JPH1153102A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointing device capable of eliminating a moving part and satisfying operability, reliability and durability simultaneously. SOLUTION: The pointing device has a hemispherical operation part 1 constituted of a translucent material. The operation part 1 is fixed and arranged. One light-emitting element 2 and four light-receiving elements 31 and 33 are two-dimensionally arranged near the base of the operation part 1. Thus, the operation part 1 has a lens function. The operator of a personal computer and the like slides and moves a finger on the operation part 1 for the use of the pointing device. Light radiated from the light-emitting element 2 is reflected toward the side of light-receiving elements 31-34 by the finger 4 and it image- forms a reflected light spot.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device used for controlling movement of a cursor or the like on a display in an information device such as a personal computer, an amusement device, and a portable terminal.
The present invention relates to an improved structure of an input device that can contribute to improvement in reliability and operability (environment resistance).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one example of this type of input device, there is a device called a pointing device. As a conventional example of the pointing device, there is an optical touch panel shown in FIGS. The touch panel of FIG. 27 has a configuration in which a large number of light-emitting elements 101 and a large number of light-receiving elements 102 are respectively arranged in an array around the periphery of the display 100, and a point shielded by an operator's finger is detected as XY two-dimensional coordinates. Take.

The touch panel shown in FIG. 28 is provided with light guides 103, 103 instead of the above-mentioned light receiving element array.
A light receiving element 10 is provided at the optical terminal of each light guide 103,103.
2 and 102 are provided, and the detection principle is the same as above.

[0004] However, these optical touch panels have the disadvantage that the number of parts is large and the structure is complicated. Also, it is difficult to reduce the size.

[0005] As other types of touch panels, there are a resistive pressure-sensitive type, a strain type, a capacitance type, and a membrane switch.

However, none of these types of touch panels has advantages and disadvantages, and at present, there is no one that can simultaneously satisfy operability, reliability and durability.

[0007]

In order to meet such a demand, the present applicant has filed, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 7-161.
There is an optical pointing device previously proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 157 and Japanese Patent Application No. 7-066071.

[0008] These optical pointing devices are constituted by a movable body (operating member) having one reflective sensor comprising a light emitting element and a light receiving element and a reflective portion, or a movable body having a transmissive sensor and a pinhole. And realizes a simple structure and detection principle.

However, these optical pointing devices require a movable portion to detect the movement of the reflecting portion in conjunction with the movable body, which requires a movable portion, which reduces reliability and complicates the structure. And there is still room for improvement.

As another conventional example of an optical pointing device, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-195168. This pointing device has a configuration in which an operation unit that is a movable body has a ball shape, a reflection pattern is formed on the operation unit, and a movement of the ball-shaped operation unit is detected by a reflection sensor.

However, the pointing device of the reflection type also has the same improvement as the pointing device previously proposed by the present applicant since the operation section is movable.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and has as its object to provide an input device capable of simultaneously satisfying operability, reliability, and durability by eliminating movable parts. .

[0013]

An input device according to the present invention is an optical input device used for inputting input information for controlling the movement of a cursor on a display of an information device or the like. An operating part, which is made of a conductive material, is fixedly arranged, and includes a light emitting element built in the operating part and a plurality of light receiving elements arranged for the light emitting element. The input for the cursor movement control is performed by performing signal processing on a signal obtained by photoelectrically converting a reflected light spot which is reflected by a finger or an operating tool which moves while being in contact with and is imaged on the plurality of light receiving elements. It is configured to obtain information, thereby achieving the above objective.

[0014] Preferably, the operation portion has a curved surface shape convex upward and has a lens function.

Preferably, the operation section includes an operation section main body having an upwardly convex curved shape, and a shell-shaped translucent member that covers the operation section main body. The lens portion is formed to bulge.

Preferably, the operation section has a rectangular shape.

Preferably, the shell-shaped translucent member has a rectangular shape.

Preferably, a portion of the translucent member facing the lens portion is a light transmitting portion, and the other portion is a light shielding portion.

Preferably, a focus position of the operation unit having a lens function is deviated from a position where the light receiving element is disposed, and a reflected light spot having a predetermined diameter is formed on the light receiving element.

Preferably, the focal position of the lens portion is deviated from the position where the light receiving element is disposed, so that a reflected light spot having a predetermined diameter is imaged on the light receiving element.

Preferably, the signal from the light receiving element is processed as vector information as a moving direction and a moving amount.

Preferably, the vector information is used to calculate a difference between current information and past information for a certain period.

Preferably, the position of the reflected light spot on the light receiving element and the coordinates on the display are set to one.
A one-to-one correspondence is adopted.

Preferably, a signal from the light receiving element is processed as moving speed information in addition to the moving direction and moving amount vector information.

Preferably, the moving speed information is obtained from the number of the reflected light spots crossing the light receiving element within a predetermined period.

The operation of the present invention will be described below.

First, since the pointing device (input device) of the present invention is of an optical type, reliability (environment resistance) and durability can be improved.

In addition, since the operation section is fixedly arranged and has no movable section, reliability can be improved and the structure can be simplified. That is, since a large number of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are not required unlike the touch panel, the structure can be simplified. Further, miniaturization is also possible.

Further, according to the configuration, the signal from the light receiving element is extracted as vector information of the moving direction and the moving amount, and the difference between the current information and the past information for a certain period is calculated.
When performing cursor control of a personal computer or the like, the direction and amount of movement of the cursor to be moved from any position on the operation unit can be controlled, so that operability can be greatly improved.

Further, according to the configuration in which the information obtained at the position of the reflected light spot on the light receiving element and the coordinates on the display are in one-to-one correspondence, the signal from the light receiving element can be absolutely displayed on a display such as a personal computer. Since it can be extracted as coordinate information, operability can be greatly improved.

According to the configuration in which the moving speed information is obtained in addition to the vector information of the moving direction and the moving amount, there is an advantage that it is possible to cope with the input of a fast repetitive motion when a person operates. .

This moving speed information can be obtained from the number of the reflected light spots crossing the light receiving element within a certain period.

[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 11 show Embodiment 1 of a pointing device which is an input device of the present invention. The pointing device according to the first embodiment is an optical pointing device, which is an operator's finger 4 that slides and displaces while touching the hemispherical (dome-shaped) operation unit 1 or an attachment 8 described later (FIG. 26).
) Is used to obtain information on the position, amount of movement, and movement speed, ie, input information. This input information is signal processed and used for controlling a cursor of a personal computer or the like. The details will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, this pointing device has a hemispherical operation section 1 made of a light-transmitting material such as a transparent resin. The operation unit 1 is fixedly arranged on a plate (not shown).

One light emitting element 2 is provided near the bottom of the operation section 1.
And four light receiving elements 31 to 34 are two-dimensionally arranged. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting element 2 is disposed at the center near the bottom surface of the operation unit 1, and the light receiving element 31
To 34 are arranged. More specifically, the light receiving elements 31 to 34 are arranged at four equally-spaced positions in the circumferential direction around the light emitting element 2. In addition, as an example, the light emitting element 2
Are constituted by light emitting diodes, and light receiving elements 31 to 34
Is constituted by a photodiode.

Here, the operation section 1 has a lens function due to its shape, and guides the light emitted from the light emitting element 2 to the outside of the operation section 1 through the optical path shown in FIG. When using the pointing device, an operator such as a personal computer slides the finger 4 on the operation unit 1 as shown in FIG. Then, the light emitted from the light emitting element 2 is reflected by the finger 4 toward the light receiving elements 31 to 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, the case where a reflecting plate 5 is used will be described by way of example.
To form light-receiving elements 31 to 34
34 is shifted from the arrangement position. FIG. 4 shows the light receiving element 3
The reflected light spots 6 on 1 to 34 are shown.

The reflected light spot 6 moves as the finger 4 moves. That is, when the finger 4 slides linearly in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 5, the reflected light spot 6 also moves in the same direction as shown in FIG.

Next, based on FIGS. 7 to 11, the movement of the reflected light spot on the light receiving elements 31 to 34 when the finger 4 moves on the operation section 1 and the signals from the light receiving elements 31 to 34 are moved in the moving direction. A calculation method and a processing method for extracting vector information of the movement amount will be described.

Now, as shown in FIG.
Moves from the position of A to the position of B,
As shown in FIG. 8, the reflected light spot 6 on the light receiving elements 31 to 34 also moves from the position A to the position B.

Here, the voltage values obtained by voltage-converting the photocurrents obtained by the respective light receiving elements 31 to 34 are represented by V1, V2, V3, and V4.
Then, the moving direction and the moving amount of the finger 4 on the operation unit 1 in the X-Y two-dimensional direction are expressed by the following expressions (1) and (2) in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively. Characteristics are obtained (see FIGS. 9A and 9B).

Vx = (V3 + V4)-(V1 + V2) (1) Vy = (V2 + V4)-(V1 + V3) (2) This arithmetic processing is performed by a personal computer which is a host of the pointing device.

Here, the personal computer actually calculates the magnitude | Z | and the direction θ (FIG. 1) as vector quantities.
0), the arithmetic processing represented by the following equations (3) to (6) is performed.

X = (Bx−Ax) (3) Y = (By−Ay) (4) | Z | = √X ² + Y ² (5) θ = tan (X / Y) (6) Furthermore, in the first embodiment, in order to improve the operability of the pointing device, the direction and the amount of movement of the cursor to be moved from any position of the fixedly arranged operation unit 1 are controlled. As shown in an example in FIG. 11, a cursor control of a personal computer or the like is performed by calculating a difference between current information and past information for a certain period.

For example, if data is fetched at the timing shown in FIG. 11, when the finger 4 is present at the position A, the position information of the finger 4 at the position A and the previous (past) position information An arithmetic process is executed based on the information on the position of the finger 4 at the position of Z, and vector information from Z to A is transmitted to a personal computer or the like.
Perform cursor control.

When the position of the finger 4 changes sequentially from Z to A to B to C, the state change is detected (data is taken in) and transmitted to a personal computer or the like.

According to the pointing device of the first embodiment, since it is an optical device, reliability (environment resistance) and durability can be improved. In addition, since the operation section is fixedly arranged and has no movable section, the reliability can be improved and the structure can be simplified. That is, since a large number of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are not required unlike the touch panel, the structure can be simplified. Further, miniaturization is also possible.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 12 and 13 show Embodiment 2 of the pointing device of the present invention. The pointing device according to the second embodiment is different from the pointing device according to the first embodiment in that the direction and the amount of movement of a cursor to be moved can be directly displayed on a display such as a personal computer.

That is, in the pointing device of the first embodiment, in order to improve the operability, the direction and the amount of movement of the cursor to be moved from any position of the operation unit 1 can be controlled. The difference between the current information and the past information of the period is calculated and the cursor control of a personal computer or the like is performed. In the pointing device of the second embodiment, the signal from the light receiving element is displayed on a display of a personal computer or the like. The information is obtained as absolute coordinate information, the information obtained at the position of the reflected light spot on the light receiving element, and the coordinates on the display are in a one-to-one correspondence, and the cursor is controlled by a personal computer or the like.

A more specific description will now be given. The finger positions A and B of the operation unit 1 of the pointing device (FIG. 12A)
A) and B) on the display 7 as a display unit.
(See FIG. 12B).

That is, the operation unit 1 of the pointing device
The position A of the finger corresponds to the position of A on the display 7, and the position B of the finger of the operation unit of the pointing device is
This corresponds to the position B on the display 7. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the direction and the amount of movement of the cursor to be moved directly correspond to the movement of the finger on the operation unit 1 of the pointing device, and are displayed on the display 7.

FIG. 13 shows the movement of the reflected light spot 6 in the second embodiment, which is the same as that in FIG. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the above equation (1)
By performing the same calculation as the expression (2), the moving direction and the moving amount of the finger on the operation unit 1 in the X-Y two-dimensional direction are obtained, and the values are directly displayed on the display 7.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 14 to 22 show Embodiment 3 of the pointing device of the present invention. The pointing device according to the third embodiment differs from the operation unit 1 according to the first embodiment in the structure of the operation unit 10.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the operating section 10 has a hemispherical operating section main body 11 made of a transparent material such as a transparent resin, and a bulge formed on the surface of the operating section main body 11. And a large number of small hemispherical lens sections 12 and the operation section body 1
1 and a hemispherical shell-shaped light-transmitting resin 13 covering the same, and inside thereof is arranged in the same manner as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2).
, One light emitting element 2 and four light receiving elements 31 to 34 are provided.

Also, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the light receiving focal positions of the light receiving elements 31 to 34 are such that the reflected light forms an image on the light receiving surfaces of the light receiving elements 31 to 34 with a predetermined spot diameter. Are shifted from the positions where the light receiving elements 31 to 34 are arranged. FIG. 18 shows the light receiving elements 31 to 3.
4 shows the reflected light spot 6 on FIG.

Since the operation section 10 has a large number of lens sections 12 on the surface of the operation section main body 11, as shown in FIG. 16, it has a plurality of directivities in a radial pattern. The operation unit 10 is also fixedly arranged like the operation unit 1 of the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the movement of the reflected light spot on the light receiving elements 31 to 34 when the finger 4 moves on the operation section 10 and the signals from the light receiving elements 31 to 34 are moved in the direction and vector of the movement amount. The calculation method and processing method for extracting the information are the same as those in the first embodiment.

That is, also in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, when the finger 4 is slid from the position A to the position B on the operation section 10 as shown in FIG. 6 also moves from position A to position B,
Calculation processing similar to the above equations (1) to (6) is performed.

Also in the pointing device of the third embodiment, in order to improve the operability, similarly to FIG. 11, the difference between the current information and the past information for a certain period is calculated, and the cursor of a personal computer or the like is processed. The control is performed.

In addition, in the pointing device of the third embodiment, in order to improve operability, in addition to the above-described vector information, moving speed information is detected, and this information is used for cursor control of a personal computer or the like. It has a configuration to reflect it. That is, by doing so, when the operator operates the pointing device, it becomes possible to cope with the input of a repetitive fast movement. Hereinafter, a method of detecting the information on the moving speed will be described with reference to FIGS.

Now, as shown in FIG. 19, the operator's finger 4 moves the operation unit 10 from the position A to the position B, that is, A → B.
20, the reflected light spot 6 also moves from the position A to the position B as shown in FIG.

FIG. 21 shows the sum S (= V1 + V2 + V3) of the output voltage signals V1 to V4 of the respective light receiving elements 31 at that time.
+ V4) and the time t of the movement of the finger 4 are shown. The calculation of the cursor moving speed is performed by detecting when the sum S of the output voltage signals V1 to V4 exceeds a certain threshold level based on the finger movement time t (see FIG. 7A) and outputting a detection signal. Fig. (B).

The number of the detection signals within a certain period of time is used as information on the moving speed. That is, according to the structure of the operation unit 10 of the third embodiment, as the moving speed increases, the number of the reflected light spots 6 that cross the light receiving elements 31 to 34 within a unit time increases, and the number of the detection signals also increases. Because. Therefore, in the pointing device of the third embodiment, the cursor is controlled at a high speed when the number of detection signals is large, and at a low speed when the number is small.

FIG. 22 shows an example of data fetch timing and communication with the host according to the third embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the third embodiment, the movement amount | Z |
In addition to the calculation of the moving speed, the moving speed is calculated.

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 23 to 25 show Embodiment 4 of the pointing device of the present invention. The operation unit 10 ′ of the fourth embodiment includes a light transmitting portion 13 a
The only difference from the operation unit 10 according to the third embodiment is that a light shielding unit 13b is formed. That is, as shown in FIGS. 23 to 25, a circular light transmitting portion 13 a is formed in a portion of the light transmitting resin 13 facing the lens portion 12, and a light shielding portion 13 b is formed in other portions. ing. The parts corresponding to those in the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

According to the operation section 10 'of the fourth embodiment, since the light shielding section 13b is formed around the light transmission section 13a, it is possible to cut a noise component due to a signal light wraparound. There are advantages that can be improved.

(Other Embodiments) In each of the above embodiments, the operator's finger is slid on the operation unit, and the reflected light spot that moves following the movement is detected, thereby enabling the cursor on the display of a personal computer or the like to be displayed. However, instead of the finger, the attachment 8 shown in FIG. 26 may be slid and moved to obtain the input information.

The number of light emitting elements may be two or more, and five or more light receiving elements may be provided for one light emitting element.

In the third and fourth embodiments, the arrangement and the number of the lens units are closely related to the operability and are determined according to the required application, and are limited to the above examples. In general, when high resolution is required, the number of lens units is increased and the arrangement is made denser.

The shape of the operation unit is not limited to the above-mentioned hemisphere, but may be a flat shape or another curved shape. However, if hemispherical,
There is an advantage that the amount of movement of a finger or the like can be increased compared to the case of a planar shape.

In the example shown in FIG. 17 and the like, it is also possible to form only the translucent resin into a square shape.

[0073]

According to the input device of the present invention, since it is of an optical type, reliability (environment resistance) and durability can be improved. In addition, since the operation section is fixedly arranged and has no movable section, the reliability can be improved and the structure can be simplified.
That is, since a large number of light emitting elements and light receiving elements are not required unlike the touch panel, the structure can be simplified. Further, miniaturization is also possible.

According to the input device of the present invention, the portion of the light-transmitting member facing the lens portion is a light-transmitting portion, and the other portion is a light-shielding portion.
Since the noise component due to the signal light wraparound can be cut, there is an advantage that the S / N can be improved. Therefore, the reliability can be further improved.

According to the input device of the present invention, since the vector information is used to calculate the difference between the current information and the past information for a certain period, the cursor control of a personal computer or the like is performed. In this case, the direction and amount of movement of the cursor to be moved from any position of the operation unit can be controlled, so that the operability can be greatly improved.

According to the input device of the present invention, the position of the reflected light spot on the light receiving element and the coordinates on the display correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. Can be extracted as absolute coordinate information on a display of a personal computer or the like, so that operability can be greatly improved.

According to the input device of the twelfth and thirteenth aspects, the signal from the light receiving element is signal-processed not only as vector information of the moving direction and the moving amount but also as moving speed information. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to cope with an input of a fast repetitive movement when a person operates.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pointing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pointing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view for explaining a light receiving focal point position according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a reflected light spot according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating movement of a finger on the operation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating movement of a reflected light spot according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing movement of a finger on the operation unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating movement of a reflected light spot according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a signal processing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIGS.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a movement vector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data fetch timing and communication with a host according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 12A illustrates a position of a finger, and FIG. 12B illustrates a movement of a cursor.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating movement of a reflected light spot according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a pointing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a pointing device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a front view illustrating a function of a lens unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view illustrating Embodiment 3 of the present invention and illustrating a light receiving focal point position.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating movement of a reflected light spot according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a front view showing a third embodiment of the present invention and showing movement of a finger.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating movement of a reflected light spot according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 21A and 21B show Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a method of calculating a moving speed of a cursor.

FIG. 22 is a view showing an example of data fetch timing and a communication example with the host according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a front sectional view of the pointing device, showing Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a plan view of a pointing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating movement of a finger according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a front cross-sectional view showing a pointing device using an attachment.

FIG. 27 is a plan view showing a conventional example of an optical touch panel.

FIG. 28 is a plan view showing another conventional example of an optical touch panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation part 2 Light emitting element 4 Operator's finger 5 Reflector 6 Reflected light spot 7 Display 8 Attachment 10 Operation part 10 'Operation part 11 Operation part main body 12 Lens part 13 Translucent resin 13a Light transmission part 13b Light shielding part 31-31 34 light receiving element

Claims (13)

[Claims] An optical input device used for inputting input information for controlling the movement of a cursor or the like on a display of an information device or the like, comprising: a light-transmitting material, a fixedly arranged operation; And a light-emitting element built in the operation section and a plurality of light-receiving elements arranged with respect to the light-emitting element, and a finger or an operation tool that is irradiated from the light-emitting element and moves while being in contact with the operation section An input device configured to obtain input information for cursor movement control by performing signal processing on a signal obtained by photoelectrically converting reflected light spots reflected by the input means and formed on the plurality of light receiving elements. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit has an upwardly convex curved surface and has a lens function. 3. The operation unit includes an operation unit main body having an upwardly convex curved surface, and a shell-shaped translucent member that covers the operation unit main body, and a plurality of lens units are provided on a surface of the operation unit main body. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the bulge is formed. 4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit has a rectangular shape. 5. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the shell-shaped translucent member has a rectangular shape. 6. The input device according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the translucent member facing the lens portion is a light transmitting portion, and the other portion is a light blocking portion. 7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a focal position of the operation unit having a lens function is deviated from an arrangement position of the light receiving element, and a reflected light spot having a predetermined diameter is imaged on the light receiving element. Input device. 8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a focal position of the lens unit is deviated from an arrangement position of the light receiving element, and a reflected light spot having a predetermined diameter is formed on the light receiving element. Item 6. The input device according to Item 6. 9. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a signal from the light receiving element is processed as vector information as a moving direction and a moving amount. 10. The input device according to claim 9, wherein the vector information is used to calculate a difference between current information and past information for a certain period. 11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a position of the reflected light spot on the light receiving element and a coordinate on the display correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis. 12. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the signal from the light receiving element is processed as moving speed information in addition to the moving direction and moving amount vector information.
An input device according to claim 6 or claim 8. 13. The input device according to claim 12, wherein said moving speed information is obtained by the number of said reflected light spots crossing said light receiving element within a predetermined period.