JPH05189124A - Touch panel device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent malfunction caused by mutual disturbance infrared beams at the touch panel devices installed on plural adjacently arranged screens. CONSTITUTION:An X axis direction infrared beam 5a from a light emitting element to a light receiving element and an X axis direction infrared beam 5b from the light emitting element to the light receiving element are provided so as to be switched, and a Y axis direction infrared beam 6c from the light emitting element to the light receiving element and a Y axis direction infrared beam 6d from the light emitting element to the light receiving element are provided so as to be switched. Then, the directions of the infrared beams are set so as to prevent the malfunction caused by the mutual disturbance infrared beams at the touch panel devices installed on the adjacently arranged screens.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photoelectric converter which forms an infrared beam in a matrix on the front surface of a screen, intercepts the infrared beam by touching the screen with a finger or a touch pen, and inputs the coordinates to a host computer. Type touch panel device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the structure of a conventional photoelectric touch panel device. In the figure, 1 is a screen of an image display device such as a CRT to which a photoelectric touch panel device is attached, 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are frames of the device attached to the front surface of the screen 1, 3a and 3c are curvatures of the screen 1. In addition, a plurality of light emitting elements 4b and 4d are arranged on the screen side of the frames 2a and 2c at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of light receiving elements 5b and 4d are arranged on the screen sides of the frames 2b and 2d according to the curvature of the screen 1. Is a lateral (X-axis direction) infrared beam from the light emitting element 3a to the light receiving element 4b, and 6c is the light emitting element 3c.
Is an infrared beam in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) toward the light receiving element 4d. Further, in FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 8 is a conventional photoelectric touch panel device.

Next, the operation will be described. In the conventional photoelectric touch panel device 8, the infrared beam 5a is emitted in the X-axis direction from the light emitting element 3a toward the opposing light receiving element 4b at a predetermined cycle, and the light emitting element 3c is directed toward the opposing light receiving element 4d. The infrared beam 6c is emitted in the Y-axis direction at a predetermined cycle. Therefore, when pointing a desired coordinate on the screen 1 with a finger or a touch pen, the infrared beams 5a and 6c in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are cut off, and the coordinates on the screen 1 are cut off from the cut-off position. Is detected and the input coordinate position is notified to the host computer (not shown).

[0004]

Since the conventional photoelectric touch panel device is constructed as described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Placed next to each other,
Moreover, when each screen and the photoelectric touch panel device are installed at a certain angle so that the parallax is reduced for a person viewing the screen, a disturbance infrared beam emitted by a certain photoelectric touch panel device (see FIGS. 7 and 8). There is a problem that an adjacent photoelectric touch panel device malfunctions due to the influence of (displayed by a virtual line).

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel device that does not malfunction due to the influence of disturbance infrared beams of adjacent touch panel devices. And

[0006]

A touch panel device according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of light emitting elements and light receiving elements which are arranged so as to face each other on two sides facing each other across a screen, and an infrared beam from the light emitting elements is blocked. In a touch panel device for inputting screen coordinates of a position that could not be input to the light receiving element, two groups of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are arranged so that the directions of the infrared beams are opposite to each other, and A switching means for setting the direction is provided.

[0007]

In the touch panel device according to the present invention, two groups of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are arranged so that the directions of the infrared beams are opposite to each other, and switching is performed so that the adjacent touch panel device does not malfunction. The direction of the infrared beam is switched and set by means.

[0008]

【Example】

Example 1. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a screen of an image display device such as a CRT for attaching a touch panel device, 2
a, 2b, 2c, 2d are frames of this device attached to the front surface of the screen 1, and 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are predetermined intervals on the screen side of the frames 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d according to the curvature of the screen 1. A plurality of light emitting elements arranged in 4a, 4b, 4c, 4
d is the frame 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d according to the curvature of the screen 1.
A plurality of light-receiving elements arranged on the screen side of the infrared ray beam 5a in the lateral direction (X-axis direction) from the light-emitting element 3a to the light-receiving element 4b, and 5b in the X-axis direction infrared beam from the light-emitting element 3b to the light-receiving element 4a. Reference numeral 6c denotes a vertical direction (Y-axis direction) infrared light beam from the light emitting element 3c to the light receiving element 4d, and 6c.
d is a Y-axis direction infrared beam directed from the light emitting element 3d to the light receiving element 4c, and 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d are the frames 2a, 2 respectively.
Infrared beams emitted from the light emitting elements 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d on b, 2c, 2d are on the same frame as the light receiving elements 4a, 4
Partitions provided so as not to hit b, 4c, 4d, 10
Is a switch for self-setting the direction of the infrared beam. Further, in FIGS. 3 and 4, 9 is a photoelectric touch panel device of the present invention.

Next, the operation will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, an infrared beam 5a in the X-axis direction emitted from a light emitting element 3a on a frame 2a of the apparatus mounted on the front surface of the screen 1 toward a light receiving element 4b on the frame 2b is displayed by a finger or a touch pen. The Y-coordinate is detected by the position where it is cut off when touched. Similarly, the light emitting element 3c on the frame 2c of the device is replaced by the frame 2d.
The X coordinate is detected by the position where the infrared beam 6c in the Y-axis direction emitted toward the upper light receiving element 4d is blocked. Also,
It is also possible to reverse the positional relationship between the light emitting element and the light receiving element and set the direction of the infrared beam to the opposite direction. in short,
The light emitting element 3b on the frame 2b emits the infrared beam 5b to the light receiving element 4a on the frame 2a.
It is also possible to switch so that d emits the infrared beam 6d to the light receiving element 4c on the frame 2c. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the same photoelectric touch panel device 9 switches the directions of the infrared beams, so that disturbance infrared beams of different devices (shown by phantom lines in FIGS. 3 and 4) are adjacent devices. It is possible to prevent the light-receiving element from receiving light and malfunctioning. Here, a flow chart of the function of self-setting the direction of the infrared beam so as not to be affected by the disturbance infrared beam of a different device will be described with reference to FIG. First, the self-setting function works when the power of the apparatus is turned on or when the infrared beam self-setting switch 10 is pushed down (step 101). In step 102, X
The directions of the infrared beams in the axial and Y-axis directions are set to defaults, and then in step 103, the light-emitting element 3a (or 3b) in the X-axis direction is caused to emit light at random and the light-receiving element 4b.
(Or 4a) checks whether light is received correctly, and if abnormal light reception is detected, the infrared beam direction is reset in step 104 and the check is performed again. If it is OK, the infrared beam in the Y-axis direction is checked in the same manner as it is in step 105. Also in this case, if abnormal light reception is detected, the infrared beam direction is reset to the opposite direction in step 106 and the check is performed again. In this way, when both are OK, the self-setting is completed. (Step 107)

Embodiment 2. In addition, in the above-mentioned Example 1. Then, when the power is on or the switch 1 for infrared beam self-setting
I explained the case where the self-setting function works when 0 is pressed and the direction of the infrared beam is automatically set.
Even if there is no self-setting function, for example, the switch 10 is a switch for switching the direction of the infrared beam in the X-axis direction and the direction of the Y-axis direction, and as shown in FIGS. May be switched so as to be in the opposite direction. Has the same effect as.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the infrared beam direction of the touch panel device can be switched, the malfunction of the photoelectric touch panel device due to the disturbance infrared beam even if the devices are arranged adjacent to each other. Disappears,
There is an effect that a highly reliable product can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a touch panel device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the touch panel device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when the touch panel devices of the present invention are arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a case where the touch panel devices of the present invention are arranged vertically adjacent to each other.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a self-setting function of an infrared beam direction of the touch panel device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a conventional touch panel device.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a case where conventional touch panel devices are arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a case where conventional touch panel devices are vertically adjacent to each other.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 screen 2 frame 3a light emitting element 3b light emitting element 3c light emitting element 3d light emitting element 4a light receiving element 4b light receiving element 4c light receiving element 4d light receiving element 5a X-axis direction infrared beam 5b X-axis direction infrared beam 6c Y-axis direction infrared beam 6d Y-axis direction Infrared beam 7 Partition 8 Conventional touch panel device 9 Touch panel device of this invention 10 Switch

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A screen coordinate at a position where a plurality of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are arranged so as to face each other across a screen, and an infrared beam from the light-emitting element is blocked and cannot be input to the light-receiving element. In the touch panel device for inputting, the two groups of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are arranged so that the infrared beams have opposite directions, and a switching means for setting the directions of the infrared beams is provided. Touch panel device. 2. A beam in a touch panel device, which is installed on the entire surface of a plurality of screens arranged adjacently to each other, and which inputs screen coordinates of a position which cannot be input to a light receiving element due to interruption of an infrared beam from the light emitting element. A touch panel device characterized in that the directions of infrared beams of devices arranged on screens adjacent to each other are opposite to each other.