason, the coordinate input / detection device of the third example can make the configuration for coordinate detection smaller than the configuration for performing position detection by scanning a light beam using a rotary motor.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a control circuit for controlling LED 81 and PSD 83. The illustrated control circuit controls the light emission timing of the LED 81 and calculates the currents I1 and I2 output from the PSD 83. The control circuit shown in FIG.
A ROM (Read Only Memory) 134 for storing programs and data, and a RAM (Ra
ndom Access Memory) 138, a timer 136 for controlling the light emission time interval, the interface driver 13
7, A / D converter 133 and LED driver 13
8 are connected by a bus.

The amplifier 13 is connected to the output terminals S1 and S2 of the PSD.
1. The analog operation circuit 132 is connected to form a circuit for calculating the currents I1 and I2 output from the PSD 83.
The currents I1 and I2 output from the PSD 83 are
1 and amplified to become a current signal. This current signal is supplied to the analog operation circuit 132 by I2 / (I1 + I
The operation of 2) is performed, and the digital signal is further converted to a digital signal by the A / D converter 133 and passed to the MPU 135. After that, the MPU 135 calculates the light receiving angle and the position coordinates of the pen 145.

The control circuit shown in FIG. 13 may be incorporated in the same housing as one of the light emission detecting devices 70a and 70b, or may be incorporated in a part of the coordinate input surface 7 as a separate housing. Also, the interface driver 137
It is preferable to provide an output terminal for outputting the calculated coordinate data to a personal computer or the like via the PC.

Next, the shape of the tip of the pen 145 will be described with reference to FIG. The pen 145 has a shape similar to that of a general writing instrument, and a retroreflective member 140 having a “light reflecting structure” is provided at a tip B which is a portion through which light emitted from the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b passes. It has. The retroreflective member 140 is a member having a retroreflective structure that reflects light emitted from the light emission detection devices 70a and 70b in the same direction as the incident direction. In the example shown in FIG. 14, a mirror member having a shape composed of many corner cubes is used as the retroreflective member.

As shown in FIG. 15, the corner cube of the retroreflective member 140 is formed by combining three plane mirrors so as to be perpendicular to each other. In general, a portion surrounded by a thick line in a figure obtained by cutting one corner from a glass cube is used as a corner cube. In the corner cube configured as described above, the incident light is 1 on three surfaces.
After being reflected each time, the reflected light returns exactly in the direction of the incident light.

For example, a corner cube having a side length c of 2 mm is radially arranged at the tip of a pen 145 having a diameter of 10 mm. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, when the corner cubes adjacent to each other are arranged in the opposite direction, 62 corner cubes can be formed for each stage. Also,
With a three-stage configuration as shown in FIG. 14, a total of 186 corner cubes can be configured. Although an example in which a corner cube is used as a retroreflective member is shown here, the coordinate input / detection device of the third example is not limited to such an example, and any device having recursion can be used. Any structure may be used.

Next, the principle of detecting the position indicated by the pen 145 in the coordinate input / detection / display device of the third example will be described. Here, a description will be given of a case where two light emission detecting devices 70a and 70b are used as shown in FIG. 7, but the coordinates designated by the pen 145 are detected in the same manner even when a larger number of light emission detecting devices are used. It is possible.

First, it is assumed that the operator has designated an appropriate position (X, Y) on the coordinate input surface 7 using the pen 145.
At this time, L of the light emitting unit 72b in the light emission detecting device 70b
It is assumed that, of the infrared light emitted from the ED 81, light emitted in the direction of the line segment p1 hits the pen 145. At this time,
The reflected light travels in the reverse direction along the line segment p1 to form the light-receiving angle detection unit 7
The light is received by the PSD 83 of 1b. Similarly, out of the infrared light emitted from the LED 81 of the light emitting section 72a of the light emission detecting device 70a, the light emitted in the direction of the line segment p2 hits the pen 145, and the reflected light travels in the same line segment p2 in the opposite direction. The light is received by the PSD 83 of the angle detector 71a.

The light received by the PSD 83 is
Spot light is formed at different positions on the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 depending on the incident angle with respect to the light. Here, the line segment p2 is
A line segment a2 that bisects the angle k2 of the coordinate input surface 7 forms an angle of θ2, and a line segment p1 forms an angle of θ1 from a line segment a1 that bisects the angle k1 of the coordinate input surface 7. I do.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are diagrams showing a specific example of the positional relationship between the coordinate input surface 7 and the cylindrical lens 82 and the PSD 83 forming the light receiving angle detector 71b. Here, it is assumed that the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is perpendicular to a line segment a1 that forms an angle of 45 ° with two sides of the coordinate input surface 7. That is, the center of the cylindrical lens 82 and P
A line segment a1 connecting the center of the light receiving surface of the SD 83 coincides with the light receiving optical axis and the light emitting optical axis. The distance between the center of the cylindrical lens 82 and the center of the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is L
And the length of the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 is 2L.

Now, it is assumed that the reflected light from the pen 145 passes through the line segment p1 and is received at a position D1 away from the central position of the PSD 83. The current values obtained from the two output terminals provided on the light receiving surface of the PSD 83 are represented by I1 and I2.
And At this time, the following relationship is established between the currents I1 and I2 and the light receiving position of the PSD 83. I1 = I0 × (L−D1) / 2L Expression (8) I2 = I0 × (L + D1) / 2L Expression (9) where I0 = I1 + I2, therefore, L + D1 = 2L × I2 / (I1 + I2) Expression (10) )

That is, the light receiving position D1 of the reflected light is PS
It is obtained from the current values I1 and I2 obtained in D83. The above-described calculation is performed by the amplifier 131 and the analog calculation circuit 132 of the control circuit shown in FIG.

By the way, according to FIG. 16 (b), the relationship of D1 / L = tan θ1 formula (11) holds, so that the incident angle θ1 of the reflected light is
It is obtained from the following equation. θ1 = tan ⁻¹ (D1 / L) Equation (12) Similarly, the light reception angle detection unit 71 of the light emission detection device 70a
As for a, if the distance from the center of the PSD to the light receiving position is D2, the incident angle θ2 of the reflected light is given by the following equation.
Is required. θ2 = tan ⁻¹ (D2 / L) Equation (13)

Further, the pointing position (X, Y) of the pen 145
Is a line segment a1 formed by the incident angles θ1 and θ2 of the two reflected lights,
Since it is the intersection of a2, the indicated position (X, Y) is obtained from θ1 and θ2 from the following equation. Y = Xtan (45 ° −θ2) Expression (14) Y = (AX) tan (45 ° −θ1) Expression (15) Here, A is a light emission detection device 70 as shown in FIG.
a, 70b (the horizontal length of the coordinate input surface 7).

By solving the above equations (18) and (19) as simultaneous equations, the position coordinates X and Y on the coordinate input surface 7 specified by the pen 145 are obtained. Note that (θ
Since (1, θ2) and (X, Y) are formulated,
If these formulas are programmed and incorporated in the ROM 134, they can be easily obtained by the calculation of the MPU 135. Further, the coordinate value of (X, Y) which is the calculation result is
The data is transferred to a personal computer or the like via the interface driver 137, and can be used for processing such as displaying the position indicated by the pen and inputting a command corresponding to the indicated position.

In the above example, the configuration in which the coordinate input / detection device of the third example has two light emission detection devices 70a and 70b has been described. However, the light emission detection devices 70a, 70
If there is a possibility that mutual infrared light may be detected by the PSD 83 in the partner device when the LED 81 of b is emitted at the same time, the emission control of the LED 81 by the LED driver 138 is time-divisionally and alternately performed. Synchronize, PSD
The current detection of 83 may be performed.

For example, when one LED 81 is turned on and the other LED 81 is turned off, one LED 81 is turned off.
, And after 10 msec, one LED 81 is turned off and the other LED 81 is turned off.
Is emitted, and the PS corresponding to the other LED 81 is
D83 current detection can be performed.

That is, one of the two LEDs 81 may be made to emit light alternately every 10 msec. Such control is performed by the MPU 135 using the timer 1
36. By performing the time division control of the light emission of the LED 81 in this manner, erroneous detection of infrared light is also eliminated, and
The position can be detected by sufficiently following the movement of.

The coordinate input surface 7 only needs to be a flat shape whose position can be indicated by the pen 145, and is not particularly limited to the square shape as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7, but may be another shape. Absent. In the above example, a plane plate is used as the coordinate input surface 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a display device, for example, a display screen of a CRT display or an LCD display may be used.

When a CRT display or an LCD display is used, the above-described infrared light emission L is used in order to eliminate the influence of display light entering the PSD 83 and being erroneously detected.
It is preferable to use an ED, and it is preferable to use an PSD that can detect the peak emission wavelength of the infrared light emitting LED as the PSD 83. Further, in order to prevent infrared rays generated from the CRT display or the LCD display from adversely affecting the coordinate detection, it is preferable to arrange an infrared cut filter made of a PVC resin or the like on the display screen.

Fourth Example Next, a fourth example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention will be described. 4th
The coordinate input / detection device of the example generates an image by imaging an input unit such as a finger or a pen on a coordinate input surface, and detects coordinates input by the input unit based on the image. is there.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the coordinate input / detection device of the fourth example. The illustrated configuration includes an infrared position detection unit 61, a control unit 76, and a pen 64 as input means. Such a configuration is the coordinate input / detection / display device in the coordinate input / detection / display device of the fourth example, and configures the coordinate input / detection / display device by combining with the display device.

The infrared position detecting section 61 can take in substantially the entire area of the coordinate input range (coordinate input surface) 8 and has two infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b arranged at an interval L. ing. An infrared LED 63 is provided at the tip of the pen 64. In addition,
In the coordinate input / detection / display device of the fourth example, the coordinate input surface 8 and a display device such as an LCD display or a CRT display may be configured to overlap. Alternatively, a signal representing coordinates may be output from the control unit 76 and displayed on a larger display device.

The control section 76 includes a reset signal circuit 60 for generating a reset signal a for resetting the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b, the infrared CCD camera 1
It has a vertical clock circuit 65 for generating a vertical clock signal b for vertically scanning 80a and 180b, and a horizontal clock circuit 66 for generating a horizontal clock signal c for horizontally scanning the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b. Note that the reset signal a, the vertical clock signal b, and the horizontal clock signal c are transmitted by the infrared CCD cameras 180a, 180
0b, infrared CCD cameras 180a, 180b
To start scanning in the X-Y direction.

Further, the control section 76 has an infrared CC
Video signals d1 output by the D cameras 180a and 180b,
peak detection circuits 67a and 67b for detecting peaks of d2 and outputting peak detection signals e1 and e2; a calculation circuit 68 for calculating coordinates inputted by the pen 64; and outputting the coordinates calculated by the calculation circuit to an external device. And a display circuit 75 for displaying. Such a coordinate input / detection device includes an audio circuit unit (not shown) that generates a warning sound when the pen 64 inputs coordinates outside the image capturing range of the infrared position detection unit 61, thereby further improving operability. Can be done.

Further, the coordinate input / detection device shown in FIG.
By providing a lens magnification adjustment circuit or a focal length adjustment circuit in the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b, the resolution and detection range of the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b are set according to the size of the coordinate input surface 8, required input accuracy, and the like. can do. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 76 and the infrared position detection unit 61 are provided separately. However, it is also possible to integrate the two by reducing the size of each circuit built in the control unit 76. is there.

FIG. 18 is a timing chart for explaining the processing of each signal performed by the coordinate input / detection device shown in FIG. The reset signal a, the vertical clock signal b, and the horizontal clock signal c are simultaneously input to the infrared CCD cameras 63a and 62b at the illustrated timings. Upon input of the reset signal a, the vertical clock signal b, and the horizontal clock signal c, the infrared position detection unit 61 inputs the video signals d1 and d2 output from the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b to the control unit 76.

The image signals d1 and d2 are signals representing images obtained by photographing the pen 64 with the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b. At this time, the infrared CCD camera 180a,
Due to the squeezed exposure of 180b, infrared C
The CD cameras 180a and 180b have infrared LEDs 63
Only a black image is taken in other portions. Therefore, the infrared CCD cameras 180a, 180
b, the video signals d1 and d2 output from the
Strong peak signals p1 and p2 corresponding to the position of D63 appear.

The peak detection circuits 67a and 67b detect the peak signals p1 and p2 and output peak detection signals e1 and e2 having the peak signals q1 and q2. The peak detection signals e1 and e2 are sent to the arithmetic circuit 68. The arithmetic circuit 68 has a built-in ROM (not shown). The ROM converts the peak signals q1 and q2 appearing in the peak detection signals e1 and e2 into angle data representing the position of the infrared LED 63 as an angle. A table is stored.

Note that this angle data is stored in the infrared LED 6
3, the position of the infrared LED 63 and the reference point on the coordinate input surface 8 (for example, the infrared CCD cameras 180a, 180
b), and specifies a straight line connecting the straight line and a reference line on the coordinate input surface 8 (for example, the infrared CCD camera 180a,
The position of the infrared LED 63 is represented by an angle formed between the infrared LED 63 and a straight line connecting the origins of 180b.

The arithmetic circuit 68 converts the peak detection signals e1 and e2 into angles as described above, and specifies two angles. And further, the infrared CCD camera 18
The position where the infrared LED 63 is placed, that is, the coordinates input by the pen 64 is calculated using the distance L between 0a and 180b. The coordinates thus obtained are output to an external display device via the interface circuit 69 or output to the display circuit 75 for display.

Next, a method for detecting the coordinates input from the angle data will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In addition,
FIG. 19 shows coordinates (x, y) input by the pen 64 in two-dimensional coordinates with one origin (lower left corner of the photographing range in the drawing) of the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b as the origin (0, 0). Things.

The arithmetic circuit 68 calculates the peak detection signals e1 and e
2 is detected, and from the relationship between the peak signals q1 and q2 appearing here and the vertical clock signal b and the horizontal clock signal c based on the reset signal a, the infrared CCD camera 63a
Coordinates of the pen 64 using coordinates with the origin of the
1, y1) and the coordinates (x2, y2) of the pen 64 using the coordinates with the origin of the infrared CCD camera 63b as the origin. Then, these coordinates (x1, y1) and coordinates (x2, y2)
And the position of the pen 64 viewed from the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b using the coordinates shown in FIG.
_L, if indicated by the theta _R, as follows.

Θ _L = tan ⁻¹ (y1 / x1) Equation (16) θ _R = tan ⁻¹ (y2 / x2) Equation (17)

Next, the angles θ _L and θ _R are obtained from the above equations (16) and (17).
Using the distance L between 0a and 180b, the coordinates (x, y) input by the pen 64 represented by the coordinates shown in FIG. 8 can be obtained by the following equation. y = xtan θ _L Expression (18) y = (xl) tan (π-θ _R ) Expression (19)

If x and y are obtained by using the above equations (18) and (19) as simultaneous linear equations, the coordinates (x, y) input by the pen 64 can be calculated. The arithmetic circuit 68 described above
The conversion table stores a result calculated in advance in order to perform such processing at higher speed in association with (x1, y1) and (x2, y2). Further, the coordinate input / detection device of the fourth example does not require a tablet board or the like to be placed on a work table, and can effectively use a work space.

Further, even when a document or the like is overlaid on the coordinate input surface 8, it is possible to input coordinates to the coordinate input / detection device. Furthermore, since the image capturing range of the infrared CCD cameras 180a and 180b can be variably set by the lens magnification modulation circuit section and the resolution can be set at the same time, the operability and convenience of the coordinate input / detection device can be improved. .

Hereinafter, the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 20 shows Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the coordinate input / detection / display device. FIG. 21 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated coordinate input / detection / display device has a coordinate input surface 200, and detects and displays coordinates input from the coordinate input surface 200 by a coordinate input unit such as a finger or a pen. It is.

In the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the coordinate input surface (coordinate input surface 200) of the coordinate input / detection device described in the first to fourth examples described above. And a coordinate input unit 2 including the optical configuration. Also, for simplicity of description, the first and second embodiments of the present invention
Here, illustration and description of the optical configuration of the coordinate input unit 2 will be omitted.

The configuration shown in FIG. 21 further includes a control / calculation unit 17 which is a control / calculation means for performing a calculation process based on the coordinates detected by the coordinate input unit 2 and generating a control signal based on the coordinates, and A display screen (display) 1 which is provided in parallel with the input surface 200 and whose display content is operated by a control signal generated by the control / calculation unit 17
And a mode switching unit 16 and a switching switch 3, which are screen operation switching units that switch the operation of the display 1 by switching arithmetic processing performed by the control / calculation unit 17.

The display 1 is provided with a cover 4 for the purpose of preventing the influence of disturbance light. Further, the display 1 has a gantry 5 fixed to a cover 4 and is configured to be used as an electronic blackboard system that can also be used for presentations. In Embodiments 1 and 2, the personal computer 21 is used as the mode switching unit 16 and the control / calculation unit 17. The changeover switch 3 is a switch that switches on and off.

The above configuration operates as follows. That is, the operator touches the coordinate input surface 200 and the display 1 with a pen or the like to select a display content displayed on the display 1 while viewing the display content. At this time, the coordinates of the position touched by the pen are
Is detected by The detected coordinates are output from the coordinate input unit 2 to the mode switching unit 16 of the personal computer 21 as a signal a representing the coordinates. The mode switching unit 16 outputs a signal c indicating on / off of the changeover switch 3 from the changeover switch 3.
And outputs a signal b to the control / calculation unit 17 based on the signal c.

That is, when the signal c input from the changeover switch 3 indicates that the changeover switch 3 is turned off, the mode switching section 16 outputs the signal b to the control / calculation section 17 simply as a signal representing the input coordinates. . Control / arithmetic unit 17
Inputs the signal b as a signal representing the input coordinates, and instructs the display 1 to display a pointer at the coordinates. As a result, a pointer indicating the coordinates input by the operator is displayed on the display 1. However, in this case, the display content on the display 1 is not selected, and the display content on the display 1 is not operated.

On the other hand, the signal c output from the changeover switch 3
Indicates that the changeover switch 3 is on, the mode switching unit 16 receives information on the operation mode (here, drag mode) determined in advance corresponding to the onset of the changeover switch 3 and the signal a. The signal b is output to the control / calculation unit 17 as a signal indicating both of the coordinates.

Upon input of such a signal b, the control / arithmetic unit 17 operates the display 1 to display a pointer at the coordinates and to drag the display content at the position corresponding to the coordinates. As a result, the display content at the coordinates input by the operator is dragged onto the display 1. Therefore,
When the changeover switch 3 is turned on, the operation of the display 1 such as movement, enlargement, and reduction of display content becomes possible.

The above operation is generally performed by the personal computer 2
The signal b output from the mode switching unit 16 to the control / calculation unit 17 is output as a mouse signal because it is used in the emulation mode of the first mouse. Therefore, the above operation is the same as operating the mouse without button operation when the changeover switch 3 is in the off state, and the mouse button operation when the changeover switch 3 is on. It is the same as emulating the output when pressing and holding.

The mode switching unit 16 of the first embodiment
Is not limited to the signal that generates the signal b that realizes the dragging described above, and it is also possible to generate a click signal that performs an operation equivalent to a mouse click operation. Further, the changeover switch 3 is not limited to the one that switches between the display of the pointer and the operation on the display content designated by the pointer, and is used, for example, to switch between Japanese input, English input, and an operation menu. You can also.

When drawing a line drawing on the display, the changeover switch 3 may be used for switching the drawing color, and for switching the line width and line type. In this case, the signal b output from the mode switching unit 16 is not an emulation signal of a mouse but a switching signal of an operation mode output to an application operating on the personal computer 21. At this time, each time the changeover switch 3 is switched, a toggle operation of sequentially switching to two or more operation modes may be performed. Alternatively, a plurality of changeover switches 3 may be provided, and different operation modes may be assigned to each of them.

Furthermore, the coordinate input / detection /
The display device is not limited to a device having a changeover switch capable of selecting ON and OFF, and may be configured to include a switch capable of selecting a larger number of devices. Next, the coordinate input / detection / display device of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment having two or more switches that can be switched. FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the changeover switch 13 of the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. In addition, the coordinate input shown in FIG.
The detection / display device performs the coordinate input / detection /
Since the configuration is almost the same as that of the display device, FIG.
The same components as those shown in FIG. 0 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be partially omitted.

The coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. 22 has a changeover switch 13 configured as a rotary switch. Changeover switch 1 as shown in FIG.
3 has a rotary part 13b provided with a point part 13a. Off (OF) around the rotary portion 13b
F) and mode 1 (Mode 1) to mode 8 (Mode
9 items of e8) are shown. Rotary part 13b
Is manually rotated by the operator, the point portion 13a
Indicates the item that rotates with the rotary unit 13b and stops when stopped, or any one of Mode 1 to Mode 8.

The rotary section 13b is configured such that the contact points come into contact at each stop position, and the operator is given a click feeling when stopped. Mode1 to Mode8
Are assigned different operation modes, and when the point unit 13a stops at any of the positions of Mode 1 to Mode 8, the changeover switch 13 switches the signal corresponding to the operation mode indicated by the point unit 13a to the mode switching unit. 16 to instruct the personal computer 21 to execute this operation mode. When the point unit 13a stops at the OFF position, an OFF signal is output to the mode switching unit 16 and only the pointer is displayed on the display 1.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing another example of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment having two or more switches that can be switched. FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the changeover switch 23 of the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. Note that the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. 24 has substantially the same configuration as the coordinate input / detection / display device described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 22. The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described above, and the description thereof will be partially omitted.

The coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. 24 is a changeover switch 2 configured as a slide switch.
Three. As shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 3 includes a slide portion 23a which can slide the slide groove 23b up and down. The changeover switch 23 is OFF along the slide groove 23b, mode 1 (Mode 1).
8 items of Mode 7 (Mode 7) are shown. When the operator manually moves the slide unit 23a up and down and stops at a desired position, the slide unit 23a indicates OFF or any one of Mode 1 to Mode 7 at this stop position.

Different operation modes are assigned to Mode 1 to Mode 7, respectively. Slide part 23
When “a” stops at any of Mode 1 to Mode 7, a signal corresponding to the operation mode to which this position is assigned is output from the changeover switch 23 to the mode switching unit 16. Then, it instructs the personal computer 21 to execute this operation mode. In the OFF position, the slide 23
When a is stopped, an off signal is output to the mode switching unit 16 and only the pointer is displayed on the display 1.

According to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 22 to 25 described above, it is possible to realize a changeover switch capable of switching to many operation modes in a relatively small installation space. 23 and FIG.
In the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in 5, the stop position of the switch assigned to each mode and the stop position assigned to off are separately provided, but off is assigned as one of the operation modes. Can also. In the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment described above, the switch is provided on the surface (front surface) on the display 1 side. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and a changeover switch may be provided on the rear surface or the side surface with respect to the front surface.

Further, the coordinate input / detection /
As shown in FIG. 26, the display device can be configured to include a changeover switch 33 configured as a foot switch. According to such a configuration, since the operator can operate the changeover switch 33 with his / her feet, both hands can be used freely, and it is possible to obtain an effect that the coordinate input by manual operation becomes easier.

Next, processing performed by the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that this flowchart is a flowchart for explaining a coordinate input / detection / display method for detecting and displaying coordinates input from the coordinate input surface, wherein the changeover switch has two or more operation modes (for simplicity of explanation) 3) that can be switched to the coordinate input / detection / display device.

The coordinate input unit 2 optically detects the coordinates input from the coordinate input surface 200. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 27, the personal computer 21 determines whether or not a coordinate has been input from the signal a output from the coordinate input unit 2 (S1). If the result of this determination is that no coordinate input has been made (S1: negative), the process waits until a coordinate input is made.

On the other hand, if coordinates are input (S
1: affirmative), it is determined whether or not the changeover switch is on based on the signal c (S2). If the result of this determination is that the changeover switch is off (S2: No),
A signal b is output as a signal instructing the control / calculation unit 17 to perform a switch-off process of displaying a pointer at the input coordinates (S6). If the changeover switch is on (S2: affirmative), it is determined whether the changeover switch is set to Mode 1 (S2).
3).

If the result of determination in step S3 is that the changeover switch is set to Mode1 (S3: affirmative), a signal indicating Mode1 is output from the changeover switch to the mode switching unit 16. The mode switching unit 16
The operation mode corresponding to e1 is output to the control / calculation unit 17 as a signal b together with the detected coordinates. Control / arithmetic unit 1
7 sets the Mode 1 by performing arithmetic processing based on the coordinates detected by the coordinate input unit 2 and generating a control signal for controlling the display operation at the coordinates (S).
7).

More specifically, the Mode 1 setting performed in step S7 is to generate a control signal for controlling the display 1 so as to execute the operation of the Mode 1 at a position corresponding to the detected coordinates. This is the process of outputting to. After such processing, the flowchart returns to step S1 in preparation for the next coordinate input.
Through the above processing, the display 1 displays the content based on the control signal generated in step S7.

That is, such processing is performed in the operation Mod.
e, by generating a control signal for executing the operation e and outputting the control signal to the display 1, the processing for operating the display content of the display 1 is performed by the changeover switch and the mode switching unit 1.
6, the display contents to be displayed are switched.

If the changeover switch is not set to Mode 1 (S3: No), it is determined whether the changeover switch is set to Mode 2 (S4). If the result of this determination is that the changeover switch is set to mode 2 (S4: affirmative), Mode2 is set by the same processing as step S7 (S8), and the process returns to step S1 in preparation for the next coordinate input. .
Note that the changeover switch determines that Mode 2
If not set (S4: No), Mode
After setting 3 (S5), the process returns to step S1 in preparation for the next coordinate input.

[0125] Note that the coordinate input and
The detection and display method is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program includes hard disk, floppy disk, CD-ROM, MO, DV
The program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as D, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. In addition, this program can be distributed via the recording medium and a transmission medium via a network such as the Internet.

The coordinate input / detection / display device and the coordinate input / detection / display method according to the first embodiment described above include a display switch performed by the coordinate input unit 2 and a display operation performed by the mode switch unit 16. Can be switched by Therefore, the switching of the display operation can be performed regardless of the detection accuracy of the coordinate input unit 2. The apparatus and method of the first embodiment and the recording medium detect the operation mode with the same accuracy as that of directly inputting the operation mode while using the coordinate input 2 of the touch panel type.
An operation corresponding to each operation mode can be stably performed.

(Embodiment 2) The coordinate input / detection / display device according to Embodiment 2 is configured to switch the operation of the display 1 by switching the arithmetic processing from the coordinate input unit 2 described in Embodiment 1. Things. Hereinafter, such a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the second embodiment.
The configuration of FIG. 28 is substantially the same as that of FIG. Therefore, the same components as those described with reference to FIG. 21 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be partially omitted. FIG. 29 is a diagram for explaining a screen operation switching unit according to the second embodiment. Note that the coordinate input / detection /
The display device has the same appearance as the configuration shown in FIGS. Therefore, the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the second embodiment will not be shown and described in appearance.

The configuration shown in FIG. 28 has an operation member 28 instead of the changeover switch. Further, the coordinate input unit 2 according to the second embodiment outputs two types of signals, a signal a and a signal c. Of these signals, signal a is the display 1
The signal c is a signal used for switching the operation mode. The signal a is directly input to the control / arithmetic unit 17, and the signal c is input to the mode switching unit 16. Further, a pulse signal d to be described later is output from the operation member 28, and the mode switching unit 1
6 to the control / calculation unit 17. Reference numeral 22 indicates a personal computer according to the second embodiment.

The operation member 28 of the second embodiment is, for example,
The rotary switch 53 and the operation screen 16 shown in FIG.
0. Illustrated operation screen 16
At 0, an operation menu 11 composed of Mode 1 to Mode 6 is displayed. In the second embodiment, the operation screen 160 is configured to be displayed on a part of the display 1, and a general window 160 is displayed near the operation menu.
a is also displayed.

The above configuration operates as follows. That is, when the operator touches any mode of the operation menu 11 with a finger or the like, the coordinates of the touched point are detected by the coordinate input unit 2 and input to the mode switching unit 16 as a signal c. The mode switching unit 16 determines the operation mode of the operation menu 11 corresponding to the coordinates based on the signal c. Then, a signal b is output to the control / calculation unit 17 so as to execute an operation corresponding to this operation mode.

At this time, the coordinates input for operations other than the operation of the operation menu 11 are input to the control / calculation unit 17 from the coordinate input unit 2 as a signal a. Control / arithmetic unit 1
Reference numeral 7 displays a pointer at the coordinates indicated by the signal a, and operates the display 1 so as to execute the operation in the operation mode corresponding to the coordinates indicated by the signal b at the coordinates. If this operation is, for example, scrolling, the operator rotates the rotary switch 53 of the operation member 28. The rotary switch 53 generates a pulse signal by rotating. This pulse signal is
The data is input to the arithmetic unit 17 and counted.
a scrolls based on this count.

Next, processing performed by the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the second embodiment described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 31, three modes, Mode 1 to Mode 3, are set in the operation menu 11 for the sake of simplicity.

The personal computer 22 determines whether or not a coordinate has been input based on the signal a output from the coordinate input unit 2 (S
11). If the result of this determination is that coordinate input has not been performed (S11: No), the process stands by until coordinate input is performed. On the other hand, when the coordinate is input (S11: YES), it is determined whether or not the operation on the operation screen 160 has been performed based on the signal c output from the operation screen 160 provided in the coordinate input unit 2 (S12).

If the result of this determination is that the operation screen 160 has not been operated (S12: No), a signal instructing the control / calculation unit 17 to perform a no-operation process of displaying a pointer at the input coordinates is used. Output the signal b (S1
6). When the operation on the operation screen 160 is performed (S12: Yes), the operation menu 11 on the operation screen 160 is displayed.
It is determined whether or not the coordinates corresponding to Mode 1 have been input (S13).

As a result of the determination in step S13, the operation screen 1
When the coordinates corresponding to Mode 1 are input from 60 (S13: YES), the coordinates are output to the mode switching unit 16 as a signal c. The mode switching unit 16 outputs to the control / calculation unit 17 a signal b instructing to switch the operation mode to Mode 1 based on the input signal c. The control / arithmetic unit 17 performs arithmetic processing based on the coordinates directly input from the coordinate input unit 2, and generates a control signal for controlling a display operation at the coordinates, thereby controlling the mode.
1 is set (S17).

The operation screen 1 is determined based on the determination in step S13.
If 60 is not set to Mode1, (S1
3: No), it is determined whether or not the operation screen 160 is set to Mode 2 (S14). If the result of this determination is that the operation screen 160 is set to mode 2 (S1
4: affirmative), Mo is performed by the same processing as in step S17.
de2 is set (S18), and the process returns to step S11 in preparation for the next coordinate input. The operation screen 160 is displayed in step S
If Mode 2 is not set in S14 (No at S14), Mode 3 is set (S1).
5) Return to step S11 in preparation for the next coordinate input.

Note that the coordinate input / output described in the first embodiment
The detection and display method is realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program includes hard disk, floppy disk, CD-ROM, MO, DV
The program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as D, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. In addition, this program can be distributed via the recording medium and a transmission medium via a network such as the Internet.

In the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the second embodiment described above, the display operation performed at the coordinates detected by the coordinate input 2 can be switched by the operation screen 160 and the mode switching unit 16. The operation on the screen 160 can be performed from the coordinate input 2. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the operation mode is detected with the same accuracy as that of directly inputting the operation mode while using the coordinate input unit 2 of the touch panel type, and the operation according to each operation mode is stably performed. Can be. Furthermore, a normal coordinate input operation (pointer display only) and a display operation (drag or scroll) operation for the coordinate input unit 2 can be performed as a series of operations. Operability can be improved.

[0140]

As described above, claims 1 and 5
According to the invention described in (1), the operation of the display screen can be switched by directly switching the control signal. For this reason, the display operation instruction is detected with higher accuracy (for example, the same accuracy as a configuration in which the display operation is directly input like a mouse) using the touch panel type coordinate input / detection means, and the operation mode is determined according to each operation mode. A coordinate input / detection / display device or a coordinate input / detection / display method capable of stably performing the above operation can be provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a display operation instruction is detected with higher accuracy (for example, the same accuracy as a configuration in which a display operation is directly input like a mouse), and the operation mode is set to each operation mode. The corresponding operation can be performed stably. In addition, this operation can be performed as a series of operations of switching between the coordinate input operation and the display operation, and the operability of the coordinate input / detection / display device can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention employs an optical coordinate input / detection device.
By applying the detecting means, it is possible to provide a coordinate input / detection / display device which can make coordinate input more stable and has a simple configuration.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention uses an optical coordinate input / output device.
By applying the detecting means, it is possible to provide a coordinate input / detection / display device which can make coordinate input more stable and has a simple configuration.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the program for the method of inputting, detecting and displaying coordinates according to the fifth aspect becomes machine-readable, and each step described in the sixth aspect is realized by a computer. can do. Therefore, the processing can be performed accurately, easily, and at high speed.
Further, the coordinate input / detection / display method described in claim 5 can be realized by a general-purpose device without using a dedicated device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing a first example of a coordinate input / detection device applied to a coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another diagram for describing a first example of a coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another diagram for describing a first example of a coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another diagram for describing a first example of a coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another diagram for describing a first example of a coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a second example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is another diagram for describing a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is another diagram for explaining a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is another diagram for describing a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is another diagram for describing a third example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a fourth example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is another diagram for explaining a fourth example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is another diagram for describing a fourth example of the coordinate input / detection device applied to the coordinate input / detection / display device of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of another example of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a view for explaining a changeover switch of the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of another example of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining a changeover switch of the coordinate input / detection / display device shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of another example of the coordinate input / detection / display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating a coordinate input / detection / display method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a coordinate input / detection / display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a diagram for describing an operation screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is another diagram for explaining the operation screen according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating a coordinate input / detection / display method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 display 2 coordinate input unit 3, 13, 23, 33 changeover switch 4 cover 5 mount 11 operation menu 13a point unit 13b rotary unit 16 mode switching unit 17 control / calculation unit 21, 22 personal computer 23b slide groove 23a slide unit 28 operation member 53 Rotary switch 160 Operation screen 160a Window

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takuro Sekiya 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Sadao Takahashi 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo In Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiromasa Shimizu 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term in Ricoh Co., Ltd. 5B087 AA02 AE00 BC12 BC26 BC32 CC12 CC26 CC34 DD06 DD10 DD12

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A coordinate input / detection / display device having a coordinate input surface for detecting and displaying coordinates input by coordinate input means from the coordinate input surface, wherein the coordinates input by the input means are provided. A coordinate input / detection means for optically detecting the coordinate and control / calculation means for performing a calculation process based on the coordinates detected by the coordinate input / detection means and generating a control signal for controlling a display operation at the coordinates; Display means provided substantially parallel to the coordinate input surface and having a display screen on which display content is operated by a control signal generated by the control / calculation means; control signals generated by the control / calculation means Screen input switching means for switching the operation of the display screen by switching the coordinate input / detection /
Display device. 2. The coordinate input / detection / display device according to claim 1, wherein said screen operation switching means is operated by said coordinate input / detection means. 3. The coordinate input / detection means has a plurality of light-emitting means and a plurality of light-receiving means, and the coordinate input means shields light from the light-emitting means toward the light-receiving means, thereby providing the input. 3. The coordinate input / detection / display device according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate input by the means is detected. 4. The coordinate input / detection unit generates an image by imaging a coordinate input unit on the coordinate input surface, and detects coordinates input by the input unit based on the image. The coordinate input / detection / display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 5. A coordinate input / detection / display method for detecting and displaying coordinates input from a coordinate input surface, wherein: a coordinate input / detection step of optically detecting the input coordinates; A control / arithmetic step of generating a control signal for controlling a display operation at the coordinate while performing arithmetic processing based on the coordinates detected by the detecting means; and displaying contents based on the control signal generated in the control / arithmetic step. Switching between the display step and the control signal generated in the control / calculation step,
A coordinate input / detection / display method comprising: a screen operation switching step of operating to switch display contents displayed in the display step. 6. The coordinate input / detection / detection method according to claim 5,
A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute each step of a display method is recorded.