JPH07129321A - Information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an information input device capable of using an operator's finger together with a detection pen and eliminating the necessity of inputting which means is to be used at the time of inputting data by providing a detecting means for generating voltage drop when an operator's finger approaches an electrode line and a detection means for detecting a position signal by electrostatic capacity coupling with the detection pen. CONSTITUTION:An X axis decoder 8a is connected to one end of an X axis electrode line, a Y axis decoder 8b is connected to one end of a Y axis electrode line and pulses are successively impressed to the decoders 8a, 8b by a control circuit 14. An X axis decoder 9a is connected to the other end of the X axis electrode line as a detection part and a Y axis decoder 9b is connected to the other end of the Y axis electrode line. A high frequency oscillation circuit having frequency fp different from frequency fo applied from the decoder 8a is included in the detection pen 10, frequency is detected by the decorder 9b and an instruction means is recognized as a finger when only the frequency fo oscillated from the decoder 8a is detected or as a pen input at the time of to the frequency fp.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An input device is known in which a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal is combined with a coordinate input device called a tablet or a touch panel. This is to mount a transparent tablet on the display surface of the display device and detect the position of the pen tip or fingertip by touching the surface of the coordinate input device with a detection pen or the operator's finger. The detection signal is used to input characters or figures drawn on the surface of the coordinate input device or position (coordinate) information to a computer.

The coordinate input device is a transparent lower substrate placed on the display surface of a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and a plurality of transparent X substrates arranged on the upper surface of the transparent lower substrate. An axis electrode line, a transparent dielectric layer provided above the transparent X-axis electrode line, and a transparent upper substrate arranged so as to correspond to the lower substrate with respect to the transparent dielectric layer. ,
A plurality of transparent Ys arranged on the lower surface of this transparent upper substrate
It consists of a shaft electrode wire. (See Figure 7)

An operator's finger or a detection pen is known as a coordinate pointing means for inputting to such a coordinate input device. A method of detecting coordinates when the operator's finger is used as the coordinate indicating means is to detect the coordinates by utilizing a voltage drop generated when the operator's finger approaches the X-axis electrode line and the Y-axis electrode line. It is a thing. A method of detecting coordinates when a detection pen is used as the coordinate indicating means is to detect coordinates by utilizing capacitive coupling between the X-axis electrode line and the Y-axis electrode line and the detection pen. When the detection pen is used, the resolution is higher than that when the finger is used, and the resolution can be 1 mm or less.

[0005]

When the operator's finger is used as the coordinate indicating means, the operability and the simplicity are very high, but the resolution is only about 10 mm at the most, and a small area is pressed or characters are written. It was impossible to enter. When a detection pen is used as the coordinate pointing means, information with a high resolution of 1 mm or less can be obtained, but a detection pen attached to the apparatus is required, and operability and simplicity are reduced. Therefore, a coordinate pointing means that can use both a finger and a detection pen is required, but in order to distinguish between input by a finger and input by a detection pen, it is necessary to input in advance a signal indicating which means is used at the time of input. Occurs, and there is a problem that operability and simplicity are low. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the operator's finger and a detection pen can be used together as coordinate pointing means, and further, it is not necessary to previously input which means to be used at the time of input, and operability and simplicity are improved. An object is to provide an excellent information input device.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a plurality of electrode lines arranged in the X and Y axis directions and the electrode lines in the X and Y axis directions are scanned to select the same electrode line at both ends. A decoder, and a detection pen having a pulse input unit and a detection unit, a first detection unit that causes a voltage drop when a finger of an operator approaches the electrode line, the electrode line, and a detection pen having an oscillator therein. And g have a second detection unit that capacitively couples and detects a position signal.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the entire electrical block configuration of an example of the information input device of the present invention. Reference number 1
Is a coordinate input device. As shown in FIG. 7, the coordinate input device 1 includes a transparent lower substrate 2 placed on the display surface of a display device 7 such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, and a plurality of transparent lower substrates 2 on the upper surface of the transparent lower substrate 2. Of the X-axis electrode line 3, the transparent dielectric layer 4 provided on the upper side of the transparent X-axis electrode line 3, and the transparent dielectric layer 4 arranged so as to correspond to the lower substrate 2. And a plurality of transparent Y-axis electrode wires 5 provided on the lower surface of the transparent upper substrate 6. The lower board 2 and the upper board 6 of this coordinate input device 1
A glass plate or a plastic film is used as the X-axis electrode wire 3, and a transparent conductive material such as an indium oxide film is used as the X-axis electrode wire 3 and the Y-axis electrode wire 5. Further, as the dielectric layer 4, any transparent substance can be used, but a transparent adhesive is preferable because it has a function of adhering the upper and lower substrates.

The arrangement interval of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3 and the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5 may be designed arbitrarily,
The resolution at the fingertip input is about 10 mm, and in view of the calculation method described later for making the resolution at the pen input high, it is preferable to arrange them at intervals of 4 mm to 10 mm.

An X-axis decoder 8a as a pulse signal input section is connected to one end of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3, and a pulse signal input section is connected to one end of the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5. Is connected to the Y-axis decoder 8b. The X-axis decoder 8a as an input section and the Y-axis decoder 8b as an input section sequentially apply a pulse to each of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3 and the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5 by the control circuit 14. .

An X-axis decoder 9a as a detector is connected to the other ends of the plurality of X-axis electrode lines 3, and a Y-axis as a detector is connected to the other end of the plurality of Y-axis electrode lines 5. The decoder 9b is connected.

In the present information input device, the detecting means includes a first detecting means when the coordinate indicating means is an operator's finger and a second detecting means when the coordinate indicating means is a detecting pen, which will be described later. The means is used to distinguish between the first detection means and the second detection means. In the case of the first detecting means, the detected coordinates are directly input from the data output unit 13 to a computer (not shown) as coordinate data. In the case of the second detecting means, the detected signal is sent to the calculation unit 12, and the calculated data is the data output unit 13.
It is input as coordinate data to a computer (not shown).

Next, the first detecting means when the coordinate pointing means is the operator's finger will be described. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram when the fingertip comes into contact with the coordinate input device 1, and an equivalent circuit thereof is shown in FIG. Three adjacent Y-axis electrode wires 5
One end of each of the electrode lines (indicated by R ₁ , R ₂ , and R ₃ ) is connected to a Y-axis decoder 8b as a pulse signal input unit, and the other end is connected to a Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit. Has been done. When the operator's fingertip touches the surface of the coordinate input device 1, the fingertip and the Y-axis electrode wire 5 are electrostatically coupled and grounded to the human body (displayed as C ₁ , C ₂ , C ₃ in FIGS. 2 and 3). ). Therefore, in the Y-axis decoder 9b as the detection unit, the voltages V ₁ , V ₂ , V ₃ lower than the high-frequency voltage Vo input to one end of the Y-axis electrode line 5 from the Y-axis decoder 8b as the input unit.
Is detected.

In this coordinate input device, the electrostatic coupling capacitance between the fingertip and the electrode wire is inversely proportional to the distance between the fingertip and the electrode wire. Therefore, the detection voltage position of the electrode lines R ₁ because V ₁ is detected as the lowest value of the electrode line R ₁ in the closest position and the fingertip is directly detected as coordinates. Therefore, if the arrangement interval of the electrode lines is adjusted to the required resolution, the coordinates can be detected without performing the calculation process after the detection. Since the position coordinates of the X-axis electrode line 3 can be detected by the same means as in the case of the Y-axis electrode line 5, the X and Y contact positions of the fingertip can be detected.
Coordinates can be detected. The coordinates of the contact position thus detected are sent to the data output unit 13 from the X-axis decoder 9a as the detection unit and the Y-axis decoder 9b as the detection unit.

Next, the second detecting means, the recognizing means of the instructing means and the calculating section in the case where the coordinate instructing means is a detecting pen will be described. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram when the detection pen 10 contacts the coordinate input device 1, and an equivalent circuit thereof is shown in FIG. One end of each of three adjacent Y-axis electrode lines 5 (each electrode line is represented by R ₄ , R ₅ , and R ₆ ) is connected to a Y-axis decoder 8b as a pulse signal input unit, and the other end is connected. The Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit is connected.

When the detecting pen 10 touches the surface of the coordinate input device 1, the detecting pen 10 and the Y-axis electrode wire 5 are electrostatically coupled (indicated by C ₄ , C ₅ and C ₆ in FIGS. 4 and 5). . Therefore, in the Y-axis decoder 9b as the input section, each electrode line R
_The voltages V ₄ , V ₅ , and V ₆ are detected through ₄ , R ₅ , and R ₆ . By the way, in the case of input using the detection pen 10, the X-axis decoder 8 as an input unit is provided inside the detection pen 10.
A high-frequency transmission circuit 11 is provided which transmits a high frequency of fp different from the high frequency of frequency f ₀ transmitted from a. Therefore, the frequency of the pulse signal is detected by the Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit connected to the other end of the Y-axis electrode wire 5, and only the frequency f ₀ transmitted from the X-axis decoder 8a as the input unit is detected. If detected, the pointing means is a finger, and if a frequency fp transmitted from the high frequency transmission circuit 11 in the detection pen 10 or a frequency in which f ₀ and fp are superimposed is detected, it can be recognized as a pen input. . This frequency detection is performed by the Y-axis decoder 9 which is a detection unit.
Of course, a frequency detection circuit may be provided in b, but the noise removal filter circuit associated with the voltage detection circuit of the Y-axis decoder 9b, which is the detection unit, is used, and the pointing means is used only when the fp is detected. If it is recognized as, it is preferable because the circuit of the Y-axis decoder 9b which is the detection unit can be simplified.

When the coordinate designating means is recognized as a detecting pen, the detected voltage is applied to the calculating section 12 and the coordinates can be obtained with high resolution by the following calculation processing. At that time, in order to improve the accuracy, at the same time that the pointing means is recognized as the detection pen, the oscillation of the X-axis decoder 8a and the Y-axis decoder 8b as the input section is stopped, or the X-axis decoder 8a as the input section is stopped. , Disconnecting the Y-axis decoder 8b from the Y-axis electrode line 5 and the X-axis electrode line 3,
It is preferable to detect the coordinates only with the pulse signal Vp input from the detection pen 10.

As described above, the Y-axis decoder 9b serving as the detecting section has the respective electrode lines R ₄ and R _{4 as} shown in FIG.
_The voltages V ₄ , V ₅ , and V ₆ are detected from ₅ and R ₆ , respectively.
Here, the detection voltage of the signal from each of the electrode lines R ₄ , R ₅ , and R ₆ is proportional to the distance from the contact position of the contacted detection pen 10, and therefore, as shown in FIG. Y-axis electrode wire R
_An electrode closest to the contact position of the detection pen 10 is defined as L, an arrangement interval of ₄ , R ₅ , and R ₆ is L, a potential difference between V ₄ and V ₅ is L ₁ , and a potential difference between V ₄ and V ₆ is L _2. Detection pen 1 from line R4
If the distance to the contact position of 0 is Lp, these are expressed by the following formula L ₁ / L ₂ = ((L / 2−Lp) / (L / 2). The contact position is R ₄ , R ₅ ,
Can be determined by calculating the pulse signal V _4, V _5, V ₆ from R _6.

Since the position coordinates of the X-axis electrode line 3 can be calculated by the same means as in the case of the Y-axis electrode line 5, the X and Y coordinates of the contact position of the detection pen can be detected. The coordinate data thus calculated is input to the computer (not shown) or the like from the data output unit 13.

By the way, the resolution required for pen input is generally 1 mm or less, and a resolution of about 0.1 mm is generally widely used. An array of 4 mm to 10 mm can sufficiently meet the demand. However, if the pitch is made too large, the magnitudes of V5 and V6 become smaller than the pulse signal V4, which is not preferable because the accuracy is lowered.

As described above in detail, in the information input device of the present invention, the pulse signal for fingertip input detection is applied to the coordinate input device 1 from the X-axis decoder 8a and the Y-axis decoder 8b as input sections. Therefore, the coordinates input with the fingertip can be detected. However, when the detection pen 10 is brought into contact with the coordinate input device 1, the recognition means of the pointing means recognizes that it is the detection pen 10, and at the same time, stops the input of the pulse signal for fingertip input detection to detect the detection. The pulse signal input from the pen 10 is detected by the X-axis decoder 9a and the Y-axis decoder 9b as a detection unit, the detected signal is sent to the calculation unit 12, high-resolution coordinate data is obtained, and the data output unit 13 outputs it. Input coordinate data to a computer or the like (not shown). When the pen input is completed and the recognition unit of the pointing unit no longer recognizes that the pen is a detection pen, input of a pulse signal for fingertip input is restarted, and fingertip input becomes possible. If fingertip input is detected,
Coordinate data is directly input from a data output unit 13 to a computer or the like (not shown) without using the arithmetic unit 12. Therefore, in the information input device of the present invention, both the input with the detection pen and the input with the fingertip can be always input, and the coordinate data is automatically obtained at the resolution required for each.

[0021]

As described above, according to the information input device of the present invention, the input by the detecting pen and the input by the fingertip are always possible on the common tablet, and the pen input and the fingertip input are instructed and switched from the outside. No, it can be used with extremely good operability. Also, whether it was entered at the fingertips as an input means,
By automatically recognizing whether the input is made with the pen, data processing by a computer or the like becomes easy, and it is possible to cope with a larger application.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall electrical block diagram of an example of the information input device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram when a fingertip is brought into contact with a coordinate input device.

3 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when a detection pen is brought into contact with a coordinate input device.

5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a signal state diagram in the state of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of an example of a coordinate input device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 coordinate input device 2 lower substrate 3 X-axis electrode line 4 dielectric layer 5 Y-axis electrode line 6 upper substrate 7 display device 8a X-axis decoder as an input unit 8b Y-axis decoder as an input unit 9a X as a detection unit Side decoder 9b Y-axis decoder as a detection unit 10 Detection pen 11 High frequency oscillation circuit for pen input pulse signal 12 Operation unit 13 Data output unit 14 Control circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of electrode lines arranged in the X and Y axis directions, a decoder for scanning the electrode lines in the X and Y axis directions and selecting the same electrode line at both ends, and a pulse input to the decoder. And a first detection unit that causes a voltage drop when a finger of an operator approaches the electrode wire, and the electrode wire.
An information input device, comprising: a detection pen having an oscillator therein; and a second detection unit for capacitively coupling and detecting a position signal.