JPH05233139A - Computer input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lighten an input unit in the input device of a computer and to reduce cost. CONSTITUTION:The computer input device is provided with a fixed type input device main body provided with two light-receiving elements 6 which are mutually detached so that the incident angles of light signals are to be detected and the light source of diffused light, which can execute pulse transmission, and with the input unit 9 having a reflecting surface which can irregularly reflect diffused light. Position information on the input unit 9 is read based on reflected light from the input unit 9, which is received in the two light- receiving elements 6. Deflection plates 11 and 13 are respectively provided for the light-receiving elements and a light-emitting element 8 and they are oppositely arranged. The position of transmission light is read by the transmission of the input unit 9 by using the input unit 9 provided with a transmission diffused film overlapped with the interference film of a 1/2 wavelength.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer input device, and more particularly to an optical input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mouse or a light pen is generally used as an input device for clicking an icon on a display or moving a cursor when operating a computer. Since these conventional input devices are wired, there is a problem in their usability, and a technology for making them wireless has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-196326. This is a pen-type input device equipped with a light emitting element capable of pulse transmission by a stationary input device in which two sets of light receiving elements whose light receiving surfaces are set at a predetermined angle are arranged at a predetermined interval. Upon receiving the emitted light, the position of the light source, that is, the input device is calculated and obtained from the incident angle and the light amount detected by the two sets of light receiving elements.

[0003]

In the case of this optical input device, since the input device has a light emitting element, it is necessary to incorporate a power source such as a rechargeable battery and a modulator in the input device. Therefore, it is inevitable that the input device becomes large in size and weight, and in addition, the price becomes expensive.

The present invention has been devised in order to eliminate such disadvantages of the prior art, and its main purpose is to provide a computer input device capable of achieving weight reduction and cost reduction of an input device. To provide.

[0005]

According to the present invention, such an object is to provide two sets of light receiving elements spaced apart from each other for detecting an incident angle of an optical signal and a diffused light source capable of pulse transmission. A fixed input device main body provided with an input device and an input device having a reflecting surface capable of diffusely reflecting diffused light, and the position of the input device based on the reflected light from the input device received by two sets of light receiving elements. A computer input device characterized by reading information, or a polarizing plate provided on each of the light-receiving element and the light-emitting element, and these elements are arranged to face each other, and the transmission is superimposed on the interference film of ½ wavelength. This is accomplished by providing a computer input device configured to use an input device with a diffusive membrane and read its position by the transmitted light of the input device.

[0006]

According to such a structure, all the elements requiring a power source can be made stationary, and for example, the pen-shaped input device can be provided with a surface capable of irregularly reflecting or transmitting light. It will be done.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall construction of a conventional personal computer to which the input device of the present invention is added.
In FIG. 1, a CRT display 1 and a keyboard 2
An optical wireless input device body 5 (hereinafter abbreviated as input device body) is connected to the computer body 3 to which is connected via a mouse cable 4. The input device body 5 is fixedly placed on an appropriate support such as a computer desk.

As shown in FIG. 2, the input device body 5 includes
Two sets of light receiving elements 6 made of a photoelectric conversion element such as a two-divided photodiode or a one-dimensional CCD are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and their light receiving surfaces form a predetermined angle. Further, a condenser lens 7 is provided so as to face the light receiving surfaces of these light receiving elements 6.

A light emitting element 8, which may be an LED, is provided in the middle of the two light receiving elements 6. The light emitting element 8 diffuses and illuminates the front thereof with modulated light.

On the other hand, the input device 9 is formed, for example, in a pen shape, and a film 10 that diffuses light is attached to the tip of the input device 9.

When this input device 9 is moved within the irradiation range of the light emitting element 8, the irregularly reflected light is condensed by the lens 7 on each of the two light receiving elements 6. The position information of the reflector, that is, the input device 9 can be obtained by processing the incident angle and the light amount of the reflected light detected by the two sets of light receiving elements 6. Note that a specific calculation method for obtaining the position information has been described in the above-mentioned publication and is known, and will not be described here.

By the way, if the reflected light other than the irregular reflection film 10 is sensed within the operation range of the input device 9, there is a possibility that a detection error may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to receive only the reflected light from the input device 9. For that purpose, as shown in the modified example of FIG. 3, the polarizing plate 11 is provided immediately before the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 8. Place (not necessary if the light source is a semiconductor laser) and diffusely irradiate linearly polarized light. Then, on the diffused reflection film 10 of the input device 9, a quarter wavelength interference film 12 is laminated and attached. As a result, light passes through the interference film 12 twice, that is, incident and reflected, so that when the diffused light is reflected by the diffuse reflection film 10, the polarization direction shifts by 90 degrees. By arranging the polarizing plate 13 for adjusting the polarization direction of the reflected light also just before the light receiving element 6, it is possible to eliminate the input other than the reflected light from the input device 9, so that the leakage light It is possible to prevent erroneous detection due to.

In the above embodiment, the input device body 5 has the unit structure in which the light receiving element 6 and the light emitting element 8 are integrally incorporated and is independent of the computer body 3. It can also be built into the body of a notebook computer.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the light receiving element 6 and the light emitting element 8 are provided on the same side, and the position of the input device 9 is detected by the reflected light. However, in this embodiment, the light receiving element is detected. 6 and the light emitting element 8 are arranged to face each other, and the input device 9 is provided between them.
Is operated to detect the position of the input device 9 by the transmitted light. In this case, the half-wave interference film 14 and the transmitted light diffusion film 15 are attached to the input device 9 so as to overlap each other.

In this embodiment, the diffused light emitted from the light emitting element 8 is the polarizing plate 1 arranged in front of the light emitting element 8.
1 results in linearly polarized light, but 1 provided on the input device 9
The light passing through the / 2 wavelength interference film 14 is transmitted and diffused with the polarization direction shifted by 90 degrees, so that the light receiving element 6 arranged on the opposite side is set to 1 by the polarizing plate 13 provided on the front surface thereof.
Only the light that has passed through the interference film 14 of the / 2 wavelength is received. Therefore, the position of the input device 9 can be accurately detected.

The shape of the input device 9 is not limited to the pen type, but may be a mouse type, or a reflective film may be attached to an appropriate object in some cases.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the power supply and the circuit element are not required in the input device, the size and weight can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the computer input device of this type can be reduced. Is effective in. Further, if polarized light is used, only reflected light or transmitted light from the input device can be received, so that accurate position detection resistant to noise can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a personal computer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of an input device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a modified example of the input device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing still another embodiment of the input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CRT display 2 keyboard 3 computer main body 4 mouse cable 5 input device main body 6 light receiving element 7 condenser lens 8 light emitting element 9 input device 10 diffuse reflection film 11 polarizing plate 12 1/4 wavelength interference film 13 polarizing plate 14 1/2 wavelength Interference film 15 Transmitted light diffusion film

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A stationary input device main body provided with two sets of light receiving elements spaced apart from each other for detecting an incident angle of an optical signal and a diffused light source capable of pulse transmission, and the diffused light. A computer input device comprising: an input device having a reflecting surface capable of irregular reflection, and reading position information of the input device based on reflected light from the input device received by the two sets of light receiving elements. 2. A pair of light receiving elements, which are separated from each other to detect an incident angle of an optical signal and have a polarizing plate on the front surface thereof, and a light source which radiates diffused light capable of pulse transmission through the polarizing plate. Of the stationary input device main body provided opposite to each other, and an input device in which a transmission film capable of transmitting and diffusing the diffused light and an interference film of ½ wavelength are overlapped with each other. A computer input device, wherein position information of the input device is read based on transmitted light of the input device received by a light receiving element.