JP7239381B2 - Coordinate input system, position detection device and position indicator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coordinate input system comprising a position indicator having a pressure detection function and a position detection device. The present invention also relates to a position detection device and a position indicator that constitute a coordinate input system.

A coordinate input system consisting of a position detection device equipped with a position detection sensor and a pen-shaped position indicator called an electronic pen uses, for example, an electromagnetic coupling system due to the difference in coupling method between the position detection sensor and the position indicator. There are various methods such as the electrostatic coupling method and the like.

A pen-type position indicator used in this type of coordinate input system generally has a function of detecting pressure (pen pressure) applied to the tip of the core (pen tip) and transmitting it to a position detection device. configured to provide. In this case, in the position indicator, in order to detect the pressure applied to the core body, the tip of the core body protrudes from the opening of the housing of the position indicator, and the core body is attached to the housing. , is movable in its axial direction. A pressure detecting portion is provided on the side opposite to the tip portion of the core, and the displacement of the core in the axial direction corresponding to the pressure applied to the tip portion is detected by the capacitance. It is configured to detect electrical changes such as changes, changes in inductance values, and changes in resistance.

A pressure detection unit that detects a change in capacitance has a configuration in which the capacitance changes when the contact area between the dielectric and the conductive elastic member changes according to the pressure applied (for example, Patent Document 1 (Patent Document 1). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-126503)) or a semiconductor device in which the distance between two electrodes facing each other via an air layer that is a dielectric changes according to the applied pressure (for example, Patent Document 2 (See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-161307).

Also known is a pressure detection unit that detects the displacement of the core in the axial direction according to the applied pressure as a change in the inductance value (for example, Patent Document 3 (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-216002). reference). Furthermore, it is known that a strain gauge is used as a pressure detection unit that detects displacement of the core in the axial direction according to the pressure applied to the core as a change in resistance value (for example, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-016038))).

In the position indicator, the tip of the core body is brought into contact with the input surface of the position detection sensor, and the tip of the core body of the position indicator is pressed against the input surface, thereby applying pressure to the tip of the core body. is applied. The pressure detector detects the pressure applied to the tip of the core. In the coordinate input system, the position detection device receives information corresponding to the pressure detected by the pressure detection section of the position indicator, and calculates the pen pressure value applied to the tip of the core body of the position indicator. information.

JP 2016-126503 A JP 2013-161307 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-216002 JP 2019-016038 A

By the way, recently, a position indicator has come to be used as a substitute for a writing instrument such as a pencil that forms a writing mark on paper. In this case, if the position indicator is required to be as easy to use as writing stationery such as a pencil, for example, in the relationship between paper and pencil, the pencil leaves a handwriting mark at the same time as the pencil touches the paper. It is desirable that the pressure applied to the tip of the core of the position indicator is detected at the same time when the input surface of the detection device is touched, and the electronic data of the pointing input position by the position indicator can be input.

That is, when the tip of the core of the position indicator contacts the input surface of the position detection device to perform writing input in the same manner as when writing on paper with a pencil as described above, the pressure detection unit Ideally, it is desirable to be able to detect a predetermined pressure when the tip of the core is in contact with the input surface of the position detecting device (when the pressure (load) is almost zero (0 grams)). .

However, in any of the above-described pressure detection units of Patent Documents 1 to 4, pressure is generated when the tip of the core body of the position indicator is pressed against the input surface and the core body is displaced in the axial direction. It has a structure that detects the reaction force (pressure). For this reason, in the conventional pressure detection unit, the initial load (hereinafter referred to as ON load) when the applied pressure can be detected is not 0 grams, but a load of a predetermined size, for example, 5 grams or more is required. It's becoming

The reason why the ON load is not 0 grams in the pressure detecting portion of the position indicator is also considered as follows. That is, for example, when the tip of the core body of the position indicator is turned upward while lying down and writing input is performed on an input device such as a tablet device, the ON load is 0 g. , even though the tip of the core of the position indicator is not in contact with the input surface due to the weight of the core of the position indicator and the pressure transmission member, the pressure detection unit detects a predetermined pressure. It will be done. Therefore, in the conventional pressure detection unit, the ON load is not set to 0 grams, but a predetermined load of, for example, 5 grams or more is applied by pressing the tip of the core body of the position indicator against the input surface. is configured to detect pressure when

Therefore, in the position indicator provided with the pressure detection part as described above, the pressure applied to the tip of the core of the position indicator is applied to the tip of the core of the position indicator at the same time when the tip of the core of the position indicator touches the input surface of the position detection device. is not configured to detect the position, the position detection device cannot detect the position until a predetermined load of, for example, 5 grams or more is applied after the tip of the core of the position indicator contacts the input surface. There is a problem that the handwritten input by the indicator is not treated as valid input.

In addition, when the position indicator is not perpendicular to the input surface of the position detection device but is tilted, the pressure applied to the tip of the core body of the position indicator is Only small force components in the vertical direction are detected by the pressure detector. Therefore, when the position indicator is tilted with respect to the input surface of the position detection device, the pressure that can be detected by the pressure detection unit becomes small. For example, when a load of 5 grams is applied, the pressure is detected by the pressure detection unit. There is also the problem that it takes more time from when the tip of the core body contacts the input surface until the handwriting input is effectively handled.

For this reason, in a coordinate input system using a position indicator equipped with a pressure detection unit as described above, the operation status between the position indicator and the position detection device can be handled in the same manner as when writing on paper with writing utensils. It was difficult to make it a good operating situation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a coordinate input system capable of solving the above problems.

In order to solve the above problems, the position indicator according to the present invention has
A coordinate input system comprising a position indicator and a position detection device for detecting coordinates of a position indicated by the position indicator,
The position indicator is
a tubular casing;
a core body having a tip portion protruding from one opening of the cylindrical housing;
a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure applied to the tip of the core;
a first interaction unit that interacts with the position detection device with a signal for detecting the coordinates of the position indicated by the position indicator;
with
The position detection device is
an electrostatic coupling type contact detection sensor;
a contact detection circuit that detects, through the contact detection sensor, that the tip of the core of the position indicator has contacted the input surface of the position detection device;
a second interaction unit for performing signal interaction with the position indicator for detecting the coordinates of the position indicated by the position indicator;
a writing pressure value output circuit that generates and outputs information on the writing pressure value applied to the position indicator;
with
The writing pressure value output circuit includes:
When the contact detection circuit detects contact of the core body of the position indicator, a predetermined initial writing pressure value is output, and pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is obtained. and outputting a pen pressure value corresponding to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit when the received pressure is greater than or equal to the minimum pressure detectable by the pressure detection unit. provide the system.

In the coordinate input system configured as described above, the position detection device includes a contact detection sensor of the electrostatic coupling type, and detects when the tip of the core body of the position indicator comes into contact with the input surface of the position detection device. It has a contact detection circuit that detects through a detection sensor and a pen pressure value output circuit that generates and outputs information on the pen pressure value applied to the position indicator.

The writing pressure value output circuit of the position detection device outputs a predetermined initial writing pressure value when the contact detection circuit detects contact of the conductive core of the position indicator. The writing pressure value output circuit receives pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit of the position indicator, and when the received pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure detectable by the pressure detection unit, the pressure detection unit Outputs the pen pressure value according to the pressure detected by .

Therefore, in the coordinate input system having the configuration described above, the writing pressure value output circuit of the position detection device detects contact with the pressure detection section of the position indicator before the pressure applied to the tip of the core body becomes possible. When the detection circuit detects that the tip of the core of the position indicator has touched the input surface of the position detection device, it starts outputting a predetermined initial pen pressure value. After that, when the pressure detecting portion of the position indicator becomes capable of applying pressure to the tip of the core body, information on the detected pressure is sent from the position indicator to the position detection device, so that the position can be detected. A pen pressure value output circuit of the detection device outputs a pen pressure value corresponding to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit.

From the above, according to the coordinate input system having the above-described configuration, even if a position indicator having a pressure detection unit whose ON load is not 0 is used, the writing pressure value output circuit of the position detection device It operates so as to output a writing pressure value to the tip of the core body of the indicator so that the ON load is 0 grams. Therefore, according to the coordinate input system configured as described above, there is an effect that the position indicator can be handled with the same usability as writing stationery.

1 is a diagram mainly for explaining the configuration of a position detection device of a first embodiment of a coordinate input system according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a position indicator used in a coordinate input system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a main part of the position indicator in the example of FIG. 2; 1 is a diagram showing output characteristics of writing pressure values of a position detection device that constitutes a first embodiment of a coordinate input system according to the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure for demonstrating the structural example of 1st Embodiment of the coordinate input system by this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the flow of main operations of the first embodiment of the coordinate input system according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a diagram mainly for explaining the configuration of a position detection device of a coordinate input system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a position indicator used in a coordinate input system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a coordinate input system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram used to explain the main operations of the coordinate input system according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

An embodiment of a coordinate input system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
A coordinate input system according to the present invention comprises a position indicator and a position detection device for detecting coordinates of a position indicated by the position indicator. A first embodiment of the coordinate input system according to the present invention uses an electromagnetic induction type position indicator.

FIG. 1 is an exploded configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a position detection device 10 that configures the coordinate input system of the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, the position detection device 10 has a function of detecting a position indicated by an electronic pen 20 as an example of a position indicator with an electromagnetic induction type position detection sensor 13, and the position detection device 10 This is a configuration of a pad-type terminal equipped with a function of detecting contact of a conductor to the input surface of the terminal with a capacitance type contact detection sensor 12 . The electronic pen 20 in this embodiment has an electromagnetic induction structure, and the core body 28, the tip of which protrudes as a pen tip, is configured to be conductive. As will be described later, in the first embodiment, the contact detection sensor 12 detects contact of the tip of the conductive core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface of the position detection device 10 .

A position detection device 10, which is an example of the pad-type terminal, includes an electrostatic coupling type contact detection sensor 12, an electromagnetic induction type position detection sensor 13, a display device 11, a control circuit board 14, and a planar member 15. , and a housing 16 .

The display device 11 is composed of a flat display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. A large number of display pixels 112 are arranged on a display substrate 111 in the X-axis direction (horizontal direction), and are arranged orthogonally to the X-axis direction. A large number of display screens 113 are arranged in the Y-axis direction (vertical direction).

The contact detection sensor 12 includes, for example, a plurality of linear X-conductors arranged in the X-axis direction and a plurality of linear X-conductors arranged in the Y-axis direction so as to cross the plurality of X-conductors at right angles. It consists of a linear Y conductor. That is, the contact detection sensor 12 in this embodiment is configured as an electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor. The contact detection sensor 12 is arranged on the surface side of the display screen 113 of the display device 11 so as to overlap the display screen 113 of the display device 11 .

The position detection sensor 13 is configured by arranging a plurality of loop coils in each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The position detection sensor 13 is arranged so as to overlap the display device 11 on the back side of the display screen 113 of the display device 11 . Therefore, the contact detection sensor 12 and the position detection sensor 13 are also arranged to overlap each other.

The contact detection area of the contact detection sensor 12, the position detection area of the position detection sensor 13, and the display area of the display screen 113 of the display device 11 have substantially the same size and are arranged to overlap each other. It has become.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, an electrostatic capacitance type contact detection circuit is connected to the contact detection sensor 12, and an electromagnetic induction type position detection circuit is connected to the position detection sensor 13 (FIG. 5). reference). These contact detection circuit and position detection circuit are provided on the control circuit board 14, and are connected to the contact detection sensor 12 and the position detection sensor 13 by, for example, a flexible cable. The control circuit board 14 is mounted with a microcomputer for controlling the position detection device 10, a display control circuit for the display device 11, other electronic components, and a copper foil wiring pattern.

The planar member 15 is made of, for example, a transparent material such as glass or resin, and one surface 15a thereof is used as an input surface with which the tip of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 comes into contact to indicate a position. ing. A contact detection sensor 12 and a display device 11 are arranged on the side of the plane member 15 opposite to the one side 15a.

In this example, the planar member 15 has a shape slightly larger than the detection areas of the position detection sensor 13 and the contact detection sensor 12 . That is, in the planar member 15 of FIG. 1, an area 151 surrounded by dotted lines is an area corresponding to the detection areas of the position detection sensor 13 and the contact detection sensor 12, and a frame area 152 is formed around the area 151. formed.

The housing 16 is made of synthetic resin, for example. The housing 16 is formed with a recess 161 for housing the contact detection sensor 12, the display device 11, the position detection sensor 13, and the control circuit board . After the contact detection sensor 12, the display device 11, the position detection sensor 13, and the control circuit board 14 are accommodated in the concave portion 161, the frame region 152 of the planar member 15 is attached to the frame region 162 of the housing 16 by, for example, an adhesive. , the concave portion 161 is closed and the position detection device 10 is assembled.

[Configuration example of electronic pen 2]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the electronic pen 20 used in the coordinate input system of the first embodiment. The electronic pen 20 of the first embodiment has the configuration of an electromagnetic induction type electronic pen, as described above. FIG. 2A shows a part of the electronic pen 20 of the first embodiment, which is constructed by housing an electronic pen module 22 inside a hollow portion of a cylindrical housing 21 . In FIG. 2A, the electronic pen module 22 inside the hollow portion of the housing 21 is indicated by dotted lines.

FIG. 2C shows a configuration example of the electronic pen module 22. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the electronic pen module 22 consists of an electronic pen body 23 and a conductive metal cover 24 . As shown in FIG. 2B, the electronic pen main body 23 and the conductive metal cover 24 are configured as separate parts, and the electronic pen module 22 covers a part of the electronic pen main body 23. is covered with a conductive metal cover 24 .

As shown in FIG. 2B, the electronic pen body 23 has a magnetic core around which a coil 26 is wound, a ferrite core 27 in this example, which is coupled to the holder 25 in the axial direction. It is configured. The holder 25 is configured such that a substrate mounting portion 25a for mounting the printed circuit board 251 and a cylindrical portion 25b for housing the pressure detecting portion are coupled so as to be aligned in the axial direction. The end of the ferrite core 27 on the side opposite to the pen point side in the axial direction is fitted to the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25, and the ferrite core 27 around which the coil 26 is wound is coupled to the holder 25. be done.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting portion between the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25 and the ferrite core 27 around which the coil 26 is wound. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25 accommodates a pressure detecting portion 30 made up of a plurality of parts.

The pressure detection unit 30 in this example is the same as that described in Patent Document 1 at the beginning, and is a variable capacitor whose capacitance changes according to the pressure (writing pressure) applied to the pen tip of the electronic pen 20. This is the case when a capacitor is used.

The pressure detector 30 of this example is composed of a plurality of parts including a dielectric 31 , a terminal member 32 , a holding member 33 , a conductive member 34 and an elastic member 35 . These multiple parts that constitute the pressure detection unit 30 are arranged and housed in the hollow portion of the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25 in the axial direction as shown in FIG.

The substrate mounting portion 25a side of the tubular portion 25b of the holder 25 is closed by the wall portion 36. As shown in FIG. An opening 25c is formed on the pen point side in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25. As shown in FIG. Then, in a state in which a plurality of parts constituting the pressure detection unit 30 are housed in the cylindrical portion 25b, one axial end portion of the ferrite core 27 around which the coil 26 is wound is connected to the cylindrical portion 25b. 25b.

The ferrite core 27 is provided with a through-hole 27a penetrating in the axial direction at a center position, and the core body 28 is inserted through the through-hole 27a and coupled to the pressure detecting portion 30 . In this embodiment, as described above, the core body 28 is configured to have conductivity. consists of

The dielectric 31 has a disk-like shape in this example. The terminal member 32 constitutes the first electrode of the variable capacitor that constitutes the pressure detection section 30 , and is arranged on one plane side of the disk-shaped dielectric 31 . The terminal member 32 has a lead portion 32a, which is soldered to the printed circuit board 251 mounted on the board mounting portion 25a across the wall portion 36. As shown in FIG.

A conductive member 34 and an elastic member 35 are arranged on the other side of the dielectric 31 that faces the one plane side. The conductive member 34 and the elastic member 35 are electrically connected to form a second electrode of the variable capacitor.

The conductive member 34 is made of an elastic member that is electrically conductive and elastically deformable, and is made of, for example, silicon conductive rubber or pressurized conductive rubber. The conductive member 34 has a cannonball shape with a dome-shaped bulging tip portion facing the other plane of the dielectric 31 . The conductive member 34 is held by the holding member 33 .

The elastic member 35 is composed of, for example, a conductive coil spring, and is arranged between the holding member 33 and the dielectric 31 in a state in which the conductive member 34 is housed in the winding space of the coil spring. . One end of the coil spring that constitutes the elastic member 35 is coupled to the conductive member 34 to electrically connect the two. It is electrically connected by soldering to the printed board 251 placed on the board placement portion 25a.

The holding member 33 is provided with a concave hole 33c on the pen point side in the axial direction, and the end of the core 28 opposite to the tip 28a is press-fitted into the concave hole 33c. be. In this case, although illustration is omitted, a conductive member (not shown) electrically connected to the conductive core 28 is arranged near the recessed hole 33 c of the holding member 33 . This conductive member is electrically connected to the conductive portion exposed on the outer surface of the substrate mounting portion 25 a of the holder 25 .

As shown in FIG. 2C, a conductive metal cover 24 is placed over the electronic pen main body 23 configured as described above. The conductive metal cover 24 has a cylindrical shape with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 25b of the holder 25 of the electronic pen main body 23, and the length in the axial direction is equal to that of the electronic pen main body. 23 from the rear end of the holder 25 to a portion of the cylindrical portion 25b, which is shorter than the length of the holder 25 in the axial direction.

Then, in the axial direction indicated by the arrow AR in FIG. 2B, the electronic pen main body 23 is inserted into the conductive metal cover 24 to the rear end side end. As a result, an electronic pen module 22 as shown in FIG. 2(C) is formed.

In this case, the electronic pen module 22 includes, as shown in FIG. A connection portion with the placement portion 25 a is covered with the conductive metal cover 24 . That is, the pen point side portion of the tubular portion 25b, the ferrite core 27 around which the coil 26 is wound, and the tip portion 28a of the core 28 are not covered with the conductive metal cover 24. FIG. The reason for this configuration is that the conductive metal cover 24 does not affect the interaction operation of the ferrite core 27 around which the coil 26 constituting the electromagnetic induction type interaction part is wound. It's for.

In the electronic pen module 22, when the conductive metal cover 24 comes into contact with the holder 25, it is electrically connected to the aforementioned conductor exposed on the outer surface of the tubular portion 25b of the holder 25. . As a result, the conductive core 28 and the conductive metal cover 24 are electrically connected.

As shown in FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C), the conductive metal cover 24 has at least the vicinity of the portion of the printed circuit board 251 mounted on the board mounting portion 25a where the side switch SW is mounted. is formed with an opening 24a for exposing to the outside. This opening 24a is for enabling the side switch SW to be pushed down from above.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the electronic pen module 22 formed as described above is in a state in which the tip portion 28a of the core body 28 protrudes outside within the cylindrical housing 21 of the electronic pen 20. stored in.

When pressure is applied to the tip portion 28a of the core body 28, the core body 28 displaces the holding member 33 of the pressure detecting section 30 in the axial direction, as shown in FIG. Then, the contact area between the distal end side of the conductive member 34 of the pressure detecting section 30 and the dielectric 31 changes according to the pressure. Therefore, the capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode of the pressure detection section 30 changes according to the applied pressure. The electronic pen 20 detects the pressure applied to the tip 28a of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 from the change in the capacitance of the variable capacitor configured by the pressure detection unit 30, and the position detection device 10 detects the pressure. to send.

The housing 21 of the electronic pen 20 of this embodiment, in this example, consists of a pen tip side housing 211 and a rear end side housing 212 which are divided into two parts in the axial direction. Both are combined and configured. The pen tip side housing 211 is made of a non-conductive material, resin in this example, has a shape tapered toward the pen tip side, and has an opening for projecting the tip 28a of the core 28 to the outside. ing.

In this embodiment, the rear housing 212 is made of, for example, a metal having conductivity. The rear end housing 212 is electrically connected by contacting the conductive metal cover 24 of the electronic pen module 22 . Therefore, the rear end housing 212 of the electronic pen 20 of this embodiment is electrically connected to the conductive core 28 via the conductive metal cover 24 .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2A, the rear end side housing 212 is provided with a push operation unit 213 for pushing the side switch SW to turn it on or off.

In the first embodiment, the electronic pen 20 is configured as described above, and the position detection device 10 is configured as described above. When the surface 15a of the planar member 15 forming the input surface is touched, the contact detection sensor 12 detects the contact. Also, the position of the tip 28 a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is detected by the position detection sensor 13 .

When the tip 28a of the core 28 just touches the input surface of the position detection device 10, the pressure detection section 30 of the electronic pen 20 does not detect pressure as in the conventional case. From this state, the electronic pen 20 is further pressed against the surface 15a of the planar member 15 by the user, and the pressure of the initial load that the pressure detection unit 30 can detect, for example, a pressure of 5 grams or more. is applied, pressure (writing pressure) begins to be detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 , and information on the detected pressure is transmitted to the position detection device 10 .

In the position detection device 10 of the coordinate input system of the first embodiment, the position detection device 10 of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 is detected even when the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 does not detect a pressure equal to or greater than the initial load. From the time when contact with the input surface is detected, it is assumed that a predetermined pressure has been applied to the electronic pen 20, and by outputting the writing pressure detection output of the electronic pen 20, writing similar to the relationship between pencil and paper The sensation is made available to the user.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram of output of writing pressure value information of the electronic pen 20 in the position detection device 10 of the coordinate input system of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, when the contact detection sensor 12 detects that the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is in contact with the input surface of the position detection device, the position detection device 10: Output the initial pen pressure value P0. The contact load Cg at this time is about 1 gram, for example, and is not detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 . In this embodiment, the initial pen pressure value P0 is the pen pressure value output when the initial load Fg (for example, 5 grams) that can be detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 is applied.

When a pressure equal to or greater than the initial load Fg is applied to the tip portion 28a of the core 28, the pressure is detected by the pressure detecting portion 30. As shown in FIG. When the position detection device 10 receives the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30 from the electronic pen 20, as indicated by the curve in FIG. Output.

In this way, the coordinate input system of this embodiment can be configured to output a writing pressure value from the time when the electronic pen 20 contacts the surface 15a of the planar member 15, which is the input surface of the position detection device 10. , the user can obtain a writing sensation similar to the relationship between a pencil and paper.

Next, in the embodiment of the coordinate input system described above, a more detailed description will be given of a configuration that enables the user to obtain a writing sensation similar to the relationship between a pencil and paper.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configurations of the above-described essential parts of the position detection device 10 and the electronic pen 20 that constitute the coordinate input system of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic pen 20 of this embodiment has a resonance sensor which is composed of a coil 26, a capacitor 29, and a variable capacitor 30C composed of a pressure detection unit 30 as an interaction unit with the position detection device 10. A circuit RC is provided. In the electronic pen 20, the conductive core 28 is connected to the rear end housing 212 made of a conductive material. Therefore, when the user holds the electronic pen 20 at the rear housing 212, the rear housing 212 is grounded through the human body HM. In FIG. 5, the human body HM is shown as its equivalent capacitance.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the position detection device 10 includes a contact detection sensor 12 that detects contact of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface, and a resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20. It includes a position detection sensor 13 that performs interaction by electromagnetic coupling, and a display device 11 .

The control circuit board 14 of the position detection device 10 is provided with a contact detection circuit 102 for the contact detection sensor 12, and a position detection processing circuit 103 for the position detection sensor 13. Circuit 102 and position detection processing circuit 103 are connected to output processing circuit 104 . The output of the output processing circuit 104 is supplied to the display control circuit 101 , and the display image is displayed on the display screen of the display device 11 by the display control circuit 101 .

The contact detection circuit 102 supplies a predetermined AC signal as a transmission signal to one conductor of the contact detection sensor 12, for example, the X conductor, and receives a reception signal of the transmission signal from the other conductor, the Y conductor. .

When the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 contacts the input surface of the position detection device 10, part of the AC electric field energy due to the transmission signal supplied to the X conductor of the contact detection sensor 12 is , through the core 28 and the human body HM to the ground. Therefore, at the position where the tip 28a of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 is in contact with the input surface, the level of the reception signal received by the Y conductor intersecting the X conductor to which the transmission signal is supplied is lowered. do.

The contact detection circuit 102 monitors the level of the received signal received through the Y conductor and detects the position of the X conductor and the Y conductor where the level of the received signal decreases, thereby detecting the tip of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20. The position where 28a is in contact with the input surface is detected. The contact detection circuit 102 supplies the contact detection output to the output processing circuit 104 when detecting the position where the tip 28 a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is in contact with the input surface.

The position detection processing circuit 103 transmits a predetermined frequency f0 AC signal to the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 through the loop coil of the position detection sensor 13 by electromagnetic induction coupling. Since the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 feeds back the AC signal received from the position detection sensor 13 to the position detection sensor 13 , the position detection processing circuit 103 receives the feedback signal through the position detection sensor 13 .

Since the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 includes the variable capacitor 30C configured by the pressure detection unit 30, the resonance frequency changes according to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30. It is according to Therefore, the frequency of the AC signal fed back from the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 to the position detection sensor 13 corresponds to the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit RC at that time.

The position detection processing circuit 103 includes a position coordinate detection circuit 1031 and a pressure information detection circuit 1032 . The position coordinate detection circuit 1031 detects the position coordinates indicated by the tip portion 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 from the position of the loop coil where the AC signal fed back from the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 is obtained. . The position coordinate detection circuit 1031 then supplies information on the detected position coordinates to the output processing circuit 104 .

Further, the pressure information detection circuit 1032 synchronously detects the AC signal fed back from the resonance circuit RC of the electronic pen 20 with the transmission signal of the frequency f0, thereby detecting the frequency component (or the phase shift component) shifted from the frequency f0. Information on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 is detected from the detected frequency shift component (or phase shift component). The pressure information detection circuit 1032 then supplies the detected pressure information to the output processing circuit 104 .

In this embodiment, the output processing circuit 104 generates a pen pressure value to be output from the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 and the information from the position detection processing circuit 103. , and information on the position coordinates indicated by the tip 28 a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 , and output information is generated and supplied to the display control circuit 101 .

In this embodiment, since the electronic pen 20 and the position detection device 10 interact with each other by electromagnetic induction, the position of the electronic pen 20 in the hover state (the position above the position detection sensor 13) can be detected. The hover state means that the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is not in contact with the input surface (the surface 15a of the planar member 15) of the position detection device 10, but the position on the position detection sensor 13 is detected. state that you can In the position detection device 10 of this embodiment, the position on the position detection sensor 13 in the hover state of the electronic pen 20 can be detected. , the contact of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is detected at the position of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 in the hover state and the area around it.

The output processing circuit 104 includes a position coordinate output circuit 1041 , a hover detection circuit 1042 , a pen pressure value output circuit 1043 and an output signal generation circuit 1044 in order to realize the above processing functions.

The position coordinate output circuit 1041 supplies the position coordinate information from the position coordinate detection circuit 1031 of the position detection processing circuit 103 to the output signal generation circuit 1044 as it is.

In this embodiment, the hover detection circuit 1042 receives position coordinate information from the position coordinate detection circuit 1031 of the position detection processing circuit 103, pressure information from the pressure information detection circuit 1032, and contact detection from the contact detection circuit 102. From the output, the hover position of the electronic pen 20 over the position detection sensor 13 is detected. That is, when the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 indicates non-contact and the pressure information from the pressure information detection circuit 1032 is smaller than the initial load Fg or in a non-detected state, the position When the position coordinate information is obtained from the coordinate detection circuit 1031, the hover state is detected, and the position coordinate information from the position coordinate detection circuit 1031 is detected as hover position information.

In this embodiment, the hover detection circuit 1042 receives pressure from the pressure information detection circuit 1032 in order to detect that the electronic pen 20 is in a non-contact state with respect to the input surface of the position detection device 10. Information and a contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 are supplied. However, the non-contact state of the electronic pen 20 with respect to the input surface of the position detection device 10 depends on only one of the pressure information from the pressure information detection circuit 1032 and the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102. You can.

Information on the hover position detected by the hover detection circuit 1042 is supplied to the output signal generation circuit 1044 and to the contact detection circuit 102 .

When the contact detection circuit 102 receives the hover position information from the hover detection circuit 1042 , the hover position information is position information on the position detection sensor 13 , so on the corresponding contact detection sensor 12 position information is calculated, and the operation is controlled so as to detect the contact of the tip portion 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 in the peripheral area around the calculated hover position on the contact detection sensor 12 .

The pen pressure value output circuit 1043 detects the pen pressure shown in the characteristic diagram shown in FIG. Value information is generated and output to the output signal generation circuit 1044 .

That is, in this embodiment, when the pen pressure value output circuit 1043 detects from the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 that the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 has touched the input surface, 2, an initial pen pressure value P0, which is the same pen pressure value as when the initial load Fg was detected by the pressure detection unit 30, is output to the output signal generation circuit 1044. FIG. When the tip 28 a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is in contact with the input surface, the initial pen pressure value P 0 is continuously output to the output signal generating circuit 1044 .

When the pen pressure value output circuit 1043 receives the detection result of the pressure equal to or greater than the initial load Fg from the pressure information detection circuit 1032, as shown in FIG. A pen pressure value equal to or greater than P0 is output to the output signal generation circuit 1044 .

The output signal generation circuit 1044 of the output processing circuit 104 outputs the position coordinate information on the position detection sensor 13 indicated by the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 from the position coordinate output circuit 1041 and the writing pressure value. Information on the writing pressure value from the circuit 1043 is supplied to the display control circuit 101 .

In this embodiment, the hover state position information from the hover detection circuit 1042 is also supplied to the output signal generation circuit 1044 , and this hover state position information is also supplied to the display control circuit 101 .

When the information on the pen pressure value is equal to or greater than the initial pen pressure value P0, the display control circuit 101 changes the position coordinates on the position detection sensor 13 indicated by the tip portion 28a of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 in chronological order. The trace of writing input by the electronic pen 20 is displayed on the display screen of the display device 11 by, for example, a line of a predetermined thickness.

Therefore, in this embodiment, from the moment when the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 contacts the input surface of the position detection device 10, the position indicated by the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is displayed. A trajectory is displayed on the display screen of the display device 11 . In this embodiment, the hover state is displayed on the display screen as, for example, a circular area near the hover position.

Next, the flow of output processing of the pen pressure value in the position detection device 10 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 as an example of the flow of processing in the output processing circuit 104 .

In the output processing circuit 104, first, the hover detection circuit 1042 detects a hover state and determines whether or not a hover state is detected (step S101). to continue.

When it is determined in step S101 that a hover state has been detected, the output processing circuit 104 sends information on the detected hover position to the contact detection circuit 102 so that the contact detection sensor 12 detects an area around the hover position. Then, control is performed to detect contact of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface (step S102).

Then, the output processing circuit 104 monitors the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 and determines whether or not the contact of the tip portion 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface is detected (step S103). . When the output processing circuit 104 determines in step S103 that the contact of the tip portion 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface is not detected, the process returns to step S102, and Continue detecting contact with .

When it is determined in step S103 that the contact of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface is detected, the pen pressure value output circuit 1043 of the output processing circuit 104 outputs the initial pen pressure value as the pen pressure value. P0 is output (step S104).

Next, the output processing circuit 104 monitors the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 to determine whether the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is out of contact with the input surface. (Step S105).

When it is determined in step S105 that the tip portion 28a of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 is out of contact with the input surface, the output processing circuit 104 determines whether or not it is in a hover state (step S106). ), and when it is determined that it is in the hover state, the process returns to step S102, and the processes after step S102 are repeated. Further, when it is determined in step S106 that the hover state is not set, the output processing circuit 104 returns the processing to step S101 and repeats the processing after step S101.

Further, when it is determined in step S105 that the tip portion 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is not in contact with the input surface and is in contact with the input surface, the output processing circuit 104 It is determined whether or not the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 from the pressure information detection circuit 1032 of the position detection processing circuit 103 is equal to or greater than the initial load Fg (step S107).

When it is determined in step S107 that the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 is not equal to or greater than the initial load Fg, the output processing circuit 104 returns the processing to step S104, and the writing pressure value output circuit From 1043, the state of outputting the initial writing pressure value P0 is continued.

Further, when it is determined in step S107 that the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 is greater than or equal to the initial load Fg, the writing pressure value output circuit 1043 of the output processing circuit 104 causes the position detection processing circuit 103 A pen pressure value equal to or greater than the initial pen pressure value P0 is output according to pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 from the pressure information detection circuit 1032 (step S108).

Next, the output processing circuit 104 monitors the contact detection output from the contact detection circuit 102 to determine whether the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is out of contact with the input surface. (Step S109).

When it is determined in step S109 that the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 is not in contact with the input surface and is in contact with the input surface, the output processing circuit 104 performs processing. is returned to step S107, and the processing after step S107 is repeated. Further, when it is determined in step S109 that the tip portion 28a of the core body 28 of the electronic pen 20 is out of contact with the input surface, the output processing circuit 104 returns the processing to step S106. repeat the process.

[Effects of Embodiment]
As described above, in the coordinate input system of the above-described embodiment, from the moment the electronic pen 20 touches the input surface of the position detection device 10, it is possible to realize an operation that enables handwriting input on the input surface. can be done. Therefore, according to the coordinate input system of the above-described embodiment, the electronic pen 20 and the position detection device 10 can realize an operational situation similar to writing input on paper with a writing instrument such as a pencil. Very easy to use.

In the coordinate input system of the above-described embodiment, the pressure detection section of the electronic pen 20 does not need to be configured to detect pressure from the time of contact with the input surface. There is an effect that the detection section can be used as it is.

Further, in the coordinate input system of the above-described embodiment, the position detection sensor 13 can be used to detect a hover state in which the electronic pen 20 is not in contact with the input surface. Since it can be performed in the area corresponding to the area around the detected position on the position detection sensor 13, there is an effect that the contact of the tip 28a of the core 28 of the electronic pen 20 with the input surface can be detected efficiently. .

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the coordinate input system according to the present invention is a case where the position indicator is configured as an electrostatically coupled electronic pen.

FIG. 7 is an exploded configuration diagram showing a configuration example of the position detection device 40 that configures the coordinate input system of the second embodiment. In the example of FIG. 7, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the above-described first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the example of FIG. 7, the position detection device 40 does not include the electromagnetic induction type position detection sensor 13 of the position detection device 10 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The contact detection sensor in the first embodiment is composed of an electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor 41 . The configuration of the control circuit board 42 connected to the position detection sensor 41 is different from that of the first embodiment.

Other configurations of the position detection device 40 of the coordinate input system of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. That is, the display device 11 and the planar member 15 having the same configuration as those of the first embodiment are provided, and the position detection sensor 41, the display device 11, and the control circuit board 42 are accommodated in the concave portion 161 of the housing 16. is configured to

The capacitive coupling type electronic pen 50 constituting the coordinate input system of the second embodiment has a configuration as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the electronic pen 50 has an electrostatic coupling type electronic pen main body 52 housed in a housing 51 . In this example, the housing 51 is composed of a pen tip side housing 511 and a rear end side housing 512 which are divided in the axial direction, and the two are connected by screwing or press-fitting. there is The pen-tip-side housing 511 is made of a non-conductive material, in this example, resin, and has a tapered shape on the pen-tip side. It has an opening 511a for protruding to the outside.

The rear end housing 512 is made of a conductive material such as metal in this embodiment. In this example, the rear housing 512 is connected to a core body 521 made of conductive metal via a switch circuit 522 . Therefore, the rear end housing 512 of the electronic pen 50 of this embodiment is electrically connected to the core 521 when the switch circuit 522 is turned on. Therefore, when the user grips the housing 512 of the electronic pen 50, the rear housing 512 is grounded through the human body HM. In FIG. 8, the human body HM is shown as its equivalent capacitance.

The electronic pen main body 52 includes a signal transmission circuit 523 , a pressure detection section 524 , a control section 525 and a wireless communication section 526 . In this example, the wireless communication unit 526 is configured to perform short-range wireless communication according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

A signal transmission circuit 523 supplies an AC signal of a predetermined frequency to the core body 521 . The signal supplied to this core 521 is transmitted to the position detection sensor 41 by electrostatic coupling. The pressure detection unit 524 has the same variable capacitor configuration as the pressure detection unit 30 of the electronic pen 20 of the above-described first embodiment, and the end of the core 521 opposite to the tip 521a is It is coupled to the pressure sensing portion 524 . The pressure detection section 524 detects, for example, a pressure equal to or higher than the initial load Fg applied to the tip portion 521a of the core 521, like the pressure detection section 30 of the first embodiment described above.

In the example of the electronic pen 50 of the second embodiment, the variable capacitor configured by the pressure detection section 524 is connected to the control section 525 . The control unit 525 has a function of detecting the pressure (load) detected by the pressure detection unit 524 by detecting the capacitance of this variable capacitor. In this embodiment, the control unit 525 is configured to transmit the detected pressure information to the position detection device 40 through the wireless communication unit 526 .

In the electronic pen 50 of the second embodiment, the control section 525 is configured to turn on and off the switch circuit 522 based on the timing sent from the position detection device 40 through the wireless communication section 526. there is

Next, an electrical configuration example of the position detection device 40 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the position detection sensor 41 and the control circuit formed on the control circuit board 42. As shown in FIG. The control circuit board 42 also includes a display control circuit for displaying a display image on the display screen of the display device 11, but that part is omitted in FIG.

In this example, the position detection sensor 41 is formed by laminating a Y conductor group 412, an insulating layer, and an X conductor group 411 in this order from the lower layer side. with a crossed grid configuration. As shown in FIG. 9, the Y conductor group 412 includes, for example, a plurality of Y conductors 412Y1, 412Y2, . are arranged in parallel. In addition, the X conductor group 411 includes a plurality of X conductors 411X1, 411X2, . m is an integer equal to or greater than 1) are arranged in parallel with a predetermined distance from each other.

In this second embodiment, the position detection sensor 41 also serves as a contact detection sensor by cooperating with the control circuit 400 .

The control circuit 400 includes a multiplexer 401 serving as an input/output interface with the position detection sensor 41 , a contact and position detection circuit 402 , a processing control circuit 403 and a wireless communication section 404 . The wireless communication section 404 is for wirelessly communicating with the wireless communication section 526 of the electronic pen 50 .

The processing control circuit 403 is for controlling the overall operation of the position detection device 40, and in this example, is composed of an MPU (microprocessor unit). As in the first embodiment, the processing control circuit 403 transmits writing information including coordinate information of the position indicated by the tip portion 521a of the core body 521 of the electronic pen 50 and writing pressure value information, as shown in FIG. Then, it is supplied to a display control circuit (not shown).

In the position detection device 40 of this embodiment, the contact of the conductive core 521 of the electronic pen 50 with the input surface (the surface 15a of the planar member 15) of the position detection device 40 is detected, and the core of the electronic pen 50 detects Control is performed so that detection of the indicated position is performed in a time-sharing manner. That is, in the position detection device 40 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. A contact detection period PT for detecting body contact is alternately executed in a time-sharing manner.

The processing control circuit 403 switches and controls the multiplexer 401 and the contact and position detection circuit 402 between the contact detection period PT and the pointing position detection period PP. Then, the processing control circuit 403 transmits information on switching timing between the contact detection period PT and the pointing position detection period PP to the electronic pen 50 through the wireless communication section 404 .

The control unit 525 of the electronic pen 50 receives this switching timing information through the wireless communication unit 526, and based on this switching timing signal, turns on the switch circuit 522 when the position detection device 40 reaches the contact detection period PT. When the position detection device 40 reaches the pointed position detection period PP, the switch circuit 522 is switched off.

As described above, during the contact detection period PT, the switch circuit 522 of the electronic pen 50 is off, so the AC signal from the signal transmission circuit 523 is transmitted to the position detection sensor 41 through the core 521. . The control circuit 400 of the position detection device 40 monitors reception of transmission signals from the electronic pen 50 through the position detection sensor 41 . The control circuit 400 detects the X conductor 411X and the Y conductor 412Y that have received the transmission signal, thereby detecting the position on the position detection sensor 41 indicated by the tip 521a of the core 521 of the electronic pen 50. .

Further, during the contact detection period PT, the control circuit 400 of the position detection device 40 controls one conductor of the position detection sensor 41, for example, the X conductor 411X, in the same manner as the control for the contact detection sensor 12 of the first embodiment. A predetermined AC signal is supplied as a transmission signal, and a reception signal of the transmission signal is received from the Y conductor 512Y.

At this time, since the switch circuit 522 is turned on in the electronic pen 50, when the tip 521a of the core body 521 contacts the input surface of the position detection device 40, an AC electric field is generated by the transmission signal supplied to the X conductor 411X. Some of the energy flows through the core body 521 and the human body HM to the ground at the contact location. Therefore, at the position where the tip 521a of the core body 521 of the electronic pen 50 is in contact with the input surface, the level of the reception signal received by the Y conductor intersecting the X conductor to which the transmission signal is supplied is lowered. do.

The processing control circuit 403 of the control circuit 400 monitors the level of the received signal received through the Y conductor, and detects the position of the X conductor and the Y conductor where the level of the received signal decreases. The position where the tip 521a of 521 is in contact with the input surface is detected.

When the processing control circuit 403 detects the position where the tip 521a of the core 521 of the electronic pen 50 is in contact with the input surface, the processing control circuit 403 sets the initial writing pressure value P0 as the writing pressure value, as in the first embodiment. to output. The processing control circuit 403 monitors pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit 524 of the electronic pen 50 received through the wireless communication unit 404, and assumes that the pressure information indicates a pressure equal to or greater than the initial load Fg. Determine if it happened.

When the processing control circuit 403 determines that the received pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit 524 is not equal to or greater than the initial load Fg, the tip portion 521a of the core 521 of the electronic pen 50 is the input surface. , the initial writing pressure value P0 is continuously output as writing pressure value information. Further, when the processing control circuit 403 determines that the received pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit 524 is equal to or greater than the initial load Fg, the processing control circuit 403 outputs a pen pressure value corresponding to the received pressure information. make sure to

As described above, in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, from the moment the electronic pen 50 contacts the input surface of the position detection device 40, writing input can be performed on the input surface. The operating situation can be realized.

In the second embodiment, the capacitive coupling type position detection sensor 41 is also used as a contact detection sensor, so that there is no need to separately provide a contact detection sensor.

In the above-described second embodiment, the hover state of the electronic pen 50 was not detected. The detection of contact of the tip portion 521a with the input surface may be performed in the area around the detected hover position.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit 524 of the electronic pen 50 is transmitted to the position detection device 40 through the wireless communication unit 526. , and transmitted to the position detection device 40 through the position detection sensor 41. That is, for example, the frequency of the AC signal generated from the signal transmission circuit 523 is configured to be changed according to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit 524, and the position detection device changes the frequency of the signal received from the electronic pen 50 to You may make it detect a pressure by detecting. Alternatively, the AC signal generated from the signal transmission circuit 523 may be modulated according to the pressure detected by the pressure detection section 524 and transmitted to the position detection device 40 through the position detection sensor 41 .

In the first embodiment, pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit is transmitted to the position detection device as frequency changes in the resonance frequency.
A wireless communication unit may be provided in the electronic pen 20 and the position detection device 10 to wirelessly transmit pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit.

In the above-described second embodiment, the time-division timing signals for the contact detection period PT and the pointing position detection period PP are transmitted from the position detection device 40 to the electronic pen 50 through the wireless communication units 404 and 526. However, a time-division timing signal may be transmitted from the electronic pen 50 side to the position detection device 40 . Further, it goes without saying that the method of transmitting and receiving the timing signal is not limited to the method using the wireless communication units 404 and 526 .

[Other embodiments and modifications]
In the first embodiment, in the electromagnetic induction type electronic pen 20, the electrical connection between the conductive rear end side housing 212 and the conductive core body 28 is provided by the electronic pen body portion 23 through a conductive metal cover 24 attached thereto. However, the electrical connection between the conductive rear end housing 212 and the conductive core 28 is not limited to the configuration using the conductive metal cover 24 as in this example. It goes without saying that the configuration of

In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the pressure detection unit provided in the position indicator has a configuration using the pressure detection unit described in Patent Document 1, but it is not limited to this. Of course, any of the pressure detection units described in Patent Documents 2 to 4 may be used.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the initial writing pressure value P0 output when the tip of the core body of the position indicator contacts the input surface of the position detection device is determined by the pressure detection unit 30 or the writing pressure value corresponding to the minimum pressure (load Fg) that can be detected by the pressure detection unit 524, the value of the initial writing pressure value P0 is 0 or more and corresponds to the minimum pressure (load Fg). If the pen pressure value is less than or equal to

10, 40 Position detection device 12 Contact detection sensor 13 Electromagnetic induction position detection sensor 20, 50 Electronic pen as an example of position indicator 30 Pressure detector 41 Electrostatic coupling system position detection sensor 28, 521 core body 102 contact detection circuit 103 position detection processing circuit 104 output processing circuit 1043 writing pressure value output circuit

Claims (21)

A coordinate input system comprising a position indicator and a position detection device for detecting coordinates of a position indicated by the position indicator,
The position indicator is
a tubular casing;
a core body having a tip portion protruding from one opening of the cylindrical housing;
a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure applied to the tip of the core;
a first interaction unit that interacts with the position detection device with a signal for detecting the coordinates of the position indicated by the position indicator;
with
The position detection device is
an electrostatic coupling type contact detection sensor;
a contact detection circuit for detecting, through the contact detection sensor, that the tip of the core of the position indicator has contacted the input surface of the position detection device;
a second interaction unit for performing signal interaction with the position indicator for detecting the coordinates of the position indicated by the position indicator;
a writing pressure value output circuit that generates and outputs information on the writing pressure value applied to the position indicator;
with
The writing pressure value output circuit includes:
When the contact detection circuit detects contact of the core body of the position indicator, a predetermined initial writing pressure value is output, and pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is obtained. and outputting a pen pressure value corresponding to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit when the received pressure is greater than or equal to the minimum pressure detectable by the pressure detection unit. system. The tubular casing of the position indicator has a conductor portion at least in a portion gripped by a user, and the core has conductivity and is electrically connected to the conductor portion of the casing. has been
The contact detection circuit detects that the tip of the core body of the position indicator has touched the input surface, and the AC electric field energy sent from the contact detection sensor is transmitted through the position indicator and the user's body. 2. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, wherein the detection is performed by detecting a change in energy induced in the conductor of the contact detection sensor by flowing to the ground. In the position detection device, the tip of the core of the position indicator is out of contact with the input surface due to signal interaction between the first interaction section and the second interaction section. When a position in a hover state is detected, contact of the tip of the core of the position indicator by the contact detection circuit is detected in the detected hover state position and its surrounding area. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, characterized by: 2. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined initial pen pressure value is set to a value equal to or less than a pen pressure value corresponding to a minimum pressure detectable by said pressure detection unit. Until the minimum pressure detectable by the pressure detection unit is sent from the position indicator while the contact detection circuit is detecting contact with the tip of the core of the position indicator, 2. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, wherein the state of outputting the initial pen pressure value is maintained. The first interaction unit includes a resonance circuit consisting of a coil and a capacitor,
The second interaction unit comprises an electromagnetic induction type position detection sensor comprising a plurality of loop coils,
The coordinate input system according to claim 1, wherein the contact detection sensor and the position detection sensor are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the input surface. 7. The coordinate input system according to claim 6, wherein the contact detection sensor is provided on the surface side of the display device, and the position detection sensor is provided on the back side of the display device. The contact detection sensor is composed of an electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor,
The first interaction unit includes a signal transmission circuit that transmits a signal through the conductive core,
The second interaction unit detects the signal from the signal transmission circuit of the position indicator through the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor, thereby pointing at the tip of the core of the position indicator. 2. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, further comprising an indicated position detection circuit for detecting the position. The position detection device includes the contact detection circuit for detecting contact of the tip portion of the core of the position indicator with the input surface through the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor, and the electrostatic coupling type position detection circuit. 9. The indicated position detection circuit for detecting the position indicated by the tip portion of the core of the position indicator through the detection sensor is operated in a time-sharing manner. Coordinate entry system. The tubular casing of the position indicator has a conductor portion at least at a portion gripped by a user, and is electrically connected to the conductor portion of the casing through the conductive core and switch circuit. and
the switch circuit is on/off controlled in accordance with the time-division operation of the contact detection circuit and the indicated position detection circuit based on a signal from the position detection device;
The contact detection circuit detects that the tip portion of the core body of the position indicator is in contact with the input surface when the AC electric field energy sent from the capacitive coupling type position detection sensor is detected by the position indicator and the input surface. 10. The coordinate input system according to claim 9, wherein the change in energy induced in the conductor of the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor is detected by flowing through the user's body to the ground. 2. The coordinate input system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is transmitted to the position detection device through the first interaction unit. The position indicator and the position detection device each include a wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating with each other, and the pressure information from the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is transmitted through the wireless communication unit to detect the position. 2. The coordinate input system of claim 1, wherein the coordinate input system is transmitted to a device. 2. The pressure detection unit according to claim 1, wherein the pressure detection unit detects an electrical change according to displacement of the core body in an axial direction due to pressure applied to the tip of the core body. coordinate input system. A position detection device used with a position indicator including a pressure detection unit that detects pressure applied to the tip of a core body whose tip protrudes from one opening of a cylindrical housing,
an electrostatic coupling type contact detection sensor;
a contact detection circuit for detecting, through the contact detection sensor, that the tip of the core of the position indicator has contacted the input surface of the position detection device;
an interaction unit for performing signal interaction with the position indicator for detecting the coordinates of the position indicated by the position indicator;
a writing pressure value output circuit that generates and outputs information on the writing pressure value applied to the position indicator;
with
The writing pressure value output circuit includes:
When the contact detection circuit detects contact of the core body of the position indicator, a predetermined initial writing pressure value is output, and pressure information detected by the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is obtained. and outputting a pen pressure value corresponding to the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit when the received pressure is greater than or equal to the minimum pressure detectable by the pressure detection unit. Device. The contact detection circuit detects that the tip of the core body of the position indicator has touched the input surface, and the AC electric field energy sent from the contact detection sensor is transmitted through the position indicator and the user's body. 15. The position detection device according to claim 14, wherein the detection is performed by detecting a change in energy induced in the conductor of the contact detection sensor by flowing to the ground. a hover state detection circuit for detecting a hover state in which the tip of the core body of the position indicator is out of contact with the input surface by signal interaction between the interaction unit and the position indicator; ,
When the position of the position indicator in the hover state is detected, the core body of the position indicator by the contact detection circuit in the detected position of the position indicator in the hover state and its surrounding area. 15. The position detection device according to claim 14, wherein the contact of the tip of the is detected. The interaction unit exchanges signals with the position indicator by electromagnetic induction coupling with the position indicator, and comprises a position detection sensor comprising a plurality of loop coils,
15. The position detection device according to claim 14, wherein the contact detection sensor and the position detection sensor are stacked in a direction orthogonal to the input surface. The contact detection sensor is composed of an electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor,
The interaction unit detects a position indicated by the tip of the core of the position indicator by detecting a signal from the position indicator through the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor. 15. The position detection device according to claim 14, further comprising a detection circuit. the contact detection circuit for detecting contact of the tip portion of the core of the position indicator with the input surface through the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor; and the position indication through the electrostatic coupling type position detection sensor. 19. The position detection device according to claim 18, wherein said pointing position detection circuit for detecting the position pointed by said tip of said core of said container is operated in a time-sharing manner. 15. The position detection device according to claim 14, wherein the pressure information detected by the pressure detection section of the position indicator is received through the interaction section. 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating with the position indicator, wherein the pressure information from the pressure detection unit of the position indicator is received through the wireless communication unit. A position detection device as described.

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