JPH07210291A - Information processor and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the loss of a pen in use of an information processor which contains an input pen and its storing part. CONSTITUTION:When the cut-off a power supply is instructed by a switch 7, the time counting is started by a timer 15. Then a pen store detecting device 12 detects whether a pen 10 is stored in its storing part. If stored, the power supply is cut off to the main body of an information processor. Meanwhile an alarm generator 8 is instructed to generate an alarm tone if the store of the pen 10 is not detected for a prescribed time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pen input computer, a pen storage mechanism, an alarm device for preventing loss of the pen, and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a pen input computer is equipped with a coordinate input device (digitizer) on the upper or lower surface of a liquid crystal display or the like to detect a pointing position or a pressing position of the pen and display a cursor at the pointing position of the pen. By displaying the handwriting by the operator on the display, it is possible to write characters or figures on ordinary paper.

There are various methods for inputting coordinates with a pen, but the electromagnetic induction method is mainly used. In this system, an electromagnetic wave generator is built in the pen, and the electromagnetic wave emitted from the pen is detected by the coordinate input device to detect the position of the pen. Further, since the pen input computer is mainly used for mobile work, the pen input computer is provided with a mechanism for storing the pen.

[0004]

However, in this type of device, especially in a cordless type pen input computer, the pen is not stored in a predetermined storage place of the main body of the pen input computer, but in another place, for example, an operator. You can also put it in your boquette or bag, or leave it behind. In the worst case, you could lose your pen.

It is natural that this type of pen has a complicated internal structure and cannot be replaced by a pen for writing characters or the like on ordinary paper, but even if the pen itself is expensive. If it is lost, the user will have to purchase it again, and the user will be forced to pay.

[0006]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of preventing loss of a pen.

In order to solve this problem, the information processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, in an information processing apparatus for processing various information by an input pen, a predetermined storage section for storing the input pen, a detection means for detecting whether or not the pen is stored in the storage section, and a power supply for the apparatus main body. When a disconnection instruction is given, and the detection result by the detection unit indicates that the storage of the input pen in the storage unit is not detected, a notification unit is provided.

The control method of the information processing apparatus of the present invention includes the following steps. That is, in the control method of the information processing apparatus including the input pen and the storage unit for the input pen,
A step of determining whether or not an instruction to turn off the power to the apparatus main body is made, and if it is determined that the instruction to turn off the power is made in the determining step, it is detected whether or not the input pen is stored in the storage section. And a step of notifying when the storage of the input pen in the storage section is not detected in the detection step.

[0009]

In the configuration or process of the present invention, when the instruction to turn off the power is given, or when the input pen is not stored in the storage portion, the fact that the input pen is not stored is notified to prevent the input pen from being lost.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block configuration of a pen input computer in the embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a C which controls the system.
PU (Central Processing Unit), 2 is a main storage device that stores application programs and data, 3 is a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores system control programs and font data, and 4 is a hard disk and memory It is an auxiliary storage device that can read and write files such as cards. Reference numeral 5 is a power supply control circuit for controlling the power supply of the system, 6 is a battery for supplying power to the system, 7 is a switch for turning on and off the power supply of the system, 8 is an alarm generation device for giving an alarm to an operator,
Reference numeral 9 is a speaker for emitting an alarm sound, 10 is a pen as a pointing device for inputting data, selecting an operation target, and selecting a command, and 11 is mounted on the upper surface or the lower surface of the liquid crystal display. , A digitizer for specifying the position indicated by the pen, 12 a pen storage detection device for detecting whether or not the pen is stored in the storage mechanism, and 13 a liquid crystal for displaying data or a cursor for pen input A display, 14 is an external interface for connecting a keyboard and a printer, and 15 is a timer for a clock function.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pen input computer main body having a pen storage mechanism in this embodiment.

Reference numeral 16 is a pen input computer main body, and 17 is a mechanism for accommodating a pen. Other symbols are as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a pen storage detecting device 12 for detecting whether or not the pen 10 is stored in the storage mechanism 17.
It is a diagram showing the internal configuration of.

Reference numeral 18 is a button switch installed in the pen storage mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a pen, and operating when the pen is stored in contact with the pen. 19 is a signal Pin indicating the presence / absence of the pen. A resistor for pulling up, 21 is VDD of the power supply of the system, 22 is a resistor, 23 is a capacitor, 24 is a Schmitt trigger circuit, and the resistor 2
2 and the capacitor 23 constitute an integrating circuit, and the Schmitt trigger circuit is provided after the integrating circuit to eliminate chattering caused by the switch 18. 25
Is a protective resistance.

When the pen input computer is not used, the pen is stored in the storage mechanism 17, and the storage detection button 18 installed in the pen storage mechanism 17 is pressed by the pen (turns on). Therefore, the signal Pin becomes the level of "1 (logic HIGH)".

While the pen input computer is in use, the pen is taken out from the pen storage mechanism because the operator holds it and the storage detection button is not pressed ("OFF").
State) and the signal Pin becomes the level of “0”.

This makes it possible to detect whether or not the pen is stored in the pen storage mechanism.

The outline of the operation of the pen input computer of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described below.

When the power of the system is turned off, the CPU 1 uses the timer 15 to detect the presence / absence of a pen after a preset time (about several tens of seconds). Then, at that time, if the pen is not stored, the alarm generator 8 is used to generate an alarm for prompting the operator to store the pen.

Therefore, the power supply control circuit 5 does not turn off the power supply of the system immediately after detecting the instruction to turn off the power supply by the switch 7, and notifies the CPU 1 of that signal. The CPU 1 receives the pen storage detection signal Pin (= “1”) from the pen storage detection device 12 even after the lapse of the predetermined time.
If not received, the alarm generation device 8 is instructed to generate an alarm sound. When Pin is received within a predetermined time, a power-off permission signal is given to the power control unit 5 to execute power-off of the system.

The switch 7 turns on the power source O of the system.
When the instruction of N is given, the power supply control circuit 5 immediately supplies power to the system. That is, the power supply control circuit 5 has the above configuration.

It is to be noted that the operator may push the power ON / OFF button of the system with a pen for a certain period of time after the power of the system is turned off. In this case, the pen is not housed and a warning sound is issued immediately after the power is turned off. Is generated. In order to avoid this, the timer 15 is used to issue an alarm after a fixed time.

In order to realize the above process, the CPU 1 may perform the process according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
The program according to this flowchart is, of course, stored in the ROM 3.

First, in step S1, the state of the power supply of the system is detected, and if there is an instruction to turn off the power supply, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, time counting by the timer 15 is started. Then, in step S3, the level of the signal Pin from the pen storage detection device 12 is checked to determine whether it is "1". If the Pin signal is "1", it means that the pen 10 is stored in the storage mechanism 17. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S6, and a process for powering off (for example, the device has a resume function). For example, a save process during the current process) is performed, a power cutoff permission signal is generated in the power supply control circuit 5, and the power supply of the apparatus main body is cut off.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the Pin level is not "1", that is, the pen 10 is not stored in the storage mechanism 17, the process proceeds to step S4 and the timer 15
It is determined whether or not the clock has timed for a predetermined time. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not been reached, the process returns to step S3 and the above process is repeated. Therefore, when the pen 10 is housed in the housing mechanism 17 during this repeated processing, the process proceeds from step S3 to step S6, and the power is cut off.

If steps S3 and S4 are repeated and the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S5 to give an alarm generation instruction to the alarm generator 8.
Instruct to generate a warning sound. Then, the process returns to step S3. Therefore, once the warning sound is generated, the warning sound is continuously generated until the pen 10 is housed in the housing mechanism 17. In other words, when the pen 10 is stored in the storage mechanism 17 in this state, the power can be cut off.

According to the above description, after the pen input computer is used, that is, when the power of the main body is instructed to be turned off, the pen is detected by the detecting means for detecting whether or not the pen is stored in the storage mechanism of the main body of the pen input computer. When the pen is not stored, the alarm generation means generates an alarm sound for prompting the operator to store the pen, so that the operator can surely store the pen.
This makes it possible to prevent the pen from being lost.

<Description of Second Embodiment> In the above-described embodiment (first embodiment), the power supply of the pen input computer main body is monitored, whether the pen is housed or not is detected, and an alarm is issued. Although it is supposed to be performed by the CPU, it may be performed by the sub CPU 26 in the power supply control circuit 5 in the second embodiment, which controls the power supply and controls the charging operation of the battery 6.

The second embodiment is composed of a block diagram of a circuit of a pen input computer as shown in FIG. First
The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the alarm generator 8 and the pen storage detector are connected to the power control circuit 5'constituted by the sub CPU 26. Sub CPU
Performs processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment. The program according to this flowchart is stored in the internal ROM of the sub CPU 26. As a result, the same effect as that of the first embodiment is obtained, and the processing of the CPU 1 is performed by the sub CPU 26.
It is possible to improve the processing speed of the main body of the pen-inputting computer.

<Explanation of Third Embodiment> In the first embodiment described above, the pen storage mechanism 17 is not detachable from the main body but integrated with the pen input computer.
In the third embodiment, a case where the pen storage mechanism 17 is detachable will be described. The reason for making the pen housing mechanism detachable is to provide a separate power source for the pen 10 in the pen housing mechanism to simplify and lighten the configuration of the pen 10.
This is to improve operability.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the pen input computer in the third embodiment.

In FIG. 6, 27 is a pen storage mechanism 17 '.
It is a pen storage mechanism detection device for detecting the attachment and detachment of
The other structure is similar to that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an external view of the pen input computer in the third embodiment, except that the pen storage mechanism 17 'is detachable from the main body of the pen input computer. Reference numeral 30 denotes a terminal provided on the main body for detecting attachment / detachment of the pen storage mechanism 17 '.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the pen storage mechanism detection device in this embodiment. Signals 28 and 28, which indicate the attachment / detachment state of the pen storage mechanism 17 ', are provided in the pen storage mechanism. Terminals connected as shown, 30
Is provided in the pen input computer main body, and when the pen storage mechanism 17 is attached to the pen input computer main body,
The terminal 29 is in contact with the terminal 29, 31 is the signal B
This is a resistor for pulling up v128.

Now, when the pen housing mechanism 17 'is attached to the pen input computer, the terminals 29 and 30 come into contact with each other and the signal Bv128 becomes "0" level. When the pen storage mechanism is not attached, the signal Bv128 becomes "1" level due to the action of the pull-up resistor 31.

This makes it possible to detect whether or not the pen storage mechanism 17 'is attached.

When the pen storage mechanism 17 'is attached to the pen input computer and the system is powered off, the CPU 1 uses the timer 15 to detect the presence or absence of the pen storage after a preset time.

When the pen is not stored, the alarm generator 8 is used to generate an alarm for prompting the operator to store the pen.

If the pen storage mechanism is not attached to the pen input computer, the pen storage detection processing and the alarm generation processing are not performed.

In order to realize this processing, the CPU 1 has the configuration shown in FIG.
The processing may be performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. still,
The program according to this flowchart is, of course, stored in the ROM 3.

The flowchart for processing by the CPU 1 of the third embodiment is such that the processing operation step S11 of this embodiment is added before the processing of step S1 in the flowchart of the first embodiment. A step S11 detects by a signal Bv128 whether or not the pen input mechanism is attached to the main body of the pen input computer (Bv = 0).
When installed). If it is attached, the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is not attached, the process returns to step S11. The processes after step S12 are the same as those in the flowchart of the first embodiment, and needless to say.

According to the above arrangement, the instruction to turn off the power becomes effective only after the pen storage mechanism 17 'is attached to the apparatus main body.

According to the above description, when the pen input mechanism is attached to the pen input computer, after the use of the pen input computer, that is, when the power of the main body is turned off, the pen is inserted in the storage mechanism of the main body of the pen input computer. By the detection means for detecting whether or not the pen is stored, the alarm generation means issues an alarm for prompting the operator to store the pen when the pen is not stored, thereby preventing the loss of the pen. It will be.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case where the sound generating means such as the speaker is used as the alarm generating means has been described. However, when the sound generating means such as the LED is used, or the sound and the display are simultaneously generated. The present invention is naturally applicable to the case where

In the embodiment, the portable pen input computer has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be applied to a stationary device (for example, a personal computer). In this case, it is unlikely that the pen will be lost due to the environment, but it is no longer necessary to find the pen at the start of work.

Therefore, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. The present invention can also be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, after the pen input computer is used, the pen is stored by the detecting means for detecting whether or not the pen is stored in the storage mechanism of the main body of the pen input computer. If not, the alarm is generated by the alarm generating means to urge the operator to store the pen, so that the operator can surely store the pen. This makes it possible to prevent the pen from being lost.

[0051]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a pen input computer according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pen input computer main body having a pen storage mechanism in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal circuit of the pen storage detection device in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation processing procedure of a CPU of the pen input computer in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block configuration diagram of a pen input computer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a pen input computer in a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a pen input computer according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an internal configuration diagram of a pen storage mechanism attachment / detachment detection device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation processing procedure of the CPU of the pen input computer in the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CPU 2 Main Storage Device 3 ROM 4 Auxiliary Storage Device 5 Power Control Circuit 6 Battery 7 Switch 8 Alarm Generator 9 Speaker 10 Pen 11 Digitizer 12 Pen Storage Detection Device 13 Liquid Crystal Display 14 External Interface 15 Timer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus for processing various information by an input pen, a predetermined storage section for storing the input pen, a detection means for detecting whether or not the pen is stored in the storage section, and an apparatus main body. When the instruction to turn off the power is given to the storage unit and the detection result by the detection unit indicates that the storage of the input pen in the storage unit is not detected, the notification unit is provided for notifying. apparatus. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1 is a portable device. 3. The notification unit is urged when the input pen is not stored in the storage unit within a predetermined period after a power-off instruction is issued. The information processing device according to item 2. 4. A method of controlling an information processing apparatus comprising an input pen and a storage unit for the input pen, the step of determining whether or not an instruction to turn off the power to the apparatus main body is given, and the instruction to turn off the power by the determination step. If it is determined that the input pen is stored in the storage portion, and if the storage of the input pen in the storage portion is not detected in the detection step, a notification step is given. An information processing apparatus control method comprising: 5. The method of controlling the information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the information processing device is a portable device. 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the notification step is activated when the input pen is not stored in the storage unit within a predetermined period after a power-off instruction is issued. The method of controlling the information processing device according to item 5.