JP6048722B2 - INPUT DEVICE, VOLTAGE DETECTION DEVICE, INPUT OPERATION ANALYSIS METHOD, AND INPUT OPERATION ANALYSIS PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an input device including a touch panel, a voltage detection device, an input operation analysis method, and an input operation analysis program.

  In recent years, electronic devices including a so-called touch panel type input device such as a smartphone (high-performance mobile phone) and a tablet-type information terminal have been rapidly spread. Electronic devices equipped with such an input device have been known in the past. For example, as a peripheral device of an automatic teller machine (ATM), automatic ticket vending machine, car navigation system, portable game machine, personal computer of a financial institution. It is used in a wide range of product fields such as used pen tablets.

  A touch panel type input device generally includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL, and a touch sensor disposed on the front surface (view side) or integrally formed with the display device. Recognizes character information and images displayed on the display device, and makes a desired input operation by bringing a stylus pen or a finger into contact with an arbitrary display area.

  Here, the input method to the touch panel is roughly classified into a method using a fingertip or the like and a method using an input pen. The former is suitable for recognizing an image or the like displayed on the back of the touch panel and intuitively selecting and inputting an icon image or the like for realizing a desired function. On the other hand, the latter is suitable for performing fine input operations such as character input and drawing input. Furthermore, an input device that can detect the input strength (so-called writing pressure) when performing input on a touch panel using an input pen is also known.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 describe a technique for performing an input operation on a touch panel using an input pen. These patent documents disclose a configuration in which a stylus pen (input pen) having a hard pen tip includes a piezoelectric element for detecting writing pressure inside the pen body.

JP-A-5-2447 JP-A-7-325658

  In the input method using the input pen as described above, the operation feeling with the input pen having a hard pen tip is actually drawn with a paintbrush or brush on a paper or canvas etc. It is different from the operation feeling. Such a difference in operational feeling is mainly caused by a difference in reaction force and frictional force on the touch panel surface of the input pen. Therefore, there is a problem that a user often feels uncomfortable when inputting a picture, a figure, a character, or the like by hand using an input pen as described above for an electronic device having a touch panel. .

  Further, in the operation with the input pen as described above, only the pressure at one point of the pen tip is detected, so that, for example, the tip of the paint brush comes into contact when actually drawing a picture using the paint brush. Therefore, there is also a problem that it is difficult to faithfully reproduce the shape of the trace of the paint remaining on the drawing target (in this specification, expressed as “footprint”).

  That is, when an electronic drawing device (so-called electronic sketch book) is to be realized using an input device equipped with an input pen, it has a tip shape equivalent to an actual paint brush, and depends on the deflection amount of the tip. The shape of the footprint changes, and it is desired that the characteristics of the brush (line thickness, rubbing condition, pen pressure distribution, etc.) according to the brush usage and brush stroke be reproduced in the drawn lines and colors.

Therefore, in view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides an input device, a voltage detection device, an input operation analysis method, and an input operation analysis program that can detect the bending state of the tip of an input device having a tip. The purpose is to provide.

An input device according to the present invention includes:
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction;
A plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape , wherein one end portion of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end portion of the handle shaft, and the other end portion to be a free end of each piezoelectric sensor is a distance from the handle shaft as spaced, the flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors,
Said plurality of piezoelectric sensors, have been arranged in a direction in which the first of the first pair of the flat surfaces of a pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect each other, the plurality of piezoelectric sensors from said first pair of piezoelectric sensors out be arranged in a direction in which the second pair of the flat surfaces of the different second pair of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other,
Based on detection voltages output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in accordance with the deflection of the tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft, the deflection state of the tip The bending state detection unit for detecting
It is further provided with the feature.

An input device according to the present invention includes:
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction;
A plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape , wherein one end portion of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end portion of the handle shaft, and the other end portion to be a free end of each piezoelectric sensor is a distance from the handle shaft A plurality of piezoelectric sensors provided so that the flat plate-like surface extends along the one direction,
Said plurality of piezoelectric sensors, have been arranged in a direction in which the first of the first pair of the flat surfaces of a pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect each other, the plurality of piezoelectric sensors from said first pair of piezoelectric sensors out be arranged in a direction in which the second pair of the flat surfaces of the different second pair of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other,
A voltage detection device further comprising a first communication function unit for transmitting detection voltages of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors to the outside;
A second communication function unit for receiving the detection voltage from the voltage detection device;
Based on the detection voltage received by the second communication function unit, a bending state for detecting a bending state of a tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft A bending state detection device having a detection unit;
It is characterized by providing.
An input device according to the present invention includes:
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape, one end of each piezoelectric sensor being fixed to one end of the handle shaft, The plurality of flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the one direction so that the other end portion to be a free end of the sensor is disposed at a distance from the handle axis. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors, wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect each other. The second pair of plate-like surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction intersecting each other,
Based on detection voltages output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors according to the deflection of the tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft, the bending state of the tip is determined. Output the detection power of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors toward the bending state detection unit to detect,
It is characterized by that.
The voltage detection device according to the present invention includes:
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape, one end of each piezoelectric sensor being fixed to one end of the handle shaft, The plurality of flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the one direction so that the other end portion to be a free end of the sensor is disposed at a distance from the handle axis. The plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction in which a first pair of the flat surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other. The second pair of plate-like surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction intersecting each other. A device,
A second communication function unit that receives a detection voltage from the device and the detection voltage received by the second communication function unit, and extends along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft A first communication function unit that transmits the detection voltages of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors toward a bending state detection device having a bending state detection unit that detects a bending state of a tip provided to be And further
It is characterized by that.

The input operation analysis method according to the present invention includes:
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each tabular, one end of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end of the handle shaft, the respective piezoelectric as the other end portion being a free end of the sensor is arranged at a distance from the handle axis, the flat surface is provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, the plurality of A plurality of piezoelectric sensors , wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect with each other. One end of the handle shaft of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors is arranged to intersect Provided in the part so as to extend along the one direction Separately detecting a detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in response to flexure object occurs in the other end of the tip when in contact with the tip,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining a vector based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface Determining at least one of the pressure distributions,
It is characterized by that.

An input operation analysis program according to the present invention includes:
On the computer,
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each tabular, one end of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end of the handle shaft, the respective piezoelectric as the other end portion being a free end of the sensor is arranged at a distance from the handle axis, the flat surface is provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, the plurality of A plurality of piezoelectric sensors , wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect with each other. One end of the handle shaft of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors is arranged to intersect Provided in the part so as to extend along the one direction The by individually detecting a detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in response to flexure object occurs in the other end of the tip when in contact with the tip,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining the vectors based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface Distinguish at least one of the pressure distributions,
It is characterized by that.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bending state of this tip of the input device which has a tip can be detected.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a drawing system to which the present invention is applied. It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the tablet terminal applied to the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a principal part block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a principal part exploded view which shows the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of 1 structure of the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of input operation using the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for analyzing the bending state of the tip when the electronic paintbrush applied to one embodiment is moved to a specific direction. It is the schematic which shows one structural example of the piezoelectric sensor applied to one Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the detection principle (relationship between the amount of bending, and a tip load) of a piezoelectric sensor. It is a figure for demonstrating the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush estimated with the input operation analysis method which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the drawing control method in the drawing system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other structural example of the piezoelectric sensor applied to the electronic paintbrush which comprises the drawing system to which this invention is applied. It is a principal part block diagram which shows the other structural example of the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system to which this invention is applied. It is a principal part exploded view which shows the electronic paintbrush which concerns on the other structural example.

Hereinafter, an input device, a voltage detection device, an input operation analysis method, and an input operation analysis program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments.

<Drawing system>
First, a drawing system provided with an input device according to the present invention will be described. Here, a tablet information terminal (tablet terminal) is shown as an electronic device including a touch panel type input device applied to a drawing system, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a notebook or desktop personal computer equipped with a touch panel display device, or may be applied to a personal computer to which an input device such as a pen tablet is connected. . Further, in the embodiment described below, the case of drawing a picture using an electronic paintbrush (creating a picture) will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a character using a brush, etc. Even when drawing or filling in, it can be applied well.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a drawing system to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a tablet terminal applied to the drawing system according to the present embodiment.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the drawing system to which the present invention is applied is roughly divided into a tablet terminal 100 having a touch panel type display unit 101 and an appearance equivalent to that of a paintbrush used for general painting. And an electronic paintbrush 200.

(Tablet terminal)
As shown in FIG. 2, the tablet terminal 100 schematically includes a display unit 101, a touch panel 102, a geomagnetic sensor 103, a storage unit 104, a communication function unit 105, a CPU 106, a power supply unit 107, and a power switch. 108.

  The display unit 101 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device. As shown in FIG. The drawn lines and colors are displayed. The display unit 101 displays various setting menus and information related to the input operation with the electronic paint brush 200 on the touch panel 102 in the form of images and characters.

  The touch panel 102 is disposed on the front surface (view side) of the display area of the display unit 101, or is provided integrally with the display unit 101, and is in contact with the input operation to the touch panel 102 by the electronic paintbrush 200 (that is, the touch panel 102). Coordinate information of (input position) is detected. The coordinate information of the input position is collected in association with time, and the moving speed and acceleration of the electronic paintbrush 200 are calculated based on the time required to change the input position, as will be described later. The moving speed and acceleration are acquired as information related to the use and carrying of the electronic paintbrush 200. Here, the touch panel 102 only needs to detect at least the input position of the electronic paintbrush 200, and various methods such as a resistive film method, a capacitance method, and an optical method can be applied.

  The geomagnetic sensor 103 acquires information (terminal attitude information) related to the rotation direction and tilt direction of the tablet terminal 100 by measuring the direction of the earth's magnetic field. This terminal posture information includes information on the rotation direction and tilt direction of the electronic paintbrush 200 transmitted from the electronic paintbrush 200 described later (paintbrush posture information), and the relative rotation angle and tilt angle of the electronic paintbrush 200 with respect to the tablet terminal 100. Used when calculating.

  The storage unit 104 is coordinate information of an input position detected by the touch panel 102, terminal posture information acquired by the geomagnetic sensor 103, various data transmitted from an electronic paintbrush 200 described later, image information displayed on the display unit 101, and the like. Is stored in a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 104 is a control program for executing various functions in the display unit 101, the touch panel 102, the geomagnetic sensor 103, the storage unit 104, and the communication function unit 105, and a control program for executing a drawing control operation described later. May be included. The CPU 106 executes processing according to these control programs to constantly grasp the relative positional relationship and inclination state of the electronic paintbrush 200 with respect to the tablet terminal 100, and at the same time the handwriting state of the electronic paintbrush 200 during the input operation (handwriting Direction, footprint shape, and pen pressure distribution) are discriminated at any time, and control is performed to display the drawn lines and coloring according to the stroke state on the display unit 101. Note that these control programs may be incorporated in the CPU 106 in advance. In addition, for example, the storage unit 104 may have a configuration as a removable storage medium such as a memory card, and may be configured to be detachable from the tablet terminal 100.

  The communication function unit 105 transmits data related to the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 (detection voltage of the piezoelectric sensor) transmitted from at least the electronic paintbrush 200 described later, and paintbrush posture information of the electronic paintbrush 200 (detection signal of the geomagnetic sensor). Receive. In addition, the communication function unit 105 transmits / receives information related to communication control necessary for receiving the various data to the electronic paintbrush 200. Here, as a method for transmitting and receiving data related to the stroke state information and the paintbrush posture information to and from the electronic paintbrush 200 via the communication function unit 105, for example, various wireless communication methods and wired via a communication cable are used. A communication method or the like can be applied. When transmitting and receiving the data by a wireless communication system, for example, the specification of Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), which is a short-range wireless standard, can be favorably applied.

  The power supply unit 107 includes a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery applied to a general tablet terminal, a primary battery such as a commercially available dry battery, or an operating power source such as a commercial power source, and turns on the power switch 108. Alternatively, the power supply voltage is supplied to or cut off from the components such as the display unit 101, the touch panel 102, the geomagnetic sensor 103, the storage unit 104, the communication function unit 105, and the CPU 106 by performing an off operation.

(Electronic paint brush)
FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing a brush tip portion of the electronic paintbrush according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a IIIB-IIIB line (in this specification, shown in FIG. 3A). It is a figure which shows the cross section of the tip along the point which uses "III" as a code | symbol corresponding to the Roman numeral "3" shown in the figure for convenience. FIG. 4 is an essential part exploded view showing an electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view for explaining the structure of a tip applied to the electronic paintbrush according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 4B is an IVB-IVB shown in FIG. It is an arrow view seen from a line (in this specification, "IV" is used for convenience as a symbol corresponding to the Roman numeral "4" shown in the figure).

  An electronic paintbrush 200 according to the present embodiment includes, as shown in FIG. 3A, for example, a rod-shaped handle shaft 210 having a shape extending along the axis, and an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft 210. And a tip 230 attached to a fixing base 210a. Here, in the present embodiment, the electronic paintbrush 200 has the same appearance and configuration as a flat brush used for production of a general painting.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 4 (a), the tip 230 has a plurality of brushes oriented and bundled in the same direction (the vertical direction in the drawing) as the extending direction of the handle shaft 210. One end side of the tip 230 constitutes a fixed end that is inserted into the fixing base 210 a and fixed to the handle shaft 210, and the other end side is a free end so as to cause a desired bending by contacting the touch panel 102. (Or movable end). Here, for each brush constituting the tip 230, animal hair or resin fibers used for general paint brushes and the like can be applied. The material and dimensions (thinness, length, etc.), the number, the bundling method, etc. of the brush are set so as to have flexibility.

  In the flat brush type electronic paintbrush 200 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the cross-section of the tip 230 has a substantially rectangular shape or a substantially rectangular shape. Moreover, in the tip 230, as shown in FIG.3 (b) and FIG.4 (a), (b), six piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 (all the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201). −6 indicates “piezoelectric sensor 201”) in the same direction as the handle axis 210 or the brush, and each piezoelectric sensor 201-1 to 201-6 has a predetermined positional relationship and relative angle. It is bundled in a state having

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B and FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tip 230 has the brush bundled in a prismatic shape so that the cross-sectional shape is rectangular, and its length A central hair bundle 231 in which a side and a short side (or two adjacent sides) are substantially perpendicular to each other, and a brush is bundled in a prismatic shape so that the cross-sectional shape is rectangular, along each side of the central hair bundle 231 The outer peripheral hair bundles 232a to 232d are arranged. And it arrange | positions so that the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 may be clamped by the boundary of these center hair | bristle bundles 231 and each outer periphery hair | bristle bundle 232a-232d. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 4B, in the central hair bundle 231 having a rectangular cross section, each of the two long sides (the lower side and the upper side in the drawing) is 2 Piezoelectric sensors 201-1, 201-2 and 201-4, 201-5 are disposed at the locations, and the piezoelectric sensors 201 are disposed at one location along each of a pair of opposing short sides (the right and left sides in the drawing). -3 and 201-6 are arranged. Here, as will be described later, each of the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 is composed of a flat plate-shaped film member having a strip-shaped plane, and each plane extends along the boundary surface. Has been placed. As a result, the piezoelectric sensors 201-1, 201-2 and 201-4, 201-5 and the piezoelectric sensors 201-3 and 201-6 are arranged so that their respective planes face in directions that are relatively orthogonal to each other. The And as shown to Fig.4 (a), (b), each two piezoelectric sensors 201-1 and 201-2 and 201-4 and 201-5 arrange | positioned at each long side are respectively outer periphery hairs. Each of the piezoelectric sensors 201-3 and 201-6, which are bundled with the central hair bundle 231 in a state of being covered with the bundles 232a and 232c and arranged on each short side, are respectively connected to the outer circumferential hair bundles 232b and 232d. Are bundled in the central hair bundle 231 in a state of being covered by. Thereby, as shown in FIG.3 (b) and FIG.4 (a), the tip 230 which a cross section has a rectangle or a rectangle is formed.

  In the present embodiment, six piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 are disposed in the tip 230, and the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 and 201-2 and 201-4 and 201-5 are piezoelectric. Although the configuration in which the sensors 201-3 and 201-6 are arranged so as to face relatively orthogonal directions has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the electronic paintbrush applied to the above-described drawing system has two directions in which a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged at least in the tip 230 and the planes of any pair of piezoelectric sensors are relatively different. The number and arrangement of piezoelectric sensors can be arbitrarily set as long as they are arranged so as to face. Here, in the drawing control method applied to the present invention, as will be described later, by arranging the planes of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in two relatively different directions, according to the bending state of the tip 230. A technique is used in which the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 at the time of input operation is determined by vector synthesis processing. Therefore, in order to reduce the processing load of the vector synthesis process in the CPU 106, it is more preferable to apply a configuration in which the planes of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are oriented in directions that are relatively perpendicular to each other. However, according to the method described later, if the plurality of planes of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect with each other, the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 can be detected.

Next, the functional configuration of the electronic paintbrush 200 as described above will be described.
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic paintbrush 200 generally includes a piezoelectric sensor 201, a charge amplifier 202, a filter / ADC 203, a geomagnetic sensor 204, a storage unit 205, a communication function unit 206, a CPU 207, and a power supply. A unit 208 and a power switch 209.

  As described above, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors 201 (201-1 to 201-6) are arranged in the tip 230, and in an input operation in which the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is brought into contact with the tablet terminal 100, the tip 230 is bent. Similarly, the electric charges generated by the piezoelectric effect are taken out by bending similarly. The charge amplifier 202 integrates the electric charge extracted from the piezoelectric sensor 201 and outputs it as a detection voltage having a predetermined voltage level. The piezoelectric sensor 201 (201-1 to 201-6) has a material, a thickness, and the like set so as to have appropriate flexibility, and is formed in a thin flat plate shape, for example.

  The filter / ADC 203 has a filter circuit composed of a high-pass filter and a low-pass filter, and an analog-digital conversion circuit (ADC). The filter circuit removes a noise component from the detection voltage of the piezoelectric sensor 201 output from the charge amplifier 202, and the ADC converts the detection voltage from which the noise has been removed from an analog signal to a digital signal. The detection voltage converted into a digital signal is taken into the CPU 207.

  In the present embodiment, the case where analog-digital conversion processing is performed by an ADC as hardware provided in the filter / ADC 203 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and is incorporated in the CPU 207. An analog-digital conversion process may be performed using an ADC function as software. Further, the above-described charge amplifier 202 and the filter circuit provided in the filter / ADC 203 may also use a function as software built in the CPU 207 without using a configuration as hardware. That is, the measured values of the voltages generated in the thin film electrodes (see FIG. 8) 22a and 22b of the piezoelectric sensor 201 are digitally filtered by software built in the CPU 207 to remove noise components, and then numerically integrated. By performing the processing, it is possible to obtain a numerical value (detection voltage) equivalent to the case where the charge amplifier 202 and the filter / ADC 203 described above are used. According to this, the hardware configuration incorporated in the electronic paintbrush 200 can be reduced, and the electronic paintbrush 200 can be reduced in size and cost.

  Similar to the tablet terminal 100 described above, the geomagnetic sensor 204 measures the direction of the earth's magnetic field and acquires information (paint brush posture information) regarding the rotation direction and the tilt direction of the electronic paint brush 200. This paint brush posture information is transmitted to the above-described tablet terminal 100 via the communication function unit 206 described later, and calculates the relative rotation angle and tilt angle of the electronic paint brush 200 with respect to the tablet terminal 100 together with the terminal posture information. Used when.

  The storage unit 205 is a random access memory that temporarily stores detection voltage acquired by the piezoelectric sensor 201, paint brush posture information acquired by the geomagnetic sensor 204, information on the shape (flat brush type) of the tip 230 of the electronic paint brush 200, and the like. (RAM). The storage unit 205 executes a control program for executing various functions in the piezoelectric sensor 201, the charge amplifier 202, the filter / ADC 203, the geomagnetic sensor 204, the storage unit 205, and the communication function unit 206, and a drawing control operation described later. It may include a read-only memory (ROM) for storing a control program for the purpose. The CPU 207 executes processing according to these control programs to constantly grasp the paint brush posture information of the electronic paint brush 200, and collects information related to the stroke state of the electronic paint brush 200 at the time of input operation to the tablet terminal 100, Control to transmit to the tablet terminal 100 at a predetermined timing (at any time or any timing) is performed. These control programs may be preinstalled in the CPU 207.

  The communication function unit 206 outputs at least the detection voltage obtained by the piezoelectric sensor 201 arranged so as to be mixed in the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 described above and the detection signal obtained by the geomagnetic sensor 204 to the tablet terminal 100 described above. Send to. The detection voltage obtained by the piezoelectric sensor 201 calculates various data (a deflection amount of the tip 230, a deflection direction thereof, and a tip load thereof) for determining the stroke state of the electronic paint brush 200 in the tablet terminal 100 described above. Used to do. Further, the detection signal obtained by the geomagnetic sensor 204 is used for grasping paint brush posture information (relative positional relationship, tilt state, etc.) of the electronic paint brush 200 with respect to the tablet terminal 100. In addition, the communication function unit 206 transmits / receives information related to communication control necessary for transmission of the various data to the tablet terminal 100.

  The power supply unit 208 includes an operation power source including a secondary battery such as a light and large capacity lithium ion battery, a primary battery such as a commercially available button battery, or the like so as not to hinder an input operation using the electronic paint brush 200. When the power switch 209 is turned on or off, the power supply voltage is applied to each component such as the piezoelectric sensor 201, the charge amplifier 202, the filter / ADC 203, the geomagnetic sensor 204, the storage unit 205, the communication function unit 206, and the CPU 207. Supply or the supply is shut off. As a method for transmitting and receiving various data to and from the tablet terminal 100, when the electronic paintbrush 200 and the tablet terminal 100 are connected via a communication cable (for example, a USB cable), the tablet is used as an operating power source. Power may be supplied from the power supply unit 107 of the terminal 100. In this case, a commercial power source can be applied as the operating power source.

Next, an input operation analysis method and a drawing control method in the drawing system having the above-described configuration will be described.
<Input operation analysis method>
First, an input operation analysis method using the electronic paintbrush according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an input operation using an electronic paint brush applied to the drawing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6A is a schematic view when the tip of the tip of the electronic paintbrush is viewed in plan, and FIG. 6B is a schematic perspective view showing a bent state of the tip during an input operation. Here, in FIG. 6B, for the sake of simplicity of illustration, the brush constituting the tip is omitted, and only the bending state of the piezoelectric sensor is shown. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for analyzing the bending state of the tip when the electronic paintbrush applied to the present embodiment is moved in a specific direction. Here, in FIG. 7, in order to simplify the illustration, the outer peripheral hair bundle constituting the tip is omitted, and the bending state of the piezoelectric sensor is also shown.

  As described above, in the electronic paintbrush 200 applied to the present embodiment, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 having a flexible structure are arranged in the tip 230. Then, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the brush of the electronic paintbrush 200 is moved during an input operation in which the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is moved in contact with the surface (input surface) of the touch panel 102 of the tablet terminal 100. The piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 are also configured to be deformed following the bending state of the tip 230 according to usage and brush travel.

  In the following description, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the xy coordinate is defined by planarly viewing the touch panel 102 from the view side, the tip portion of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is, for example, The case where it is moved in the direction of stroke of the arrow in the figure will be described. Specifically, the long side of the touch panel 102 is the x axis and the short side is the y axis. Here, for the sake of simplicity, for convenience, the long side of the rectangular shape, which is the cross-sectional shape of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200, is set parallel to the y-axis direction, and the short side is parallel to the x-axis direction. 6A and 6B, with the tip 230 slightly pressed against the touch panel 102 in a state where the pattern axis 210 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is held so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel 102. The case of parallel movement in the arrow direction will be described as an example. In the actual input operation, the input operation is analyzed in consideration of a plurality of parameters such as the inclination angle of the electronic paintbrush 200 with respect to the touch panel 102, the rotation angle of the tip 230, and the pressing degree of the tip 230.

  In the initial state in which the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is in contact with the touch panel 102, the tip portion of the tip 230 (that is, the contact area with the touch panel 102) has a tip shape as shown in FIG. It has a rectangular shape (or rectangular shape) substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of 230. From this initial state, the displacement of the tip portion of the tip 230 when the electronic paintbrush 200 is moved (moved) in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 6A and 6B is analyzed. Here, in this embodiment, since the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 has a rectangular shape (rectangular shape), if the displacement direction and the displacement amount are found at the four corner vertices, the tip portion of the tip 230 The total displacement can be estimated.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, the outputs of the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 in which the strip-shaped planes are arranged in the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 so that the strip-shaped planes are relatively orthogonal to each other. By individually detecting the voltage, the bending direction and the bending amount of the tip 230 in the x direction and the y direction are detected independently. Then, by vector-combining these displacement components, the displacement direction and the displacement amount of the apex of the four corners defining the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 are estimated, and the displacement state of the entire tip portion of the tip 230, that is, an electronic paint brush 200 stroke states are determined.

  Specifically, for example, when the electronic paintbrush 200 is moved in the stroke direction shown in FIG. 6A, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, the piezoelectric sensors 201-1, 201-2, 201-4 and 201-5 each generate a predetermined bending in the -x direction, and the piezoelectric sensors 201-3 and 201-6 each generate a predetermined bending in the + y direction. The bending of the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 corresponds to the bending state of the entire tip 230.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 7A, the displacement direction and displacement amount of the vertex UL at the upper left in the figure for the rectangular shape (rectangular shape) of the tip portion of the tip 230 is the upper side of the drawing constituting the vertex UL. Piezoelectric sensor 201-6 having a plane arranged parallel to the short side and piezoelectric sensor 201- having a plane arranged parallel to the long side on the left side of the drawing constituting the vertex UL. The displacement components (vectors V6 and V1) composed of the bending direction and the bending amount of the tip 230 detected independently at 1 can be expressed as a vector V16 by vector synthesis. That is, it can be estimated that the brush of the vertex UL of the tip part of the tip 230 is bent like the vector V16.

  Similarly, for the other vertices, as shown in FIG. 7B, the displacement direction and the displacement amount of the lower left vertex LL in the figure are arranged so as to be parallel to the short side constituting the vertex LL. Displacement component consisting of the bending direction and the amount of bending of the tip 230 independently detected by the piezoelectric sensor 201-3 and the piezoelectric sensor 201-2 disposed so as to be parallel to the same long side ( The vectors V3 and V2) can be expressed as a vector V23 by vector synthesis. Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, the piezoelectric sensor 201-6 is arranged such that the displacement direction and the displacement amount of the vertex UR at the upper right in the drawing are parallel to the short side constituting the vertex UR. And displacement components (vectors V6 and V5) composed of the bending direction and the bending amount of the tip 230 independently detected by the piezoelectric sensor 201-5 arranged so as to be parallel to the same long side. By vector synthesis, it can be expressed as a vector V56. Further, as shown in FIG. 7D, the displacement direction and the displacement amount of the vertex LR at the lower right in the drawing are arranged so that the piezoelectric sensor 201-is parallel to the short side constituting the vertex LR. 3 and a displacement component (vectors V3 and V4) composed of the bending direction and the bending amount of the tip 230 independently detected by the piezoelectric sensor 201-4 disposed so as to be parallel to the same long side. Can be represented as a vector V34 by vector synthesis. That is, it can be estimated that the brushes of the vertices LL, UR, and LR at the tip portion of the tip 230 are bent as vectors V23, V56, and V34, respectively.

  Therefore, by using these vectors V16, V23, V34, and V56, the displacement of the four corners of the rectangular shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 is estimated. In addition, the bending direction and the bending amount of the tip 230 at positions other than the rectangular corners and the positions where the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 are arranged (for example, inside the rectangular shape) are the piezoelectric sensor 201-1 described above. ~ 201-6 can be estimated by performing linear interpolation between the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6.

Next, a piezoelectric sensor applied to the electronic paintbrush according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a piezoelectric sensor applied to the present embodiment. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of the piezoelectric sensor, FIG. 8B is a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 8C is a bending direction of the piezoelectric sensor and the polarity of generated charges. It is the schematic which shows the relationship. In FIG. 8C, a part of hatching is omitted for convenience of illustration. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the detection principle of the piezoelectric sensor (relationship between the amount of bending and the tip load).

  The piezoelectric sensor 201 (201-1 to 201-6) applied to the present embodiment is a strip shape extending in a predetermined direction (the left-right direction in the drawing) as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, for example. A piezoelectric body 20 having thin film electrodes 22a and 22b formed on both surfaces (upper surface and lower surface) of the piezoelectric film 21, and an insulating elastic base material 23 having the piezoelectric body 20 formed on one surface side (upper surface side in the drawing). And have. For the piezoelectric film 21, for example, a polymer resin material such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) can be applied. Polyvinylidene fluoride can be applied as a polymer piezoelectric film because it exhibits piezoelectricity when stretched. Since such a piezoelectric film 21 has a property of being polarized in the thickness direction, the piezoelectric body 20 is formed by vapor-depositing thin film electrodes 22a and 22b made of metal films on both surfaces of the piezoelectric film 21, By joining the piezoelectric body 20 to the elastic base material 23, a piezoelectric sensor 201 having a laminated structure is formed. The elastic base material 23 may not be used if it is not necessary in design. Then, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the one end side (left side of the drawing) of the extending direction (longitudinal direction of the strip) of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is patterned via the fixing base 210a described above. By fixing to the shaft 210, a flexible cantilever piezoelectric sensor 201 having a structure equivalent to that of the present embodiment is formed. In such a piezoelectric sensor 201, the thin film electrode 22 b side is grounded, and the thin film electrode 22 a side is connected to a voltage detector (corresponding to the above-described charge amplifier 202 and filter / ADC 203), thereby bending the piezoelectric sensor 201. The charge generated in the piezoelectric film 21 according to the amount can be detected as a voltage component. Further, in the piezoelectric sensor 201 having such a structure, as shown in FIG. 8C, the other end side (right side in the drawing) of the extending direction of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is displaced upward in the drawing. Since the polarity of the charge generated in the thin film electrodes 22a and 22b differs depending on whether it is displaced downward, the polarity of the charge or output voltage detected by the voltage detector connected to the thin film electrode 22a The bending direction of the piezoelectric sensor 201 can also be determined based on the above.

Specifically, the principle of detecting the amount of bending of the piezoelectric sensor is described as follows.
First, the voltage value V based on the electric charge generated according to the bending amount of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is measured by the charge amplifier 202 connected to the piezoelectric sensor 201 as a voltage detector. Thereby, based on the voltage value V and the capacitor capacitance C mounted on the charge amplifier 202, the charge amount Q generated in the piezoelectric sensor 201 can be expressed as the following equation (11).
Q = C · V (11)

On the other hand, the generated charge amount Q is proportional to the stress σ inside the piezoelectric body, and can be expressed as the following equation (12). Here, d31 is a piezoelectric constant, and S is the area of the piezoelectric body.
Q = d31 · σ · S (12)

Further, as described above, the piezoelectric sensor 201 applied to the present embodiment can be regarded as a “combined beam structure” in which the piezoelectric film 21 and the elastic base material 23 are laminated and bonded. The stress σ is proportional to the force applied to the tip of the piezoelectric sensor 201 having a cantilever structure. Here, according to the theory of combination beams, the stress σ generated inside the piezoelectric body is expressed by the following equation (1
It is expressed as 3).

Here, E is the Young's modulus (longitudinal elastic modulus) of the entire piezoelectric sensor 201, and y is the neutral axis of the entire piezoelectric sensor 201 (even if the piezoelectric sensor 201 is deformed, it is from the base side that is the fixed end). This is the distance from the axis whose length does not change. Ej is the Young's modulus (longitudinal elastic modulus) of each layer of the piezoelectric sensor 201, and Ij is the cross-sectional second moment of each layer of the piezoelectric sensor 201. As shown in FIG. 9A, M is a bending moment when a force F is applied to the tip of the piezoelectric sensor 201 having a cantilever structure having a length L, as shown in the following equation (14). It is expressed in
M = F · L (14)

  From the above equations (12), (13), and (14), the force (tip load) F applied to the tip of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is expressed by the following equation (15).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, the bending amount δ generated when the force F is applied to the tip of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is expressed by the following equation (16) based on the theory of combination beams. .

  Using such a detection principle, by detecting the voltage generated between the thin film electrodes 22a and 22b of the piezoelectric sensor 201 as the tip 230 bends, the other end side of the piezoelectric sensor 201 (FIGS. 8 and 9). It is possible to calculate (estimate) the amount of bending, the direction of bending, and the tip load based on the displacement on the right side of the head.

  Next, a footprint when the electronic paintbrush 200 is moved (brushed) in an arbitrary direction based on the deflection amount δ and the deflection direction of the piezoelectric sensor 201 obtained by the above principle and the tip load F. Here, the shape of the foot corresponds to the rectangular region formed by the apexes UL, LL, UR, LR of the tip portion of the tip 230 when the tip portion of the tip 230 is brought into contact with the touch panel. A method for estimating the pen pressure distribution in the print area will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush estimated by the input operation analysis method according to the present embodiment. 10 (a) to 10 (c) are schematic perspective views showing the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush and the shape of the footprint, and the lower diagrams are each a plan view of the footprint shown in the upper diagram. FIG. FIG. 10D is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the shape of the footprint and the writing pressure distribution in the handwriting state shown in FIGS. Here, in order to simplify the description in FIGS. 6 and 7, the electronic paint brush 200 is moved at an arbitrary inclination angle and the tip 230 is arbitrarily moved, unlike the case where the electronic paint brush 200 is moved in parallel. An example of the case of moving while pressing at a rotation angle of will be described. In this example, it approximates the stroke state at the time of actual input operation using an electronic paint brush.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the tip of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is brought into contact with the surface of the touch panel 102, and then the electronic paintbrush 200 is attached as shown in FIG. 10 (b), for example. For example, as shown in FIG. 10C, when moving in an arbitrary stroke direction at an arbitrary rotation angle and inclination angle, based on the bending amount δ and the bending direction detected by the piezoelectric sensor 201 described above. The footprint shape is estimated. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 10A, the shape of the footprint 10 is substantially the same as the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 in a state where the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is not in contact with the tablet terminal 100. In the state shown in FIG. 10B, three vertices LL, UR, LR excluding the vertex UL among the four corner vertices UL, LL, UR, LR defining the shape of the footprint 11 are As shown by the arrows in the figure, each is displaced to a predetermined position and deformed into a rectangular shape with unequal sides. Then, in the state shown in FIG. 10C, all of the four corner vertices UL, LL, UR, and LR that define the shape of the footprint 11 are displaced to predetermined positions, respectively, as shown in FIG. The footprint 11 having a rectangular shape is translated in an arbitrary direction (handwriting direction) as indicated by an arrow in the figure. Here, the four corner vertices UL, LL, UR, and LR that define the shape of the footprint 11 correspond to the four corner vertices that define the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200, as shown in FIG. To do. Therefore, by synthesizing the vector composed of the deflection amount δ and the direction of each piezoelectric sensor 201 arranged in the tip 230, the apexes UL, LL, UR of the four corners defining the shape of the footprints 10, 11 are obtained. Since the position of the LR is estimated, a rectangular shape obtained by connecting these vertices is defined as the shape of the footprints 10 and 11.

  The pressure (contact pressure) when the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 contacts the tablet terminal 100 is calculated based on the tip load F detected by each piezoelectric sensor 201 arranged in the tip 230. That is, in the footprint 11 in which the shape is set as described above, the contact pressures at the apexes UL, LL, UR, LR of the four corners defining the shape are the tip loads F detected by the piezoelectric sensors 201, respectively. Similar to the case shown in FIG. 7, vector synthesis is performed, and calculation (estimation) is performed based on the magnitude of the synthesis vector. Then, based on the values of the contact pressures at the vertices UL, LL, UR, and LR, two-dimensional linear interpolation is performed in the region of the footprint 11 having the rectangular shape as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, a contact pressure distribution (that is, a pen pressure distribution) in the region is obtained. 10 (d) shows the shape of the footprint 11 when the electronic paintbrush 200 is tilted in any direction at any angle as shown in FIG. 10 (b). In this case, the pen pressure distribution (shown below) is shown, and for convenience, the vicinity of the vertex LR where the contact pressure is increased by the inclination of the electronic paintbrush 200 is shown in dark color, while the contact is also caused by the inclination of the electronic paintbrush 200. The vicinity of the apex UL where the pressure hardly changes or the contact pressure becomes low is shown in light color. That is, in the area of the footprint 11, the distribution is inclined so that the value of the contact pressure gradually decreases from the vicinity of the vertex LR having a high contact pressure toward the vicinity of the vertex UL having a low contact pressure.

  Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the case where six piezoelectric sensors 201 are arranged in the tip 230 has been described. However, by increasing the number of piezoelectric sensors, It is possible to grasp the shape and pressure distribution of the print more accurately, and in the drawing control method described later, it is possible to reflect the characteristics of the brush according to the brush usage and brush stroke of the electronic paint brush by displaying strokes, coloring, etc. it can.

<Drawing control method>
Next, a drawing control method using the input operation analysis method described above in the drawing system according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a drawing control method in the drawing system according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the drawing control operation using the input operation analysis method according to the present embodiment is roughly outlined, the input operation step (S11), the contact position information acquisition step (S12), and the posture information acquisition step (S13). ), A stroke information acquisition step (S14), a stroke state determination step (S15), an image processing step (S16), and a display information control step (S17).

  In the input operation step (S11), first, the power switch 108 of the tablet terminal 100 is turned on to supply the power supply voltage from the power supply unit 107 to each unit so that the drawing control operation in the tablet terminal 100 can be performed. To do. Further, the power switch 209 of the electronic paintbrush 200 is turned on to supply a power supply voltage from the power supply unit 208 to each unit, and the electronic paintbrush 200 is set in a state in which a drawing control operation can be performed. Next, brush type information including the tip shape of the electronic paintbrush 200 used by the user is registered in the tablet terminal 100. The registration of the brush type information may be input directly by the user from the setting screen of the tablet terminal 100, or after the power-on operation of the tablet terminal 100 and the electronic paint brush 200, the CPU 207 of the electronic paint brush 200 performs the communication function. The information may be automatically transmitted via the units 206 and 105 and notified to the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 for setting. Here, the brush type information includes at least the type and shape (length, brush thickness, etc.) of the tip 230 of the electronic paint brush 200 such as the flat brush type or the round brush type (described later in detail), the tip 230, and the like. Information on the number and arrangement of the piezoelectric sensors 201 arranged therein is included. Next, the user performs an input operation on the touch panel 102 of the tablet terminal 100 using the electronic paint brush 200 to bring the tip 230 into contact with an arbitrary position with an arbitrary strength.

  In the contact position information acquisition step (S12), the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 detects the position of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 that is in contact with the touch panel 102, and the contact position information is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 104. Store as. Here, the contact position information is a plurality of reference points that define the shape of the contact area of the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 (that is, the vertexes UL, LL, UR, LR at the four corners in the case of the rectangular contact area described above). Corresponding to). These reference points may be detected simultaneously or sequentially. Note that the contact position information is detected by a method according to a position detection method (such as a resistance film method or a capacitance method) of the touch panel 102 applied to the tablet terminal 100.

  In the posture information acquisition step (S 13), the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 detects the rotation direction and the tilt direction of the tablet terminal 100 by the geomagnetic sensor 103 and stores it in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 104 as terminal posture information. . Further, the CPU 207 of the electronic paintbrush 200 detects the rotation direction and the inclination direction of the electronic paintbrush 200 by the geomagnetic sensor 204 and stores it as a paintbrush posture information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 205. Here, the paint brush posture information is transmitted to the tablet terminal 100 via the communication function unit 206 at a predetermined timing (at any time or any timing), and the contact position information and the terminal posture information detected by the tablet terminal 100. And stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 104. Then, the CPU 106 grasps the relative rotation angle and inclination angle of the electronic paintbrush 200 with respect to the tablet terminal 100 at the contact position based on the terminal posture information and the paintbrush posture information.

  In the stroke information acquisition step (S14), the CPU 207 of the electronic paintbrush 200 causes the tip 230 or the tip 230 when the tip 230 is brought into contact with the touch panel 102 of the tablet terminal 100 by the plurality of piezoelectric sensors 201 arranged in the tip 230. The bending states (that is, the bending amount and the bending direction) of the piezoelectric sensors 201-1 to 201-6 are detected and stored as stroke information in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 205. That is, the CPU 207 of the electronic paintbrush 200 functions as a bending state detection unit. Here, the stroke information is transmitted to the tablet terminal 100 through the communication function unit 206 at a predetermined timing (at any time or at any timing), and the contact position information and the terminal posture information detected by the tablet terminal 100 are included. The data is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 104 in association with each other. In the stroke state determination step described later, the CPU 106 grasps the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 based on the stroke information, the contact position information, the terminal posture information, and the paintbrush posture information.

  Note that the contact position information, posture information, and stroke information acquired with the input operation are not limited to the order of steps S12 to S14 described above, and these steps are executed in an arbitrary order. Alternatively, a plurality of these steps may be executed in parallel. When calculating (estimating) the handwriting state, if the terminal posture information and the paintbrush posture information are not used, the posture information acquisition step (S13) may be omitted.

  In the stroke state determination step (S15), the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 uses the input operation analysis method described above to detect the stroke information and the brush posture information detected by the electronic paint brush 200 and the tablet terminal 100. Based on the contact position information and the terminal posture information, information on the characteristics of the brush according to the brush use and the brush stroke at the time of the input operation with the electronic paint brush 200 on the tablet terminal 100, that is, the stroke state (the stroke direction and the shape of the footprint, Pressure distribution). As described above, when calculating (estimating) the stroke state, the terminal posture information and the paint brush posture information may not be used. Further, by using the terminal posture information and the paint brush posture information, the handwriting state can be calculated (estimated) based on more various parameters.

  In the image processing step (S16), when the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 displays a stroke, coloring, or the like corresponding to the input operation of the electronic paintbrush 200 as an image on the display unit 101 based on the above stroke state, Image processing is performed to set various parameters such as the position and direction of the drawn lines, the thickness, the type and density of coloring, and the degree of rubbing.

  In the display information control step (S17), the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 controls the display unit 101 to display a drawn line, a coloring, and the like based on the parameters set by the above image processing. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, when the user touches the surface of the touch panel 102 of the tablet terminal 100 with the tip 230 at an arbitrary position using the electronic paint brush 200 at an arbitrary strength, the display unit 101 corresponds. A stroke, coloring, or the like having the characteristics of the brush according to the brush usage or carrying of the electronic paint brush 200 is displayed as an image at the position.

  Thus, in the drawing system according to the present embodiment, the tip of the electronic paintbrush has a configuration in which a plurality of brushes are bundled in the same manner as an actual paintbrush used for the production of a picture. As a result, even when an input operation is performed by bringing the tip of an electronic paint brush into contact with the touch panel of a tablet terminal or the like to be drawn, the behavior (bending) equivalent to the tip of an actual paint brush is reproduced. Thus, it is possible to realize an electronic drawing system capable of performing an input operation intuitively with the same operability and feeling as an actual paint brush.

  Further, in the drawing system according to the present embodiment, a plurality of flexible piezoelectric sensors are arranged inside the tip of the electronic paintbrush, and due to the piezoelectric effect of these piezoelectric sensors, the bending state of the tip (the amount of bending and the bending) Direction) is detected accurately. As a result, it is possible to accurately grasp the footprint shape and the pen pressure distribution at that time according to the bending state of the tip. It is possible to realize an electronic drawing system that can reflect features (line thickness, rubbing condition, writing pressure distribution, etc.) in the display of drawn lines and coloring.

  In particular, in the drawing system according to the present embodiment, an electronic device such as a general-purpose tablet terminal or a smartphone that has a communication function with a touch panel, a geomagnetic sensor, and a peripheral device as a standard can be used as it is. Then, a control program for executing the above-described series of input operation analysis operations and drawing control operations is installed in the electronic device, and an electronic paint brush having the above-described configuration is prepared, whereby the drawing to which the present invention is applied. The system can be realized simply and inexpensively.

(Other configuration examples of piezoelectric sensor)
Next, another configuration example of the piezoelectric sensor applied to the electronic paint brush constituting the drawing system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another configuration example of the piezoelectric sensor applied to the electronic paint brush constituting the drawing system to which the present invention is applied. Here, the same components as those of the piezoelectric sensor shown in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the piezoelectric body 20 in which the thin film electrodes 22 a and 22 b are formed on both surfaces of the strip-shaped piezoelectric film 21 is laminated on one surface side of the elastic base material 23. The structure which has arrange | positioned the piezoelectric sensor 201 in the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 was shown. The piezoelectric sensor applied to the electronic paintbrush described above applies, as another configuration example, a piezoelectric sensor having a so-called bimorph type structure in which piezoelectric materials are laminated on both sides of the elastic base material 23, respectively. May be.

  As shown in FIG. 12, another configuration example of the piezoelectric sensor applicable to the present invention includes a piezoelectric body 20a formed on one surface side (upper surface side of the drawing) of the insulating elastic base material 23, and the other surface side (drawing surface). A piezoelectric body 20b is formed on the lower surface side. Here, the piezoelectric body 20a has a configuration in which the thin film electrodes 22a and 22b are formed on both surfaces (the upper surface and the lower surface in the drawing) of the strip-shaped piezoelectric film 21a, and the piezoelectric body 20b is formed on both surfaces of the strip-shaped piezoelectric film 21b. The thin-film electrodes 22c and 22d are formed on the (lower and upper surfaces in the drawing). The thin film electrode 22b side of the piezoelectric body 20a and the thin film electrode 22d side of the piezoelectric body 20b are grounded in common, and the thin film electrode 22a side of the piezoelectric body 20a and the thin film electrode 22c side of the piezoelectric body 20b are commonly connected to the voltage detector. (Corresponding to the charge amplifier 202 and the filter / ADC 203 described above). That is, the piezoelectric sensor 201 according to this configuration example has a combined beam structure in which the piezoelectric bodies 20a and 20b are bonded to both surfaces of the elastic substrate 23 so that the polarities of the piezoelectric films 21a and 21b are matched.

  According to the piezoelectric sensor 201 having such a configuration, the voltage detector detects the charges generated in each of the piezoelectric films 21a and 21b in a combined state according to the amount of deflection of the piezoelectric sensor 201. Compared to the piezoelectric sensor shown in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 8), it is possible to detect substantially twice the amount of charge. Therefore, by disposing the piezoelectric sensor 201 according to this configuration example in the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 shown in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to detect a voltage corresponding to the amount of deflection of the tip 230 with higher sensitivity. In addition, the characteristics of the brush according to the brush usage and brush travel of the electronic paint brush 200 can be more faithfully reflected in the display.

  In addition, in the piezoelectric sensor 201 according to the present configuration example, the case where the piezoelectric substrate 20a has a laminated structure in which the piezoelectric bodies 20a and 20b are bonded to both surfaces of the elastic base material 23 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. . That is, the piezoelectric sensor applicable to the present invention has a structure in which, for example, a plurality of layers of the elastic base material 23 and the piezoelectric body 20 (or 20a, 20b) shown in FIGS. You may have. Here, the piezoelectric body is preferably laminated so as not to be positioned on the neutral axis of the entire piezoelectric sensor 201. Even in the piezoelectric sensor having such a configuration, the amount of deflection of the tip can be detected with higher sensitivity.

(Other examples of electronic paintbrushes)
Next, another configuration example of the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 13 is a main part configuration diagram showing another configuration example of the electronic paintbrush applied to the drawing system to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 13A is a schematic perspective view showing a brush tip portion of an electronic paintbrush according to this configuration example, and FIG. 13B is a line XIIIB-XIIIB shown in FIG. 13A (in this specification, It is a figure which shows the cross section of the tip along the point which uses "XIII" for convenience as the code | symbol corresponding to the Roman numeral "13" shown in the figure. FIG. 14 is an exploded view showing a main part of an electronic paintbrush according to this configuration example. FIG. 14A is an exploded perspective view for explaining the structure of the tip applied to the electronic paintbrush according to this configuration example, and FIG. 14B is the XIVB-XIVB shown in FIG. It is an arrow view seen from a line (in this specification, for convenience, "XIV" is used as a code corresponding to the Roman numeral "14" shown in the figure). Here, the description of the configuration equivalent to the above-described embodiment is simplified.

  In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the stroke state in the electronic paintbrush 200 having the flat brush tip 230 is grasped, and the drawn lines displayed on the display unit 101 of the tablet terminal 100 The case of reflecting in the coloring has been described. The electronic paint brush applied to the present invention may have a tip having an arbitrary shape other than a flat brush as another configuration example. In this configuration example, a case where the electronic paintbrush 200 has a round brush type tip 230 will be described.

  Other configuration examples of the electronic paintbrush applicable to the present invention include a rod-shaped handle shaft 210 and an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft 210 as shown in FIG. And a fixing base 210 a for fixing the tip 230 to the handle shaft 210. Here, in this configuration example, the electronic paintbrush 200 has the same appearance and configuration as a round brush used to produce a general painting.

  As shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A, the tip 230 has a configuration in which a plurality of brushes are bundled, and one end side thereof is inserted into the fixing base 210a and fixed to the handle shaft 210. ing. Here, in the electronic paintbrush 200, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the cross-section of the tip 230 has a circular or elliptical shape. Moreover, in the tip 230, as shown in FIG.13 (b) and FIG.14 (a), (b), four piezoelectric sensors 201-11-201-14 (all the piezoelectric sensors 201-11-201). −14 indicates “piezoelectric sensor 201”) in the same direction as the brush, and each piezoelectric sensor 201-11 to 201-14 has a predetermined positional relationship and relative angle. It is bundled with.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 13 (b) and FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), the brush tip 230 is bundled in a columnar shape so that the cross-sectional shape has a fan shape, and its extension Hair bundles 232e to 232h in which two planes adjacent to each other form a substantially right angle, and piezoelectric sensors 201-11 to 201-14 arranged so as to be sandwiched between the boundaries of the hair bundles 232e to 232h ing. That is, as shown in FIGS. 13 (b) and 14 (b), in the hair bundles 232e and 232f having a fan-shaped cross section, between two opposing flat surfaces (sides in the vertical direction in the drawing) as the boundary surface A piezoelectric sensor 201-11 is disposed. Similarly, a piezoelectric sensor 201-12 is arranged between the two planes (sides in the left-right direction) of the hair bundles 232f and 232g, and the two planes (in the vertical direction of the drawing) of the hair bundles 232g and 232h. Piezoelectric sensor 201-13 is arranged between the two flat surfaces (sides in the left-right direction in the drawing) of the hair bundles 232h and 232e. Here, each of the piezoelectric sensors 201-11 to 201-14 is made of a film member having a strip-like flat surface as in the above-described embodiment, and each flat surface extends along the boundary surface. Has been placed. Accordingly, the piezoelectric sensors 201-11 and 201-13 and the piezoelectric sensors 201-12 and 201-14 are arranged so that their planes are relatively orthogonal to each other. And as shown to Fig.14 (a), (b), the piezoelectric sensors 201-11-201-4 arrange | positioned at each boundary are bundled in the state coat | covered with the adjacent hair | bristle bundle 232e-232x. . Thereby, as shown in FIG.13 (b) and FIG.14 (a), the tip 230 which a cross section has a circular shape or an ellipse is formed.

  Also in an electronic paintbrush having such a configuration, the same input operation analysis method as in the above-described embodiment can be applied. Here, when the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 (that is, the contact area with the touch panel 102) has a circular shape or an elliptical shape, a plurality of points on the outer periphery of the shape are used as reference points, and the displacement direction and displacement If the amount is known, the displacement of the entire tip portion of the tip 230 can be estimated. That is, by detecting the output voltage of each of the piezoelectric sensors 201-11 to 201-14 arranged so that the plane faces in two orthogonal directions in the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200, the bending direction of the tip 230 The amount of bending can be detected independently. Then, the displacement direction and the amount of displacement at an arbitrary point on the outer periphery of the shape of the tip portion of the tip 230 are estimated by vector synthesis of these displacement components, and the displacement state of the entire tip portion of the tip 230, that is, The stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 can be determined.

  As described above, even in the drawing system to which the electronic paintbrush according to this configuration example is applied, an electronic device that can perform an input operation intuitively with the same operability and operational feeling as an actual paintbrush, as in the above-described embodiment. A drawing system can be realized. Also, an electronic drawing system that can reflect on the display strokes and colors that have the characteristics of the brush (thickness of line, rubbing, pressure distribution, etc.) according to the brush usage and stroke of the electronic brush during input operations. Can be realized.

  Furthermore, in the drawing system to which the electronic paintbrush according to the above-described embodiment and this configuration example is applied, the electronic paintbrush applied to the input device includes a plurality of brushes with different types and shapes of the tip 230, and the actual painting As with the production of, any paintbrush can be changed and used according to the part to be drawn, texture, etc. As a result, the display part of the tablet terminal or the like can reflect the shape of the tip of the electronic paintbrush and the strokes and colorings having the characteristics of the brush according to the brush usage and brush travel, which are more realistic. It is possible to create paintings intuitively with the operability and feeling of operation.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where six or four piezoelectric sensors are included has been described as an example, but three or more piezoelectric sensors may be included. In the case of including three or more piezoelectric sensors, the first pair of planes of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect each other, and among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors If the second pair of planes of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the above are arranged in a direction crossing each other, the stroke state of the electronic paintbrush 200 can be obtained by the above-described method. Can be detected. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the piezoelectric sensor is arranged inside the tip has been described as an example, but the piezoelectric sensor may be arranged outside the tip. When the piezoelectric sensor is arranged inside the tip, the appearance of the electronic paintbrush can be made almost the same as a normal paintbrush. When the piezoelectric sensor is arranged outside the tip, for example, by arranging a plurality of piezoelectric sensors along the outer shape of the tip, the bending state of the tip can be detected more accurately. Piezoelectric sensors may be arranged both inside and outside the tip.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a bundle of a plurality of brushes is used as a tip has been described as an example. A piezoelectric sensor may be embedded, or a plurality of piezoelectric sensors may be disposed outside the tip. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the CPU 207 of the electronic paintbrush 200 functions as a bending state detection unit has been described as an example. However, the detection voltage of the piezoelectric sensor 201 is sequentially stored in the storage unit 205 of the electronic paintbrush 200. While temporarily storing these voltages, these detection voltages are transmitted to the storage unit 104 or the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 via the communication function unit 206 of the electronic paintbrush 200 and the communication function unit 105 of the tablet terminal 100 as needed. Is transmitted to the storage unit 104 based on the detection voltage of the piezoelectric sensor 201 read from the storage unit 104 by the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100, and based on the detection voltage when the detection voltage is transmitted directly to the CPU 106. The CPU 106 uses the tip 230 of the electronic paintbrush 200 or each piezoelectric sensor 20. It may be detected with a flexure state. In this case, the electronic paintbrush 200 functions as a voltage detection device, the CPU 106 of the tablet terminal 100 functions as a flexure state detection device, and these devices as a whole function as an input device.

As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It includes the invention described in the claim, and its equivalent range.
Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.

(Appendix)
[1]
A handle axis having a shape extending along a predetermined axis;
Fixed to an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft, and a tip provided to extend along the axis of the handle shaft;
A plurality of flat plate-shaped piezoelectric sensors each having one end and another end, wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors has the one end fixed to an end on one end side of the handle shaft, Are provided so as to extend along the axis of the handle axis, and a first pair of the plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are provided. A second pair of plate-like surfaces of a second pair of piezoelectric sensors, which are arranged in directions intersecting with each other and different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, The plurality of piezoelectric sensors arranged in directions intersecting each other;
Based on the detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors according to the bending of the tip, a bending state detection unit that detects the bending state of the tip,
It is an input device characterized by comprising.

[2]
The input device according to [1], further including a communication function unit that transmits data regarding a bending state of the tip detected by the bending state detection unit to the outside.

[3]
A handle axis having a shape extending along a predetermined axis;
Fixed to an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft, and a tip provided to extend along the axis of the handle shaft;
A plurality of flat plate-shaped piezoelectric sensors each having one end and another end, wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors has the one end fixed to an end on one end side of the handle shaft, Are provided so as to extend along the axis of the handle axis, and a first pair of the plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are provided. A second pair of plate-like surfaces of a second pair of piezoelectric sensors, which are arranged in directions intersecting with each other and different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, The plurality of piezoelectric sensors arranged in directions intersecting each other;
A voltage detecting device having a first communication function unit for transmitting detection voltages of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors to the outside;
A second communication function unit for receiving the detection voltage from the voltage detection device;
A bending state detection device including a bending state detection unit that detects a bending state of the tip based on detection voltages output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors according to the bending of the tip;
It is an input device characterized by comprising.

[4]
The input according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the bending state detection unit detects a bending amount and a bending direction on the other end side of the tip as the bending state. Device.
[5]
A touch sensor having an input surface to which the other end side of the tip is contacted, and detecting a contact position of the tip;
Based on the contact position of the tip and the bending state of the tip, a stroke state determination unit that determines the stroke state of the tip,
The input device according to any one of [1] to [4], further comprising:
[6]
The stroke state determination unit determines the movement direction of the tip, the shape of the contact area of the tip to the input surface, and the distribution of the contact pressure of the tip to the input surface as the stroke state. The input device according to [5], which is characterized.
[7]
The input device according to [5] or [6], further including a display unit that displays an image corresponding to a brush stroke state of the tip.

[8]
A tip is fixed to an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft having a shape extending along a predetermined axis so as to extend along the axis of the handle shaft, and each has one end portion and the other end portion. The one end portions of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are fixed to the end portion on one end side of the handle shaft, and the flat surfaces of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors extend along the axis of the handle shaft. Provided, and a first pair of the plate-like surfaces of a first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect each other, and the plurality of piezoelectric sensors An object on the tip of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from among them are arranged to intersect each other Occurred on the other end side of the tip when contacted The detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors detected individually depending on the Ri,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining a vector based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface Determine the pressure distribution,
This is an input operation analysis method characterized by the above.

[9]
On the computer,
A tip is fixed to an end portion on one end side of the handle shaft having a shape extending along a predetermined axis so as to extend along the axis of the handle shaft, and each has one end portion and the other end portion. The one end portions of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are fixed to the end portion on one end side of the handle shaft, and the flat surfaces of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors extend along the axis of the handle shaft. Provided, and a first pair of the plate-like surfaces of a first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect each other, and the plurality of piezoelectric sensors An object on the tip of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors selected from among them are arranged to intersect each other Occurred on the other end side of the tip when contacted The detection voltage generated in accordance with Ri, by individually detected by the plurality of piezoelectric sensors,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining the vectors based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface To determine the pressure distribution,
This is an input operation analysis program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 11 Footprint 20, 20a, 20b Piezoelectric material 21, 21a, 21b Piezoelectric film 22a-22d Thin film electrode 23 Elastic base material 100 Tablet terminal 101 Display part 102 Touch panel (touch sensor)
103 Geomagnetic sensor 105 Communication function unit 106 CPU (handwriting state determination unit)
200 Electronic Paint Brush 201 Piezoelectric Sensor 204 Geomagnetic Sensor 206 Communication Function Unit 207 CPU (Bending State Detection Unit)
210 Handle axis 230 Tip

Claims (11)

A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction;
A plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape , wherein one end portion of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end portion of the handle shaft, and the other end portion to be a free end of each piezoelectric sensor is a distance from the handle shaft as spaced, the flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors,
Said plurality of piezoelectric sensors, have been arranged in a direction in which the first of the first pair of the flat surfaces of a pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect each other, the plurality of piezoelectric sensors from said first pair of piezoelectric sensors out be arranged in a direction in which the second pair of the flat surfaces of the different second pair of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other,
Based on detection voltages output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in accordance with the deflection of the tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft, the deflection state of the tip The bending state detection unit for detecting
An input device further comprising:   The input device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication function unit that transmits data regarding a bending state of the tip detected by the bending state detection unit to the outside. A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction;
A plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape , wherein one end portion of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end portion of the handle shaft, and the other end portion to be a free end of each piezoelectric sensor is a distance from the handle shaft A plurality of piezoelectric sensors provided so that the flat plate-like surface extends along the one direction,
Said plurality of piezoelectric sensors, have been arranged in a direction in which the first of the first pair of the flat surfaces of a pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect each other, the plurality of piezoelectric sensors from said first pair of piezoelectric sensors out be arranged in a direction in which the second pair of the flat surfaces of the different second pair of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other,
A voltage detection device further comprising a first communication function unit for transmitting detection voltages of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors to the outside;
A second communication function unit for receiving the detection voltage from the voltage detection device;
Based on the detection voltage received by the second communication function unit, a bending state for detecting a bending state of a tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft A bending state detection device having a detection unit;
An input device comprising: The input device according to claim 1, wherein the bending state detection unit detects a bending amount and a bending direction on a free end side of the tip as the bending state. A touch sensor having an input surface to which a free end of the tip is contacted, and detecting a contact position of the tip;
Based on the contact position of the tip and the bending state of the tip, a stroke state determination unit that determines the stroke state of the tip,
The input device according to claim 1, further comprising: The stroke state determining unit is configured to select at least one of the movement direction of the tip, the shape of the contact area of the tip with the input surface, and the distribution of the contact pressure of the tip with the input surface. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the input device is determined as a state.   The input device according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit that displays an image according to a brush stroke state of the tip. A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape, one end of each piezoelectric sensor being fixed to one end of the handle shaft, The plurality of flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the one direction so that the other end portion to be a free end of the sensor is disposed at a distance from the handle axis. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors, wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect each other. The second pair of plate-like surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction intersecting each other,
Based on detection voltages output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors according to the deflection of the tip provided to extend along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft, the bending state of the tip is determined. Output the detection power of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors toward the bending state detection unit to detect,
An input device characterized by that. A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each having a flat plate shape, one end of each piezoelectric sensor being fixed to one end of the handle shaft, The plurality of flat surfaces are provided so as to extend along the one direction so that the other end portion to be a free end of the sensor is disposed at a distance from the handle axis. The plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction in which a first pair of the flat surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors intersect with each other. The second pair of plate-like surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors among the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged in a direction intersecting each other. A device,
A second communication function unit that receives a detection voltage from the device and the detection voltage received by the second communication function unit, and extends along the one direction at one end of the handle shaft A first communication function unit that transmits the detection voltages of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors toward a bending state detection device having a bending state detection unit that detects a bending state of a tip provided to be And further
A voltage detecting device characterized by that. A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each tabular, one end of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end of the handle shaft, the respective piezoelectric as the other end portion being a free end of the sensor is arranged at a distance from the handle axis, the flat surface is provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, the plurality of A plurality of piezoelectric sensors , wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect with each other. One end of the handle shaft of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors is arranged to intersect Provided in the part so as to extend along the one direction Separately detecting a detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in response to flexure object occurs in the other end of the tip when in contact with the tip,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining a vector based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface Determining at least one of the pressure distributions,
An input operation analysis method characterized by the above. On the computer,
A handle shaft having a shape extending along one direction, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors each tabular, one end of each piezoelectric sensor is fixed to one end of the handle shaft, the respective piezoelectric as the other end portion being a free end of the sensor is arranged at a distance from the handle axis, the flat surface is provided so as to extend along the direction of the one, the plurality of A plurality of piezoelectric sensors , wherein the first pair of plate-like surfaces of the first pair of piezoelectric sensors of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged so as to intersect with each other. One end of the handle shaft of the input device in which the second pair of flat surfaces of the second pair of piezoelectric sensors different from the first pair of piezoelectric sensors is arranged to intersect Provided in the part so as to extend along the one direction The by individually detecting a detection voltage output from the plurality of piezoelectric sensors in response to flexure object occurs in the other end of the tip when in contact with the tip,
Based on the detection voltage, the bending amount and the bending direction of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are detected,
By combining the vectors based on the amount and direction of bending of the plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the shape of the contact area with the object on the other end side of the tip and the contact of the tip with the input surface Distinguish at least one of the pressure distributions,
An input operation analysis program characterized by that.

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