JPS58182745A - Signal detecting pen - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To assure ON/OFF of a signal, by attaching a light shielding plate which turns on and off the light of a photocoupler to the tip of a detecting rod within a casing which goes in and comes out freely through the tip of the casing and via an elastic member. CONSTITUTION:A conductive detecting bar 6 is provided slidably within an insulated sleeve 5. A spring 13 is attached via a stopper 7 between the rear part of the rod 6 and a fixing member 10. Owing to this spring 13, the rod 6 is always energized to the left. At the same time, a reflecting plate 8 is provided at the tip of the rod 6 and reflects with the highest efficiency the light of the light emitting element within a photocoupler 9 before the rod 6 is pushed. Then a switching means (not shown in the diagram) is opened with a photoelectrically converted current. The plate 8 is shifted to the right when a tablet is pushed with the rod 6, and the output current of the coupler 9 is set at 0. Then the switching means is closed. In such a way, it is possible to detect assuredly a contact between the rod 6 and the tablet with a short stroke.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a signal detection pen, particularly for tablets and the like.
The present invention relates to a signal detection pen equipped with a pen switch that confirms the presence or absence of contact with a pen.

A tablet input device is one of the character information input devices.
A tablet with a plurality of X and Y electrodes arranged between the insulating layer is sounded, a scanning signal is sequentially applied to the X and Y electrodes, and the scanning signal is transmitted by a signal detection pen placed in contact with the tablet. This is a device that inputs character information related to the contact area by detecting it.

Detection of a scanning signal by the signal detection pen is performed by capacitance coupling between the signal detection pen and the tablet when the signal detection pen is brought into contact with a tablet to which a scanning signal is applied. That is, a cylindrical detection rod (made of a conductive material) is attached to the tip of the signal detection pen.
When the detection rod is brought into contact with the tablet, the scanning signal related to the contact area is inputted via the detection rod, and the tablet is electrically connected to the detection rod. It is sent to an electrical circuit.

The signal detection pen detects a pen touch on the tablet by an operator and performs the character input operation only when the pen touch is made, thereby preventing erroneous input due to external noise etc. and ensuring reliable input operation. Equipped with a pen switch to perform this operation.

As an example of such a pen switch, there is a pen switch that operates a reflector type photocoupler by the stroke of a detection rod. Broadly speaking, these can be divided into: ■ cross the reflector at the reflection point of the photocoupler, and ■ place it at the reflection point! There are three methods: (1) changing the angle of the reflector to change the optical axis, and (2) bringing the reflector closer to the reflection point from the front (for example, the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53101225). However, all of these conventional techniques have the following drawbacks. That is, the above-mentioned item (2) is difficult to construct within a limited space, resulting in a complicated structure, and at the same time, the stroke is long, making operation inconvenient. ■Now, straight line luck 4i! The configuration is complicated because II is converted into rotational motion, and unless the angle of the reflector is changed considerably, it changes to light reception due to scattered light, that is, ON10 F.
I can't get a large F range. -Also, (2) requires a considerably long stroke due to the characteristics of the photocoupler, which will be described later.

The present invention has been made in view of the drawbacks of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a signal detection pen with a simple structure, durability, and excellent operability that can operate a pen switch with a short stroke. , its purpose.

The present invention provides a reflector-type photocoupler in the casing of a signal detection pen, and when the detection rod returns to rest, a reflection plate is positioned at the reflection point of the photocoupler, and when the casing is pressed down, the reflection plate is placed on the side of the photocoupler. The above object is achieved by equipping the reflector with means for moving the reflector and blocking the optical path, and by attaching an elastic member to the reflector.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view showing a signal detection pen according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a casing in which a substrate 2 is fixed, and a cap 3 is fixed to the tip of the cough casing 1 by screwing. A cylindrical insulating sleeve 5 is fixed to the base 6 in a through hole formed on the center line in the left-right direction in the figure. A detection rod 6 made of a conductive material and having both ends protruding from the through hole is slidably inserted into the insulating sleeve 5. Near the rear end of the detection rod 6,
A ring-shaped spring seat 7 that also serves as a stopper is attached. The left end surface of the spring seat 7 comes into contact with the right end surface of the base 3, so that leftward movement of the detection rod 6 is restricted. Further, a reflection plate 8 is attached to the right end of the detection rod 6 via an elastic member 40 for shock absorption (see FIG. 2).

On the other hand, on the right side of the reflector plate 8, a seven-rector type photocoupler 9, which is operated by the reflector @8, is installed. The photocoupler 9 is fixedly fitted into the through hole 11 of the fixing member 10, and can be wired to a predetermined electric circuit (not shown) on the substrate 2.

The fixing member 10 is positioned and fixed to the relay member 12 and then supported by the casing 1 via the relay member 12. The fixed member 10 has a step-shaped end protruding from the end, and a coil spring 13 is stretched between the step and the spring seat 7. This coil spring 13 is used to always apply a return force to the detection rod 6 in the left direction along the center line.

Further, the signal detected by the detection rod 6 is transmitted to the spring seat 7,
The signal is input to an amplifier (not shown) installed on the board 2 via the coil spring 13, the fixing member 10, etc. Further, the ridge end of the detection rod 6 is guided into the through hole 11.

The photocoupler 9, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
It consists of a cylindrical camp 14 and a character. The cap 14 is formed to have the same diameter as the detection rod 6. Still, the light emitting element 15, the receiver t, and the element 16 are oriented so that their respective optical axes intersect at a constant angle J9f, so that the direction of the bisector of the two optical axes is the normal direction. When the reflecting plate 8, which moves while moving, is located at the point where the two optical axes coincide (i.e., the reflection point), most of the light emitted from the light emitting element 15 is received by the light receiving element 16. . In the reflecting plate 8, the detection rod 6 is connected to the coil spring 1.
When it is restored by the action of 3, it is formed so as to be located at the reflection point of the photocoupler 9 described above (see the solid line in FIG. 2).

On the other hand, the cap 14 and the partition plate 17 of the photocoupler 9
The tip of the light emitting element 15 and the light receiving element 16 are slightly protruded forward like the tops of the heads. Therefore, when the operator brings the detection rod 6 at the tip of the signal detection pen into contact with the input panel surface of a tablet or the like and moves the detection rod 6 to the right in FIG.
4 and the end face of the partition plate 17, thereby restricting the rightward movement of the detection rod 6, and the light emitting and light receiving element 1.
5.14 (see the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2).

However, the reaction force generated when the reflector plate 8 comes into contact with the photocoupler 9 is absorbed by the elastic member 40, so even if the operator strongly presses the signal detection pen against the tablet, the operator will hardly feel the impact. Therefore, the operability is extremely good. Further, even if the signal detection pen is accidentally dropped, the photocoupler 9 and the reflector 8 will not be damaged, and the durability of the signal detection pen can be increased.

Here, the characteristics of the reflector-type photocoupler 9 are the distance X of the reflection plate 8 from the photocoupler 9 and the light receiving element 16.
The relationship between the amount of light received (rate) is shown in FIG. In the figure, the amount of received light shows the maximum value when the reflection plate 8 is at the reflection point a position. When the reflection plate 8 approaches the photocoupler 9 side from this reflection point a (region shown in the figure ■), the amount of received light decreases rapidly as is clear from the figure, and when the reflection plate 8 comes into contact with the photocoupler 9, the photocoupler 9 The optical path is blocked and the amount of received light becomes almost zero. In other words, reflection point a and photocoupler? By moving the reflector 8 between (x = 0), it is possible to change the light receiving lid from the maximum value to almost the mouth, and therefore the ON10 F F range can be set at the maximum level with a short stroke. It is now possible to do so.

On the other hand, when the reflector 8 moves away from the reflection point a in FIG. It must be made quite large (see Figure 4, c).

The prior art (2) uses a photocoupler in the area (2) in FIG. 4, and inevitably has the above-mentioned drawbacks.

A driving circuit for the photocoupler 9 and switching means based on the operation of the light receiving element 16 are provided on the substrate 2, and output signals (ON/OFF) of the switching means are provided on the substrate 2.
) and the detection signal which is the output of the above-mentioned amplifier is sent via a cable to the control circuit of the tablet manpower device M (not shown).

Next, the operation of the signal detection pen will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 4.

First, if the signal detection pen is not yet brought into contact with the tablet, the entire detection rod 6 is returned to the axial direction of the casing 1 due to the action of the coil spring 13 (
(See Figure 1). At this time, since the reflection plate 8 attached to the rear end of the detection rod 6 is located at the reflection point a, most of the light emitted from the light emitting element 15 is reflected by the reflection plate 8, and then the light receiving element 16.

Therefore, this light receiving element 16 becomes completely conductive, and the switching means outputs an OFF signal based on this output signal.

Next, when you touch the signal detection pen to the tablet and press it down,
The detection $6 slides inside the signal detection pen against the resistance of the coil spring 13.

As a result, the reflection plate 8 is moved from the reflection point a to the photocoupler 9.
As the reflecting plate 8 gradually approaches the side, the amount of light received by the light receiving element 16 gradually decreases as the light receiving element 16 slides. Almost no light is incident on the light receiving element 16, so that the light receiving element 16 is turned off.

Therefore, based on the output signal of the light receiving element 16, the switching means outputs an ON signal. Further, at this time, the movement of the detection rod 6 is restricted by contact with the photocoupler 9. The switching means outputs the maximum level of 0 from the light receiving element 16.
Since the signal from the N10FF range is input, reliable pen switch signal output can be performed.

On the other hand, when the signal detection pen is removed from the tablet and the pressure on the detection rod is released, the return force of the coil spring 13 returns it to its original position. Therefore, the light receiving element 16 receives light again and becomes conductive, and the switching means outputs an OFF signal based on the output signal.

According to the above-mentioned embodiment, a pen touch can be detected with a short stroke, and therefore the signal detection pen can be easily operated, and the structure of the pen switch can be simplified and miniaturized. In addition, the photocoupler 0N1
The 0FF range can be taken at the maximum level, so reliable pen touch detection can be achieved. Furthermore, since the impact when the signal detection pen is pressed is absorbed, the operability is further improved, and at the same time, the durability of the detection pen is also increased.

Similarly, in the above embodiment, when the signal detection pen is not in use, that is, when the detection rod returns, the reflection plate is positioned at the reflection point, and when the signal detection pen is pressed, the reflection plate is configured to come into contact with the photocoupler. However, conversely, as shown in FIG. 5, the configuration may be such that the reflection plate 20 is brought into contact with the photocoupler 9 when the detection rod 6 returns, and the reflection plate 20 is positioned at the reflection point when the casing is pressed down. good. In the example of FIG. 5, the elastic member 41
is attached to the back side of the reflector plate 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the outer diameter of the detection rod 6 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the cap of the photocoupler 9, so that the detection rod 6 is
It may be configured such that a pressing force is applied to the stepped portion 22 of the fixing member 10A when the fixing member 10A comes into contact with the fixing member 10A. Furthermore, as for the partition plate and the cap, as shown in FIG. 7(1), a partition plate 25 may be provided only between the light emitting element 15 and the light receiving element 16, or as shown in FIG. The partition plate 24 may be provided so as to surround only one of the elements 16. Furthermore, as a means for blocking the optical path of the photocoupler due to the movement of the reflecting plate, in addition to the partition plate 7 mentioned above, as shown in FIG. 8 (1), a blocking plate 31 is installed on the reflecting plate 8, and 8, or the shielding member 32 may be attached to the reflecting plate 8 to cover the light emitting element 15 and/or the light receiving element 16, as shown in FIG. 8(2). . Furthermore,
The movement range of the reflector may be part of the area from the vicinity of the reflection point a to distance 0 in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the end surface of the elastic member 50 itself may be used as a reflective surface 51.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a signal detection pen that has a simple structure, is durable, and has excellent operability in which the pen switch can be operated with a short stroke.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a signal detection pen according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a photocoupler shown in FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the photocoupler of the signal detection pen shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view showing another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a modification of FIG. 2. The enlarged longitudinal sectional view shown in Fig. 7 (1
) and (2) are schematic views showing modified examples of the partition plate shown in FIG. 2, and views (1) and (2) in FIG. FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the reflector shown in FIG. 2. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Casing, 6...Detection rod, 9...Photocoupler, 8.20...Reflector, 13...Coil spring,
15°・' Light emitting element, 16... Light receiving element, 17.23
．． 24... Partition plate, 31... Shielding plate, 32... Shielding member, 40.41.50... Elastic member, 51...
reflective surface. Patent applicant: Pentel Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2/7 Figure 6 Figure 7 (7) (2) Figure 6 (7) (2) Figure 9

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a signal detection pen having a slidable detection rod at the tip of the casing, a reflector-type photocoupler is provided in the casing, and when the detection rod returns to rest, the signal is reflected at the reflection point of the photocoupler. A signal detection pen characterized in that the pen is equipped with a means for positioning a plate and moving the reflector toward a photocoupler to block an optical path when the casing is pressed down, and an elastic member is attached to the reflector. (2) In a signal detection pen having a slidable detection rod at the tip of the casing, a seven-rector type photocoupler consisting of a set of light emitting element and light receiving element is provided in the casing, and A partition plate is disposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and when the detection rod returns to rest, a reflection plate is positioned at the reflection point of the photocoupler, and when the casing is pressed down, the reflection plate is placed on the partition plate. A signal detection pen comprising a means for abutting and shielding an optical path, and characterized in that an elastic member is attached to the reflector.