JPH09179687A - Coordinate input device using pointing device and its cursor movement controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of a coordinate input device using a tablet type pointing device by attaining a function capable of adjusting the moving speed of input position coordinates. SOLUTION: The coordinate input device 10 using the tablet type pointing device is provided with a pressure sensor part 5 for detecting pressure applied at the time of pointing an input on a tablet 4 and converting the pressure into digital pressure detection value data. The device 10 has a controller 2 including a coordinate detecting means 6a for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to position coordinates inputted and indicated on the tablet 4 and converting the voltage signal into digital coordinate data and capable of executing moving speed adjusting processing 6b for calculating the moving direction of the input position coordinates (cursor) on a display screen and determining the moving speed of the cursor. The controller 2 determines the moving speed of the cursor from previously set relation between the pressure value and the moving speed based upon the pressure detection value data obtained by the sensor part 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coordinate input device for inputting a coordinate position on a display screen using a so-called tablet type pointing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, especially in a small personal computer, a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball is used for inputting position coordinates for performing a cursor operation, an icon instruction, and the like on a display screen of a display device. Have been.

A pointing device can input position coordinates on a display screen without operating a keyboard.
It is a useful device for interface and the like.

However, mice, trackballs,
The method of using a joystick has restrictions in terms of operability in terms of implementation. For example, a moving space for a mouse, a ball size for a trackball, and a stick length for a joystick are implementation restrictions.

[0005]

Conventional coordinate input devices using a pointing device include various systems using a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, and the like. There is a trade-off relationship. On the other hand, a tablet-type pointing device is particularly thin, occupies a small space (area), and is excellent in mounting. However, the conventional tablet method does not always have good input operability because the moving speed when moving the position coordinates of the cursor or the like is not variable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coordinate input device using a tablet type pointing device,
It is to improve the operability by realizing the function of adjusting the moving speed of the input position coordinates.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a coordinate input device using a tablet type pointing device, which detects the pressure when an input instruction is made on the tablet and converts it into digital pressure detection value data. It is a device provided with a pressure detecting means for converting. The coordinate input device of the present invention has a coordinate detection means for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to a position coordinate input on the tablet and converting the voltage signal into digital coordinate data. It has a calculating means for calculating the moving direction of the coordinates (cursor) and a moving speed adjusting means for determining the moving speed of the cursor. The moving speed adjusting means determines the moving speed of the cursor from the relationship between the preset pressure value and the moving speed, based on the pressure detection value data obtained by the pressure detecting means.

With the coordinate input device having such a structure, the operator moves the cursor on the display screen of the display device, for example, by the operator pressing the tablet placed in a limited space near the keyboard of the personal computer. Can perform operations. In this cursor operation, by adjusting the acupressure,
For example, when a strong pressure is applied, the moving speed of the cursor is increased, and when a weak pressure is applied, the moving speed is decreased.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a coordinate input device of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a pointing device related to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a coordinate input process of the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a coordinate input process of the present embodiment. It is a flowchart of FIG. (Structure of Apparatus) A coordinate input apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), a tablet-type pointing device 1 and a controller 2 are provided. Controller 2
Outputs data for controlling the movement of the cursor to the computer 3 based on the position coordinates of the input instruction detected by the pointing device 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the computer 3 is, for example, a main body (including a CPU) of a portable (notebook) personal computer 30. The personal computer 30 has a display screen 31 and a keyboard 32 which are, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The pointing device 1 of the present embodiment is disposed, for example, near the keyboard 32.

Pointing device 1 of this embodiment
Is roughly composed of a tablet unit 4 and a pressure sensor unit 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the tablet unit 4 includes, for example, an upper surface film 20 forming an X-axis coordinate electrode, a lower surface film 21 forming a Y-axis coordinate electrode, and the films 20, 21.
And a spacer 22 disposed therebetween. The upper surface film 20 and the lower surface film 21 are the spacers 2 in the steady state.
The spacers 22 are separated by 2 and when the upper surface film 20 is pressed by the operator's finger pressure or the like, the spacers 22 are deformed and come into contact. The tablet portion 4 is a top film 20.
The contact between the lower surface film 21 and the lower surface film 21 outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the position coordinates of the finger pressure to the controller 2.

The pressure sensor unit 5 has a structure in which a pressure receiving plate 23, a cushion member 24, and a piezoelectric element 25 are laminated. The pressure receiving plate 23 is a member for receiving the pressure applied by the upper surface film 20 through the spacer 22 and the lower surface film 21. The cushion member 24 is a member for relaxing the pressure of the pressure receiving plate 23 and transmitting the pressure to the piezoelectric element 25. The piezoelectric element 25 is a pressure sensor main body, and outputs a voltage signal corresponding to a detected pressure value.

The pressure input range of the pressure sensor unit 5 can be adjusted by the characteristics of the piezoelectric element 25 and the material and thickness of the pressure receiving plate 23 and the cushion member 24. Note that the cushion material 24 is not necessarily an essential component.

As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 2 is roughly composed of a microprocessor (MPU) 6, an A / D converter 7, and a memory 8. The MPU 6 is a main component that executes the coordinate detection processing and the moving speed adjustment processing (described later) of this embodiment, and stores programs 6a and 6b for executing the respective processing.

The A / D converter 7 is a pointing
A voltage signal from the tablet unit 4 and a voltage signal from the pressure sensor unit 5, which are analog detection signals output from the device 1, are converted into digital position coordinate data and pressure detection value data, respectively. The memory 8 includes an MPU 6
Stores various data necessary for the coordinate detection process and the moving speed adjustment process, for example, center coordinate data as reference position coordinates. (Coordinate Input Processing) The coordinate input processing, which is the operation of this embodiment, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, in the coordinate input device 10, when the operator applies finger pressure (or may be pressed with a pen) to the upper surface film 20 of the tablet portion 4 as shown in FIG. The film 20 and the lower surface film 21 are brought into contact with each other, and a voltage signal (resistance division voltage) corresponding to the position coordinates (X coordinate, Y coordinate) pressed is output from the tablet unit 4.

The controller 2 converts the voltage signal from the tablet unit 4 into digital position coordinate data by the A / D converter 7. The MPU 6 calculates the moving direction and the moving position of the cursor on the display screen 31 based on the input position coordinate data, and outputs it to the computer 3. In the computer 3, the movement of the cursor is controlled in accordance with the finger pressure of the operator based on the data from the controller 2.

As a concrete process, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the MPU 6 reads out the center coordinate data a, which is the reference position coordinate stored in advance, from the memory 8 (step S1). This center coordinate data a is
As shown in FIG. 4A, the coordinates are the center position coordinates of the input range.

Next, the MPU 6 inputs the position coordinate data (here, the initial position coordinate data b) obtained by the finger pressure of the operator (step S2). MPU6
Performs vector calculation using the center coordinate data a and the initial position coordinate data b to determine the moving direction of the cursor (step S3). That is, as shown in FIG.
When the computer is started, the moving direction of the cursor from the reference position a to the position b where the operator applies the finger pressure is determined.

Here, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor unit 5 of the pointing device 1 detects the pressure value when the operator applies finger pressure. That is, in the controller 2, the A / D converter 7 converts the voltage signal from the pressure sensor unit 5 into digital pressure detection value data to convert the voltage signal to M.
Output to PU6.

The MPU 6 determines the moving speed of the cursor from the input pressure detection value data, based on the relation information (table) stored in the memory 8 in advance and indicating the relationship between the pressure value and the moving speed (step S4). . That is, for example, when the operator applies relatively strong finger pressure, the moving speed of the cursor is increased, and when the operator uses relatively weak finger pressure, the moving speed is adjusted to be slow.

The computer 3 executes the movement control of the cursor on the display screen 31 based on the data corresponding to the position coordinates, the movement direction, and the movement speed from the controller 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the operator relatively strongly applies pressure to the position b, the cursor moves at a relatively high speed in the moving direction of the dotted line. On the contrary, when the operator presses the position b relatively weakly, the cursor moves at a relatively slow speed (slowly) in the moving direction of the dotted line.

Next, when the cursor is continuously operated from the input position b, the MPU 6 reads the position coordinate data b from the memory 8 as reference position coordinates (YES in step S5, S6). The MPU 6 inputs the position coordinate data n obtained by the finger pressure of the operator (step S7).

As a result, the MPU 6 executes vector calculation with the position coordinate data b and the position coordinate data n,
The moving direction of the cursor is determined (step S8). That is, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the moving direction of the cursor from the reference position b to the position n where the finger pressure is applied by the operator is determined.

Here, as described above, the pressure sensor unit 5 of the pointing device 1 detects the pressure value when the operator applies finger pressure. That is, in the controller 2, the A / D converter 7 converts the voltage signal from the pressure sensor unit 5 into digital pressure detection value data to convert the voltage signal to M.
Output to PU6.

The MPU 6 determines the moving speed of the cursor from the input pressure detection value data based on the relationship information indicating the relationship between the pressure value and the moving speed from the memory 8 (step S9). The computer 3 executes the movement control of the cursor on the display screen 31 based on the data corresponding to the position coordinates, the movement direction, and the movement speed from the controller 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the operator relatively strongly presses the position n, the cursor moves from the reference position b in the moving direction of the dotted line at a relatively high speed. On the contrary, when the operator presses the position n relatively weakly, the cursor moves in the moving direction of the dotted line at a relatively slow speed (slowly).

As described above, according to this embodiment, the position coordinate detection signal (voltage signal) from the tablet unit 4 causes
It is possible to determine the moving position of the cursor on the display screen according to the position where the operator has pressed the finger, and control the movement of the cursor to the specified position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tablet unit 4 can be arranged in a limited space (small area) in the vicinity of the keyboard 32 of the personal computer 30, for example, and the entire structure is a thin plate. Therefore, it is easy to mount even a small computer such as a portable computer.

Further, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor unit 5 is provided integrally with the tablet unit 4 to detect the pressure value due to the finger pressure of the operator. The controller 2 adjusts the moving speed of the cursor based on the relationship with the moving speed set in advance according to the detected pressure value. Therefore, for example, when the operator moves the cursor quickly, the operator only has to apply a relatively strong finger pressure. Conversely, if it is desired to move the cursor relatively slowly during, for example, an editing process, it is sufficient to apply a relatively weak acupressure. Here, naturally, the relationship between the pressure value of the acupressure and the moving speed may be the reverse of the present embodiment. That is, the adjustment may be made so that the moving speed of the cursor is reduced when the finger pressure is strongly applied.

With such a cursor moving speed adjusting function, the moving speed of the cursor can be adjusted only by changing the finger pressure of the operator (or the pressing of the pen).
As a result, the operability of the cursor can be improved. (Application form of this embodiment) As an application form of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, using the pointing device 1 including the above-described pressure sensor unit 5, within the input range of position coordinates. Click areas 40A and 40B in part of
There is a click operation method with.

In this click operation method, the controller 2 recognizes that, for example, a right click is operated based on the pressure value from the pressure sensor section 5 when the operator presses the click area 40A. Similarly, the controller 2 recognizes that, for example, a left click is operated based on the pressure value from the pressure sensor unit 5 when the operator presses the click area 40B.

In this applied mode, the controller 2 detects the position coordinate data corresponding to the range of the click areas 40A and 40B from the tablet unit 4 based on the position coordinate data regarding the click area stored in advance in the memory 8. In that case, it is recognized that the click operation has been executed.

In the case of a click operation using such a tablet system, the click operation is executed simply by pressing the area on the tablet designated in advance, so that efficient operability can be realized. .

[0034]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, by using a tablet type pointing device, a coordinate input device which is thin and occupies a small space (area) and is excellent in mounting is provided. It is possible to provide the moving speed adjusting function of adjusting the moving speed of the cursor by the pressure detecting means. Therefore,
Since the moving speed of the cursor can be adjusted simply by changing the finger pressure of the operator (or the pressing of the pen), the operability of the cursor can be improved as a result.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a coordinate input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view for explaining the structure of a pointing device according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view showing the appearance of a personal computer on which the pointing device of the embodiment is mounted.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coordinate input process according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a coordinate input process according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Tablet type pointing device 2 ... Controller 3 ... Computer (personal computer main body) 4 ... Tablet unit 5 ... Pressure sensor unit 6 ... Microprocessor (calculating means and moving speed adjusting means) 7 ... A / D converter 8 ... Memory 20 ... Top film 21 ... Bottom film 22 ... Spacer 23 ... Pressure receiving plate 24 ... Cushion material 25 ... Piezoelectric element (pressure sensor) 30 ... Portable personal computer 31 ... Display screen (LCD) 32 ... Keyboard

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A coordinate detecting means for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to a position coordinate input on the tablet and converting the voltage signal into digital position coordinate data, and a coordinate detecting means for inputting the input signal on the tablet. Pressure detection means for detecting the pressure and converting it into digital pressure detection value data, and calculation means for calculating the coordinate input position and the moving direction on the display screen based on the position coordinate data obtained by the coordinate detection means. And a moving speed adjusting means for determining the moving speed of the coordinate input position from the relationship between the preset pressure value and the moving speed based on the pressure detected value data obtained by the pressure detecting means. A coordinate input device characterized by the above. 2. A pointing device having a tablet section for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to a position coordinate input on the tablet, and a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure when the input instruction is made on the tablet, A / D conversion means for converting the voltage signal detected by the tablet portion into digital position coordinate data, and converting the pressure detected by the pressure sensor into digital pressure detection value data, and the A / D conversion means. The position and movement direction of the cursor on the display screen are calculated based on the obtained position coordinate data, and the movement of the cursor is calculated based on the relationship between the pressure value and the movement speed preset based on the pressure detection value data. A coordinate input device comprising: a control unit that determines a speed. 3. A pointing device having a tablet unit for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to a position coordinate input on the tablet and a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure when the input is instructed on the tablet is used. The A / D converting means converts the voltage signal detected by the tablet unit into digital position coordinate data, converts the pressure detected by the pressure sensor into digital pressure detection value data, and converts the pressure coordinate data into the position coordinate data. A cursor movement control method for controlling the movement of the cursor on the display screen by calculating the position and movement direction of the cursor on the display screen, wherein the position coordinate data when the input instruction is given on the tablet is calculated. Then, by the vector operation processing from the predetermined reference position coordinates to the coordinate input position by the position coordinate data, Determining the moving direction and moving position of the cursor, obtaining the pressure detection value data when input is instructed on the tablet, and moving the cursor based on the relation information between the pressure value and the moving speed prepared in advance. A method of controlling cursor movement, comprising: a step of determining a speed; and a step of moving the cursor along a determined moving direction to a moving position input and instructed by the moving speed. 4. A pointing device having a tablet unit for detecting a voltage signal corresponding to a position coordinate input on the tablet, and a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure when the input instruction is made on the tablet, A / D conversion means for converting the voltage signal detected by the tablet portion into digital position coordinate data, and converting the pressure detected by the pressure sensor into digital pressure detection value data, and the A / D conversion means. Based on the obtained position coordinate data, it is detected that the designated area on the tablet is input, and when the preset pressure value is detected based on the pressure detection value data, the designated area is set. A coordinate input device comprising: a control unit that executes a corresponding input operation in advance. 5. The specified area on the tablet is set as a click operation area, and the control means executes a click operation as an input operation corresponding to the specified area.
Coordinate input device as described.