JP3225716B2 - Information input device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known an input device in which a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal is combined with a coordinate input device called a tablet or a touch panel. This involves placing a transparent tablet on the display surface of the display device and detecting the position of the pen tip or fingertip by touching the surface of the coordinate input device with a detection pen or an operator's finger. In this method, characters, graphics, or position (coordinate) information drawn on the coordinate input device surface are input to a computer according to the detection signal.

The coordinate input device includes a transparent lower substrate mounted on a display surface of a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and a plurality of transparent Xs arranged on the upper surface of the transparent lower substrate. An axis electrode line, a transparent dielectric layer provided above the transparent X-axis electrode line, and a transparent upper substrate disposed so as to correspond to the lower substrate with respect to the transparent dielectric layer. ,
A plurality of transparent Ys arranged on the lower surface of the transparent upper substrate
It consists of a shaft electrode line. (See Fig. 7)

An operator's finger or detection pen is known as a coordinate indicating means for inputting to such a coordinate input device. A method for detecting coordinates when the operator's finger is used as the coordinate indicating means detects the coordinates by using a voltage drop generated when the operator's finger approaches the X-axis electrode line and the Y-axis electrode line. Things. The method of detecting the coordinates when the detection pen is used as the coordinate indicating means is to detect the coordinates by utilizing the electrostatic coupling between the X-axis electrode line and the Y-axis electrode line and the detection pen. When the detection pen is used, the resolution is higher than when a finger is used, and a resolution of 1 mm or less is possible.

[0005]

When the operator's finger is used as the coordinate indicating means, the operability and the simplicity are extremely high, but the resolution is only about 10 mm at most. Or it was impossible to enter. When a detection pen is used as the coordinate indicating means, high-resolution information of 1 mm or less can be obtained, but a detection pen provided in the apparatus is required, and operability and simplicity are reduced. Therefore, a device that can use both a finger and a detection pen is required as coordinate indicating means. In order to distinguish between input by a finger and input by a detection pen, it is necessary to input a signal indicating which method to use at the time of input in advance. This causes a problem that operability and simplicity are low. The present invention solves the above-described problem, and can use both an operator's finger and a detection pen as coordinate indicating means. Moreover, it is not necessary to input in advance which means to use when inputting. It is an object to provide an excellent information input device.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a plurality of electrode lines arranged in the X and Y axis directions and the electrode lines in the X and Y axis directions are scanned, and the same electrode line is selected at both ends. A decoder having a pulse input unit and a detection unit, a first detection unit for causing a voltage drop when an operator's finger approaches the electrode line, a detection pen having the electrode line, and an oscillator inside; And a second detecting means for detecting a position signal by capacitive coupling.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall electric block configuration of an example of the information input device of the present invention. Reference 1
Is a coordinate input device. As shown in FIG. 7, a coordinate input device 1 includes a transparent lower substrate 2 mounted on a display surface of a display device 7 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and a plurality of transparent lower substrates 2 disposed on an upper surface of the transparent lower substrate 2. X-axis electrode line 3, a transparent dielectric layer 4 provided above the transparent X-axis electrode line 3, and disposed so as to correspond to the lower substrate 2 with respect to the transparent dielectric layer 4. And a plurality of transparent Y-axis electrode lines 5 provided on the lower surface of the transparent upper substrate 6. The lower substrate 2 and the upper substrate 6 of the coordinate input device 1
A glass plate or a plastic film is used, and a transparent conductive material, for example, a film of indium oxide is used as the X-axis electrode lines 3 and the Y-axis electrode lines 5. As the dielectric layer 4, any transparent material can be used, but a transparent adhesive is preferable because it also has a function of bonding the upper and lower substrates.

The arrangement intervals of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3 and the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5 may be arbitrarily designed.
The resolution at the time of fingertip input is about 10 mm, and it is preferable to arrange at an interval of 4 mm to 10 mm in consideration of a calculation method described later for increasing the resolution at the time of pen input.

An X-axis decoder 8a is connected to one end of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3 as an input unit for a pulse signal. One end of the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5 is connected to an input unit for a pulse signal. Is connected to the Y-axis decoder 8b. The X-axis decoder 8a as the input unit and the Y-axis decoder 8b as the input unit sequentially apply a pulse to each of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3 and the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5 by the control circuit 14. .

An X-axis decoder 9a as a detecting section is connected to the other end of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3, and a Y-axis as a detecting section is connected to the other end of the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5. The decoder 9b is connected.

In this information input device, the detecting means includes first detecting means when the coordinate pointing means is an operator's finger and second detecting means when the coordinate pointing means is a detecting pen, which will be described later. The means distinguishes between the first detection means and the second detection means. In the case of the first detection means, the detected coordinates are directly input as data from the data output unit 13 to a computer (not shown) or the like. In the case of the second detecting means, the detected signal is sent to the arithmetic unit 12 and the calculated data is sent to the data output unit 13.
The data is input to a computer (not shown) as coordinate data.

Next, the first detecting means when the coordinate indicating means is the operator's finger will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the fingertip contacts the coordinate input device 1, and an equivalent circuit thereof is shown in FIG. Three adjacent Y-axis electrode lines 5
One end of each of the electrode lines is represented by R ₁ , R ₂ , and R ₃ is connected to a Y-axis decoder 8b as a pulse signal input unit, and the other end is connected to a Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit. Have been. When the operator of the fingertip touches the surface of the coordinate input device 1, coupled fingertip and the Y-axis electrode line 5 transgressions electrostatic is grounded to the body (Fig. 2, indicated by C _1, C _2, C ₃ of FIG. 3 ). Accordingly, the Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit, the Y-axis decoder 8b Y-axis electrode line voltages V ₁ lower than the frequency of the voltage Vo is input to one end of a 5 as the input unit, V _2, V ₃
Is detected.

By the way, in the present coordinate input device, the electrostatic coupling capacitance between the fingertip and the electrode line has a relationship inversely proportional to the distance between the fingertip and the electrode line. Therefore, the detection voltage position of the electrode lines R ₁ because V ₁ is detected as the lowest value of the electrode line R ₁ in the closest position and the fingertip is directly detected as coordinates. Therefore, if the arrangement interval of the electrode lines is adjusted to the required resolution, the coordinates can be detected without performing any arithmetic processing after the detection. The position coordinates of the X-axis electrode line 3 can be detected by exactly the same means as the case of the Y-axis electrode line 5, so that the X, Y of the contact position of the fingertip can be detected.
Coordinates can be detected. The coordinates of the contact position detected in this manner are sent to the data output unit 13 from the X-axis decoder 9a as the detection unit and the Y-axis decoder 9b as the detection unit.

Next, a description will be given of the second detecting means, the recognizing means of the pointing means, and the calculating section when the coordinate pointing means is a detecting pen. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when the detection pen 10 contacts the coordinate input device 1, and its equivalent circuit is shown in FIG. One end of each of three adjacent Y-axis electrode lines 5 (each electrode line is represented by R ₄ , R ₅ , R ₆ ) is connected to a Y-axis decoder 8 b as an input unit for a pulse signal, and the other end is connected to the other end. A Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit is connected.

When the detection pen 10 touches the surface of the coordinate input device 1, the detection pen 10 and the Y-axis electrode wire 5 are electrostatically coupled (indicated by C ₄ , C ₅ and C ₆ in FIGS. 4 and 5). . Therefore, in the Y-axis decoder 9b as an input unit, each electrode line R
_The voltages V ₄ , V ₅ and V ₆ are detected through ₄ , R ₅ and R ₆ . By the way, in the case of input using the detection pen 10, an X-axis decoder 8 as an input unit is provided inside the detection pen 10.
A high frequency transmission circuit 11 for transmitting a high frequency having a frequency fp different from the high frequency having a frequency f ₀ transmitted from a is provided. Therefore, the frequency of the pulse signal is detected by the Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit connected to the other end of the Y-axis electrode line 5, and only the frequency f ₀ transmitted from the X-axis decoder 8a as the input unit is detected. If detected, the pointing means is a finger, and if a frequency fp transmitted from the high frequency transmission circuit 11 in the detection pen 10 or a frequency in which f ₀ and fp are superimposed is detected, it can be recognized as a pen input. . This frequency detection is performed by a Y-axis decoder 9 serving as a detection unit.
Of course, a frequency detecting circuit may be provided for the b. A noise removing filter circuit attached to the voltage detecting circuit of the Y-axis decoder 9b, which is a detecting unit, is used, and the indicating means is used only when fp is detected. If it is recognized that this is the case, it is preferable because the circuit of the Y-axis decoder 9b as the detection unit can be simplified.

When the coordinate indicating means is recognized as a detecting pen, the detected voltage is applied to the calculating section 12, and the coordinates are obtained at a high resolution by the following processing. At this time, the X-axis decoder 8a and the Y-axis decoder 8b as input units are stopped from oscillating at the same time that the indicating means is recognized as the detection pen in order to increase the accuracy, or the X-axis decoder 8a as the input unit. , The connection between the Y-axis decoder 8b, the Y-axis electrode line 5, and the X-axis electrode line 3 is cut off,
It is preferable to detect coordinates only by the pulse signal Vp input from the detection pen 10.

As described above, the Y-axis decoder 9b serving as the detection unit has the electrode lines R ₄ and R _{4 as} shown in FIG.
_The voltages V ₄ , V ₅ and V ₆ are detected from ₅ and R ₆ , respectively.
Here, since the detection voltage of the signal from each of the electrode lines R ₄ , R ₅ , and R ₆ is proportional to the distance from the contact position of the contacted detection pen 10, as shown in FIG. Y axis electrode wire R
_4, R _5, the arrangement interval of R ₆ is L, the potential difference between V ₄ and V ₅ and the potential difference between the L _1, V ₄ and V ₆ and L _2, the electrode closest to the contact position of the detection pen 10 Detection pen 1 from line R4
If 0 of the distance to the contact position and Lp, it is represented by the following formula _{L 1 / L 2 = ((} L / 2-Lp) / (L / 2). Thus the detection pen those The contact positions are R ₄ , R ₅ ,
Can be determined by calculating the pulse signal V _4, V _5, V ₆ from R _6.

Since the position coordinates of the X-axis electrode line 3 can be calculated by exactly the same means as the case of the Y-axis electrode line 5, the X and Y coordinates of the contact position of the detection pen can be detected. The data of the coordinates thus calculated is input from the data output unit 13 to a computer (not shown) or the like.

By the way, the resolution required for pen input is generally 1 mm or less, and a resolution of about 0.1 mm is widely used. An arrangement of 4 mm to 10 mm can sufficiently satisfy the requirement. However, if the pitch is too large, the magnitudes of V5 and V6 are smaller than the pulse signal V4, and the accuracy is undesirably reduced.

As described above in detail, in the information input device of the present invention, the pulse signal for detecting the fingertip input is applied to the coordinate input device 1 from the X-axis decoder 8a and the Y-axis decoder 8b as the input units. In this state, the coordinates input with the fingertip can be detected. However, when the detection pen 10 is brought into contact with the coordinate input device 1, the recognition means of the above-described pointing means recognizes that the detection pen 10 is used, and at the same time, stops the input of the pulse signal for fingertip input detection. A pulse signal input from the pen 10 is detected by an X-axis decoder 9a and a Y-axis decoder 9b as detectors, and the detected signals are sent to a calculator 12 to obtain high-resolution coordinate data. The coordinate data is input to a computer or the like (not shown). When the pen input is completed and the recognition means of the pointing means no longer recognizes the detection pen, the input of the pulse signal for fingertip input is resumed, and the fingertip input becomes possible. If fingertip input is detected,
The coordinate data is directly input from the data output unit 13 to a computer or the like (not shown) without using the arithmetic unit 12. Therefore, in the information input device of the present invention, both the input using the detection pen and the input using the fingertip can always be input, and the coordinate data is automatically obtained at the required resolution.

[0021]

According to the information input device of the present invention, as described above, the input by the detection pen and the input by the fingertip can always be performed by the common tablet, and the pen input and the fingertip input can be instructed and switched from outside. And can be used with very good operability. Also, is it input with your fingertip as an input means,
By automatically recognizing whether or not an input has been made with a pen, data processing or the like by a computer or the like becomes easy, and it is possible to cope with a larger use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall electrical block diagram of an example of the present information input device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram when a fingertip is brought into contact with a coordinate input device.

FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when a detection pen is brought into contact with a coordinate input device.

FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a signal state diagram in the state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of an essential part of an example of a coordinate input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 coordinate input device 2 lower substrate 3 X-axis electrode line 4 dielectric layer 5 Y-axis electrode line 6 upper substrate 7 display device 8a X-axis decoder as input unit 8b Y-axis decoder as input unit 9a X as detection unit Side decoder 9b Y-axis decoder as detector 10 Detector pen 11 High frequency transmission circuit for pen input pulse signal 12 Operation unit 13 Data output unit 14 Control circuit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-1223928 (JP, A) JP-A-4-60715 (JP, A) JP-A-4-266116 (JP, A) JP-A-6-206 28090 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 3/03 G06F 3/033-3/037

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A decoder for scanning a plurality of electrode lines arranged in the X and Y axis directions, scanning the electrode lines in the X and Y axis directions and selecting the same electrode line at both ends, and applying a pulse input to the decoder. A first detection unit that causes a voltage drop when an operator's finger approaches the electrode line as the unit and the detection unit; and the electrode line;
An information input device comprising: a detection pen having an oscillator therein; and a second detection unit for detecting a position signal by capacitive coupling.