JP2019114283A - Indication device, reading method, program, and touch sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a new system having a simple configuration and capable of reducing manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A touch sensor system includes: a detector for detecting increase in electrostatic capacitance based on an electrode at an adjacent cross-point under an instruction device via a sense line having the adjacent cross-point when the instruction device having one or a plurality of electrodes whose area includes a cross-point of two or more and equal to or less than a prescribed number among a plurality of cross-roads of a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines included in a touch panel of an electrostatic capacitance method in at least one face is mounted on a touch panel; a comparator for comparing an amount of increase in detected electrostatic capacitance with a threshold value; and a reader for reading a pattern formed by an electrode based on a position of a cross-point having an amount of increase in electrostatic capacitance that is greater than or equal to the threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointing device, a reading method, a program and a touch sensor system.

  Conventionally, as a touch panel capable of detecting a plurality of simultaneous touch inputs, there is known a capacitive method of reading a change in charge of a sensor arranged in a matrix (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-138469 A

  In the conventional touch panel technology, it is assumed that the touch panel is touched with a human finger, and reading of a conductive pattern using a floating conductive material or the like is not assumed. Therefore, the inventor examined placing the pointing device on the touch panel using the pointing device having a conductive pattern such as a floating conductive material.

  However, it is necessary to detect the change in capacitance on the touch panel side based on the floating conductive material, but since the amount of change in capacitance based on the floating conductive material is small, this change and the amount of change due to noise are identified It is difficult to do. Also, in consideration of ghost touch or ghost points, a pointing device with a simple configuration has not been realized. Therefore, it has been difficult to realize an indication device having a conductive pattern with a simple configuration.

  Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel system which has a simple configuration and can appropriately detect a change in capacitance.

  The touch sensor system according to the present invention is an electrode having an area including at least two intersections of a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines included in the capacitive touch panel and including a predetermined number or less of intersections. When an indicating device having one or more on at least one surface is mounted on the touch panel, an increase in capacitance based on the electrode at the adjacent crossing point below the pointing device is performed at the adjacent crossing point Based on a detection unit that detects via a sense line, a comparison unit that compares the detected amount of increase in capacitance with a threshold, and a position of an intersection having an increase in capacitance that is equal to or greater than the threshold. And a reading unit for reading a pattern formed by the electrodes.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel system which has a simple configuration and can appropriately detect a change in capacitance.

It is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a touch sensor system in an embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the partial planar configuration example of the touch panel in embodiment. (A) is an equivalent circuit diagram of a capacitive touch sensor system, and (B) is an equivalent circuit diagram for describing a capacitance detection method by finger touch. (A) is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a case where a drive signal applied to a drive line is a low voltage, and (B) is an equivalent circuit diagram showing a case where a drive signal applied to a drive line is a high voltage. It is a figure for demonstrating the predetermined | prescribed size of an electrode. It is a figure which shows an example of the increase in the electrostatic capacitance C according to the size of an electrode. (A) shows a case where neither a finger nor the pointing device 20 is placed on an intersection (sensor), (B) shows an example in which a positive value peak appears in noise, (C) These show the example from which an electrode is read, (D) shows the output example 1 of more specific data, (E) is a figure which shows the output example 2 of more specific data. It is a figure which shows the example of data in case a finger touches from the upper part of a pointing device. (A) shows example 1 of the conductive pattern in the indication device, (A) shows example 2 of the conductive pattern in the indication device, and (A) shows example 3 of the conductive pattern in the indication device FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the layout of a conductive pattern. It is a figure which shows an example of the code | cord | chord information by the electrode arrange | positioned on the periphery. It is a figure which shows an example of the whole structure of the touch sensor system in embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the control part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the production | generation part shown in FIG. It is a figure showing an example of functional composition of a processing terminal in an embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the example by which a character is appropriately displayed according to the position and angle of a pointing device. It is a figure for demonstrating the example which recognizes the unique ID of an indication device. It is a figure for demonstrating recognition of instruction | indication device, and interlocking | linkage with a touch panel. (A) shows an example of a card-like pointing device, and (B) shows an example of a rectangular parallelepiped pointing device. It is a flow chart which shows an example of processing of a control part in an embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the reading process in embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of touch processing in an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of display control processing in an embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and there is no intention to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not explicitly stated below. That is, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications (such as combining the respective embodiments) without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily match the actual dimensions, ratios, etc. There may be parts where the dimensional relationships and proportions differ among the drawings.

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a touch sensor system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overview of touch sensor system>
FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing an example of the touch sensor system 1 in the embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the touch sensor system 1 includes the touch panel 10, and the pointing device 20 is placed opposite to the screen of the touch panel 10. The touch sensor system 1 may include the pointing device 20 or may not include the pointing device 20 as another configuration.

  The pointing device 20 has a conductive pattern (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a “pattern”) 22 of a predetermined shape that can be disposed to face the screen of the touch panel 10. For example, when the pointing device 20 is brought into contact with or brought close to the screen of the touch panel 10 of the touch sensor system 1 that enables position input operation of an indicator such as a finger, the touch sensor system 1 The conductive pattern 22 of the shape can be read.

  The conductive pattern 22 is formed based on the position of one or more electrodes. For example, as this electrode, a transparent electrode such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) as a conductive material is used, or a solid electrode such as aluminum is used.

  From the viewpoint of security, the conductive pattern 22 may be made transparent so as not to be easily visible from the outside using a transparent electrode as the conductive material. In addition, when a material other than the transparent electrode is used as the conductive material of the conductive pattern 22, the surface of the conductive pattern 22 may be coated with an opaque member (such as a resin) to prevent visibility from the outside. Good.

  Moreover, various patterns are formed by interspersing each electrode as the conductive pattern 22 as a planar view shape from the surface of the touch panel 10. The shape of the conductive pattern 22 represents code information such as unique ID information for identifying the user or the pointing device 20 or installation information indicating a position or an angle. By representing the unique ID information and the like using the difference in the shape of the conductive pattern 22, it is possible to identify whether the conductive pattern 22 is or not by the change in the signal read from the sensor of the touch panel 10.

  Moreover, as for the pointing device 20, it is desirable to put the surface side in which the conductive pattern 22 is formed on the sensor screen of the touch panel 10. Thereby, the shape viewed from the sensor screen of the touch panel 10 can be easily read. The conductive pattern 22 may be disposed on one surface of the pointing device 20 as a planar or solid member.

  Next, the configuration of a part of the touch panel 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a partial plan configuration example of the touch panel 10. In the example shown in FIG. 2, in the capacitive touch panel 10, an alternating current signal called a drive signal is applied to the plurality of drive lines L <b> 11 to 14 arranged substantially in parallel to the Y direction. Further, the plurality of sense lines L21 to 24 arranged substantially in parallel to the X direction intersect three-dimensionally at substantially right angles with the respective drive lines, and a change in the current signal waveform of each intersection (each sensor) P is detected. That is, a change in capacitance C is detected at each of the intersections P.

  At this time, when no indicator (including the equivalent of a finger) is placed on the sensor surface of the touch panel 10 and when the indicator is placed, the current signal waveform at the corresponding intersection increases or decreases. Do. The touch sensor system 1 reads the increase and decrease of the waveform, and sets the amount of change as the amount of change of the capacitance C. The drive lines L11 to L14 and the sense lines L21 to 24 may be inverted, and the line to which the drive signal is applied and the line to be sensed may be alternately interchanged.

(Capacity detection by finger touch)
FIG. 3A is an equivalent circuit diagram corresponding to each intersection of the capacitive touch sensor system 1. FIG. 3B is an equivalent circuit diagram for explaining a capacitance detection method by finger touch.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the capacitive touch sensor system 1 applies a drive voltage to the drive line, detects the current I at the sense line, and changes the detected current I (change in capacitance C) Read the touch position by whether or not it). In this case, when the user's finger touches the sensor surface of the touch panel 10, as shown in FIG. 3B, it can be considered that both ends of the capacitor C are grounded in parallel via the capacitors C1 and C2. .

  As compared with a state where nothing is placed on the sensor surface of the touch panel 10 of the touch sensor system 1, as shown in FIG. 3B, the indicator 5 such as the user's finger is placed on the sensor surface In the state, the touch sensor system 1 is grounded at both ends of the capacitance C via the capacitances C1 and C2 in parallel. Therefore, the current I2 flowing to the ammeter A is smaller than the current I by the amount of the current I1, as compared with the state where the indicator 5 is not placed. This decrease in current also reduces the capacitance C. Therefore, the touch sensor system 1 can determine that the finger touch is made at the position of the intersection where the capacitance C is reduced.

(Capacity detection by touch of pointing device 10)
FIG. 4 is an equivalent circuit diagram in a state where the pointing device 20 is placed at one intersection (sensor) on the sensor screen of the touch panel 10 of the capacitive touch sensor system 1. FIG. 4A is an equivalent circuit diagram showing the case where the drive signal applied to the drive line is at a low voltage. FIG. 4B is an equivalent circuit diagram showing the case where the drive signal applied to the drive line has a high voltage.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the pointing device 20 having the conductive pattern 22 is placed on the touch panel 10 of the capacitive touch sensor system 1, the touch sensor system 1 is used. The circuit is equivalent to the state in which the stray capacitance C3 is inserted in parallel to the drive line and the sense line of the driving circuit. In this state, when the AC drive signal to the drive line is inverted from low voltage to high voltage and high voltage to low voltage, a current flows in the parallel circuit of the capacitance C and the stray capacitance C3, and the charged capacitance is The charges of C and stray capacitance C3 flow from the side of pointing device 20 to the side of touch sensor system 1, and the charges for charging capacitance C and stray capacitance C3 flow from the side of touch sensor system 1 to the side of pointing device. Therefore, the current flowing to the ammeter A via the sense line is increased. Thus, it is determined that the capacitance has increased.

  That is, when the touch panel 10 is touched with a finger, a current flows on the finger side, and the current I sensed decreases. This decrease in current also reduces the capacitance C. Using this phenomenon, the touch sensor system 1 determines that the finger is touched at the position where the capacitance C is decreased.

  On the other hand, in the case of the pointing device 20, a current flows from the pointing device 20 side, and the sensed current I increases. Thereby, the touch sensor system 1 determines that the capacitance has increased.

  As described above, when the touch panel 10 is touched with a finger, the capacitance C at the intersection (sensor) changes in the decreasing direction, and when the pointing device 20 having the conductive pattern 22 touches the touch panel 10, the intersection Capacitance C in the direction of increase changes.

  In the embodiment, attention is focused on the increase of the capacitance C by the pointing device 20. When the size of the electrode provided on the pointing device 20 is considered, in order to increase the variation of the code information represented by the pattern of the electrode in the limited space, the size tends to be reduced as much as possible. Therefore, it is considered that the size of the minimum unit including one crossing point and not including two electrodes is used.

  However, the inventor does not use electrodes of the smallest unit size, but by using an electrode of a predetermined size which is larger than the smallest unit, static electricity is sensed using interference between adjacent sensors which are usually avoided. Increase the amount of change in capacitance C. The inventor has found that the value of the capacitance C can be detected to a detectable level by using the phenomenon in which the amount of change in the capacitance C increases due to interference between adjacent sensors.

<Relationship between electrode size and capacitance>
Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, it will be described that in the electrode of a predetermined size used in the embodiment, the capacitance corresponding to the electrode can be suitably detected. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a predetermined size of the electrode. FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of the increase of the capacitance C according to the size of the electrode.

  The electrode E10 shown in FIG. 5 shows, for example, an electrode of a minimum unit size that includes one cross point (sensor) P11. FIG. 6A shows a change in capacitance of the intersection P11 located under the placement of the electrode E10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6A, a current flows from the electrode E10 side to increase the sensed current and increase the capacitance, but since the amount of stray capacitance C3 is small, the amount of increase is small. is there. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish this increase amount from white noise and the like.

  Next, an electrode E12 shown in FIG. 5 shows an electrode of a predetermined size used in the embodiment. The predetermined size refers to a size including two or more intersections with a predetermined number or less of intersections of the touch panel 10. The predetermined number may vary depending on the performance of the touch panel, and is, for example, nine. In addition, the predetermined size may be a size including an intersection of 2 × 2 or more and 3 × 3 or less or less. The size including 2 × 2 or more and 3 × 3 or less intersections refers to a size based on 2 × 2, 2 × 3, 3 × 2, or 3 × 3 intersections. By making this size, there is a phenomenon that current movement occurs due to interference between adjacent sensors at adjacent intersections P21 and P22 located under the placement of the electrode E10, and the current flowing to these intersections P21 and P22 increases. It occurs (hereinafter, also referred to as "bridge effect"). The interference between adjacent sensors means that stray capacitance is generated between the electrodes on the upper side of the sensor other than the electrode on the upper side of a predetermined sensor, and the current flowing to the sensor is increased due to the stray capacitance. In addition to the increase in stray capacitance, another factor that increases the current flowing to the sensor is the occurrence of charge exchange due to the potential difference between the bridged sensors. Therefore, the amount of change in capacitance C increases to such an extent that the inventor can distinguish these intersections P21 and P22 from noise, and thus the touch sensor system 1 has the electrode E12 at the positions of the intersections P21 and P22. I found that I could read that.

  FIG. 6B shows a change in capacitance of the intersections P21 and P22 located under the placement of the electrode E12 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, a current flows from the electrode E12 side, and the capacitance C of the intersections P21 and P22 increases. At this time, as described above, the adjacent intersections P21 and P22 are connected by the bridge effect, so the amount of current flowing to each other increases more than the amount of current shown in FIG. Therefore, if the threshold value Th1 is appropriately set, the touch sensor system 1 can detect this amount of increase, and can read that the electrode E12 is present at the intersections P21 and P22.

  Finally, electrode E14 shown in FIG. 5 shows an electrode of too large size to be used in the embodiment. The size that is too large refers to, for example, a size including 5 × 5 or more intersections for the intersections of the touch panel 10. The intersections P31 to P35 are located under the placement of the electrode E14, and the change of the electrostatic capacitance C at each of these intersections is shown in FIG. 6C.

  FIG. 6C shows a change in capacitance of the intersections P31 to P35 located under the placement of the electrode E14 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6C, in the size of the electrode E14 shown in FIG. 5, since the capacitance increase amount falls below the threshold Th1 at the central intersection P33 or the like, the touch sensor system 1 appropriately selects one. It can not recognize that it is a pattern. This is because the central portion of the electrode E14 has the same effect as the virtual ground by the planar antenna and is canceled in the direction in which the current value decreases, so that the detected current value decreases and the sensor such as the intersection P33 This is because the sensitivity is lowered and a change in capacitance C can not be properly detected.

  On the other hand, the intersections P31 and P35 at the end of the electrode E14 are recognized by the touch sensor system 1 beyond the threshold Th1 because the amount of change in the capacitance C increases due to the above-described bridge effect. Therefore, while the electrode E14 is one electrode E14, the touch sensor system 1 detects two electrodes (intersections P31 and P35), which makes it impossible to read an appropriate pattern. Therefore, in the embodiment, since the electrode E14 illustrated in FIG. 5 is too large in size because the electrode is detected using the threshold Th1 illustrated in FIG. 6, the touch sensor system 1 appropriately detects the electrode E14. I can not

<Example of data detected by touch sensor system 1>
Next, an example of data detected by the touch sensor system 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining each example of data detected in the touch sensor system 1. In the example shown in FIG. 7, white noise is expressed as plus or minus 30 for simplicity. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 7, since the size (area) of the electrode is known, it is assumed that the size is used for determination of the electrode.

(If there is nothing on the sensor)
FIG. 7A shows a case where neither the finger nor the pointing device 20 is placed on the intersection (sensor). As shown in FIG. 7A, minute white noise is output from the sensor.

(If positive peaks appear in the noise)
The electrode used in the embodiment has a predetermined size as described using the electrode E12 shown in FIG. Therefore, the sensor value (hereinafter also referred to as "data") is not only simply exceeds the threshold Th1 shown in FIG. 6, but is adjacent to the area including data exceeding the threshold (hereinafter also referred to as "peak"). The area is also used to identify touch or proximity of the pointing device 20. The adjacent area refers to an area where the positions of the sensors having detected the peaks are combined if the positions of the sensors having detected the peaks are adjacent to each other. The touch sensor system 1 recognizes touch or proximity by the pointing device 20 using comparison of the sensed capacitance and a threshold or the size of the area of the adjacent region.

  FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example where a positive value peak appears in noise. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the threshold value Th1 of the capacity is set to 300, and the threshold value Th2 of the area is set to the area of a region formed by four intersections. With regard to the area, the touch sensor system 1 may recognize that the position of the sensor indicating the capacitance that is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 is 2 × 2 or greater.

  According to the example shown in FIG. 7B, since the peak is one point and the area of the adjacent region is not a size formed by at least four intersections, the touch sensor system 1 recognizes this peak as noise. Do.

  As for the area, as with the lower limit, the touch sensor system 1 excludes the case where the area is too large due to the disturbance. Since the electrode size (cord size) is known, both the upper limit and the lower limit can be set. The upper limit is, for example, the area of a region formed by 3 × 3 intersections.

(When the electrode is read)
FIG. 7C shows an example in which the electrode E is read. In the example shown in FIG. 7C, it is assumed that the electrode E is placed in the central 2 × 2 region. As shown in FIG. 7C, since the peak has a 2 × 2 or more adjacent area, the touch sensor system 1 reads this portion as an electrode of a part of the pattern. In addition, the touch sensor system 1 can read the position of the electrode more accurately by obtaining the barycentric position of the output data belonging to the peak.

(Example 1 of more specific data output)
FIG. 7D is a diagram showing a more specific output example 1 of data. In the example shown in FIG. 7D, it is assumed that the electrode E is placed in the central 2 × 2 region. As a specific data output tendency in this case, the portion around the outside of the electrode decreases in value due to the effect of virtual ground. Also, if the electrodes are only slightly above the sensor, or if the electrodes are in the vicinity of the sensor (within the radiation range of the drive circuit's AC), the effect of virtual ground will be stronger than the bridge effect. The output is considered to be decreasing in value. For example, a position of -100 corresponds to the outer edge. Even if the pointing device 20 is not placed directly on the intersection (sensor), it may be influenced only by being in the vicinity.

  A so-called ghost touch or ghost point (hereinafter also referred to as “ghost”) tends to appear at the four corners where the influence of the grounding of the pointing device 20 intersects. It is well known that this ghost appears at the reaction cross point. Also, depending on the positional relationship between the electrodes of the pointing device 20 and the intersection (sensor) or the degree of overlap, the peak may not appear as a clean 2 × 2, and the shape or size may be different. Therefore, as described above, the touch sensor system 1 performs peak detection by the threshold determination of data and the area determination of the adjacent region. Thereby, the position of the electrode can be appropriately recognized.

(When the hand touches the top of the pointing device 20 placed on the touch panel 10)
FIG. 7E is a diagram showing a more specific output example 2 of data. In the example shown in FIG. 7E, the pointing device 20 including the electrode E is placed at the positions of the second and third columns from the right and the third and fourth rows from the top. Suppose that the user touches with a hand (for example, a finger). At this time, in the existing touch reaction (reaction sensed as a negative value area) by the human body, a relatively convex area appears due to the influence of the floating capacitance of the electrode described above. This is because when the values in the third or fourth row are signaled, a convex region appears in the overall downward convex graph, that is, there is at least one maximum value and a minimum value. It becomes a signal arrangement in which the number of values> the number of maximum values. This condition is determined within a predetermined range that is affected by the touch of the hand. This signal arrangement will be described with reference to FIG. Also, the sensor is affected more extensively by the hand touch than in the electrode placement, and furthermore, the change in capacitance is much larger for the hand touch than for the electrode placement. Therefore, in the touch sensor system 1, when there is an intersection (sensor) having a predetermined increase amount in the amount of change in capacitance less than a predetermined negative value, the position based on the intersection is determined from above the pointing device It may be determined that the touch by the hand.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data in the case where the user touches the pointing device 20 from above. For example, the value (data) of the electrostatic capacitance C shown in FIG. 8 indicates the data in the third line from the top shown in FIG. The position of the intersection P41 shown in FIG. 8 represents the position of data in the third row from the top and the second column from the right shown in FIG. 7E. As shown in FIG. 8, when the hand touches the pointing device 20, there is at least one maximum value, and the graph satisfies the condition of the number of minimum values> the number of maximum values.

  Thereby, the change of the electrostatic capacitance by the hand is concave and the change of the electrostatic capacitance by the electrode is convex, and the detection filter A for the conductive pattern 22 and the detection filter B for the touch by the hand or the like are used. By selectively using two types of filters, the touch sensor system 1 can detect code input and touch input independently. The detection filter A obtains a positive peak in the opposite direction to that of a normal touch sensor. The detection filter B obtains a negative peak in the same manner as a normal touch sensor. When the conductive pattern 22 is directly touched by a human, the conductive pattern 22 and the human are electrically connected and integrated, so that the “gap” does not allow the human to directly touch the conductive pattern 22. An insulating member such as “the thickness of the base material” may be provided in the pointing device 20.

  The shape of the electrode is preferably circular in order to stably detect the position regardless of the rotation of the pointing device 20 or the like in consideration of the appearance of so-called ghost and the determination of the center of gravity.

<Example of Conductive Pattern 22>
Next, an example of the conductive pattern 22 having a plurality of electrodes described above will be described. FIG. 9A is a view showing Example 1 of the conductive pattern 22 in the pointing device. In the example shown in FIG. 9A, the pointing device 20A has a rectangular shape such as a rectangle, and the conductive pattern 22 is formed of a pattern in which a plurality of circular electrodes E are attached.

  FIG. 9B is a view showing Example 2 of the conductive pattern 22 in the pointing device. In the example shown in FIG. 9B, the pointing device 20B has a rectangular shape such as a square, and the conductive pattern 22 is formed of a pattern in which a plurality of circular electrodes E are attached.

  FIG. 9C is a view showing Example 3 of the conductive pattern 22 in the pointing device. In the example shown in FIG. 9C, the pointing device 20C has a circular shape, and the conductive pattern 22 is formed of a pattern in which a plurality of circular electrodes E are attached.

  By using the conductive pattern 22 as described above, each electrode of a predetermined size generates a flow of current to the adjacent sensor due to the bridge effect, and the amount of change in capacitance increases, thereby distinguishing it from noise. It becomes easy to detect. Therefore, the conductive pattern 22 can be read appropriately, and the touch sensor system 1 can appropriately recognize the code information. Further, by using the conductive pattern 22 in the embodiment, it is possible to provide a novel pointing device that has a simple configuration and that can appropriately detect a change in capacitance.

<Shape of pattern>
Even with the electrodes described above, there may be a layout in which the recognition of the code is not stable. As a reason for this, it is known from the inventor's experiments that when a plurality of electrodes are arranged on the same drive line / sense line, the sensitivity decreases toward the end. This is not a problem if it has a large capacity such as the human body, but in the case of the stray capacity, it is adversely affected by this layout because the capacity is small. Therefore, the layout is adjusted so that multiple electrodes do not line up on the same line and on orthogonal lines.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of the layout of the conductive pattern 22. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10A shows a layout 1. The pointing device 20D shown in FIG. 10A is of a square type, and the electrodes are arranged such that the number of lines arranged in the same line and the orthogonal line is equal to or less than a certain number. As a result, even if the device 20D is placed so that the electrodes are arranged on the drive line / sense line, it is confirmed that the code recognition is stabilized because the necessary sensitivity is secured.

  FIG. 10B shows a layout 2 of the conductive pattern 22. As shown in FIG. Since the pointing device 20E is circular, and the electrodes are arranged on the circumference, the electrodes are dispersed in each line, so that at most two are aligned in the same line and the orthogonal line. This confirms that code recognition is stable. In the layout shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the electrodes are arranged on the circumference.

  As described above, since the conductive pattern 22 can be provided flat, the conductive pattern 22 can be formed on the thin card-like pointing device 20.

<Example of code information>
Next, code information represented by the conductive pattern 22 will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of code information by the electrodes arranged on the circumference.

  The electrodes E21 to E23 are for recognizing the position (x, y) and the direction (angle: θ) of the pointing device 20. The position and orientation of the pointing device 20 can be determined based on the position and orientation of the triangle formed by the electrodes E21-23.

  The electrode E31 is a bit for parity check. The electrodes E41 to E46 are bits for the ID. This ID bit can be used to represent the ID of the instruction device 20, the ID of the user, and the like.

<Example of Overall Configuration of Touch Sensor System>
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the entire configuration of the touch sensor system 1 according to the embodiment. In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the touch sensor system 1 includes the display device 2 including the touch panel 10, the control substrate 4 including the control unit 6, and the processing terminal 8. The touch panel 10 is connected to the control substrate 4 by a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or the like. The control unit 6 is connected to the processing terminal 8 using a connection cable connected via the control substrate 4. The processing terminal 8 is connected to the display device 2.

  The display device 2 has a display screen for image display, and the touch panel 10 is provided on the display screen. For example, in addition to a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, a field emission display, etc., any display device 2 may be used as long as it can be displayed on a display screen.

  The touch panel 10 is provided parallel to each other along the touch panel surface and has a plurality of drive lines to which a drive signal is applied, and further, parallel to each other along the touch panel surface so as to intersect with the plurality of drive lines. And a plurality of sense lines provided. "Crossing" indicates a three-dimensional crossing and includes vertical crossing and crossing by other angles.

  The touch panel 10 outputs an output signal according to a change in capacitance by an indicator (a finger or a touch pen) in contact or in proximity, or the pointing device 20. The plurality of output signals from the plurality of sense lines are signals that are output through the intersection of the drive line and the sense line in the touch panel surface and the vicinity thereof by driving the drive line.

  If the finger or the pointing device 20 is in contact with or in proximity to the touch panel surface, the signal from the sense line changes. That is, position coordinates (x, y) of a two-dimensional indication detection area indicating the presence or absence of contact or proximity to the indication detection area (area of the touch panel) by the signal obtained by the sense line, the finger and the indication device 20 Signal indicating three-dimensional coordinate information indicating capacitance information (w) according to As the W value of the capacitance information (w) decreases, the signal level indicating the capacitance value decreases.

  In this respect, as described above, when the finger touches or approaches the touch panel (including the case where the finger touches or approaches from above the pointing device 20), the W value of the capacitance information (w) becomes a negative value. On the other hand, when in contact with or in proximity to the pointing device 20, the W value of the capacitance information (w) becomes a positive value. As described above, the touch sensor system 1 can separately detect a code input and a touch input by using two types of filters, a filter for the conductive pattern 22 and a filter for touch by a finger or the like. .

  The control unit 6 is, for example, a processor, and drives each drive line, and processes signals from each sense line to detect a contact position (detection area of a conductive pattern) of the pointing device 20 or the like in the touch panel surface. Do.

  The processing terminal 8 is, for example, a personal computer, and controls the control unit 6 via a connection cable, and also detects position coordinates (x, y) of the pointing device 20 detected by the control unit 6 and information (w of capacitance) And enables display control of the image displayed on the display screen of the display device 2.

  Further, the processing terminal 8 connected to the touch sensor system 1 may be provided on the server side as in the cloud service, and the touch sensor system 1 itself may be provided with the function of the processing terminal 8 to control the display. It is possible.

«Configuration of control unit 6»
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control unit 6 shown in FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 13, the control unit 6 includes a drive unit 102, an amplification unit 104, a signal acquisition unit 106, a conversion unit 108, a processing unit 110, a setting unit 112, and a generation unit 114. The driving unit 102 sequentially applies and drives a drive line.

  The amplification unit 104 amplifies each of a plurality of output signals output from a plurality of sense lines, and outputs each amplified output signal.

  The signal acquisition unit 106 acquires each output signal amplified by the amplification unit 104 and outputs an analog signal by time division.

  The conversion unit 108 converts the analog signal output by the signal acquisition unit 106 into a digital signal, and outputs the converted digital signal.

  Based on the digital signal converted by the conversion unit 108, the processing unit 110 obtains the distribution of the amount of change in capacitance within the surface (detection surface) of the touch panel 10, and outputs this distribution.

  The setting unit 112 sets a threshold value Th1 of a capacitance used to detect position information (x, y) indicating a contact position of a finger or the like in the plane of the touch panel 10 or position information (x, y) of a detection region of a conductive pattern. And the area threshold Th2 etc. are set in advance.

  The generation unit 114 generates positional information indicating the contact position of a finger or the like, and positional information of the conductive pattern 22 of the pointing device 20 based on each threshold with respect to the distribution of change in capacitance obtained by the processing unit 110. Generate

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the generation unit 114 shown in FIG. The generation unit 114 illustrated in FIG. 14 includes a detection unit 1142, a comparison unit 1144, a reading unit 1146, and a determination unit 1148.

  The detection unit 1142 is, for example, 2 × 2 or more and 3 × 3 or less (2 × 2, 2 × 3, or 3 × 2) among a plurality of intersections of a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines included in the touch panel 10 A change in capacitance based on the electrodes is detected via a sense line having the intersection at the intersection located under the pointing device 20 having one or more electrodes having an area including the intersection of. The detection unit 1142 detects, for example, the change in capacitance at each intersection from the distribution of the amount of change in capacitance acquired from the processing unit 110.

  The comparison unit 1144 compares the amount of change in capacitance detected by the detection unit 1142 with the threshold. For example, when the capacitance C increases, the comparison unit 1144 compares the increased amount of change in capacitance with the threshold value Th1.

  The reading unit 1146 reads a pattern formed of one or a plurality of electrodes based on the intersection having the amount of change in capacitance which is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 as a result of comparison. For example, the reading unit 1146 reads the conductive pattern 22 based on the position of one or more electrodes that is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1. Thereby, the conductive pattern 22 can be appropriately read with a simple configuration.

  Judgment unit 1148 determines whether or not there is an intersection having a predetermined increase amount within a predetermined negative value or less with respect to the capacitance change amounts detected in the plurality of sense lines located around instruction device 20. Determine if In addition, in the two-dimensional distribution representing the amount of change in capacitance detected in a plurality of sense lines below the pointing device 20, the determination unit 1148 determines that at least one maximum value and the number of minimum values> maximum value. It is determined whether there is an area that becomes a number. For example, the determination unit 1148 determines whether or not the upward convex area is included in the overall downward convex (concave shape) graph as illustrated in FIG. 8.

  The determination unit 1148 determines that the determination result is positive (there is a sensor that indicates a predetermined increase amount within a predetermined negative value or less, or at least one maximum value and the number of minimum values> the number of maximum values, and If there is a region (which is), it may be determined that the user is touching the position based on the maximum value. This makes it possible to detect when the user touches the top of the pointing device 20 with a finger. Moreover, the touch by the finger on the touch panel 10 can detect the touch by the finger if the amount of change in capacitance is a negative value and is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value using a known technique.

  In addition, when an intersection having a capacitance change amount equal to or greater than the threshold is adjacent, the comparison unit 1144 may read the pattern of the electrode based on the size of the area connecting the adjacent intersections. Thereby, noise etc. can be removed and the conductive pattern 22 can be read more appropriately.

«Configuration of processing terminal 8»
Next, the functional configuration of the processing terminal 8 will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the processing terminal 8 in the embodiment. The processing terminal 8 shown in FIG. 15 includes a pattern acquisition unit 202, a code recognition unit 204, a display control unit 206, and an operation control unit 208. Each unit of the processing terminal 8 may be implemented by a processor or a RAM as a work memory.

  The pattern acquisition unit 202 acquires the conductive pattern 22 output by the control unit 6 of the control substrate 4, and outputs the acquired conductive pattern 22.

  The code recognition unit 204 recognizes code information based on the conductive pattern 22 acquired from the pattern acquisition unit 202. The code recognition unit 204 holds in advance a correspondence table etc. of various patterns and code information corresponding to the patterns. The code recognition unit 204 collates the acquired conductive pattern with the pattern of the correspondence table, and as a result of the collation, recognizes code information corresponding to the matched pattern.

  The code recognition unit 204 also recognizes the position and the orientation (angle) of the pointing device 20 by the conductive pattern 22. The code recognition unit 204 outputs the recognized information to the display control unit 206. The code information may include the unique ID of the pointing device 20, the position, and the angle.

  The display control unit 206 performs display control on the display screen of the display device 2 based on the code information recognized by the code recognition unit 204. For example, the display control unit 206 associates and holds the code information and the display information, and controls the display information corresponding to the acquired code information to be displayed at the position related to the touch position of the pointing device 20.

  More specifically, the display control unit 206 controls to display a character corresponding to the code information in the pointing device 20 based on the position and the orientation of the pointing device 20. At this time, as the conductive pattern 22, a transparent electrode such as ITO may be used, and a transparent device may be used as the pointing device 20.

  Further, based on the position of the instruction device 20, the display control unit 206 controls to display an operation menu, an operation button, and the like on the display screen. Further, since the touch from the pointing device 20 can be detected, the display control unit 206 may perform control to display an operation button or the like in the area of the pointing device.

  The operation control unit 208 performs operation control based on the touch of the user's finger or the like on the touch panel 10. For example, when the operation menu or the operation button related to the pointing device 20 is operated, the operation control unit 208 performs control corresponding to the operation. For example, in a game or the like, the operation control unit 208 controls the progress of the game based on the operation button.

  The display control unit 206 also controls a display object displayed on the display screen based on the operation control by the operation control unit 208. For example, the display control unit 206 displays the game execution screen on the display screen, and controls the game execution screen based on the pressing of the operation button displayed via the touch panel 10.

<Specific example of game>
Next, a game using the touch sensor system 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that a soccer field is displayed on the display screen, and a character is displayed in the area of the pointing device 20. The pointing device 20 is a transparent member or a transparent member, and the conductive pattern is also formed of a transparent electrode such as ITO. Here, "transparent" and "transmission" also include the degree of transmission that can be seen through the member.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the character is appropriately displayed according to the position and the angle of the pointing device 20. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the display control unit 206 near the area where the pointing device 20 of the touch panel 10 is disposed by the display control unit 206 based on the position and angle of the pointing device 20 recognized by the code recognition unit 204 and the unique ID. The character corresponding to the unique ID can be displayed in an orientation fixed relative to the pointing device 20. For example, even if the orientation of the pointing device 20 is changed, the displayed character is displayed in the pointing device 20 following the change of the orientation.

  In addition, even when a plurality of pointing devices 20 are placed on the touch panel 10, the display control unit 206 displays a predetermined character corresponding to the ID or the like of the pointing device in each pointing device 20. Can.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for describing an example in which the unique ID of the pointing device 20 is recognized. First, the code recognition unit 204 acquires code information based on the shape of the recognized conductive pattern 22. The code information is, for example, a unique ID of the instruction device 20. Thereby, the code recognition unit 204 can acquire the unique ID for each of the instruction devices 20.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 17, the unique ID (101 to 103) corresponding to each pointing device 20 is displayed in the area where the pointing device 20 of the touch panel 10 is disposed. In practice, the display control unit 206 can perform control to display the character corresponding to the unique ID on the display screen at the placement position of the pointing device 20 (see, for example, FIG. 16).

  FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing recognition of the pointing device 20 and interlocking with the touch panel 20. The touch sensor system 1 according to the embodiment can also perform touch input with a finger or the like as well as code input by the pointing device 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, the display control unit 206 may display the operation menu M10 or the operation button B10 in the area related to the position of the pointing device 20 based on the position and the angle of the pointing device 20. In the example illustrated in FIG. 18, the operation of the displayed operation menu M10 and operation button B10 is detected using the touch panel 10, and the display control unit 206 performs display control according to the detection content.

  Thereby, in the embodiment, compared to the non-transmissive instruction device 20, a display object such as a character can be displayed in the area of the instruction device 20, and the display content is not disturbed by the instruction device 20. It can be used entirely.

  In particular, it is advantageous that the display control unit 206 can display at least a display under the conductive pattern 22 of the pointing device 20 placed on the touch panel 10. Thereby, the user can visually recognize the display object displayed on the display screen through the transparent conductive pattern 22.

  In addition, it is also possible to change the display of the character corresponding to the unique ID of the instruction device 20 according to the progress of the game. For example, by associating game status information or the like in association with the unique ID, the display control unit 206 can change the display of the character according to the status information.

  Further, even if the pointing device 20 is not transparent and the user can not visually recognize the display object displayed below the pointing device 20, the display control unit 206 detects the position of the pointing device 20. It is also possible to associate the display object displayed below with the position of the pointing device 20 and display it. The display control unit 206 can also perform display control so that the moving object bypasses the area of the pointing device 20 when the moving object to be displayed is predicted to travel under the pointing device 20.

  As another example, the touch sensor system 1 in the embodiment can be applied to puzzle display and the like. For example, the display control unit 206 displays a puzzle piece in the area under the pointing device 20 placed on the touch panel 10, aligns the positions and orientations of the plurality of pointing devices 20, and arranges them on the touch panel 10 side by side. It can be made to be one pattern.

  At this time, even with the same instruction device 20, the user can enjoy puzzles of different finished patterns by changing the pattern to be associated with the unique ID.

<Example of shape of pointing device>
Next, an example of the shape of the pointing device 20 will be described. FIG. 19 is a view showing an example of the shape of the pointing device 20 used in the embodiment. FIG. 19A shows an example of a card-like pointing device 20. As shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 19A, the pattern of the transparent electrode E is provided on the positive surface (outer surface) of the pointing device 20 in the Z direction. Also, the pattern of the transparent electrode E may be provided on the negative surface (inner surface) of the pointing device 20 in the Z direction.

  FIG. 19B is a view showing an example of the rectangular parallelepiped pointing device 20. As shown in FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 19B, the pattern of the transparent electrode E is provided on the positive surface (outer surface) of the pointing device 20 in the Z direction. When the outer surface is placed to face the touch panel 10, a half mirror or half prism is used inside the rectangular parallelepiped, and the display object displayed below the pointing device 20 is in or on the pointing device 10. The display object (for example, a character) may be floated up (imaged).

  In addition, by providing half mirrors and half prisms in a multi-faced manner inside this rectangular parallelepiped, it is possible to display a display object that looks three-dimensional from each direction of 360 degrees. At that time, the display control unit 106 causes the display objects corresponding to the respective ones to be displayed in the area under each surface inside the rectangular parallelepiped pointing device 20. For example, display control of the front, right, back, left, etc. of the character is performed at the position where it is displayed according to the half mirror or half prism of each side.

  In addition, as the pointing device 20, a cylinder, a cone, a polygonal prism, a polygonal pyramid, a stuffed animal, a doll, etc. may be used.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the touch sensor system 1 in the embodiment will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the control unit 6 in the embodiment. In step S102 illustrated in FIG. 20, the control unit 6 detects a change in capacitance at each intersection (each sensor) of the touch panel 10.

  In step S104, the control unit 6 performs a reading process of the conductive pattern 22 of the pointing device 20. This reading process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S106, the control unit 6 performs a process of determining a touch by a finger or the like. This touch process will be described later with reference to FIG.

  As described above, in the embodiment, since the reading process and the touch process of the pattern can be implemented by different algorithms, the threshold value and the like for each process can be appropriately set, and accordingly, each process can be appropriately executed. .

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the reading process in the embodiment. In step S202 illustrated in FIG. 21, the comparison unit 1144 determines whether the amount of change in capacitance of a certain sensor detected by the detection unit 1142 is equal to or greater than a threshold Th1. If the amount of change is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 (step S202-YES), the process proceeds to step S204, and if the amount of change is less than the threshold Th1 (step S202-NO), the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S204, the generation unit 114 specifies the position of the sensor that is equal to or greater than the threshold Th1 (hereinafter, this position is also referred to as a "specified position").

  In step S206, the generation unit 114 determines whether the sensors in the entire area of the touch panel 10 have been processed. If all area sensors have been processed (step S206-YES), the process proceeds to step S208. If all area sensors have not been processed (step S206-NO), the process returns to step S202, and another process is performed. The process of step S202 is performed in the change of the electrostatic capacitance by a sensor.

  In step S208, the comparison unit 1144 obtains a certain specific position.

  In step S210, the comparison unit 1144 determines whether or not the adjacent position of the acquired specific position is another specific position. If the adjacent position is the specific position (step S210-YES), the process proceeds to step S212, and if the adjacent position is not the specific position (step S210-NO), the process proceeds to step S218.

  In step S212, the comparison unit 1144 sets an area in which a specific position and an adjacent position are connected.

  In step S214, the comparison unit 1144 determines whether the size of the connection area is equal to or larger than the threshold Th2. The threshold value Th2 is an area formed of 2 × 2 intersections. If the size of the connected area is equal to or larger than the threshold Th2 (step S214-YES), the process proceeds to step S216. If the size of the connected area is smaller than the threshold Th2 (step S214-NO), the process proceeds to step S218. In addition, since the size of an electrode is known, the upper limit of the size of a connection area may be set.

  In step S216, the reading unit 1146 reads the position regarding this connection area as the position of an individual electrode that forms the conductive pattern.

  In step S218, the generation unit 114 determines whether or not processing has been performed at all specific positions. If the process is performed at all the specific positions (step S218-YES), the process ends, and if the process is not performed at all the specific positions (step S218-NO), another specific position is acquired so as to be obtained. Return to

  Thereby, the position of the electrode which forms a conductive pattern can be read appropriately by calculating | requiring the positive peak of a reverse direction with a normal touch sensor. The position of the read electrode is transmitted to the processing terminal 8.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of touch processing in the embodiment. In step S302 shown in FIG. 22, the determination unit 1148 determines that there is at least one maximum value and the number of maximum values> the number of maximum values in the two-dimensional distribution represented by the amount of change in capacitance. Determine if there is. If the determination result is affirmative (step S302-YES), the process proceeds to step S304, and if the determination result is negative (step S302-NO), the process ends. In addition, the determination unit 1148 may determine whether there is an intersection having a predetermined increase amount among predetermined negative values with respect to the change amount of the capacitance.

  In step S304, the determination unit 1148 determines whether a region with a positive determination result is within a predetermined size. For example, the predetermined size is determined based on the size of the pointing device 20. If the determination result is affirmative (step S304-YES), the process proceeds to step S306, and if the determination result is negative (step S304-NO), the process ends.

  In step S306, the determination unit 1148 determines that the touch is on the pointing device 20. This makes it possible to detect a touch on the pointing device 20, which has conventionally been difficult. The touch on the touch panel 10 can be detected using a known technique.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of display control processing in the embodiment. In step S <b> 402 illustrated in FIG. 23, the pattern acquisition unit 202 of the processing terminal 8 acquires the conductive pattern 22.

  In step S404, the code recognition unit 204 specifies the position and angle of the pointing device 20, the unique ID, and the like based on the position and shape of the conductive pattern.

  In step S406, the display control unit 206 determines an image (display object) corresponding to the identified unique ID.

  In step S408, the display control unit 206 controls to display the determined image in an associated area such as under the pointing device 20 based on the identified position and angle.

  Thereby, the display on the display screen can be controlled based on the conductive pattern 22 read by the pointing device 20. Further, as described above, the display control unit 206 can display an operation menu or the like, and control the display based on the content of the operation.

  Note that each processing step included in the flow of processing described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 23 can be arbitrarily changed in order or can be executed in parallel, as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content, and each processing step Other steps may be added in between. In addition, while the steps described as one step can be divided into a plurality of steps and executed for convenience, those described into a plurality of steps for convenience can be grasped as one step.

  Although the embodiments of the technology disclosed in the present application have been described above, the technology disclosed in the present application is not limited to the above example.

  For example, although the example mentioned above demonstrated the touch panel of a mutual capacity system, it is possible to apply the pointing device mentioned above also in the touch panel of a self-capacitance system. In the self-capacitance touch panel, the touch on the human body works to increase the capacitance. However, since there is a large difference in the amount of increase between human touch and floating, it is possible to distinguish the difference by appropriately setting the threshold value Th1. Therefore, even in the case of a self-capacitance touch panel, touch recognition by the pointing device described above is possible.

  In the present invention, "part", "means", "apparatus" and "system" do not simply mean physical means, but "part", "means", "apparatus" and "system" Also includes cases where the functions of “are realized by software. Also, even if the functions of one "unit", "means", "apparatus" or "system" are realized by two or more physical means or devices, two or more "parts" or "means", The functions of "device" and "system" may be realized by one physical means or device.

Reference Signs List 1 touch sensor system 2 display device 4 control board 6 control unit 8 processing terminal 10 touch panel 20 instruction device 22 conductive pattern 114 generation unit 202 pattern acquisition unit 204 code recognition unit 206 display control unit 208 operation control unit 1142 detection unit 1144 comparison unit 1146 Reading Unit 1148 Determination Unit

Claims (1)

  The transparent device on which the transparent bit is arranged is placed on the touch panel, the transparent bit is detected by a capacitive touch sensor, the position of the transparent device is specified, and the image displayed on the touch panel passes through the transparent device The game system to be displayed.

Images