JPH0240708A - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a cursor on a display to move without stopping even if a stylus pen leaves an input area on a coordinate input board by substituting coordinate values which are detected at the periphery of the input area with the outermost coordinate values of the area. CONSTITUTION:A coordinate value comparing means 35 which constitutes an arithmetic means 31 compares detected position coordinates stored in a RAM 33 with the maximum and minimum coordinate values stored in a memory 34. A coordinate replacing means 36 substitutes the coordinate values of a coordinate detection area provided at the periphery of a coordinate value calculation area with the maximum or minimum value of the calculation area according to the comparison result obtained by the means 35 and a display position coordinate calculating means 37 substitutes the sent detected position coordinate values with display position coordinate values and displays them. Consequently, even if the stylus pen 7 leaves the in-movement coordinate value calculation area, the cursor moves to a specified movement destination without stopping on condition that the stylus pen passes the coordinate detection area.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is used in personal computers, word processors, etc., and inputs characters and figures by specifying the input position with a cursor displayed on a display or other display means. The present invention relates to a coordinate input device.

(Prior Art) Generally, a cursor is displayed on a display provided in a personal computer or a word processor in order to specify the input position of characters or data input from one keystroke.

Keys dedicated to cursor movement are usually used to input display position information of the cursor and the like. Furthermore, in work such as graphic processing, devices equipped with a coordinate input device called a digitide are well known so that the operator can more directly indicate the cursor position (for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6
There is a publication No. 1-110225. ).

FIG. 8 shows the external appearance of a computer using this digitizer. of'? - The main unit 1 of the personal computer is equipped with a display 5t, and a cable 2.
By key? - Connected to card 3. The key date 3 is provided with a plurality of key groups 4 for inputting characters, etc., and is also connected to a coordinate input panel 6. A coordinate input panel 6 is used to input display position information of a cursor to the display 5, and a stylus pen 7 is connected to this coordinate input panel 6 for inputting position coordinates by an operator. The coordinate input panel 6, the stylus pen 7, and the subsequent circuit for signal processing are hereinafter referred to as a digitizer.

The electromagnetic induction method and the electrostatic coupling method are well known as coordinate detection methods in Digitype. The structure and operation of an electromagnetic induction digitizer will be explained below.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the structure of a conventional digitizer. In the figure, a stylus pen 7 houses a capacitor C and an excitation winding inside, and a processing device CPU.
When receiving an oscillation signal from an oscillation section 14 controlled by 8, an alternating magnetic field of a constant frequency is generated by the capacitor C and the excitation winding.

The coordinate input panel 6 is equipped with an X-axis scanning section 15 and a Y-axis scanning section 16 for detecting the position indicated by the stylus cover 7. The X-axis side scanning section 15 and the Y-axis side scanning section 16 are connected to the digitizer f I/l from the CPU 8.
The circuit is connected so that an address signal for detecting a detection signal is inputted through the "section 13 and further via the decoder section 21."

When a point A, for example, on the coordinate input panel 6 is indicated with the stylus pen 7, the coordinate input panel 6 receives an alternating magnetic field and generates an induced electromotive force at the indicated point A.

The X-axis side scanning section 15 and the Y-axis side scanning section 17 detect this induced electromotive force as a detection signal, and the detection signal is sent to the amplification section 1.
7, further passes through the rectifier section 18, F technology section 19, and conversion section 20, and then is outputted to C through the Digitype 124 section 13.
Input to PU 8.

Based on the input detection signal, the CPU 8 uses the calculation unit 10 to calculate the coordinate value of the indicated position of the stylus pen 7, that is, the coordinate value of point A on the coordinate input panel 6. (Hereinafter, these coordinate values will be referred to as detected position coordinates.) These detected position coordinates are further converted into coordinates (hereinafter referred to as display position coordinates) for displaying on the display 5 shown in the eighth factor in the calculation unit 10. The coordinates of this display position are determined when the keys shown in FIG. 8 are pressed through the external I/11' section 11. will be sent to. The display position coordinates are further sent to the main unit 1, and a cursor is positioned at the corresponding position on the display 5. Note that memory 1
2 is a memory for storing programs.

Next, display 5 to show how to actually operate the Orator.
This section explains the case of moving the position of characters and figures displayed in . FIGS. 1'0(a) and 1(b) are explanatory diagrams showing the display.

In Figure 10 (,), display 5 displays text 25.
and a cursor 26 is displayed. This sentence 25f:,
The case of moving to the position indicated by the broken line will be explained. First, the fourth controller uses the key group 4 of the keyboard 3 to instruct cursor movement. Then, move the stylus pen 2 on the coordinate input panel 6 in FIG.
When the upper cursor 26 reaches the starting point P shown in FIG. 10(a), the position is indicated. Next, the system stylus pen 7 is moved to indicate the position when the cursor 26 on the display 5 reaches the end point Q. Next, in order to instruct the destination of the sentence 25, the operator
Cursor 2 from the end point Q shown in to the destination end point 91
The stylus cover 7 is moved so that the stylus cover 6 moves. When the cursor 26 moves to the destination end point 91 as shown by the broken line, the position is designated here. This allows sentence 2
5 moves are made.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the coordinate input device described above, when moving characters or figures on the display 5, the operator moves a stylus pen on the coordinate input panel. Therefore, when you want to move the cursor 26 from point Q to point 91 shown in Figure 10(,), the stylus pen is moved at the edge of the coordinate input panel, so the aurator moves the stylus pen away from the coordinate input panel midway through the movement. There is a risk of it being released outside. If the stylus pen comes off the coordinate input panel, the indicated position cannot be detected. When the detection becomes impossible, the cursor on the display stops at the position shown in FIG. 10(b)K, for example. Therefore, there is a problem in that the text also stops at this position and cannot be moved to the position indicated by the broken line, which is the destination.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to detect the indicated position and to move characters and figures even if the stylus is removed from the coordinate input panel.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, an arbitrary position on the coordinate input board is specified by a coordinate indicating means, the specified position is detected by a detecting means and converted into an electric signal, The means taken in the coordinate input device to obtain the display position coordinates based on this electric signal include a detection position coordinate calculation unit that calculates the detected position coordinates of the indicated position based on the electric signal, and a detection position coordinate calculation unit that calculates the detected position coordinates of the indicated position based on the electric signal. a first storage means for temporarily storing detected position coordinates, a second storage means for storing arbitrarily settable maximum and minimum values of coordinates in an inputtable area on the coordinate input panel; coordinate value comparison means for comparing the detected position coordinates stored in the storage means with the maximum and minimum values stored in the second storage means; coordinate value replacing means for replacing with a predetermined value; and display position coordinates for converting the coordinate values determined not to be replaced based on the comparison result by the coordinate value comparing means and the coordinate values replaced by the coordinate value replacing means into display position coordinates. This is because a calculation means having a calculation means is provided.

(effect) The operation of the above means will be described.

Based on the electric signal detected by the detection signal, the detection position calculation unit calculates the detection position coordinates of the specified position.

The detected position coordinates are then temporarily stored in the first storage means. Next, read out the maximum and minimum coordinate values in the inputtable area on the coordinate input panel stored in the second storage means, and combine these values with the detected position coordinate values stored in the first storage means. The X-axis coordinate value and the Y-axis pressure standard value are compared by the coordinate value comparing means. Here, if the detected position coordinate value is larger than the coordinate maximum value, the coordinate value replacing means replaces the detected position coordinate value with a predetermined value for each of the x and y axis pressure values. If the detected position coordinate value stored in the first storage means is smaller than the minimum coordinate value, the coordinate value replacing means replaces the detected position coordinate value with a predetermined value for each of the x- and y-axis pressure points. The new coordinate values replaced by the coordinate value replacement means are sent to the display position coordinate calculation means.

On the other hand, if the detected position coordinate value stored in the first storage means is smaller than the maximum coordinate value and larger than the minimum coordinate value, the detected position coordinate value is sent to the display position coordinate calculation means. The display position coordinate calculation means calculates display position coordinate values for display on the display from the sent coordinate values.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Elements common to each drawing are given the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the calculation means of the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the Digitype according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 2, the stylus pen 7, the coordinate input panel 6, the X-axis side scanning section 15 and the Y-axis side scanning section 16 for detecting the indicated position are the same as those in the conventional example, and therefore their explanation will be omitted.

The memory 12 also stores programs as in the conventional example.

The configuration of the calculation means 31 will be explained with reference to FIG.

The detected position coordinate calculation section 32 is connected to the X-axis side scanning section 15 and the Y
Based on the electric signal detected and sent by the shaft-side scanning section 16, the detected position coordinates of the indicated position on the coordinate input panel 6 are calculated. The RAM 33 stores the detected position coordinates. The memory 34 stores maximum and minimum coordinate values of a coordinate value calculation area (described later).

The coordinate value comparison means 35 compares the detected position coordinates stored in the RAM 33K with the maximum and minimum coordinate values stored in the memory 34Fc. The coordinate value replacing means 36 replaces the coordinate values in the coordinate detection area (described later) with the coordinate values in the coordinate value calculation area based on the comparison result obtained by the coordinate value comparing means 35. Further, the display position coordinate calculating means 37 replaces the sent detected position coordinate values with display position coordinate values.

Next, the principle of operation of this embodiment will be further explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between the coordinate input panel and the display according to this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in detected position coordinate values after replacement, which will be described later, is performed.

In FIG. 3, the operator indicates an input position within the coordinate value calculation area 41. In FIG. The coordinate values within the coordinate value calculation area 41 and the coordinate values within the coordinate detection area 42 are processed differently in the calculation means 31.

That is, when a certain point on the coordinate input panel 6 is specified, it is converted into an electric signal by the X-axis side scanning section 15 and Y-axis side scanning section 16 shown in FIG. Wave part 19
, the φ converter 20 and the Digitype ■24 unit 13 to the arithmetic means 31. The calculation means 31 calculates the coordinate values on the coordinate input panel 6 of the position designated by the detection position coordinate calculation section 32 based on this electric signal, and temporarily stores the coordinate values in the RAM 33. Next, the maximum and minimum coordinate values of the coordinate value calculation area stored in the memory 34 are read out, and these values and the RAM 33K are used to calculate the stored coordinate values for each of the X-axis coordinate value and the Y-axis pressure standard value. The value comparison means 35 compares. Here, if the coordinate value stored in the RAM 33 is larger than the coordinate maximum value, the coordinate value replacing means 36 replaces the coordinate value in the X and Y axis coordinate value set with this maximum value. If the coordinate value stored in the RAM 33K is smaller than the minimum coordinate value, the coordinate value replacement means replaces the coordinate value in the x- and y-axis coordinate value set with the minimum value. And coordinate value replacement means 36
The new coordinate values replaced by are sent to the display position coordinate calculation means 37. If the coordinate value stored in the RAM 33 is smaller than the maximum coordinate value and larger than the minimum coordinate value, the coordinate value is sent to the display position coordinate calculation means 37. The display position coordinate calculation means 37 calculates display position coordinate values to be displayed on the display from the sent coordinate values.

That is, in FIG. 3, the detected position coordinates within the coordinate value calculation area 41 are calculated by the detected position coordinate calculating section 32 and are converted into display position coordinates.

The position coordinates within the coordinate detection area 42 are converted into display position coordinates after the detection position coordinates calculated by the detection position coordinate calculating section are replaced with the outermost coordinate values of the -H coordinate value calculation area 4. . Note that 43 is a display position coordinate area on the display.

In Figure 4, the upper left of the coordinate input board 6 is set as the origin (0,0),
It shows changes in the detected position coordinate values when gradually moving to the lower right. In the figure, the section A2 shows the change in the coordinate values of the coordinate detection area 42 from the origin to point a after being replaced, and the section A3 shows the coordinate detection from point b to point 0 after being replaced. 4 shows changes in the coordinate values of region 42. Also A
Section 1 indicates changes in the coordinate values of coordinate value calculation area 4.

Note that the coordinate detection area 42 must be set around the coordinate value calculation area 41, but the width t of the coordinate detection area 42 is not fixed, and can be set, for example, by the maximum and minimum coordinate values stored in the memory 34. The respective sizes of the coordinate detection area 42 and the coordinate value calculation area 41 can be arbitrarily set by changing the values.

Next, in accordance with FIG. 7, and with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the movement of the cursor on the display accompanying the actual movement of the stylus pen will be explained. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the stylus, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the cursor, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the embodiment.

In FIG. 5, when the operator wants to move the stylus pen 7 from the 31st point to the 85th point, the stylus pen 7
32 points, A3 points,
Suppose that the object is moved up to 85 points on a trajectory passing through point a4.

First, the coordinate input operation is started when the stylus pen 7 indicates the 81st point, and a detection signal is input to the calculation means 3 at the stellar f1. In step 2, the detected position coordinates of 81 points are calculated by the detected position coordinate calculating section 32 according to this detection signal. Next, in step 3, it is determined whether the calculated detection position coordinates are within the coordinate detection area 42 or not. This is the coordinate value comparison means 3
5. Since the 81st point is located in the coordinate value calculation area 4 for both the X-axis coordinate and the Ru. Then, in step 9, the display position coordinates are sent to a host device such as a keypad or a microcomputer. The host device displays a cursor 26 at point A1 shown in FIG. 6 based on the received display position coordinate values. Then, while the stylus pen 7 moves from the 81st point to the 32nd point, the detected position coordinates are the X-axis coordinates,
Since both the X-axis coordinates are in the coordinate value calculation area 41, the above-mentioned steps 1-step 2-step 3-step 8-
Repeat step 9. Therefore cursor 26
moves from point A1 to point A2 as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation when the stylus 7 moves from the 32nd point will be explained using the case where it reaches the 83rd point as an example. Steps 1 to 2 are the same as in the above case. In step 3, it is determined that the detected position coordinates of the 83 points are within the coordinate detection area 42, and then the process moves to Stella f4. Since the X-axis coordinate values of the 83 points are larger than the maximum value of the X-axis coordinates of the coordinate value calculation area, the process proceeds to step 5, where the coordinate system replacement means 36 converts the X-axis coordinate values of the 83 points into the coordinate value calculation area. The maximum value of the X-axis coordinate of 41 is replaced. Further, in step 6, it is determined whether the X-axis coordinate values of the 83 points are in the coordinate detection area 42, and since the X-axis coordinate values are not in the coordinate detection area 42, the process moves to step 8. Step 8,
Step 9 is as described above. Therefore, the cursor 26 in FIG. 6 is displayed at point A3.

When the stylus pen 7 specifies the 84th point, the same operation as when the 83rd point is specified is performed, and the cursor 26 moves to the 6th point.
It is displayed at point A4 in the diagram. Therefore, stylus pen 7
moves from the 82nd point to the 84th point, the cursor 26 moves to A.
Move parallel to the Y axis from point 2 to point A4. Furthermore, when the stylus bar/7 specifies the 85th point, the same operation as when the 81st point is specified is performed, and the cursor is displayed at the A5 point. Note that when the stylus pen 7 points to point d within the shaded area shown in FIG.
It is displayed at point D in the figure.

In the above embodiment, the calculation means 31 is provided in the digital type, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the calculation means 31 may be provided in the keypad. It may also be provided in the main unit. Furthermore, the Digitype may be directly connected to the main unit so that the main unit has the calculation means 31.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is applicable not only to electromagnetic induction type coordinate input devices but also to capacitive coupling type or pressure sensitive type coordinate input devices.

Further, the means for specifying an arbitrary position on the coordinate input panel is not limited to the above-mentioned stylus pen, and the present invention is also applicable to cases where an input position is specified using a mouse, for example.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the coordinate values detected around the area on the coordinate input board where coordinates can be input are replaced with the outermost coordinates of the area where coordinates can be input. Even if the stylus pen goes outside the area where coordinates can be input, it is possible to input to the position closest to the position within the area where coordinates can be input. Therefore, even if the stylus pen moves out of the area, the cursor on the display can continue to move without stopping.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the calculation means according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the digital type according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the correspondence between the coordinate input panel and the display according to the present embodiment. An explanatory diagram showing the relationship, FIG. 4 is a graph showing changes in coordinate values after replacement, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the stylus pen, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the cursor,
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operating procedure of the embodiment;
The figure is an external view showing a motherboard computer using a digitizer, FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the structure of a conventional digitizer, and FIG. 1.theta. is an explanatory diagram showing a display. 6... Coordinate input board, 7... Stylus pen, 3...
...Arithmetic means, 26...Cursor, 32...Detected position calculation unit, 33...RAM, 34...Memory, 35
...Coordinate value comparison means, 36.. Coordinate value replacement means, 37.. Display position coordinate calculation means, 41.. Coordinate value calculation area, 42.. Coordinate detection area. Patent Applicant: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. 31 Sawaguruma: y- role of the present invention 1 (relevant emotion) Kan 1 Seiho tho 1 block 7th Figure 1 Figure 3 Birch ± Shin I Imperialization of Za t-a Graph Figure 4 Also explains the temple of Quiras Beno 1 Mine 1 Ho 1 Explanation diagram Figure 5 1-7 / 0 force 1 to Nf Figure 6 Figure 1 Figure 8 (b) ':f114 person figure)', Figure 10

Claims (1)

[Claims] An arbitrary position on a coordinate input panel is designated by a coordinate indicating means, the designated position is detected by a detecting means and converted into an electrical signal, and the display position coordinates are determined based on this electrical signal. The coordinate input device includes: a detection position coordinate calculation unit that calculates the detection position coordinates of the indicated position based on the electrical signal; a first storage unit that temporarily stores the detection position coordinates calculated by the detection position coordinate calculation unit; and coordinates. a second storage means for storing arbitrarily settable maximum and minimum values of coordinates in an inputtable area on the input panel; and a detection position coordinate stored in the first storage means and the second a coordinate value comparing means for comparing the maximum value and the minimum value stored in a storage means; a coordinate value replacing means for replacing the coordinate value with a predetermined value based on a comparison result by the coordinate value comparing means; and the coordinate value comparing means. coordinate values determined to be unnecessary to be replaced based on a comparison result of Input device.