WO2013031034A1

WO2013031034A1 - Input device and input pen using same

Info

Publication number: WO2013031034A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/076218
Authority: WO
Inventors: 佐野　昌隆; 重樹草刈; 秀幸塚本
Original assignee: 株式会社セラフト
Priority date: 2011-08-29
Filing date: 2011-11-14
Publication date: 2013-03-07
Also published as: KR20140053422A; JP5139601B1; JPWO2013031034A1

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an input device and input pen which are superior in durability and which are capable of performing information input easily and reliably for a touch panel. [Solution] This input device (20) is equipped with a clamping member (22) provided with a hollow portion, and a plurality of conductive fibers (23) inserted into the hollow portion (22a) of the clamping member. The tip of the conductive fibers is exposed from the clamping member, and the clamping member is formed with a conductive material. An input pen (30) is provided with a pen main body (21) which houses the input device in the interior thereof, and a metal ring (24) provided at a portion of the pen main body. The metal ring is electrically connected to the input device.

Description

Input device and input pen using the same

The present invention relates to an input device such as a touch pen used for input operation of a touch panel information terminal such as a portable information terminal or a tablet PC, and an input pen using the same.

In recent years, a form has appeared in which information is input using a screen of a touch panel information terminal. In such a touch panel information terminal, a capacitive pen type input device (for example, a touch pen) is used for a touch panel or a soft keyboard serving as an information input screen from the viewpoint of preventing contamination by a mistouch or a fingerprint. There is.
The pen-type input device of this type includes a pen body which is a capacitance body, and the tip portion of the pen body is a conductive pen tip pressed against an information input screen of a touch panel information terminal or a button of a soft keyboard. Is provided.
The force with which the pen tip is pressed against the information input screen varies depending on the user, and conventionally, to suppress damage to the touch panel, a pen-shaped input device formed by employing a plurality of conductive fibers in the pen tip Have also been proposed (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-39989 JP, 2010-39610, A

A conventional input device uses a flexible pen tip for the touch panel of the touch panel information terminal, so damage to the touch panel is suppressed. However, the issues shown below remained unsolved.
That is, the first problem is that there is still no one with durability sufficient to withstand repeated use while maintaining flexibility to suppress damage to the touch panel. For example, in the input device disclosed in Patent Document 1 that discloses a pen-shaped pen point, a form in which a plurality of conductive fibers are held by a holding rib is adopted. In this form, several lines may be used during use Of the conductive fiber of the In such a case, the conductive fiber remaining at the time of use is subjected to pressure more than necessary, which causes deformation of the pen tip.

A second problem is that the input performance can not be maintained for a long time. As described above, the force with which the user presses the input device on the touch panel varies, and some degree of pen tip deformation must be assumed. On the other hand, even if the pen tip is deformed, it is desirable that the shape after that still be a shape suitable for information input.
For example, in the input devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the contact area of the pen tip with respect to the touch panel increases while being used (that is, the pen tip is crushed due to use). Things quickly become difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an input device with excellent durability that can easily input information without strongly contacting a pen tip with a touch panel etc., and an input using the same The purpose is to provide a pen.

(1) The input device of the present invention comprises a fastening member having a hollow portion, and a plurality of conductive fibers inserted into the hollow portion of the fastening member, and the tip of the conductive fiber is the fastening member And the fastening member is formed of a conductive material.

(2) The input device of the present invention is
And a plurality of conductive fibers inserted into the hollow portion of the fastening member, wherein the tip of the conductive fiber is exposed from the fastening member, and the conductive fiber is provided. The rear end of is fixed to the conductor.

(3) The input device of the present invention is characterized in that in the above (1) or (2), the conductive fiber is formed by mixing carbon fiber and metal fiber.
(4) In the input device according to the present invention, in the above (1) to (3), the tip of the conductive fiber gradually changes the exposed length from the retaining member in the radial direction. It is characterized by
(5) In the input device according to the present invention, in the above (1) to (4), the fixing member is a heat-shrinkable tube made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin, PET, or fluorine resin shrunk by heat treatment. It is characterized by

(6) An input pen according to the present invention includes a pen main body for housing the input device according to any one of the above (1) to (5), and a conductive member such as a metal ring provided on a part of the pen main body And the conductive member is electrically connected to the input device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly input information without strongly contacting the pen tip with the touch panel of the portable electronic terminal, and it is durable to maintain high input performance without damaging the touch panel. It can be done.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the use form of the input pen of an Example. It is a front view showing the appearance of an input pen. It is an expanded sectional view of the pen tip vicinity of the input device of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the connection state of the metal ring and electroconductive fiber provided in a pen main body. It is an expansion explanatory view showing the shape of the pen point of an example, and (a) and (b) are from one end (peripheral part) p in the radial direction to the other end (peripheral part) s It is an example made into taper shape which changes exposure length gradually, and (c) looks at a nib from the bottom side (bottom view). It is an expansion explanatory view showing the shape of other examples of the pen point of an example. (A) is an example in which the length of the core portion is long and the length of the peripheral portion is short, and (b) is an example in which the length of the core portion is short and the length of the peripheral portion is long. FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the pen tip of the input device of Example 2; FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the input pen of Example 3; FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the input pen of Example 4; FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the input pen of Example 5;

An input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a holding member including a hollow portion, and a plurality of conductive fibers inserted into the hollow portion of the holding member, and a tip of the conductive fiber (pen in contact with touch panel The tip is exposed from the fastening member, and the fastening member is formed of a conductive material. The conductive material as the fastening member is formed of a conductive resin, a resin mixed with powder such as carbon, or the like. Thereby, the conductivity between the user's hand and the pen point can be secured.

<Conductive fiber>
The conductive fiber is not particularly limited in its kind, for example, carbon fiber, fine metal wire, fiber into which micron-sized carbon black particles are mixed, metal-plated fiber, nylon fiber and copper sulfide are chemically bonded And various known conductive fibers such as organic conductive fibers and fibers having a surface coated with a conductive polymer.

<Mixture of carbon fiber and metal fiber>
The conductive fiber may be formed by mixing carbon fiber and metal fiber. By mixing the carbon fiber and the metal fiber, the flexibility of the carbon fiber and the durability of the metal fiber can be interwoven in a well-balanced manner. Further, the hardness may be made different between the conductive fiber located in the core of the plurality of conductive fibers and the conductive fiber in the peripheral edge located outside the core. More specifically, the diameter of the core portion and the peripheral portion (for example, the diameter of the fiber in the core portion is made larger than the diameter of the fiber in the peripheral portion) or the material (for example, metal fiber in the core portion, carbon in the peripheral portion) It is conceivable to make the fibers different.
The boundary between the core portion and the peripheral portion does not necessarily have to be strict, and the boundary can be appropriately adjusted to achieve the intended performance.

Bonding of Conductive Fibers
The rear ends of the plurality of conductive fibers (opposite to the pen tip) may be bonded to each other with a resin. Thereby, the fastening member and conductor which are mentioned later can be omitted. The resin for bonding the conductive fiber is not particularly limited, but known synthetic adhesives such as urethane resin, acrylic resin, SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), epoxy resin and the like can be suitably used.
Although these adhesive resins can ensure conductivity to some extent even when used alone, carbon powder and metal fine particles may be mixed.

<Fastening member>
The fastening member is a member for bundling a plurality of conductive fibers, and is formed of, for example, a cylindrical plastic material or the like. In addition, it is desirable to use resin mixed with powder, such as electroconductive resin (resin which can ensure electroconductivity), carbon, etc. as a fastening member. Examples of resins that can ensure conductivity include urethane resins, acrylic resins, SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), and epoxy resins.
Further, in order to improve the conductivity, a mixture of carbon powder and metal fine particles can also be used.

<Heat-shrink tube for fastening member>
In addition, the said fastening member can also be formed using a heat contraction tube. A plurality of conductive fibers can be easily bundled in the fastening member by shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube (fastening member) by heating means such as a dryer. Examples of the heat-shrinkable tube include polyolefins, PET, and fluorine-based thermoplastic resins.
It is also possible to impart conductivity by mixing conductive powder such as carbon powder with the material of the heat shrinkable tube.

<Non-sticking condition>
In the input device of the present invention, it is desirable that the tips (pen points) of the plurality of conductive fibers be in a state in which the conductive fibers are not fixed (non-fixed state). By making it non-sticky, there is an advantage that the touch panel is less likely to be scratched, and even if the shape of the tip changes temporarily due to use, the contact area with the information input screen changes compared to other shapes. It is possible to suppress the
Here, the "non-fixed state" refers to a state in which so-called conductive fibers are separated from each other.

<Change in exposure length>
Further, the exposed length from the fastening member may be gradually changed in the radial direction of the tip (pen point) of the conductive fiber. As a result, it is possible to suppress a change in the contact area with the information input screen due to wear or deformation of the pen point, and secure certainty of the information input.

<Fix the conductor>
The input device according to the present embodiment further comprises: bundling the conductive fibers with a fastening member, and securing the conductor at the rear end (the side opposite to the pen tip) in a pen body as a holder. You can also.
The conductor may, for example, be an elongated rod-like metal or carbon, and may be a pipe having a circular or square cross section. In this case, even if the fastening member is not formed of a conductive material, the conductivity between the user's hand and the pen point can be secured via a conductor such as a metal pipe.

<Pen body>
In addition, the input device of the embodiment is used for a touch panel electronic terminal provided with an information input screen such as a touch panel. As a touch panel type electronic terminal, a stationary type personal computer equipped with an information input screen such as a touch panel, a touch panel type portable information terminal (an information terminal such as a so-called tablet PC or i-Pad (registered trademark), a portable type) Music playback equipment and navigation terminals).
Although the shape of the input device is not limited, it is preferable that the input device be housed in the inside (hollow portion) of a pen body which is a holder so that the user can easily handle it.

<Metal ring>
Then, a conductive member such as a metal ring is provided on a part of the pen body, and when the user grips the metal ring of the pen body, the user's hand is via the metal ring, the conductor, and the conductive fiber. , And conductivity with the touch panel of the electronic terminal.
Alternatively, a part of the fastening member into which the conductive fiber is inserted may be removed to electrically connect the conductive fiber and the metal ring at the removed portion.

Moisturizing ingredients
In the metal ring, a moisturizing component may be applied to a portion in contact with the user's finger. For example, a groove is formed over a part or the entire circumference of the surface of the metal ring, and a moisturizing component is embedded in the groove. When the user's finger is dry, the conductivity is reduced, and the moisture reduction can be suppressed by the moisturizing component.

In addition, you may incorporate a capacitor | condenser in the hollow part of a pen main body. There are single type, multilayer type, winding type, electrolytic capacitor and the like as the capacitor, but it is not particularly limited as long as the voltage holding function is not disturbed. The diameter of the cross section of the hollow portion is not particularly limited, but may be a diameter sufficient to accommodate the conductive fibers described later.

Example 1
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an input device according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an "input pen" as an example thereof) will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a use mode of the input pen 20 of the present embodiment.
As illustrated, a form is shown when the user is inputting desired information using the input pen 20 with respect to the touch panel information terminal 11 including the information input screen 12 and the soft keyboard 13 and the like. . That is, the user holds the pen body 21 of the input pen 20 and inputs information on the information input screen 12 with the pen tip 23b.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the input pen 20. As shown in FIG. The input pen 20 includes a pen body 21, a pen point 23b made of a plurality of conductive fibers 23, and a fastening member 22 for bundling the conductive fibers.
In the present embodiment, the pen main body 21 is provided with the conductive member (metal ring) 24, and the conductive member 24 is interposed between the conductive fibers 23 accommodated in the pen main body 21. It is electrically connected to the pen tip 23b.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the pen tip 23b of the input device of FIG. The conductive fibers 23 in the present embodiment use carbon fibers and are bundled by the fastening member 22. The fastening member 22 is made of a material obtained by mixing carbon powder with epoxy resin, and is formed into a tube shape so as to have a hollow portion 22a. A plurality of conductive fibers 23 are inserted into the hollow portion 22a.
In addition, the rear ends 23a of the conductive fibers 23 are bonded (fixed) to each other by an adhesive epoxy resin. Thereby, the aged deterioration (the bundled conductive fibers, etc. fall off) by the use of the input pen 20 is prevented.
In addition, the conductive fiber 23 is in a separated state at the tip 23 b.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a connected state of the metal ring 24 provided on the pen body 21 and the conductive fiber 23. As illustrated, the metal ring 24 is provided in a ring shape on the pen body 21 in the vicinity of the rear end 23 a of the conductive fiber 23, and the rear end 23 a of the conductive fiber 23 and the connection portion 24 a of the metal ring 24 are It is connected mechanically.
Further, in FIG. 4, the rear end 23 a of the conductive fiber 23 is entirely connected to the connection portion 24 a along the diameter thereof, but the invention is not limited to this example, and the conductivity of any of the plurality of conductive fibers 23 is A fiber may be connected to the connection portion 24a.
In addition, about the site | part connected with the connection part 24a among the back end 23a of the conductive fiber 23, it is preferable to remove the epoxy resin which is an adhesive agent in order to improve electroconductivity.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the tip (pen point) 23 b of the conductive fiber 23. As illustrated, the tip (pen point) 23 b of the conductive fiber 23 is non-sticking (each conductive fiber is separated). The pen tip 23b is formed by bundling a plurality of flexible conductive fibers 23, a bent state can be easily obtained, and input operation on the touch panel can be facilitated.
The shape of the pen tip 23b is, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), from one end (peripheral edge) p to the other end (peripheral edge) s in the radial direction (X direction in the figure) The exposed length from the fastening member 22 is tapered gradually changing. As a result, it is possible to suppress a change in the contact area with the information input screen due to wear or deformation of the pen point, and secure certainty of the information input.

FIG. 5C is a bottom view of the input pen 20 as viewed from the lower side (the pen tip side in the Z direction). As illustrated, the hardness of the plurality of conductive fibers 23 in the present embodiment is different between the core portion 23c and the peripheral portion 23d (region outside the core portion 23c).
In addition, although the external shape of the core part 23c is circular shape, not only this but angular shape may be sufficient. Further, the size of the core portion 23c can also be arbitrarily set based on the intended hardness of the pen tip. In the present embodiment, the diameter (for example, the diameter) of the conductive fiber 23 in the core portion 23c is set larger than the diameter of the conductive fiber 23 in the peripheral portion 23d. As a result, it is possible to realize smoothness like a so-called brush while increasing the strength of the pen point.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged explanatory view showing the shape of another example of the pen point. As shown in FIG. 6A, the tip 23b to be a pen tip is formed so that the length of its core portion 23c is long and the length of its peripheral portion 23d is short. That is, the shape of the tip 23b which becomes the input part (pen point) is spherical. With such a spherical shape, information input by contact with the touch panel can be reliably performed.
Moreover, as shown in FIG.6 (b), the length of the core part 23c of the electroconductive fiber 23 can also be short, and the length of the peripheral part 23d can be formed long. In this case, the material of the fibers of the core portion 23c can be other than conductive fibers. For example, by using polyester fiber or the like, it is possible to make the waist of the tip 23 b to be an input portion (pen point) stronger.

Example 2
FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the vicinity of the pen tip of the input device of the second embodiment. The input device of the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in that the conductive fibers (carbon fibers) 23 are bundled by the fastening member 22, but the fastening member 22 is formed of a heat-shrinkable tube, and the conductive The rear end 23 a of the fiber 23 is different from the stainless steel conductor (pipe) 25 in that it is fixed.

The input device of Example 2 is manufactured as follows. In FIG. 7 (a), a conductive fiber is inserted into the inside of the heat-shrinkable tube as a fastening member, and a stainless steel pipe 25 as a conductor is inserted into the rear end, and the resin from above the conductive fiber and stainless steel pipe Cover with a heat-shrinkable tube made of
Next, hot air is applied from the outside using a dryer or the like to shrink the heat-shrinkable tube, thereby integrating the stainless steel pipe, the conductive fiber, and the fastening member. The contraction of the heat-shrinkable tube can restrain the fray of the conductive fiber and fix the stainless steel pipe to the rear end of the conductive fiber.
In FIG. 7 (b), first, a heat-shrinkable tube as inserted into the heat-shrinkable tube as a fastening member is exposed to hot air from the outside using a dryer or the like to shrink and fix the heat-shrinkable tube. . Thereafter, the rear end of the conductive fiber 23 is inserted into the stainless steel pipe 25 as a conductor, and the conductive fiber is integrated with the fastening member fixing the conductive fiber.
In this case, by forming the caulking 25 a at the end of the stainless steel pipe 25,
The connection strength and the electrical connection with the conductive fibers are ensured.

Example 3
Next, the input pen of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal structure of a hybrid type input pen 30 which switches two of the input device 20 shown in the first embodiment and a so-called ballpoint pen type pen 31 in a rotary or knock type. . Among these, the pen tip 31 of a ballpoint pen type may use a pen tip of a sharp pencil type.

Example 4
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the input pen 30 of the fourth embodiment. The input pen 30 of the fourth embodiment is provided with an input device 20 composed of a plurality of conductive fibers 23 on the opposite side of the pen tip 31 of the ballpoint pen type, so-called back-to-back. When not in use, the pen tip is covered with a cap 32 for protection.

According to such a hybrid type input pen 30, it is possible to switch the pen tip as appropriate according to the type and form of characters to be input on the information input screen 12 and perform information input.
In addition, since a various well-known switching mechanism can be employ | adopted regarding the switching mechanism of a pen point, it abbreviate | omits details.

Example 5
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the input pen of the fifth embodiment. As shown, the input device 20 housed in the pen body has an electrical connection with the metal ring 24. That is, the connection member 24 a protruding from the metal ring 24 is electrically connected to the fastening member 22 or the conductor 25. The connection member may, for example, be a leaf spring, a wire, or a conductive brush. Thereby, the electrical connection with the metal ring is maintained even if the input device moves up and down or rotates.

The input device and the input pen of the present invention can be repeatedly used while maintaining the flexibility to suppress damage to the touch panel in the operation of the touch panel-type information terminal such as a portable information terminal provided with a touch panel and a stationary PC. It is durable enough to withstand use, can maintain input performance for a long time, and has extremely high industrial applicability.

11 touch panel information terminal 12 information input screen 13 keyboard 20 input device 21 main body 22 fastening member 22a hollow portion 23 conductive fiber 23a conductive fiber rear end 23b conductive fiber tip (pen point)
23c Core part 23d of conductive fiber Peripheral part 24 of conductive fiber Conductive member (metal ring)
24a connection 25 conductor (stainless steel pipe)
25a Crimping 30 Input pen 31 Pen tip 32 Cap p One end of pen point (peripheral part)
s Other end of pen point (peripheral part)

Claims

A fastening member having a hollow portion, and a plurality of conductive fibers inserted into the hollow portion of the fastening member;
The tip of the conductive fiber is exposed from the fastening member,
The input device characterized in that the fastening member is formed of a conductive material.
A fastening member comprising a hollow part, and a plurality of conductive fibers inserted into the hollow part of the fastening member;
Equipped with
The tip of the conductive fiber is exposed from the fastening member,
The rear end of the conductive fiber is fixed to a conductor.
The input device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive fiber is formed by mixing carbon fiber and metal fiber.
The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tip of the conductive fiber has a radial direction in which the exposed length from the retaining member is gradually changed.
The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixing member is a heat-shrinkable tube made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyolefin, PET, or fluorine resin and contracted by heat treatment.
A pen body for housing the input device of any of the above (1) to (5) inside;
And a conductive member such as a metal ring provided on a part of the pen body,
An input pen characterized in that the conductive member is electrically connected to the input device.