JP6256097B2 - Electronic terminal device, pen device, electronic terminal system, and information transmission method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic terminal device such as a pen tablet or a tablet terminal, and a pen device such as an electronic pen used for inputting information to such an electronic terminal device. The present invention also relates to an electronic terminal system including an electronic terminal device and a pen device, and an information transmission method used between the electronic terminal device and the pen device.

  Conventionally, a pen tablet has been used as a pointing device for inputting position information to a computer using a pen apparatus such as an electronic pen. In recent years, tablet-shaped portable information terminals (tablet terminals) having the functions of personal computers have become widespread, and touch panels have been widely adopted as input devices for tablet terminals.

  The user can perform a desired operation by touching a user interface screen displayed on the touch panel of the tablet terminal with a finger. In addition, the user can input handwritten characters and the like on the touch panel of the tablet terminal using a pen device such as an electronic pen. By using the pen device, it is possible to facilitate input of handwritten characters and improve the accuracy of character recognition.

  In order to transmit the position information of the pen device to an electronic terminal device such as a pen tablet or a tablet terminal, electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, or the like is used. Therefore, the pen device incorporates a battery for supplying power to a circuit that generates electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, and the like. If the remaining battery level in the pen device decreases, it becomes impossible to accurately input information to the electronic terminal device, so it is desirable to notify the user of a decrease in the remaining battery level in the pen device. However, if a pen unit is provided with a display unit that displays a low battery level and a sound generation unit that informs the low battery level by voice, the cost of the pen unit is likely to be large or lost and handled as a consumable item. Will rise.

  As a related technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery remaining amount guidance system that can omit a function of guiding a remaining battery amount from a secondary device such as a dedicated pen used in an electronic blackboard device. The battery remaining amount guidance system includes a main device and a sub device that is used separately from the main device while consuming electric power supplied from the battery, and the sub device includes a remaining amount of power that can be supplied by the battery. The battery remaining amount detecting means for detecting the information and the information transmitting means capable of transmitting the battery remaining amount information detected by the battery remaining amount detecting means in a non-contact state are provided. Receiving means for receiving information on the remaining battery level and guidance means for guiding the remaining battery level to the user based on the reception result of the receiving means are provided.

  According to Patent Document 1, infrared light and visible light are output from the secondary device, and the remaining battery level is guided through the main device based on the remaining battery level information included in the infrared ray. For this reason, it is not necessary to guide the remaining battery level on the side of the secondary device that consumes battery power. Therefore, the function of guiding the remaining battery level from the sub device can be omitted. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the secondary device that is highly likely to be consumed due to use or lost due to being used separately.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a system that can manage that the battery capacity of a portable transmitter is reduced at any time by installing a dedicated battery detection detection receiver at a place where patients and the like always gather in a detection apparatus such as a patient. Is disclosed. A portable transmitter carried by a patient or the like operates with power supplied from a battery and transmits a patient detection signal or a battery dead signal out of two different signals. The patient detection receiver is installed in a place where it is dangerous for the patient or the like to approach, and the battery dead receiver is installed in a place where patients etc. often gather such as a cafeteria or a meeting place. A signal emitted from the portable transmitter is received and detected by a patient detection receiver or a battery dead receiver, and is transmitted to an alarm device to give an appropriate alarm.

  According to Patent Document 2, it is possible to quickly detect battery exhaustion at a cafeteria or gathering place, prevent the portable transmitter from being deactivated due to battery exhaustion at a dangerous location, and ensure the safety of patients and the like. .

JP 2012-98764 A (paragraphs 0005 to 0008) JP-A-8-171688 (abstract, paragraph 0010)

  However, in the pen device used for inputting the position information to the electronic terminal device, if a transmission unit that transmits information such as the remaining battery level is provided separately from the transmission unit that transmits the position information of the pen device, the pen device As the size of the electronic terminal increases, it is necessary to provide a plurality of receiving means also in the electronic terminal device. Further, when two different signals are transmitted from the pen device, the transmission method becomes complicated.

  Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to use a simple transmission method in a pen device without providing a display unit or additional transmission means in the pen device used for inputting position information to the electronic terminal device. This is to notify the user of an event such as a decrease in the remaining battery level or to change the display method of the position of the pen device.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic terminal device according to one aspect of the present invention is an electronic terminal device used together with an electromagnetic induction pen device, and receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device and receives a received signal. A detection unit that detects the amplitude or frequency of the received signal, a position measurement unit that measures the position of the pen device relative to the electronic terminal device based on the amplitude of the received signal, and a fixed time A determination unit that determines whether the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal is greater than a predetermined value, and a rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per predetermined time is determined to be greater than the predetermined value. A notification unit that notifies an event that has occurred in the pen device or changes the display method of the position of the pen device in accordance with the event that has occurred in the pen device.

  According to the electronic terminal device of one aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value, and a message is displayed based on the determination result. By using a simple transmission method without providing a display unit or additional transmission means on the pen device, the user is notified of an event such as a low battery level generated in the pen device, or The display method of the position of the pen device can be changed.

  Here, it is desirable that the predetermined value is larger than the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per fixed time due to an artificial operation of the pen device. In that case, distinguish whether the amplitude change or frequency change of the received signal is due to an artificial operation of the pen device or due to the amplitude modulation or frequency modulation of the transmission signal in the pen device. Can do.

  In addition, when the tip of the pen device is in contact with the touch panel of the electronic terminal device, the determination unit determines whether the change rate of the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. You may make it do. In that case, since the amplitude of the reception signal output from the reception unit increases, the determination unit can easily determine whether the amplitude or frequency change rate of the reception signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. Can be determined.

  Furthermore, the determination unit may determine whether the pattern of the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal matches a predetermined pattern. In that case, the probability of erroneous determination in the determination unit is reduced.

  In the above, the pen device is a pen device that operates with power supplied from the battery, and the notification unit determines that the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. In such a case, a notification of a decrease in the remaining battery level in the pen device may be made. In that case, the battery can be replaced or charged before the pen device becomes unusable due to a low battery level.

  A pen device according to one aspect of the present invention is a pen device that transmits information on a position relative to an electronic terminal device to the electronic terminal device by an electromagnetic induction method. The pen device generates a transmission signal, and the pen device performs predetermined processing. When an event occurs within a period, a modulation unit that applies amplitude modulation or frequency modulation to the transmission signal so that the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value, and transmits electromagnetic waves based on the transmission signal A transmission unit.

  According to the pen device according to one aspect of the present invention, when an event occurs in a predetermined period in the pen device, the amplitude modulation or the rate of change of the frequency per certain time becomes larger than a predetermined value or By applying frequency modulation to the transmission signal, the battery level of the pen device is reduced and the user operates the pen device using a simple transmission method without providing a display unit or additional transmission means on the pen device. And the like can be transmitted to the electronic terminal device.

  Here, the pen device further includes a switch for detecting whether or not the tip of the pen device is in contact with the object, and the modulation unit is a predetermined unit within a period in which the tip of the pen device is in contact with the object. At the timing, the transmission signal may be subjected to amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which the rate of change of amplitude or frequency per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value. In that case, since the modulation unit can perform the modulation operation when the tip of the pen device is in contact with the touch panel of the electronic terminal device, it is easy to detect the modulation of the received signal in the electronic terminal device. Become.

  In addition, the pen device further includes a battery remaining amount detection unit that detects a remaining amount of the battery that supplies power to the pen device, and the modulation unit detects that the remaining amount of the battery detected by the remaining battery amount detection unit is greater than a specified value. In the case where the transmission frequency is lower, amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per fixed time is larger than a predetermined value may be applied to the transmission signal. In that case, before the pen device becomes unusable due to the low battery level, the low battery level in the pen device can be transmitted to the electronic terminal device.

  An electronic terminal system according to one aspect of the present invention is a pen device that transmits information about a position relative to any one of the electronic terminal devices described above to the electronic terminal device using an electromagnetic induction method, A modulation unit that generates a signal and performs amplitude modulation or frequency modulation on the transmission signal such that the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value when an event occurs in the pen apparatus within a predetermined period. And a pen device including a transmission unit that transmits electromagnetic waves based on the transmission signal.

  According to the electronic terminal system of one aspect of the present invention, when an event occurs in the pen device within a predetermined period, the pen device has a rate of change in amplitude or frequency per predetermined time that is lower than a predetermined value. The amplitude modulation or frequency modulation to be increased is applied to the transmission signal, and the electronic terminal apparatus determines whether the amplitude or frequency change rate of the reception signal per certain time is larger than a predetermined value, and based on the determination result By displaying a message, etc., it is possible to notify the user of an event such as a low battery level occurring in the pen device using a simple transmission method without providing a display unit or additional transmission means in the pen device. Or the display method of the position of the pen device can be changed.

  An information transmission method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of transmitting an electromagnetic wave based on a transmission signal in a pen device that transmits information on a relative position to an electronic terminal device to the electronic terminal device by an electromagnetic induction method (a ), When an event occurs within a predetermined period in the pen device, the transmission signal is subjected to amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value. A step (b) of transmitting an electromagnetic wave based on the transmission signal, a step (c) of generating an reception signal by receiving the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device in the electronic terminal device, and detecting an amplitude or a frequency of the reception signal Step (d), measuring the relative position of the pen device with respect to the electronic terminal device based on the amplitude of the received signal, Step (f) for determining whether the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal is greater than a predetermined value, and if the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per predetermined time is greater than the predetermined value A step (g) of notifying an event that has occurred in the pen device when the determination is made, or changing the display method of the position of the pen device in accordance with the event that has occurred in the pen device.

  According to the information transmission method according to one aspect of the present invention, when an event occurs in the pen device within a predetermined period, the change rate of the amplitude or frequency per certain time is less than the predetermined value in the pen device. The amplitude modulation or frequency modulation to be increased is applied to the transmission signal, and in the electronic terminal device, it is determined whether the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the reception signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value, and based on the determination result By displaying a message, etc., it is possible to notify the user of an event such as a low battery level occurring in the pen device using a simple transmission method without providing a display unit or additional transmission means in the pen device. Or the display method of the position of the pen device can be changed.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the electronic terminal system which concerns on each embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a pen device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the tablet terminal which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Schematic which shows the structural example of the digitizer in FIG. The figure which shows the transmission signal in a pen apparatus, and the reception signal in a tablet terminal. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the pen apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the tablet terminal which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the information transmission method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same referential mark is attached | subjected to the same component and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electronic terminal system including an electronic terminal device and a pen device according to each embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiments, as an example, a case where the present invention is applied to an electronic terminal system including a tablet terminal as an electronic terminal device and a pen device used to input position information to the tablet terminal will be described. To do.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tablet terminal 10 may include a touch panel 11, a power switch 12, a determination button 13, and a sound generation unit 14. When the user presses the power switch 12, the tablet terminal 10 starts operating. The user can perform a desired operation by touching the user interface screen displayed on the touch panel 11 with a finger. The determination button 13 is pressed when determining items displayed on the touch panel 11. The sound generation unit 14 includes a speaker and generates a sound such as a message. In the present embodiment, the tablet terminal 10 is used together with the electromagnetic induction pen device 20.

  The pen device 20 may include a power switch 21, an operation switch 22, and a micro switch 23. When the user presses the power switch 21, the pen device 20 starts operating. The pen device 20 transmits information on a relative position with respect to the tablet terminal 10 to the tablet terminal 10 by an electromagnetic induction method. Therefore, the user can input handwritten characters and the like on the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 using the pen device 20. By using the pen device 20, it is possible to facilitate input of handwritten characters and the like and improve the accuracy of character recognition.

  The operation switch 22 is used to change the display method of the position of the pen device 20 displayed on the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10. Specifically, the operation switch 22 may be used to change the color of dots and lines displayed on the touch panel 11 when a user inputs handwritten characters or the like using the pen device 20. For example, when the power switch 12 of the tablet terminal 10 is turned on, black is set as a default, and the color of dots and lines displayed on the touch panel 11 whenever the user presses the operation switch 22 is red, blue, green. Etc. are sequentially changed.

  Alternatively, the operation switch 22 may be used to change the thickness of dots and lines displayed on the touch panel 11 when the user inputs handwritten characters or the like using the pen device 20. For example, when the power switch 12 of the tablet terminal 10 is turned on, a thin character is set as a default, and each time a user presses the operation switch 22, the dot or line thickness displayed on the touch panel 11 gradually becomes bold. Are sequentially changed.

  Alternatively, the operation switch 22 switches between a drawing mode in which the user draws a point or line on the touch panel 11 using the pen device 20 and an erasing mode in which the user erases the point or line from the touch panel 11 using the pen device 20. May be used for this purpose. For example, when the power switch 12 of the tablet terminal 10 is turned on, the drawing mode is set as a default, and whenever the user presses the operation switch 22, the drawing mode is changed to the erasing mode, and the erasing mode is changed to the drawing mode. Be changed.

  The micro switch 23 is provided at the tip of the pen device 20, and is displaced when the tip of the pen device 20 comes into contact with an object to change the electrical connection of the internal circuit. Thereby, the microswitch 23 can detect whether or not the tip of the pen device 20 is in contact with an object.

  Further, a multistage switch may be provided as the microswitch 23. For example, when the tip of the pen device 20 comes into strong contact with the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 and the microswitch 23 is displaced in two stages, the thickness of the dots and lines displayed on the touch panel 11 is changed from thin to bold. .

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the pen device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The pen device 20 includes a battery 210, a battery remaining amount detection unit 220, a control unit 230, a modulation unit 240, and a transmission unit 250.

  The battery 210 may be a normal button battery or a rechargeable battery, and supplies power to each part of the pen device 20. When a rechargeable battery is used as the battery 210, a charging circuit for charging the rechargeable battery may be provided inside the pen device 20. The battery remaining amount detection unit 220 detects the remaining amount of the battery 210 and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 230.

  The control unit 230 includes the power switch 21, the operation switch 22, the micro switch 23, and the control circuit 231 shown in FIG. The control circuit 231 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the battery 210 detected by the remaining battery level detection unit 220 is less than a specified value based on the detection signal output from the remaining battery level detection unit 220. For example, when the initial voltage of the battery 210 is 3.6V and the voltage of the battery 210 becomes less than 1.8V as the pen device 20 is used, the control circuit 231 determines that the remaining amount of the battery 210 is low. Judged as lowered.

  The modulation unit 240 includes an amplitude modulation circuit 241, an oscillation drive circuit 242, and a resonance circuit including a coil L1 and a capacitor C1 connected in parallel. The oscillation drive circuit 242 generates a transmission signal by driving the resonance circuit and performing an oscillation operation at the resonance frequency.

  The control circuit 231 controls the amplitude modulation circuit 241 to perform a predetermined modulation operation when an event occurs in the pen device 20 within a predetermined period. At that time, the amplitude modulation circuit 241 applies amplitude modulation to the transmission signal generated by the oscillation drive circuit 242 so that the rate of change in amplitude per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value. However, since the amplitude of the received signal also changes when the user moves the pen device 20, the predetermined value is larger than the rate of change in the amplitude of the received signal per fixed time due to an artificial operation of the pen device 20. Larger is desirable. This makes it possible to distinguish whether the amplitude change of the received signal is due to an artificial operation of the pen device 20 or due to the amplitude modulation of the transmission signal in the pen device 20.

  The contents of the event are preset in the tablet terminal 10 (FIG. 1) and the pen device 20. For example, when the content of the event is set to be a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 210 in the pen device 20, the control circuit 231 determines that the remaining amount of the battery 210 detected by the remaining battery amount detection unit 220 is greater than a specified value. When the number is less, the modulation unit 240 is controlled to perform a predetermined modulation operation. Thereby, before the pen apparatus 20 becomes unusable due to a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 210, the decrease in the remaining battery capacity of the pen apparatus 20 can be transmitted to the tablet terminal 10.

  In addition, when the content of the event is set to be a press of the operation switch 22 by the user, the control circuit 231 performs a predetermined modulation operation when the user presses the operation switch 22. To control. Thereby, the color or thickness of the point and line displayed on the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 can be changed, or the drawing mode and the erasing mode can be switched.

  Further, when the content of the event is set to be a two-step displacement of the micro switch 23, the control circuit 231 causes the user to strongly contact the tip of the pen device 20 with the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 and thereby the micro switch When 23 is displaced in two stages, the modulation unit 240 is controlled so as to perform a predetermined modulation operation. Thereby, the thickness of the point and line displayed on the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 can be changed.

  The transmission unit 250 includes a transmission circuit 251 and an antenna 252. The transmission circuit 251 power-amplifies the transmission signal generated by the modulation unit 240 and supplies the transmission signal to the antenna 252 under the control of the control circuit 231. The antenna 252 transmits an electromagnetic wave based on the power amplified transmission signal.

  The micro switch 23 may be used to switch the transmission operation of the pen device 20 on and off. In that case, when the tip of the pen device 20 contacts the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 and the microswitch 23 is displaced, the control circuit 231 controls the transmission circuit 251 so as to supply a transmission signal to the antenna 252. . Thereby, in the tablet terminal 10, it can detect that the front-end | tip part of the pen apparatus 20 contacted the touch panel 11. FIG.

  In addition, or instead, the microswitch 23 may be used to determine the timing for performing a predetermined modulation operation. In that case, the control circuit 231 performs a predetermined modulation operation at a predetermined timing within a period in which the tip of the pen device 20 contacts the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10 and the microswitch 23 is displaced. The modulation unit 240 is controlled. Thereby, since the modulation | alteration part 240 can perform predetermined | prescribed modulation | alteration operation | movement when the front-end | tip part of the pen apparatus 20 is contacting the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10, it detects the modulation | alteration of a received signal in the tablet terminal 10. Becomes easy.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the tablet terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The tablet terminal 10 includes a touch panel 11 and a sound generation unit 14, an amplifier 120, an amplitude detection unit 130, a position measurement unit 140, an image signal generation unit 150, a determination unit 160, and an audio signal generation unit 170 illustrated in FIG. And a control unit 180.

  The touch panel 11 is configured by superimposing a display unit 111 including a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel and a digitizer 112. In the present embodiment, an electromagnetic induction method is adopted as a method for detecting the position indicated by the pen device 20 shown in FIG. 1, and a reception signal is generated by receiving an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device 20. As an example of the unit, a digitizer 112 is used.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the digitizer in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an X axis and a Y axis orthogonal to each other in a plane parallel to the surface of the touch panel. The digitizer 112 includes, for example, a first group of loop antennas 112a and a second group of loop antennas 112b provided on the back surface of the protective layer of the display panel, and a selector 112c that switches connection between the loop antennas 112a and 112b. It is out.

  The first group of loop antennas 112a are arranged in the X-axis direction, and each loop antenna has a longitudinal direction in the Y-axis direction. The second group of loop antennas 112b is arranged in the Y-axis direction, and each loop antenna has a longitudinal direction in the X-axis direction.

  Each of the first group of loop antennas 112a and the second group of loop antennas 112b receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device 20, generates a received signal, and supplies the received signal to each input terminal of the selector 112c. . The selector 112c sequentially selects one reception signal from among the plurality of reception signals respectively supplied to the plurality of input terminals according to the selection signal output from the control unit 180 illustrated in FIG. 3, and selects the selected reception signal. Output to the amplifier 120.

  Referring to FIG. 3 again, the amplifier 120 amplifies the reception signal output from the digitizer 112 and outputs the amplified reception signal to the amplitude detection unit 130. The amplitude detector 130 detects the amplitude of the received signal by performing envelope detection processing on the received signal output from the amplifier 120.

  The position measurement unit 140 measures the relative position of the pen device 20 (FIG. 1) with respect to the tablet terminal 10 based on the amplitude of the reception signal detected by the amplitude detection unit 130. For example, the position measurement unit 140 may determine the position X of the tip of the pen device 20 based on the position of the loop antenna that generates the received signal having the largest amplitude among the first group of loop antennas 112a illustrated in FIG. Coordinates may be determined. Further, the position measuring unit 140 determines the position Y of the tip of the pen device 20 based on the position of the loop antenna that generates the received signal having the largest amplitude among the second group of loop antennas 112b shown in FIG. Coordinates may be determined.

  Alternatively, the position measuring unit 140 interpolates the X coordinate of the position of the tip of the pen device 20 based on the amplitude distribution of the plurality of received signals respectively generated by the first group of loop antennas 112a shown in FIG. You may ask. Further, the position measuring unit 140 interpolates the Y coordinate of the position of the tip of the pen device 20 based on the amplitude distribution of the plurality of received signals respectively generated by the second group of loop antennas 112b shown in FIG. You may ask.

  The image signal generation unit 150 generates image data in which a point or a line is displayed at the position of the display unit 111 corresponding to the position of the tip of the pen device 20 measured by the position measurement unit 140 in the drawing mode. Thereby, a point or a line is drawn at the position of the display unit 111 corresponding to the position of the tip of the pen device 20.

  Further, the image signal generation unit 150 generates image data in which no point or line is displayed at the position of the display unit 111 corresponding to the position of the tip of the pen device 20 measured by the position measurement unit 140 in the erase mode. Thereby, the points and lines already drawn at the position of the display unit 111 corresponding to the position of the tip of the pen device 20 are deleted.

  Based on the amplitude of the received signal detected by the amplitude detector 130 during the period when the selector 112c (FIG. 4) of the digitizer 112 does not change the selection of the received signal, the determination unit 160 changes the amplitude of the received signal per fixed time. It is determined whether the rate is greater than a predetermined value. When the rate of change in the amplitude of the received signal per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value, the pen apparatus 20 has applied the predetermined amplitude modulation to the transmission signal. Since the amplitude change at that time does not represent a change in the relative position of the tip of the pen device 20 with respect to the tablet terminal 10, the position measurement unit 140 uses the amplitude information at that time as the tip of the pen device 20. It is not used to measure the position of parts.

  Here, when the tip of the pen device 20 is in contact with the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10, the determination unit 160 determines whether or not the rate of change in the amplitude of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. It is desirable to determine. For this purpose, the pen device 20 may transmit electromagnetic waves when the tip of the pen device 20 is in contact with the touch panel 11. As a result, the amplitude of the received signal output from the digitizer 112 increases, so the determination unit 160 easily determines whether or not the rate of change in the amplitude of the received signal per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value. Can do.

  Further, the determination unit 160 may store a predetermined pattern in the storage unit in advance and determine whether or not the pattern of the rate of change in amplitude of the received signal matches the predetermined pattern. Thereby, the probability of erroneous determination in the determination unit 160 is reduced. For example, the predetermined pattern defines an amplitude increase rate or decrease rate of the received signal, an amplitude change period, or an interval between a plurality of amplitude changes. In addition, the numerical value which prescribes | regulates these is provided with an allowable range.

  The image signal generation unit 150 and the display unit 111, or the audio signal generation unit 170 and the sound generation unit 14 constitute a notification unit that notifies an event that has occurred in the pen device 20 illustrated in FIG. When the determination unit 160 determines that the rate of change in the amplitude of the received signal per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value, the notification unit notifies an event that has occurred in the pen device 20, or the pen device 20, the display method of the position of the pen device 20 on the display unit 111 is changed according to the event that has occurred.

  For example, when the content of the event is set to indicate that the battery level of the pen device 20 is low, the image signal generation unit 150 displays a message “The battery level is low” on the display unit 111. The audio signal generation unit 170 displays or causes the sound generation unit 14 to generate a message “the remaining battery level has decreased”. Thus, the battery can be replaced or charged before the pen device 20 becomes unusable due to a decrease in the remaining battery level.

  In addition, when the event content is set to be a press of the operation switch 22 by the user, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the color or thickness of the dots or lines displayed on the display unit 111. Alternatively, the mode is switched between the drawing mode and the erasing mode. Further, the notification unit may notify the change contents of the display method of the position of the pen device 20. For example, when the color of a point or line displayed on the display unit 111 is changed from black to red, the image signal generation unit 150 displays a red marker on the display unit 111 or generates an audio signal. The unit 170 causes the sound generation unit 14 to generate a message “changed to red”.

  When the event content is set as a two-step displacement of the microswitch 23, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the thickness of the dots and lines displayed on the display unit 111. Further, the notification unit may notify the change contents of the display method of the position of the pen device 20. For example, when the thickness of a point or line displayed on the display unit 111 is changed from thin to bold, the audio signal generation unit 170 causes the sound generation unit 14 to generate a message “bold”.

  FIG. 5 is a waveform diagram showing a transmission signal in the pen device and a reception signal in the tablet terminal. FIG. 5A shows a waveform of a transmission signal generated in the oscillation drive circuit 242 of the pen device 20 shown in FIG. 2 and its envelope. While the amplitude of the transmission signal increases during the amplitude increase period for stabilization of startup, the amplitude of the transmission signal becomes substantially constant during the subsequent normal operation. When an event such as a decrease in the remaining amount of the battery 210 occurs in the pen device 20, the amplitude modulation circuit 241 performs predetermined amplitude modulation on the transmission signal.

  FIG. 5B shows an example of a change in the amplitude of the received signal depending on the distance between the tablet terminal 10 and the pen device 20. When the distance between the tablet terminal 10 and the pen device 20 is short, the amplitude of the reception signal is large, and when the distance between the tablet terminal 10 and the pen device 20 is long, the amplitude of the reception signal is small. Become. The amplitude change shown in FIG. 5B is due to an artificial operation of the pen device 20.

  FIG. 5C shows an example of a change in the amplitude of the received signal when an event occurs in the pen device 20 shown in FIG. In this example, when an event occurs in the pen device 20, the amplitude modulation circuit 241 performs amplitude modulation on the transmission signal so that the amplitude of the transmission signal becomes small.

Here, let Δa be the rate of change in amplitude when the amplitude A represented by the envelope of the received signal changes to become amplitude (A + ΔA) or (A−ΔA). The amplitude change rate Δa is expressed by the following equation.
Δa = ΔA / A ≧ 0
Further, when the amplitude of the received signal changes at the change rate Δa in the unit time Δt, the envelope change speed V is defined by the following equation.
V = Δa / Δt

Further, the maximum envelope change speed when the pen device 20 is moved by an artificial operation is defined as Vhmax. Since the movement speed of the pen apparatus 20 by artificial operation is about 20 mm / msec at the maximum, if the coefficient for converting the movement speed of the pen apparatus 20 into the envelope change speed is α, Vhmax Represented by
Vhmax = α × 20 (mm / msec)

  Accordingly, the amplitude modulation circuit 241 shown in FIG. 2 applies amplitude modulation to the transmission signal so that the maximum envelope change speed Vmax satisfies Vmax> Vhmax when an event occurs in the pen device 20 within a predetermined period. It is desirable to apply. For example, Vmax = 3Vhmax may be set. In this case, the determination unit 160 shown in FIG. 3 detects an event in the pen device 20 when an amplitude change is detected in the received signal such that the maximum envelope change speed Vmax is 4Vhmax> Vmax> 2Vhmax. It may be determined that it has occurred.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a pen device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the pen device 20a performs frequency modulation on the transmission signal instead of amplitude modulation. Therefore, in the pen apparatus 20a, the modulation unit 240a is used instead of the modulation unit 240 in the pen apparatus 20 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. In other respects, the pen device 20a according to the second embodiment is the same as the pen device 20 according to the first embodiment.

  The modulation unit 240a includes a frequency modulation circuit 243, an oscillation drive circuit 242, and a resonance circuit including a coil L1, a capacitor C1, and a variable capacitor C2 connected in parallel. The oscillation drive circuit 242 generates a transmission signal by driving the resonance circuit and performing an oscillation operation at the resonance frequency.

  The control circuit 231 controls the frequency modulation circuit 243 to perform a predetermined modulation operation when an event occurs within a predetermined period in the pen device 20a. At that time, the frequency modulation circuit 243 changes the capacitance value of the variable capacitor C2, so that the amount of change in frequency per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value with respect to the transmission signal generated in the oscillation drive circuit 242. The frequency modulation is also increased. However, since the frequency of the received signal changes due to the Doppler effect even when the user moves the pen device 20a, the predetermined value is a change in the frequency of the received signal per fixed time due to an artificial operation of the pen device 20a. It is desirable that the rate be greater than the rate. This makes it possible to distinguish whether the frequency change of the received signal is due to an artificial operation of the pen device 20a or due to frequency modulation of the transmission signal in the pen device 20a.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a tablet terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The tablet terminal 10a detects the frequency of the received signal in addition to the amplitude of the received signal. Therefore, in the tablet terminal 10a, the frequency detection part 190 is added with respect to the tablet terminal 10 which concerns on 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. The detection result of the frequency detection unit 190 is output to the determination unit 160. Regarding other points, the tablet terminal 10a according to the second embodiment is the same as the tablet terminal 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The frequency detector 190 detects the frequency of the received signal output from the amplifier 120. Further, the determination unit 160 determines the frequency of the received signal per fixed time based on the frequency of the received signal detected by the frequency detecting unit 190 during a period in which the selector 112c (FIG. 4) of the digitizer 112 does not change the selection of the received signal. It is determined whether or not the rate of change is greater than a predetermined value. When the rate of change of the frequency of the received signal per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value, the pen device 20a has performed a predetermined frequency modulation on the transmission signal.

  Here, when the tip of the pen device 20a is in contact with the touch panel 11 of the tablet terminal 10a, the determination unit 160 determines whether or not the rate of change in the frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. It is desirable to determine. For this purpose, the pen device 20a may transmit electromagnetic waves when the tip of the pen device 20a is in contact with the touch panel 11. As a result, the amplitude of the received signal output from the digitizer 112 increases, so that the determination unit 160 easily determines whether or not the rate of change in the frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. Can do.

  The determination unit 160 may store a predetermined pattern in the storage unit in advance, and determine whether or not the frequency change rate pattern of the received signal matches the predetermined pattern. Thereby, the probability of erroneous determination in the determination unit 160 is reduced. For example, the predetermined pattern defines a frequency increase rate or a decrease rate of the received signal, a frequency change period, or a plurality of frequency change intervals. In addition, the numerical value which prescribes | regulates these is provided with an allowable range.

  When the determination unit 160 determines that the rate of change in the frequency of the received signal per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value, the notification unit notifies an event that has occurred in the pen device 20a shown in FIG. Or according to the event which generate | occur | produced in the pen apparatus 20a, the display system of the position of the pen apparatus 20a in the display part 111 is changed.

  For example, when the content of the event is set to indicate that the battery level of the pen device 20a is low, the image signal generation unit 150 displays a message “The battery level is low” on the display unit 111. The audio signal generation unit 170 displays or causes the sound generation unit 14 to generate a message “the remaining battery level has decreased”.

  In addition, when the event content is set to be a press of the operation switch 22 by the user, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the color or thickness of the dots or lines displayed on the display unit 111. Alternatively, the mode is switched between the drawing mode and the erasing mode. When the event content is set as a two-step displacement of the microswitch 23, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the thickness of the dots and lines displayed on the display unit 111.

Here, the frequency change rate when the frequency F of the received signal changes to become the frequency (F + ΔF) or (F−ΔF) is assumed to be Δf. The frequency change rate Δf is expressed by the following equation.
Δf = ΔF / F ≧ 0
Further, when the frequency of the received signal changes at the change rate Δf in the unit time Δt, the frequency change speed U is defined by the following equation.
U = Δf / Δt

In addition, the maximum frequency change speed when the pen device 20a is moved by an artificial operation is defined as Uhmax. Since the moving speed of the pen device 20a by artificial operation is about 20 mm / msec at the maximum, if the coefficient for converting the moving speed of the pen device 20a to the frequency change speed is β, Uhmax is expressed by the following equation: expressed.
Uhmax = β × 20 (mm / msec)

  Therefore, the frequency modulation circuit 243 illustrated in FIG. 6 performs frequency modulation on the transmission signal such that the maximum frequency change rate Umax satisfies Umax> Uhmax when an event occurs in the pen device 20a within a predetermined period. It is desirable. For example, Umax = 3 Uhmax may be set. In this case, the determination unit 160 illustrated in FIG. 7 generates an event in the pen device 20a when a frequency change is detected in the received signal such that the maximum frequency change speed Umax is 4Uhmax> Umax> 2Uhmax. You may determine that you did.

  According to the electronic terminal device according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value, and the determination result is By displaying a message on the basis of this, an event such as a low battery level occurring in the pen device can be sent to the user using a simple transmission method without providing a display unit or additional transmission means on the pen device. Notification can be made, or the display method of the position of the pen device can be changed.

  Next, an information transmission method implemented by the electronic terminal system according to the first or second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an information transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 8A shows an operation flow of the pen device 20 or 20a. In step S11, the user turns on the power switch 21 of the pen device. In step S12, the control circuit 231 activates the oscillation drive circuit 242 to start generating a transmission signal. In step S13, the amplitude of the transmission signal is stabilized. In step S14, the transmission unit 250 transmits an electromagnetic wave based on the transmission signal.

  In step S15, the control circuit 231 determines whether an event has occurred in the pen device within a predetermined period. For example, the control circuit 231 determines whether or not the remaining amount of the battery 210 detected by the remaining battery amount detection unit 220 is less than a specified value. If it is determined that no event has occurred, the process returns to step S14. On the other hand, if it is determined that an event has occurred, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, the control circuit 231 controls the modulation unit 240 or 240a so as to perform amplitude modulation or frequency modulation on the transmission signal so that the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value. The transmitter 250 transmits an electromagnetic wave based on the modulated transmission signal. Thereafter, the process returns to step S14.

  FIG. 8B shows an operation flow of the tablet terminal 10 or 10a. In step S21, the user turns on the power switch 12 of the tablet terminal. In step S22, the control unit 180 activates the reception unit to start the reception operation. In step S23, the receiving unit receives the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device and generates a reception signal.

  In step S24, the amplitude detector 130 detects the amplitude of the received signal. Further, the frequency detector 190 may detect the frequency of the received signal. In step S25, the position measurement unit 140 measures the relative position of the pen device with respect to the tablet terminal based on the amplitude of the received signal.

  In step S26, the determination unit 160 determines whether or not the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value. If it is determined that the rate of change per fixed time is not greater than the predetermined value, the process returns to step S23. On the other hand, if it is determined that the rate of change per fixed time is greater than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S27.

  In step S27, the notification unit notifies an event that has occurred in the pen device, or changes the display method of the position of the pen device in accordance with the event that has occurred in the pen device. For example, when the content of the event is set to indicate that the battery level of the pen device is low, the image signal generation unit 150 displays a message “The battery level is low” on the display unit 111. Or, the audio signal generation unit 170 causes the sound generation unit 14 to generate a message “the battery level is low”.

  In addition, when the event content is set to be a press of the operation switch 22 by the user, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the color or thickness of the dots or lines displayed on the display unit 111. Alternatively, the mode is switched between the drawing mode and the erasing mode. When the event content is set as a two-step displacement of the microswitch 23, the image signal generation unit 150 changes the thickness of the dots and lines displayed on the display unit 111. Thereafter, the process returns to step S23.

  In the above embodiment, a specific example in which the present invention is applied to an electronic terminal system using a tablet terminal has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is applied to a general electronic terminal system. Many modifications are possible within the technical idea of the present invention by those having ordinary knowledge in the art.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a ... Tablet terminal, 11 ... Touch panel, 12 ... Power switch, 13 ... Determination button, 14 ... Sound generation part, 20, 20a ... Pen apparatus, 21 ... Power switch, 22 ... Operation switch, 23 ... Micro switch, 111 ... Display unit 112 ... Digitizer 112a ... First group loop antenna 112b ... Second group loop antenna 112c ... Selector 120 ... Amplifier 130 Reference amplitude detector 140 ... Position measuring unit 150 ... Image signal generation , 160 ... determination unit, 170 ... audio signal generation unit, 180 ... control unit, 190 ... frequency detection unit, 210 ... battery, 220 ... battery remaining amount detection unit, 230 ... control unit, 231 ... control circuit, 240, 240a ... Modulation unit, 241 ... Amplitude modulation circuit, 242 ... Oscillation drive circuit, 243 ... Frequency modulation circuit, 250 ... Transmission unit, 251 ... Shin circuit, 252 ... antenna, L1 ... coil, C1 ... capacitor, C2 ... variable capacitor

Claims (10)

An electronic terminal device used together with an electromagnetic induction pen device,
A receiving unit that receives an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device and generates a reception signal;
A detection unit for detecting the amplitude or frequency of the received signal;
A position measuring unit that measures a relative position of the pen device with respect to the electronic terminal device based on an amplitude of the received signal;
A determination unit for determining whether the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value;
When it is determined that the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value, an event that has occurred in the pen device is notified, or according to the event that has occurred in the pen device A notification unit for changing the display method of the position of the pen device;
An electronic terminal device comprising:   2. The electronic terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is larger than a rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per fixed time due to an artificial operation of the pen device.   When the tip of the pen device is in contact with the touch panel of the electronic terminal device, the determination unit determines whether the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value. The electronic terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic terminal device is determined.   The electronic terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether a pattern of a change rate of an amplitude or a frequency of the reception signal matches a predetermined pattern. The pen device is operated by being supplied with power from a battery,
When the notification unit determines that the rate of change in the amplitude or frequency of the received signal per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value, it notifies a decrease in the remaining battery level in the pen device.
The electronic terminal device of any one of Claims 1-4. A pen device that transmits information on a position relative to an electronic terminal device to the electronic terminal device by an electromagnetic induction method,
When a transmission signal is generated and an event occurs within a predetermined period in the pen device, amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value is applied to the transmission signal. A modulation unit to be applied;
A transmission unit for transmitting electromagnetic waves based on the transmission signal;
Pen device comprising: A switch for detecting whether the tip of the pen device is in contact with an object;
The modulation unit performs amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which a change rate of amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is larger than a predetermined value at a predetermined timing within a period in which the tip of the pen device is in contact with an object. Applying to the transmission signal;
The pen device according to claim 6. A battery remaining amount detecting unit for detecting a remaining amount of a battery that supplies power to the pen device;
Amplitude modulation or frequency at which the rate of change of amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value when the modulation unit detects that the remaining battery level detected by the remaining battery level detection unit is less than a specified value Modulating the transmitted signal;
The pen device according to claim 6 or 7. The electronic terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A pen device that transmits information of a relative position with respect to the electronic terminal device to the electronic terminal device by an electromagnetic induction method, when a transmission signal is generated and an event occurs within a predetermined period in the pen device. A modulation unit that performs amplitude modulation or frequency modulation on the transmission signal such that a rate of change in amplitude or frequency per predetermined time is greater than a predetermined value, and a transmission unit that transmits electromagnetic waves based on the transmission signal A pen device;
An electronic terminal system comprising: In the pen device that transmits information of a relative position with respect to the electronic terminal device to the electronic terminal device by an electromagnetic induction method, a step (a) of transmitting an electromagnetic wave based on a transmission signal;
When an event occurs within a predetermined period in the pen device, the transmission signal is subjected to amplitude modulation or frequency modulation in which the rate of change in amplitude or frequency per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value. Transmitting an electromagnetic wave based on (b),
In the electronic terminal device, receiving the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the pen device and generating a received signal (c);
Detecting the amplitude or frequency of the received signal (d);
Measuring the relative position of the pen device with respect to the electronic terminal device based on the amplitude of the received signal (e);
Determining whether the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per fixed time is greater than a predetermined value (f);
When it is determined that the rate of change in amplitude or frequency of the received signal per certain time is greater than a predetermined value, an event that has occurred in the pen device is notified, or according to the event that has occurred in the pen device Changing the display method of the position of the pen device (g);
An information transmission method comprising:

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