JPH0348917A - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of a hard-to-input area by obtaining a coordinate detecting means with use of the X and Y direction counter electrodes which are attached directly to a casing via an insulated layer to designate a coordinate position and at the same time scanning the detecting means. CONSTITUTION:The X and Y direction electrodes 13 and 15 are attached to an outer plate 11 and an inner plate 16 of a casing respectively via an insulated layer 14. Thus a coordinate detecting means having an array of matrix coordinate points is obtained and scans the coordinate points driven by the control part of a control circuit 17. Then the voltage is applied to both electrodes 13 and 15 counter to each other, and the electrostatic capacity voltage is detected by a stylus pen 16 and the input of the desired coordinates is carried out. Thus it is possible to obtain a coordinate input device which has a flat surface and produces no hard-to-input area at an edge part, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a handwritten character recognition device that recognizes two-dimensional patterns such as handwritten characters and figures and inputs them into a data processing device or the like.

(Prior art) As an input means for a data processing device in place of a keyboard,
There is a coordinate input device that inputs handwritten characters and figures using a tablet and recognizes the characters and figures from the input two-dimensional coordinates and stroke information.

This type of coordinate input device detects the coordinate position of a pen, finger, etc. that is in contact with the input board, and detection methods include a pressure method called a touch panel, an electrostatic induction method, and an electromagnetic induction method. be.

In the pressure method, the human-powered board is deformed by pressing a desired coordinate position on the upper input board made of an elastic body with a pen, and the electrodes provided on the bottom of the human-powered board and the lower input board The electrode provided on the upper surface of the electrode comes into contact with the space formed by the spacer. Coordinates are input by detecting the contact position. On the other hand, with the electrostatic induction method and electromagnetic induction method, voltage is applied to electrodes built into the input board using a dedicated input pen (hereinafter referred to as a "stylus pen"), and changes in voltage are detected with the stylus pen. The coordinate position is detected by (electrostatic induction method) or by detecting the magnetic field generated from the magnet built into the stylus pen using the input electrode (electromagnetic induction method).

In either method, the coordinate input device requires an input board containing a plurality of electrodes.

(Issue 8 to be solved by the invention) However, when the coordinate input device is used by being built into the housing, the input board must be attached to the top surface of the housing, and as shown in FIG. Due to the thickness t of the eye body, an area A is created at the end of the input board 2 where it is difficult to input with the pen 3.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a coordinate human-powered device that effectively uses a coordinate detection section and does not create an area in which input is difficult.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means and effects for solving the problem) The present invention provides counter electrodes arranged in a matrix with a plurality of electrodes in the A coordinate detecting section is directly provided, and any coordinate position on this coordinate detecting means is specified and input using a stylus pen, and the specified input coordinate position is detected, and the surface of the coordinate detecting section is flat. In addition, the coordinate detection section can be used effectively without creating an area where input is difficult, and the apparatus can be made smaller and thinner by omitting the input board.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows its structure, where 11 is the outer plate on the top surface of the case, 12 is a stylus pen that inputs coordinates by writing on the upper surface of the outer plate 11, and 13 is parallel to the lower surface of the outer plate If. 14 is an insulating layer provided on the lower surface of the Y-direction electrode 13, and 15 is an insulating layer provided on the lower surface of the insulating layer 14 so as to be perpendicular to and parallel to the Y-direction electrode 13. The X-direction electrode, 1B is a housing inner plate on which the X-direction electrode 15 is arranged, and 17 is a control circuit arranged at the lower end of the inner plate 16. The housing including the outer plate 11 and the inner plate 16 is made of plastic, metal, etc., and the outer plate 11 serves as an input board for inputting coordinates, and the inner plate 16 also serves as a board for the coordinate input circuit 14. That is, a large number of Y-direction electrodes I3 are arranged in parallel on the lower surface of the outer plate 11 by a method such as etching, and a large number of 15 are arranged in parallel, the Y-direction electrode 13 and the X-direction electrode 15 at the end.
Elements constituting the control circuit 17 are arranged in a portion where the inner plate 1B is not provided, using the inner plate 1B as a substrate.

This control circuit 17 interfaces with a system to which this coordinate input device is connected, detects voltage, measures coordinates, etc.

Next, the circuit configuration of the control circuit 17 will be mainly explained with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the control circuit 17 consists of a control section 17a and a voltage detection section 17b.
7a is an interface with the system 18 to which this coordinate human power device is connected, voltage application to the Y-direction electrode 13 and X-direction electrode 15, and coordinate value iP1 from the voltage detection unit 17b.
etc. Further, the voltage detection section 17b determines whether the voltage applied by the stylus pen 12 is the highest voltage or not, and sends a signal according to the detection result to the control section 17a.

The operation of the above-mentioned coordinate detection apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained by taking the electrostatic induction method as an example among several coordinate detection methods.

First, when a coordinate measurement command is sent from the system 18, the control unit 17a of the control circuit 17 sequentially measures a large number of Y-direction electrodes 13 and The voltage is applied. On the other hand, the stylus pen 12 has a built-in sensor.
A voltage corresponding to the stray capacitance between the electrode to which voltage is applied and the sensor is detected. Therefore, when a writing operation is performed with the stylus pen 12, the stylus pen 12 detects the highest voltage when voltage is applied to the Y-direction electrode 13 and the X-direction electrode 15 that are closest to the stylus pen 12. be able to. The voltage detection unit 17b of the control circuit 17 detects whether the voltage detected by the stylus pen 12 has reached the highest voltage, and when the voltage detected by the stylus pen 12 has reached the highest voltage, the control unit 17
Send a signal to a. In the control tf517g,
From the positions of the Y-direction electrode 13 and the X-direction electrode 15 to which voltage was being applied at the time when the signal was input from the voltage detection section 17b,
The position of the xi mark in the Y direction of the stylus pen 12 is detected.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a coordinate detecting section is provided on the outer panel of the casing, which is made up of opposing electrodes arranged in a matrix in the X direction and a plurality of electrodes in the X direction with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. By manually specifying any coordinate position on this coordinate detection means with a stylus pen, and detecting the specified input coordinate position, the surface of the at detection part has a flat shape, and it can be used in areas where input is difficult. It is possible to provide a coordinate input device in which the coordinate detection section can be used effectively without causing any problems, and the device can be made smaller and thinner by omitting the input plate.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the structure of the top outer plate of the coordinate input device casing according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the coordinate input device casing, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration centered on a coordinate input circuit, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a conventional pressure type coordinate input device. 1... Housing, 2... Input board, 3... Pen, 11.
...Housing outer panel, 12...Stylus pen, 13...
Y direction electrode, 14... Insulating layer, 15... X direction electrode, 1B... Inner plate, 17... Control circuit, 17a...
Control unit, 17b... Voltage detection unit, 18... System.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] Coordinate detection means consisting of opposing electrodes arranged in a matrix with a plurality of electrodes in the x direction and y direction with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, which are directly provided on the outer panel of the casing, and on this coordinate detection means. A coordinate input device comprising: an input means for specifying and inputting an arbitrary coordinate position; and a drive control means for scanning and driving the coordinate detection means to detect a coordinate position input by the input means.