JPS63271628A - Information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the possibility of malfunction by setting and resetting a mode wherein information is inhibited from being inputted to a processor regardless of contacting with an input surface in a power-on state. CONSTITUTION:An information input device 1 is provided with a mode changeover switch 14 in addition to a touch panel 11, a touch detecting circuit 12, an X-Y detecting circuit 13, the circuit 12 detects the position of an input point from a panel superposed on the display surface of a display device 2, and the circuit 13 detects the X-Y coordinates of the input point. Then a switch 14 is provided between the circuit 13 and a host device to connect or disconnect the input to the host device; while the device 1 is powered on, the switch 14 is turned off regardless of the input to the panel 11 to inhibit information from being inputted to the host device.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an information input device that inputs information to an information processing device, and in particular, the present invention relates to an information input device that inputs information to an information processing device. The present invention relates to an information input device for inputting information.

[Prior Art] A so-called touch panel device is known as this type of information input device. A touch panel device is used by being incorporated into a computer system or a computer-applied information processing device system, and a transparent input section is used by overlapping the display surface of a display device in the information processing system. An operator of the system can perform input by touching the input surface of the input section of the touch panel device with an indicating means such as a pen or a finger while viewing the display on the display device through the transparent input section of the touch panel device.

Note that the power to the touch panel device is supplied from the main body of the information processing device, for example, and is turned on and off by turning on and off the power to the main body of the processing device, so that the power cannot be turned on and off by the input device alone. It is common that it is .

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in a touch panel device, input is performed by touching an input surface with a pen, a finger, etc., and therefore dirt adheres to the input surface due to the contact. When cleaning this dirt, if you clean the information input device while it is powered on, that is, when input is possible, the input surface may come into random contact during the cleaning process, resulting in erroneous input. This causes the information processing device to malfunction. Therefore, when cleaning is performed, it is necessary to turn off the power of the information processing apparatus itself and the touch panel device. However, before turning off the power to the information processing device, in order to prevent stored information such as memory from being erased by turning off the power,
There is a problem in that troublesome operations such as saving stored information are required.

Additionally, if the touch panel device is used in an information processing system that is required to operate 24 hours a day,
There was a problem in that cleaning could not be performed because the power could not be shut off. This is a problem common to other information input devices.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve these problems, the present invention provides an information input device that inputs information to an information processing device by touching an input surface. A configuration is adopted in which a control means is provided for setting a mode in which information input to the information processing device is prohibited regardless of touching the input surface while the power is turned on, and for canceling the mode.

[Function] With this configuration, it is possible to set a mode in which information input to the information processing device is prohibited regardless of whether the input surface is touched while the information input device is powered on, and this mode can be set. By doing so, the input surface of the information input device can be cleaned without worrying about erroneous input or malfunction of the information processing device.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The information input device according to the embodiment described below is configured as the above-mentioned touch panel device, such as a vibration input method in which vibration is input to an input point, and information is input by detecting the coordinates of the input point based on the vibration transmission time. Information is input using a known method, and detailed explanation of the input method will be omitted.

FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of an information input device configured as a touch panel device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is assumed that this information input device is used in an information processing device system such as a personal computer system, is connected to a host device (not shown), and inputs information to the host device. Power to the information input device is commonly supplied with power to the host device, and is turned on and off by turning on and off the power to the host device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information input device 1 of this embodiment includes a touch panel 11, a touch detection circuit 12, and an X-y detection circuit 13.
and a mode changeover switch 14.

The touch panel 11 is configured to be transparent as an input section of the information input device 1, and is provided to overlap the display surface of the display device 2 in the information processing device system in which the information input device 1 is used.

When the operator of the information processing system contacts (touches) the input surface of the touch panel 11 with an indicating means such as a pen or a finger while looking at the display on the display device 2, the touch is detected by the touch detection circuit 12, and the touch is detected by the touch detection circuit 12. A detection signal is generated according to the position of the input point.

The detection output signal of the touch detection circuit 12 is input to the x-y detection circuit 13, and the circuit 13 processes the input signal and calculates the x-y coordinates of the touched input point on the touch panel 11. To detect.

Here, in the conventional information input device, the output signal of the x-y detection circuit 13 is inputted directly to the host device, but in this embodiment, the output signal is inputted via the mode changeover switch 14. There is. The mode changeover switch 14 sets the operation mode of the information input device 1 so that the touch panel 11 is switched on when the information input device 1 is powered on.
It is provided to set a mode (hereinafter referred to as cleaning mode) in which information input to the host device is prohibited regardless of contact with the input surface of the host device, and to cancel this cleaning mode. Specifically, the mode changeover switch 14 is the x-y detection circuit 1
The switch is provided as a switch that connects or disconnects between the output of No. 3 and the input of the host device. A state in which the x-y detection circuit 13 and the host device are disconnected by the changeover switch 14 is called a cleaning mode, and a state in which they are connected is a state in which the cleaning mode is released.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, input is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, the first step Sl
Waits for a touch on the touch panel 11, and if there is a touch, it is determined in the next step S2 whether or not it is in the cleaning mode via the mode changeover switch 14. If it is not in the cleaning mode, the next step is to input information to the host device. That is, the output signal of the x-y detection circuit 13 is input to the host device, but no information is input in the cleaning mode.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the mode changeover switch 14 prohibits information input to the host device when the information input device 1 is powered on, regardless of whether or not the input surface of the touch panel 11 is touched. The cleaning mode and the same mode are canceled. By setting the cleaning mode using the mode changeover switch 14, the input surface of the touch panel 11 can be cleaned without worrying about erroneous input or malfunction of the host device due to it even when the information input device is powered on. . This eliminates the need for extremely troublesome operations that were required to protect stored data when shutting off the power for cleaning in conventional devices, significantly reducing the operator's effort.

By the way, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the cleaning mode was set and canceled by the mode changeover switch 14, but the cleaning mode may also be configured to be set and canceled by touching the touch panel 11. can. A second embodiment of the present invention configured in this manner will be described below.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an information input device l according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the configuration of the information input device 1 differs from the first embodiment in that the mode changeover switch 14 is not provided, and the CP controls the entire information input device 1.
It shall be configured as an intelligent type equipped with U16. The CPU 16 consists of a known microprocessor element, etc., and an RO that stores control programs, etc.
M15 and RAM17 used for data processing necessary for control
is connected.

With this configuration, when there is a touch on the touch panel 11, it is detected by the touch detection circuit 12, and the output signal of the circuit 12 causes the x-y detection circuit 13 to detect the x of the touched input point on the touch panel 11. -Detect the y coordinate. The output of the X-y detection circuit is input to a host device (not shown) and also to the CPU 16.
l6 sets and cancels the cleaning mode in accordance with the input.

By the way, in the case where the cleaning mode is configured to be set and canceled by touching different predetermined locations on the input surface of the touch panel 11, the entire area of the input surface of the touch panel 11 can be cleaned by touching the predetermined locations. Once the mode is set, the entire input area is prohibited from inputting, and therefore no input can be made to cancel the cleaning mode. Therefore, in this embodiment, the entire area of the input surface of the touch panel 11 is divided into two halves, for example, an upper half and a lower half, or a right half and a left half, and the cleaning mode is set and canceled independently for each of the two areas. shall be taken as a thing.

By touching each of different predetermined locations in the first area of the two areas, the cleaning mode is set in the second area, or the cleaning mode is canceled,
It is assumed that by touching a different predetermined location in the second area, the cleaning mode is set for the first area or the mode is canceled. Note that to cancel the cleaning mode of each of the first and second areas, it is necessary to touch a predetermined location in an area different from the area to be canceled, but it is not necessary to set the cleaning mode. good.

In order for the CPU 16 to perform such control, the RA
A first flag 18 and a second flag 19 are provided in a predetermined storage area of M17 to indicate whether the cleaning mode is set or canceled for each of the above two input areas. flag 18
．． The setting of flags 18 and 19 indicates that the cleaning mode is set for each of the two areas, and the reset of both flags 18 and 19 indicates that the cleaning mode is canceled for each of the two areas. It shall be shown that the

Based on this configuration, the CPU 16 performs the following control at the time of input according to the control program stored in the ROM 15 according to the procedure shown in FIG.

That is, when the information input device is powered on by powering on the host device, the CPU 16 starts the process shown in FIG. Reset each of them.

Next, the process waits for a touch on the touch panel 11 in a loop of step Sll.

If there is a touch, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is checked whether the input by the touch is an input for setting the first input area of the touch panel 11 to cleaning mode, and if so, the first flag 18 is set in step S13. Set it.

Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S14, where it is checked whether the touch input is an input for canceling the cleaning mode of the first area, and if so, step S15
The first flag 18 is reset in advance.

If not, it is checked in step S16 whether the input is for setting the cleaning mode in the second input area, and if so, the second flag 19 is set in step S17.

If not, the process proceeds to step S18, and it is checked whether the input is for canceling the cleaning mode for the second area. If so, the second flag 19 is reset in step S19.

If not, the process proceeds to step 520, and it is checked whether the above-mentioned touch is a touch on the first input area of the touch panel 11. If the touch is to the first area, it is checked in step S21 whether the first flag 18 is set, that is, whether the first area is set to cleaning mode, and if it is set, step S21 is performed. Return to Sll and repeat the following process, and if the first flag is not set, the coordinate information of the touched input point is input from the x-y detection circuit 13 to the host device in step S23, and then the process returns to step Sll. Go back and repeat the process below. On the other hand, in step S20, if the touch is not to the first area, that is, if it is to the second area, the process proceeds to step S22, and the second flag 19
Check whether it is set. If it is set and the cleaning mode is set for the second area, the process returns to step 311 and the following process is repeated, or if it is not set and the cleaning mode is canceled for the second area. If there is, information is input in accordance with the touch in step S23, and then the process returns to step Sll and the following process is repeated.

Under the control of the CPU 16 as described above, according to this embodiment, by touching a predetermined location on the input surface of the touch panel 11, the cleaning mode can be entered and canceled. As in the case of the first embodiment, there is an advantage that cleaning can be carried out without worrying about erroneous input or malfunction while the power is turned on, and there is no need to provide a mode changeover switch.

In this embodiment, the information input device 1 is an intelligent type equipped with a CPU 16, but the CPU on the host device side
It is also possible to provide U with the above-mentioned control function and to reject or accept input from the information input device 1 depending on the mode setting. Of course, in that case, input rejection or acceptance would be performed independently for each of the two input areas.

It goes without saying that the configuration related to the present invention as described above can also be applied to information input devices other than touch panel devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in an information input device that inputs information to an information processing device by touching an input surface, the power of the information input device is turned on. Since we have provided a control means for setting and canceling a mode that prohibits information input to the information processing device regardless of contact with the input surface in the state, erroneous input and resulting information can be prevented even when the power is on. The input surface can be cleaned without worrying about post-processing operations of the processing device, and an excellent effect can be obtained in that the operator's effort for cleaning can be significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the input procedure according to the same embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the configuration of the information input device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the CPU in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11...Touch panel 12...Evening/time detection circuit 13...X-Y detection circuit 14...Mode changeover switch 16...CPU 18...First flag 19
...Second Flag Man 3 - Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) In an information input device that inputs information to an information processing device by touching an input surface, regardless of whether the input surface is touched while the information input device is powered on. An information input device characterized by comprising a control means for setting a mode for prohibiting information input to the information processing device and canceling the mode. 2) The control means is configured to set or cancel the input prohibition mode in response to different predetermined inputs caused by touching different predetermined locations on the input surface. The information input device according to scope 1. 3) The input screen is divided into a plurality of areas, and the input prohibition mode is set and canceled for each area independently. The information input device according to item 2.