JP2015069294A - Input pen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input pen excellent in writing ability on a paper or the like and excellent in conductivity.SOLUTION: An input pen 1 is used for a coordinate input device for detecting a coordinate position of an operation part of the operation area by a change in the quantity of electricity following a capacitance change, and for inputting the coordinate position of the operation part. The input pen includes: a hallow cylindrical body 2; and a pen tip 4 mounted in a front part of the hallow cylindrical body directly or via a connection member. The hallow cylindrical body accommodates a conductive liquid composition 8 made of at least an ion liquid and/or an electrolyte therein. The pen tip has conductivity in the front end part of a pen tip body, and is provided with an input part 5 in contact with the operation area of the input device. A valve mechanism which is usually closed but opened when applied with a writing pressure is provided on any of the pen tip and a pen tip holder 3 or the hallow cylindrical body, and the opening of the valve mechanism allows the conductive liquid composition to flow from the pen tip.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input pen used in an input device capable of detecting a position by a change in electric quantity accompanying a change in capacitance and moving a cursor by touching an operation area with a pen tip of the input pen.

Conventionally, a core member made of a conductive metal and a conductive rubber attached to the front outer surface of the core member as an input pen for use in an input device that can detect a position based on a change in the amount of electricity accompanying a change in capacitance and can move a cursor And an input pen comprising a pen tip having conductivity by a filler made of a gel material filled between the core member and the conductive rubber, and the pen tip attached to the front end of the conductive shaft tube Are known. (See Patent Document 1)
In addition, an input pen in which a bundle of a plurality of flexible conductive fibers is attached to the pen tip is known as a pen tip. (See Patent Document 2).

  There is also disclosed an input pen with a writing tool in which conductive rubber is attached to the front end or rear end of the cap or the shaft tube, and writing can be performed with the pen tip protruding by removing the cap or feeding the cap. .

Japanese Patent No. 4142276 Japanese Patent No. 5042159

  By the way, recently, many touch panel type input devices such as liquid crystal panels have been commercialized, and the identification area of terminals has also become smaller. Furthermore, a touch panel type input device that displays characters, patterns, figures, etc. by moving the cursor by recognizing the cursor movement of the input pen and displaying the information on the screen as it is has been commercialized.

  However, in the conventional input pen, since the input unit and the writing unit are provided in different parts, it is necessary to switch between the input unit and the writing unit, such as reversing the input pen before and after writing. It was. Moreover, regarding the former identification area, an input pen having a small contact area with the input device is desired in order to prevent malfunction of the input device.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an input pen that is excellent in writing properties such as a paper surface and conductivity.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention firstly provides an input device that detects a coordinate position of an operation part in an operation region based on a change in electric quantity accompanying a change in capacitance, and inputs the coordinate position of the operation part. An input pen to be used, the input pen comprising: a hollow cylindrical body; and a pen tip attached to the front portion of the hollow cylindrical body directly or through a connecting member; A conductive liquid composition comprising at least an ionic liquid and / or an electrolyte and a colorant, wherein the pen tip has conductivity at a front end portion of the pen tip body, and an operation area of the input device An input portion that contacts the valve tip, and a valve mechanism that is normally closed and opened by applying writing pressure to any of the pen tip, the pen tip holder, or the hollow cylindrical body, and the valve mechanism By opening the pen And characterized in that a can flow the conductive liquid composition from. In the present invention, “front” refers to the pen tip side, and “rear” refers to the opposite side.

  According to the first configuration, the input operation by the input unit and the writing operation in which a valve pressure is applied to open the valve mechanism and the conductive liquid composition flows out from the pen tip are performed with the same pen tip. Can be realized. In addition, although the said valve mechanism is open | released with a pen pressure, it is preferable that the pen pressure load required to open | release is 100 gf-500 gf. This is preferably set to 100 gf or more in order to prevent the conductive liquid composition from flowing out unintentionally during the input operation, and the input device is contaminated, and is set to 500 gf or less in view of the writing operation. It is because it is preferable, and it is more preferable to set it as 200 gf-400 gf or more.

  Further, by accommodating the conductive liquid composition in the hollow cylindrical body, the hollow cylindrical body is gripped through the input part and the conductive liquid composition without considering the conductivity of the hollow cylindrical body itself. When the finger is conductive or the input pen is housed in the outer cylinder, it is excellent in conductivity because it conducts to the finger holding the outer cylinder through the input section and the conductive liquid composition through the hollow cylindrical body. It is possible to use an input pen.

  Furthermore, according to the first configuration, for example, a conductive film or paper surface disposed on the operation surface of the input device, or a conductive material having a thickness capable of indirectly conducting the pen tip and the input device. By writing a character or pattern on the film or paper surface with a conductive liquid composition, an input operation by moving the pen tip at the time of writing and a handwriting of an actual character or pattern written on the film The effect that can be obtained simultaneously. For example, when writing on pressure-sensitive copying paper such as carbon paper, preferably carbon paper, placed on the operation surface, it is electrically conductive on the operation surface via carbon paper at the same time as copying, You can get the same image.

  Secondly, the pen nib embracs the input part made of a sphere in the front end part of the nib body so as to move back and forth and rotate freely, and the input part is always placed behind the input part. By disposing a resilient member that presses toward the front end of the main body, the inner wall of the front end of the input portion and the nib body is closed, and the pressure is applied to the input portion by applying writing pressure. The conductive liquid composition can flow out from the gap between the input unit and the nib body by moving backward against the force.

  According to the second configuration, at the time of input, since the input portion made of a sphere contacts the operation surface of the input device in a dotted or extremely small surface shape, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the input device. . Further, at the time of writing, the input unit can move rearward to relieve the impact, and there is an effect that smooth writing can be performed by the rotation of the input unit. In addition, since the impact absorption power is small when the moving distance before and after the input unit is less than 20 μm, and the feel during operation is reduced when it exceeds 200 μm, it is preferably 20 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 40 μm to 100 μm. It is.

  Third, the nib body is made of a non-conductive material.

  According to the third configuration, an erroneous input can be suppressed by forming the pen nib body from a non-conductive material. As the nib body, a conductive material or a non-conductive material can be used. However, when an electroconductive material is used for the nib body, the input area of the input pen By touching, the position is detected by the change in the amount of electricity accompanying the change in capacitance, but depending on the input angle, the pen tip body is close to the input screen of the input device and the amount of electricity accompanying the change in capacitance. This is because it is preferable to make the nib body non-conductive and solve these problems because changes may occur and the positions of unnecessary portions may be detected.

  In addition, about the input part used by this invention, if it is a material which has electroconductivity, it will not be limited, Conductive rubber, electroconductive elastomer, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, iron, brass, bronze, etc. Metal materials, carbon fiber materials, conductive resin materials such as polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and polyaniline, and composite conductive resins that provide electrical and electronic functions by adding conductors, mainly inorganic substances, to non-conductive resins Materials and the like can be used. In order to improve electrical conductivity and to suppress changes in contact area due to wear and damage, those made of a metal material are preferable. Among them, stainless steel is preferable because chromium contained therein is combined with oxygen in the air to form a passive film on the surface and has high corrosion resistance.

  In addition, when the input unit is made of a metal material, a diamond is attached to the tip contact portion that contacts the input device when operating the pen tip, particularly the input device so as not to damage the operation surface of the input device. It is preferable to make it easy to move the cursor smoothly by covering with a carbonaceous film such as a like film (DLC film). Further, the pen tip can be covered with a conductive protective film, so that the impact of the input part during input can be reduced.

The surface of the input part is preferably arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of 0.1 to 100.0 nm, which is because if it exceeds 100.0 nm, the operation surface of the input device is likely to be damaged. In consideration, 0.1 to 10.0 nm is preferable. Arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is a reference in the direction of the average line from a roughness curve measured by a surface roughness measuring instrument (model name SPI3800N manufactured by Seiko Epson Corporation) as shown in (Equation 1). The length L is extracted, and the absolute values of deviations from the average line of the extracted portion to the measurement curve are summed and averaged.
(Formula 1)

  The pen nib body is preferably thinner in order to prevent malfunction of the input device from the viewpoint of visibility, and may be pipe-shaped or bar-wire-like. In order to obtain strength, it is most preferable to use a taper shape such as a bullet shape, a pointed shape, or a step shape. The size of the nib body is not particularly limited, but if the maximum outer diameter or the maximum width of the cross section is larger than 10.0 mm, the visibility tends to be lowered, and if it is smaller than 0.5 mm, the strength of the nib is lowered. For ease of use, 0.5 mm to 10.0 mm, and 1.0 to 5.0 mm are more preferable in consideration.

Moreover, the hollow cylinder used by this invention can select and use the material which has electroconductivity, or a nonelectroconductive material suitably. Conductive materials include metal materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, iron, brass, and bronze, conductive resin materials such as polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and polyaniline, carbon fiber materials, and non-conductive resins. Examples thereof include composite conductive resins that are provided with electrical and electronic functions by adding a conductor mainly composed of an inorganic substance. Examples of the non-conductive material include resins called non-conductive or extremely low conductive insulating materials such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, and ABS resin. In consideration of cost, productivity of the hollow cylindrical body, workability, etc., it is preferable to use a non-conductive material such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS resin.

  When a non-conductive material is used as the hollow cylindrical body, if the thickness of the hollow cylindrical body is greater than 2.0 mm, the conductivity due to the conductive liquid composition tends to decrease, and the thickness from 0.05 mm If it is thin, the strength of the hollow cylindrical body tends to decrease, so 0.05 to 2.0 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 1.0 mm, are preferable. Further, the amount of the conductive liquid composition to be stored is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to contain 0.1 g or more in order to obtain necessary conductivity.

  In addition, the hollow cylindrical body of the input pen of the present invention may have an opening at the front end and / or the rear end, but when the conductive liquid composition is accommodated in the hollow cylindrical body, both ends are opened. Preferably, in the hollow cylindrical body having both ends opened, a highly viscous liquid stopper or a solid stopper is disposed behind the conductive liquid composition in order to prevent leakage of the contained conductive liquid composition. . In addition, as described above, the pen tip is preferably thinner in order to prevent malfunction of the input device from the viewpoint of visibility, but in order to attach the pen tip directly to the front end portion of the hollow cylindrical body. It is necessary to make only the front end portion or the whole of the hollow cylindrical body thinner. However, if the front end portion of the former hollow cylindrical body is made thin, it becomes difficult to manufacture and the manufacturing cost may increase. If the latter hollow cylindrical body is thinned as a whole, it is accommodated as described above. There is a possibility that the amount of the conductive liquid composition is reduced and the conductivity is lowered. Therefore, it is preferable to place a pen tip holder between the pen tip and the hollow cylindrical body. The highly viscous liquid stopper, solid stopper, and pen tip holder are preferably made of a conductive material.

  Moreover, the liquid containing an ionic liquid and / or electrolyte can be illustrated as the conductive liquid composition in the present invention. The ionic liquid is also called a room temperature molten salt or simply a molten salt, and is a salt of a cation and an anion showing a molten state in a wide temperature range including normal temperature (room temperature). This is because when the ions constituting the salt are replaced with organic ions having a relatively large size, the melting point becomes low, and it exists in a liquid state even near room temperature.

  The ionic liquid is a salt composed of a cation component and an anion component, and examples of the cation component include imidazolium, pyridinium, hyperidinium, pyrazonium, pyrrolidinium, pyrrolium, ammonium, phosphonium, and the like. In addition, anionic components of ionic liquid compounds include halogen (chlorine, bromine, iodine, etc.), tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, bis (fluorosulfonyl) imide, bis (trifluorosulfonyl) imide, tri (tri Fluorosulfonyl) carbanion, trifluoroacetate, hydrofluoride anion and the like. By dissolving these ionic liquids in a solvent such as water, a liquid composition having excellent conductivity can be obtained. You may use these individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.

  Examples of the electrolyte include halides such as chlorides, fluorides, bromides, and iodides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. Specifically, alkalis such as sodium halides, potassium halides, lithium halides, and the like can be given. Alkaline earth metal halides such as metal halides, magnesium halides, calcium halides and the like can be mentioned. By dissolving these electrolytes in a solvent such as water, a liquid composition having excellent conductivity can be obtained. You may use these individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.

  Among these ionic liquids and electrolytes, in the conductive liquid composition, since the ionic liquid is expensive, it is preferable to use an electrolyte. In particular, a compound having an alkali metal ion is excellent in stability. It is preferable to use alkali metal halides such as bromide and iodide.

  Further, if the content of the electrolyte is less than 0.1% by weight relative to the total amount of the conductive liquid composition, it is difficult to obtain good conductivity, and if it is 30.0% by weight or more, it is difficult to dissolve in the solvent. 0.1 to 30.0% by mass is preferable. Furthermore, if considered more, 0.5-20.0 mass% is more preferable, and if considered most, 3.0-15.0 mass% is most preferable.

  The conductive liquid composition contains a colorant. The colorant is not particularly limited, and examples of the pigment include inorganic, organic, processed pigments, and the like. Specifically, carbon black, aniline black, ultramarine, yellow lead, titanium oxide, iron oxide, phthalocyanine series, Azo, quinacridone, quinophthalone, selenium, triphenylmethane, perinone, perylene, glyoxazine, aluminum pigment, pearl pigment, reversible thermochromic pigment, fluorescent pigment, phosphorescent pigment, thermochromic pigment, complementary color And pigments. As the dye, direct dyes, acid dyes, basic dyes, metal-containing dyes, various salt-forming dyes, and the like can be used. In addition, by using a microcapsule pigment in which a colored body in which a pigment is dispersed in a medium as a colored resin particle body is encapsulated in a shell made of a resin wall film-forming substance by a known microencapsulation method or the like, or solidified Also good. Further, colored resin particles in which the pigment is covered with a transparent or translucent resin or the like, or colored resin particles or colorless resin particles colored with a pigment or a dye can also be used. These pigments and dyes may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The content is preferably 0.1 to 20.0 mass% with respect to the total amount of the ink composition.

  Among these colorants, considering the case where the conductive liquid composition adheres to the input device, the eraser erasable ink that can be peeled off using a rubber-based resin and the heat-erasable type that can be erased by heating from a colored state A thermochromic pigment of a color memory holding type that can store and hold a color developing state or a decoloring state in a specific temperature range in a tactile manner is preferably used. The colorant is an essential three of the conventionally known (a) electron-donating color-forming organic compound, (b) electron-accepting compound, and (c) a reaction medium that determines the temperature at which the color reaction of the both occurs. A reversible thermochromic pigment in which a reversible thermochromic composition containing at least components is encapsulated in microcapsules is preferably used.

Among the colorants described above, carbon black is preferable in consideration of conductivity. Examples of carbon black include carbon black such as furnace black, channel black, and acetylene black. Among these carbon blacks, the DBP oil absorption is preferably 50 to 600 ml / 100 g. This is because when the DBP oil absorption is 50 ml / 100 g or more, high conductivity is easily obtained with a small amount, but when the DBP oil absorption exceeds 600 ml / 100 g, the dispersibility of the carbon black is easily affected. In consideration of conductivity, the DBP oil absorption is preferably 300 to 600 ml / 100 g. Specifically, Printex 45, Printex 60, Printex 70, Printex 90, Printex 95 (Degussa Co., Ltd.), # 33, MCF88, # 3950B (Mitsubishi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) and the like can be mentioned. .
The oil absorption of carbon black is a characteristic indicating the structure of carbon black, which is the amount by which a certain amount of dried carbon black absorbs DBP (dibutyl phthalate), and is measured by the test method defined in JISK6221. .

  In addition, a solvent may be used for the conductive liquid composition, and water, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, glycerin are considered in consideration of dissolution stability of the ionic liquid and / or electrolyte. Glycol solvents such as methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, isopropanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, propargyl alcohol, allyl alcohol, 3-methyl-1-butyn-3-ol, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether Alcohol solvents such as acetate and other higher alcohols, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, 3-methoxybutanol, 3-methoxy-3-methylbutanol, etc. Such as glycol ether-based solvents. You may use these individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.

  The content of the solvent is preferably 50.0% by mass or more with respect to the total amount of the conductive liquid composition in view of dissolution stability, and more preferably 70.0% by mass or more in consideration.

  In order to prevent unintentional outflow of the conductive liquid composition in the hollow cylindrical body, it is preferable to contain a thickener in the conductive liquid composition. This can further prevent unintended leakage of the conductive liquid composition by increasing the viscosity of the conductive liquid composition.

  Examples of the thickener include synthetic polymers such as polyacrylic acid and its cross-linked polymer, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and polyvinyl alcohol, xanthan gum, welan gum, succinoglycan, sylum pseudogum, guar gum, locust bean gum, and diutan gum. And polysaccharides such as alkasy gum, gelatin, alginic acid and carrageenan, and celluloses such as methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and salts thereof. Among these, since it is possible to increase the viscosity with a small amount and to prevent leakage of the conductive liquid composition, it is preferable to use a polysaccharide. You may use these individually or in mixture of 2 or more types.

  If the content of the thickener is less than 0.1% by mass with respect to the total amount of the conductive liquid composition, it is difficult to obtain the leakage preventing effect of the conductive liquid composition, and even if it exceeds 5.0% by mass. Since the leakage preventing effect of the conductive liquid composition does not change, 0.1 to 5.0% by mass is preferable. Considering more, 0.3 to 3.0% by mass is preferable.

Note that the viscosity of the conductive liquid composition is not limited, but considering the effect of suppressing leakage of the conductive liquid composition, it is preferable to set the viscosity to 500 mPa · s or more at a shear rate of 1.92 sec ⁻¹ . Preferably, considering more, it is 2000 mPa · s or more.

  Moreover, the input pen of the present invention can accommodate an input pen in an outer cylinder and can perform an input operation by holding the outer cylinder. The material of the outer cylinder can be appropriately selected and used depending on the presence or absence of conductivity depending on the conductive liquid composition contained in the hollow cylinder. Conductive materials include metal materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, iron, brass, and bronze, conductive resin materials such as polyacetylene, polypyrrole, polythiophene, and polyaniline, carbon fiber materials, and non-conductive resins. Examples thereof include composite conductive resins that are provided with electrical and electronic functions by adding a conductor mainly composed of an inorganic substance. Examples of the non-conductive material include resins called non-conductive or extremely low conductive insulating materials such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, and ABS resin. In consideration of cost, outer cylinder productivity, moldability, and shape freedom, it is preferable to use non-conductive materials such as polypropylene, polycarbonate, and ABS resin. In addition, it is preferable that a hollow cylinder and an outer cylinder adjoin or contact in consideration of electroconductivity.

  Furthermore, since the pen tip of the input pen can be projected and retracted from the front end opening of the outer cylinder, it is possible to improve convenience and to prevent the pen tip from being inadvertently damaged.

  The present invention was able to provide an input pen with excellent writing properties such as paper and conductivity.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an input pen of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a pen tip part partially omitted in FIG. 1. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the appearance input pen of Example 6. FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the pen tip in FIG. 3 protruded. It is an example which shows the input state to the input apparatus using the retractable input pen of Example 6. FIG.

Next, an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated.
The input pen of Example 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of 5.0 nm on the surface serving as a contact portion at the tip of a hollow cylindrical body 2 made of polypropylene which is a non-conductive resin. A conductive tip made of polyacetylene has a nib 4 rotatably held by a non-conductive nib body 6 made of polyacetal with a stainless steel input part (ball) 5 made of a sphere having a diameter of 1.0 mm having conductivity. The pen tip holder 3 is attached to the front end portion 3 a of the pen tip holder 3, and the rear end portion 3 b of the pen tip holder 3 is press fitted into the hollow cylindrical body 2. In the hollow cylindrical body 2, the input liquid 1 is obtained by directly packing the conductive liquid composition 8 of the formulation example 1 and the grease-like liquid stopper 9. A tail plug 6 is attached to the rear end of the hollow cylindrical body 2. Further, a resilient spring member (coil spring) 10 that always presses the input unit 5 is disposed behind the input unit 5 to close the inner wall of the input unit and the front end portion of the nib body. . The pressing force of the elastic member (coil spring) was 200 gf, the moving distance of the input part 5 before and after was 60 μm, and the maximum diameter L of the cross-section of the nib 4 was 3.0 mm.

  In order to use the input pen 1 of Example 1, the hollow cylindrical body 2 containing the conductive liquid composition 8 of Formulation Example 1 is held with a finger, and the operation area of the input device (not shown) is set as the input pen 1. When the input unit 5 of the pen tip 4 is touched, the input unit 5 conducts electricity to the finger holding the hollow cylindrical body 2 through the elastic member 10, the pen tip holder 3, and the conductive liquid composition 8. , Cursor operation can be performed.

  Further, by applying a writing pressure load of, for example, 200 gf that exceeds the pressing force of the elastic member 10 described above, the input unit 5 is moved backward against the elastic force of the elastic member 10. By doing so, the conductive liquid composition 8 can flow out from the gap between the input unit 5 and the nib body 6 and can be written. Specific blending amounts of the conductive liquid composition 7 of Example 1 are as follows.

Preparation of reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigments a) Electron-donating color-forming organic compounds, (b) electron-accepting compounds, and (c) reversible thermo-discoloration comprising a reaction medium that determines the temperature at which the color reaction occurs. A reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigment encapsulating a functional composition,
(I) Component, 2.5 parts of 1,3-dimethyl-6-diethylaminofluorane, (b) Component, 2,2-bis (4'-hydroxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane, 5.0 parts, 1,1- A reversible thermochromic composition having color memory consisting of 3.0 parts of bis (4′-hydroxyphenyl) n-decane and 50.0 parts of 4-benzyloxyphenylethyl caprate as component (c) was uniformly added. Dissolve warmly and disperse a mixture of 30.0 parts of aromatic isocyanate prepolymer and 40.0 parts of co-solvent as a wall film material in an 8% aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution so that the average particle diameter is about 1.8 μm. The mixture was emulsified and dispersed under adjusted conditions, and stirring was continued at 70 ° C. for about 1 hour. Then, 2.5 parts of a water-soluble aliphatic modified amine was added, and stirring was further continued for 6 hours to make the reversible thermochromic microcapsule face. The suspension was obtained.
The suspension was centrifuged to isolate a reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigment.

Preparation of conductive liquid composition (reversible thermochromic property) The conductive liquid composition 8 of Example 1 is composed of water, glycerin, electrolyte (sodium chloride), microcapsule pigment, pH adjuster, rust inhibitor, antibacterial agent. Was stirred at 50 ° C. using a mixing stirrer. Then, in the final blending step, after adding and thickening the thickener and heating it sufficiently with a stirrer until uniform, the mixture is stirred using a filter paper and filtered using filter paper. 1 conductive liquid composition is obtained. Specific blending amounts are as follows.

Conductive liquid composition formulation example 1
Water 66.7 parts by mass Glycerin 10.0 parts by mass Electrolyte (sodium chloride) 5.0 parts by mass Microcapsule pigment 15.0 parts by mass
pH adjuster (triethanolamine) 2.0 parts by mass rust inhibitor (benzotriazole) 0.5 parts by mass antibacterial agent (1,2 benzoisothiazolin-3-one) 0.5 parts by mass thickener (succino) Glycan) 0.3 parts by mass

Examples 2-3
Example 2 is the same as Formulation 1 except that the conductive liquid composition was changed to Formulation 2 as shown in Table 1, and Example 3 was formulated with the conductive liquid composition 3 as shown in Table 1. The conductive liquid compositions of Formulation Examples 2 to 3 obtained by the procedure were accommodated in the hollow cylindrical body 2 in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain input pens of Examples 2 to 3. Table 1 shows the composition of the conductive liquid compositions of Formulation Examples 2-3.

About preparation of black pigment dispersion.
First, collect appropriate amounts of carbon black, water-soluble organic solvent, water, pigment dispersant (acrylic resin), and pH adjuster, disperse thoroughly using a disperser, and then centrifuge to remove coarse particles. Thus, a black pigment dispersion (pigment concentration 30%) was obtained.

  In the conductive liquid composition of Example 4, water, glycerin, electrolyte (sodium chloride), black pigment dispersion, triethanolamine, rust inhibitor, and fungicide were stirred at 50 ° C. using a mixing stirrer. Thereafter, in the final blending step, a thickener is added and heated and mixed sufficiently with a stirrer until a uniform state is obtained, followed by filtration using filter paper and blending example used in Example 4 No. 4 conductive liquid composition is obtained. Specific blending amounts are as follows.

Conductive liquid composition formulation example 4
Water 60.6 parts by mass Glycerin 10.0 parts by mass Electrolyte (sodium chloride) 5.0 parts by mass Black pigment dispersion (pigment concentration 30%) 20.0 parts by mass Phosphate ester surfactant 1.0 part by mass
pH adjuster (triethanolamine) 2.0 parts by mass rust inhibitor (benzotriazole) 0.5 parts by mass antibacterial agent (1,2 benzoisothiazolin-3-one) 0.5 parts by mass thickener (xanthan gum) 0.4 parts by mass

Example 5
Example 5 is the same as Example 1 in the conductive liquid composition of Formulation Example 5 obtained in the same procedure as Formulation 1 except that the conductive liquid composition was changed to Formulation 5 as shown in Table 1. Thus, the input pen of Example 5 was obtained by being accommodated in the hollow cylindrical body 2. Table 1 shows the composition of the conductive liquid compositions of Formulation Examples 4 to 5.

^（１）第一工業化学株式会社
^（２）三晶株式会社 Comparative Examples 1-2
The conductive liquid compositions of Formulation Examples 6 to 7 obtained in the same procedure as Formulation Example 1 except that the conductive liquid composition was changed to Formulation 6 and Formulation 7 as shown in Table 1, Example 1 and Similarly, the input pens of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are obtained by being accommodated in a hollow cylindrical body. Table 1 shows the composition of the conductive liquid compositions of Formulation Examples 6-7.

⁽¹⁾ Daiichi Industrial Chemical Co., Ltd.
⁽²⁾ Sanki Co., Ltd.

  In Comparative Examples 1 and 2, since the conductive liquid composition is not contained in the hollow cylindrical body (the ionic liquid and / or the electrolyte is not contained), the conductivity is poor, and the operation area of the input device is set to the input pen. The cursor could not be moved smoothly even when touched with the pen tip.

  3 and 4 show the retractable input pen 21 according to the sixth embodiment. The input pen 21 is detachably screwed with a front outer cylinder 22 made of non-conductive polypropylene and an intermediate outer cylinder 23 made of non-conductive polycarbonate, and is attached to the rear end of the intermediate outer cylinder 23 at the rear. The input pen 1 of Example 1 is urged rearwardly by the elastic material 25 and stored in the outer cylinder main body obtained by fitting over the outer cylinder 24, and the rotation provided in the rear outer cylinder 23. The front and rear ends of the pen tip 4 of the input pen 1 are moved forward by pressing the clip 27 in the direction of the front end opening 22a of the front outer cylinder 22 by the cam mechanism. It is an in / out type input pen 21 that can enter and exit from 22a. A grip 28 made of a non-conductive olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer is attached to the front outer cylinder 22 for gripping. Although not shown, a cam groove is provided on the inner surface of the intermediate outer cylinder 3.

  In order to use the input pen 21 of the fifth embodiment, the gripping portion (grip 28) of the front outer cylinder 22 of the outer cylinder main body that houses the input pen 1 is gripped by a finger, and the operation area of the input device (not shown) Is touched by the input portion (ball) 5 of the pen tip 4 of the input pen 21 through the input portion 5, the resilient member 10, the pen tip holder 3, the conductive liquid composition 8, the front outer cylinder 22, and the grip 28. Thus, it is possible to conduct a cursor operation by conducting electricity to the finger holding the grip 28.

  In Examples 1 to 6, since the conductive liquid composition was accommodated in the hollow cylindrical body and the input pen was excellent in conductivity, smooth cursor movement was good and good. When the input device was observed to be operated with the input pen, the input device and the conductive ball were in contact with each other in a dot shape.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, by writing a character, a pattern, or the like with a conductive liquid composition 8 on a paper surface S (JIS P 3201) disposed on the operation surface T1 of the input device T, An image on the operation surface T1 and handwriting such as an actual character or pattern written on the paper surface S can be obtained simultaneously by an input operation by moving the input unit 5.

  Further, a friction body 29 made of a polyester elastomer is mounted on the rear end portion of the rear outer cylinder 24 by overriding, and the friction body 29 is pressed against the handwriting written on the paper surface S and rubbed. The handwriting of the thermochromic ink can be discolored by heat generated.

  In this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, a polyester elastomer is used as the friction body. However, the friction body is rich in elasticity and can generate frictional heat by generating appropriate friction during friction. An elastic body such as a foam is preferably used. Moreover, as a material of the friction body, silicone resin, SEBS resin (styrene ethylene butylene styrene block copolymer), polyester resin, or the like can be suitably used. Furthermore, it is preferable to use conductive rubber or conductive elastomer because an input operation on the friction body side is possible.

  The friction body may be a separate body from the rear outer cylinder, but the formation position is not particularly limited, such as the front outer cylinder, the intermediate outer cylinder, and the clip. It is excellent in portability by using the input pen component part itself as a friction member.

  The pen tip having conductivity of the input pen can be used as an input pen that can move the cursor smoothly by being excellent in conductivity.

1, 21 Input pen 2 Hollow cylindrical body 3 Pen tip holder 3a Front end 3b Rear end 4 Pen tip 5 Input unit (ball)
6 Nib body 7 Tail plug 8 Conductive liquid composition 9 Liquid stopper 10 Elastic member 22 Front outer cylinder 22a Front end opening 23 Intermediate outer cylinder 24 Rear outer cylinder 25 Elastic material 26 Rotating cam 27 Clip 28 Grip 29 Friction body L Maximum diameter of cross section of nib 4 S Paper surface T Input device T1 Operation surface

Claims (7)

An input pen for use in an input device for detecting a coordinate position of an operation part in an operation region by a change in electric quantity accompanying a change in capacitance and inputting the coordinate position of the operation part, wherein the input pen is a hollow cylindrical body And a pen tip mounted directly or through a connecting member on the front of the hollow cylindrical body, and the hollow cylindrical body is composed of at least an ionic liquid and / or electrolyte and a colorant. An electroconductive liquid composition is accommodated, and the pen nib is provided with an input part at the front end of the nib body, which is electrically conductive and in contact with the operation area of the input device. Either the holder or the hollow cylindrical body is provided with a valve mechanism that is normally closed and opened by applying writing pressure, and the conductive liquid composition flows out of the pen tip by opening the valve mechanism. It was possible Input pen according to claim. The pen nib holds the input unit made of a sphere in a front end part of the pen nib body so as to be able to move back and forth and rotate freely, and the input part is always located behind the input part at the front end of the nib body. By disposing a resilient member that presses in the direction, the inner wall of the front part of the input part and the nib body is closed, and the input part is resisted by the resilient force of the resilient member by applying writing pressure. The input pen according to claim 1, wherein the conductive liquid composition can flow out from a gap between the input unit and the nib body by moving backward. The input pen according to claim 2, wherein the elastic force of the elastic member that presses the input unit is higher than 100 gf. The input pen according to any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein the hollow cylindrical body or the pen point holder for holding the elastic member is formed of a conductive material. The input pen according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the nib body is formed of a non-conductive material. An input pen according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the input pen is arranged in an outer cylinder and the outer cylinder is gripped to enable an input operation. The input pen according to claim 5, wherein a pen tip of the input pen can be projected and retracted from a front end opening of the outer cylinder.

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