JPH07281821A - Position input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate the position of a cursor on the display screen of the position input device to input by operation which is easy for a user to understand. CONSTITUTION:A pad means 2 detects the position of a conductive body mounted on its surface in a plane shape, a position detecting means 3 detects position information consisting of the position, movement quantity, or movement direction of the conductive body on the basis of the said detection result, and a cursor control means controls the position of the cursor on the display screen according to the position information to control the movement of the cursor according to the movement of the conductive body on the pad means 2, thereby operating the position of the cursor on the display screen for inputting through the operation that is easy for the user to understand.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Table of Contents] The present invention will be described in the following order. Field of Industrial Application Conventional Technology Problems to be Solved by the Invention Means for Solving the Problems (FIG. 2) Action (FIG. 2) Example (FIGS. 1 to 4) Effect of the Invention

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position input device, and is preferably applied to a remote control device for controlling a television receiver, a video tape recorder or the like from a remote position.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a remote control device for controlling a television receiver, a video tape recorder, etc., as the number of functions required for control increases, switches for various command inputs are provided on the operation panel. Added to. However, in this way, the number of input switches increases as the control function increases, and it is difficult to see at a glance which switch corresponds to which function, and the usability for the user deteriorates.

Therefore, the menu to be selected is displayed on the display, the screen is switched by the control function, the cursor is controlled by the remote control device, and the cursor is placed on the icon representing the necessary input command on the display. , And when the cursor is on the menu icon, a predetermined switch is turned on to perform a desired operation, so-called OSD (On Scr
There is a remote control device that inputs commands in combination with een Display).

As this remote control device,
There are ones that use the cross cursor keys, ones that can specify a 360-degree position movement using the ball, and ones that control the cursor on the screen by detecting changes in the direction of the remote control device. The latter includes those that perform optically and those that incorporate a gyro in a remote control device.

[0006]

However, in the case of using the cross-shaped cursor key, for example, the movement of the cursor is limited to the up, down, left and right, and it is necessary to input the switch several times to move the cursor to a desired place. is there. An object incorporating a ball changes the amount of movement only in a stepwise manner, and requires some learning to perform a desired motion.

Further, in the case of performing optically as a means for detecting the direction change of the remote control device itself,
Since the operation greatly changes depending on the position relative to the remote control receiver, it also requires some training to perform the desired operation, and in the case of using a gyro, accuracy is required. There is a drawback that the number of menus that can be set on the screen is limited, and none of them is practically sufficient.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and proposes a position input device capable of operating and inputting the position of the cursor on the display screen by a simple operation that is easy for the user to understand. .

[0009]

In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, a pad means 2 for detecting the position of a conductive object having a predetermined plane shape and placed on the surface.
Based on the detection result of the pad means 2, position detecting means 3 for outputting position information of the position, moving amount and / or moving direction of the conductive object, and a cursor on the display screen according to the position information. A cursor control means for controlling the position is provided.

[0010]

The pad means 2 detects the position of the conductive object placed on the surface, and the position detecting means 3 detects the position of the conductive object based on the detection result, the amount of movement and / or the moving direction. By detecting the information and controlling the position of the cursor on the display screen according to the position information by the cursor control means, the movement of the cursor can be controlled by the movement of the conductive object on the pad means 2. The position of the cursor on the display screen can be operated and input by a simple operation that is easy for the user to understand.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 generally indicates the external appearance of a remote control device according to the present invention. In practice, the remote control device 1 remotely controls, for example, a television receiver (not shown) using the OSD method, and a pad 2 is provided for the user's operation. That is, if the user moves his / her fingertip on the pad 2, the cursor on the display screen can be moved through the remote control receiver (not shown) provided in the television receiver, and the user pushes down on the pad 2. Therefore, the setting and execution of the item selected by the cursor can be operated.

Actually, the pad 2 has a digitizer structure,
The position of a fingertip as a conductive object arranged on the surface can be detected. The surface of the pad 2 is coated so that a fingertip can be placed thereon and moved smoothly. Actually, it is possible to additionally provide a plurality of switches to the remote control device 1, but basically, only the pad 2 needs to be operated by the user.

The inside of the remote control device 1 is constructed as shown in FIG. Ie pad 2
Has a structure in which one end is rotatably held, and a spring 5 provided on the back surface of the other end pushes down the entire body and automatically returns when released. When the pad 2 is pushed down in this manner, the projection 2A formed on the back surface is also pushed down, and the push-type switch 6 is pushed down by the projection 2A, and the switch 6 is turned on or off. Further, an integrated circuit (IC) 3 for position detection circuit is arranged on the back surface of the pad 2, and a transmitting antenna 4 and an integrated circuit (IC) 7 for transmitting circuit are mounted therein for transmitting to a remote control receiver. .

Further, the remote control device 1 is
It is composed of the circuit shown in FIG. That is, the position detection circuit 10 detects a change in the electric field due to the placement of the fingertip on the pad 2 to detect the position of the fingertip, and the relative change information of the position of the fingertip is (x, y). The coordinate values are converted and sent to the transmission circuit 12. This position detection circuit 1
At the same time, 0 detects whether the fingertip is placed on the pad 2 at a certain interval, and if it is not detected that the fingertip is in contact with the pad 2 even after a certain period of time or more, the remote control receiving device of the remote control signal is detected. Then, the power-off command is transmitted, and the power consumption is reduced by entering the standby mode.

When it is detected that the fingertip is placed in the standby mode, a power-on command is transmitted to the remote control receiver. On the other hand, switch input detection circuit 1
1 detects whether or not the pad 2 is pushed down by the method described above, and outputs the switch input information to the transmission circuit 12 when it is detected. The transmission circuit 12 has the above-mentioned (x,
y) Transfer the coordinate change information, the power on / off command, and the switch input information to the remote control receiver through the transmitting antenna 4.

In the case of this embodiment, the transmitting circuit is shown in FIG.
BPSK (Bi-P
hase Shift Keying) Modulation method is used. The (x, y) coordinate change information data from the position detection circuit 10 and the power on / off command 21 and the switch on / off data 22 from the switch input detection circuit 11 are multiplexed by the multiplexing circuit 23, and the parallel serial (P / S) Conversion circuit 2
After being converted into serial data by 4, the differential conversion circuit 25 performs differential conversion.

The differential conversion of the differential conversion circuit 25 is to enable correct data extraction even when the values 0 and 1 are inverted when demodulating by the remote control receiver. The differentially converted data is further multiplied by a carrier wave 27 by a multiplier 26 to obtain a band pass filter (BP).
F) After the band is limited by 28, it is sent to the transmitting antenna 4.

In the above structure, when the television receiver is remotely operated using the remote control device 1, the user first puts his fingertip on the pad 2. By doing so, the remote control receiver of the television receiver is powered on, and a selectable menu screen is displayed on the display screen as an OSD. Next, the user moves the pad 2 in the direction in which he wants to move the cursor on this menu screen.
Move your fingertip up.

In this way, the cursor moves on the menu according to the movement of the fingertip. When it is desired to operate the setting and execution of the menu indicated by the cursor, the pad 2 may be pushed down. As a result, the television receiver can be remotely controlled by a simple operation of only the movement of the fingertip on the pad 2.

According to the above configuration, by combining with the menu command on the display screen, the command input can be performed only by mounting one pad, and a remote control device can be realized with less burden on beginners.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the remote control signal is transferred to the receiving device by wireless transmission according to the BPSK modulation method has been described. However, as a method of transferring the control signal, instead of this, the data is transmitted. If the transfer speed can be as slow as 1 command per 135 [ms], you can use the control command of the remote control device that uses light (infrared),
Alternatively, a wired method may be used.

In the above embodiment, one end of the pad is rotatably held and a spring is arranged at the other end of the pad.
Although the individual switches are turned on and off, instead of this, the pad may be held at the center, springs may be arranged at both ends, and two switches may be provided. In this way, two switches are provided. The switch can be operated on and off. Further, the central portion itself may be held by a push-type switch or the like to turn on / off the three switches. Furthermore, if not only the side portion but also the corner portion is used as the end portion of the pad, a plurality of switches can be arranged as necessary, and various switches can be turned on / off depending on the pressing direction of the pad. .

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, by arranging the switch under the pad and pushing down the pad,
Although the case of operating the switch on / off has been described, a switch area may be provided on the pad and the switch may be operated on / off when a conductive object is placed on the switch area. By doing so, a mechanical structure is not necessary, and the structure can be simplified accordingly, and the usability for the user can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the movement of the fingertip on the pad is used to control the movement of the cursor on the screen has been described. Even if it controls, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment can be realized.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the position input device according to the present invention is applied to the remote control device of the television receiver, but if the display screen is used, the remote control of electronic devices such as a video tape recorder and an optical disc player will be performed. The present invention can be applied to a device, and is not limited to a remote control device, but can be applied as an input device similar to a mouse or a trackball in a computer device by adding two or three switch functions to a pad.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pad means detects the position of the conductive object placed on the surface in a planar shape, and the position detecting means detects the conductivity based on the detection result. The position information of the position, movement amount, and / or moving direction of the object is detected, and the cursor control means controls the position of the cursor on the display screen according to the position information. It is possible to realize a position input device in which the movement of the cursor can be controlled according to the movement of the sexual object, and the position of the cursor on the display screen can be input by a simple operation that is easy for the user to understand.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the external appearance of an embodiment of a remote control device to which a position input device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the remote control device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the remote control device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transmission circuit of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Remote control device, 2 ... pad, 3 ...
... IC for position detection circuit, 4 ... Transmission antenna, 5 ... Spring, 6 ... Push-type switch, 7 ... I for transmission circuit
C, 10 ... Position detection circuit, 11 ... Switch input detection circuit, 12 ... Transmission circuit, 23 ... Multiplexing circuit, 24 ...
… Parallel-serial conversion circuit, 25 …… Differential conversion circuit,
26 ... Multiplier, 27 ... Carrier wave, 28 ... Band pass filter.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A pad means for detecting the position of a conductive object having a predetermined plane shape and placed on the surface, and the position and movement amount of the conductive object based on the detection result of the pad means. And / or position detection means for outputting position information consisting of a moving direction, and cursor control means for controlling the position of the cursor on the display screen according to the position information, and the conductive object on the pad means. A position input device characterized in that the movement of the cursor is controlled according to the movement. 2. The position input device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive object is a fingertip, and the movement of the cursor on the display screen is controlled according to the movement of the fingertip. 3. The pad means is held so that it can be pushed down, and the switch means is arranged below the pad means.
2. The position input device according to claim 1, wherein the switch means is turned on / off in response to the pressing of the pad means. 4. The corner means, the side portion and / or the central portion hold the pad means so that the corner portion, the side portion and / or the central portion can be pushed down separately, and the switch means is pushed depending on the pushing position of the pad means. The position input device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the position input devices are arranged. 5. A switch means corresponding to the switch area when at least one switch area is arranged at a predetermined position on the surface of the pad means and the conductive object is placed on the switch area. The position input device according to claim 1, wherein the position input device is turned on and off. 6. A wireless or wired transmission means is provided between the position detection means and the cursor control means, and the cursor on the display screen is operated by the pad means at a remote position. The position input device according to claim 1, which is characterized in that.