JPH0218725B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a touch panel input device, and more specifically, a touch panel input device, which is arranged in front of a display surface and configured to detect the coordinate position of a point pressed with a fingertip, pen, etc. This invention relates to a transparent touch panel type coordinate input device.

[Background of the invention]

Transparent touch panel type coordinate input devices are CRT,
It is installed in front of the display surface of an LCD (liquid crystal display), etc., and various operations can be performed by pressing the surface of the display while visually checking the display surface.
Because it is suitable for simple input using the so-called menu method,
It is showing signs of becoming popular as an input device for computers.

This touch panel input device includes resistive film type, capacitive type, acoustic type using surface acoustic waves,
Various methods have been proposed, including a photoelectric method that uses a light beam. Among these, the photoelectric method has the advantage that the photoelectric element is housed at the edge of the display surface, so there is less risk of the user touching it. Unlike other methods, there is no input panel on the front of the screen, so there is no risk of damage to the input panel due to scratches or adhesion of liquid, and there are advantages such as high operational reliability. ing.

Among these photoelectric methods, light-emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as
A large number of pairs of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged at each X and Y coordinate, and the light-emitting elements are sequentially driven one at a time for each coordinate to display images on the display screen. The method of scanning a light beam has advantages such as being relatively inexpensive compared to the method using a laser beam, and having a long life since the photoelectric element is a solid component.

However, with the photoelectric touch panel input method, a light beam is constantly scanning the display surface, and if you carelessly bring your fingertip to the display surface, this point will be input, and insects etc. It was easy for careless or unexpected input errors to occur, such as when the robot stopped at a point, the point was input. Also,
If your fingertips tremble or if you specify detailed coordinate values, it is easy to incorrectly input adjacent coordinate values, and you often have to cancel and retry the instruction.In addition, if the display device is a CRT
In this case, since the display surface is curved, parallax is likely to occur, and in this case, the above-mentioned erroneous inputs are particularly common. In addition, in the case of continuous input, the fingertip, etc. that once specified the input coordinate value must be lifted from the display surface (the plane where the light beam is scanning), and then the next input coordinate point must be aimed and specified. Unlike the above-mentioned resistive film method, it was not possible to perform input operations by sliding the fingertips on the display surface (sheet) without removing the fingertips and pressing only the necessary points.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a touch panel input device that scans light beams by sequentially driving light emitting elements, and provides an easy and reliable input operation without fear of erroneous input. Its purpose is to

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a photoelectric touch panel input device that scans a light beam on a display surface. The outline of the system is to display the above coordinates using an index, and after visually confirming the index that matches the desired input coordinates, the coordinate values are input into the processing device by pressing the fingertip or the like.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The drawings all relate to one embodiment of the present invention, and in the drawings, 1 is a display device, and in this embodiment, a CRT display with a curved display surface 1a is used, but LCD, plasma display,
EL (electroluminescence) display,
ECD (electrochromic display),
An appropriate display such as a display using PLZT can be applied, and if necessary, a display capable of color display is selected. This display device 1 is used in conjunction with, for example, an OA computer, a CAD computer, a personal computer, etc., and displays symbols, areas, patterns, indicators (cursors), etc. in the form of dots. The display surface 1a has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and a transparent panel 2, which is slightly wider than the display surface 1a, is disposed in front of the display surface 1a. This transparent panel 2 is made of synthetic resin, glass, etc., and has a polarizing treatment, a mesh built in, or a coloring applied to the surface to prevent reflection or flickering on the display surface 1a to prevent eye fatigue. has been given a function. Further, the transparent panel 2 is held on the display device 1 by appropriate means so as to be able to slide (press displacement) by a predetermined amount on the display surface 1a.

3 is a push button switch (switching means) with a click feeling, located near the outside of the display surface 2a,
An appropriate number of them are disposed at positions facing the transparent panel 2, and are turned on when the transparent panel 2 is pressed.
That is, in this embodiment, four push button switches 3 are arranged at the four outer corners of the display surface 2a or at the center of each side, but it is also possible to have two or a single push button switch. It is sufficient that the switch is turned on by pressing down on any part of the switch 2, and an appropriate switching means such as a panel switch or a capacitor switch can be selected as an alternative to the push button switch 3 of the embodiment.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a photoelectric coordinate input device, which is attached to the front surface of the display device 1 via the transparent panel 2. This coordinate input device 4 has a framework 4a corresponding to the outer shape of the display surface 1a, and on each of the four opposite sides of the framework 4a, a light emitting element 4b made of an LED,
A large number of light-receiving elements 4c are arranged in pairs, and the light-emitting elements 4b are made to emit light one by one from each end at the X and Y coordinates, so that the light rays travel on the display surface 1a in X, Y coordinates.
Scanning is performed one by one on the Y coordinate.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a detection/display drive circuit, which connects the display surface 1a onto which the light beam is scanned over the fingertip, etc., as described above.
(Transparent panel 2) By positioning it on top,
The position where the light beam is blocked (the position of the light receiving element 4c where the light from the light emitting element 4b did not reach) is detected for each X and Y coordinate, and the latest detected coordinate values are constantly updated and imported into the internal buffer circuit. At the same time, this latest detected coordinate value is supplied to the display device 1, and the display device 1 displays this latest coordinate value as an appropriate indicator such as a blinking mark at a corresponding position on the display surface 1a. . In addition, this detection/display drive circuit 5
When the coordinate values are detected for each of the X and Y coordinates, the subsequent scanning in each direction is stopped for an appropriate number of seconds (for example, tens to hundreds of milliseconds), and the coordinate input device 4 After scanning stops, high-speed scanning (for example, one scan completes in about 10 milliseconds) is automatically started again.

The detection/display driving circuit 5 also includes a switch of the push button switch 3 (switching means).
A rising signal at the time of ON is supplied, and upon arrival of this rising signal, the detection/display drive circuit 5 detects the latest detected coordinate value currently stored in the internal buffer (currently on the display surface 1a). The coordinate values displayed as indicators) are processed by a processing device 6 such as a computer.
It is now being supplied to

Although it is generally clear from the above configuration, the operation will be explained next. Now, when a pointing object such as a fingertip or a pen (hereinafter collectively referred to as a fingertip) is positioned on the display surface 1a (transparent panel 2), the detection/display drive circuit 5 detects the position of the fingertip at appropriate intervals and detects this position. Accordingly, the display device 1 displays the corresponding coordinate position as an index.
Therefore, the operator moves the indicator to the target position by sliding the fingertip while comparing the position of the indicator with the image on the display surface 1a, and when the indicator reaches the desired position by visual confirmation, the operator moves the indicator to the desired position on the transparent panel 2. When pressed, the push button switch 3 is turned on and the desired coordinate values are input to the processing device 6. The processing device 6 receives this and performs a predetermined process, and the result is displayed on the display surface 1a. It is clear from the above description that in continuous input, by repeating the sliding and pressing of the fingertip, coordinate values can be inputted sequentially easily and accurately. Also,
If the push button switch 3 has a click feel as in the embodiment, the operational reliability will be further increased.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in a photoelectric type touch panel input device that has various merits, the latest coordinate values at which a pointing object such as a fingertip is detected are displayed on the display surface, and after confirming this, the Since the input operation is performed by pressing the button, etc., there is no risk of erroneous input as in the past, and input of detailed coordinate positions and continuous input are easy and reliable, so the value is high.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings all relate to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram. 1...Display device, 2...Transparent panel, 3...Push button switch (switching means), 4...Coordinate input device,
4b... Light emitting element, 4c... Light receiving element, 5... Detection/drive circuit, 6... Processing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A large number of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged in pairs on each of the four opposing sides of the display surface, and one light-emitting element is sequentially placed from each end in the X and Y coordinates. In a configuration in which a light beam is scanned on a display surface by emitting light and a coordinate position where the light beam is blocked is detected, the detected coordinate position is sequentially displayed as an index on the display surface, only one at each time point. It comprises a driving means and a switching means operated by pressing a transparent panel disposed in front of the display surface, and inputs the currently displayed coordinate position to the processing device by operating the switching means. A touch panel input device characterized by: 2. The touch panel input device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent panel is a panel for preventing eye fatigue.