JPH0415725A - Input/output device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain the input/output of data in the sense of paper by displaying immediately the data inputted via an input tablet on a display device set under the tablet. CONSTITUTION:An input/display part 11 includes a transparent electrostatic tablet 33 serving as an input tablet which is laminated on a liquid crystal display panel 31 serving as a display device. The panel 31 contains the liquid crystal enclosed between two glass substrates 32a and 32b. The transparent electrodes are provided on the inner surfaces of both substrates 32a and 32b to apply the voltage to the liquid crystal. At the same time, the transparent electrodes are provided on both sides of a glass substrate forming the tablet 33 to sense the contact of an input pen 3, etc., to which to prescribed voltage is applied as a change of the electrostatic capacity. The data inputted via the tablet 33 are immediately displayed on the display device 31 set under the tablet 33. Thus the data can be inputted in the sense of paper.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to an input/output device such as a microcomputer or a workstation, or an input/output device in which an input device and a display device are integrated.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, input/output devices such as personal computers and workstations generally have a keyboard as an input device and a CRT display device as an output device. As described above, when the input device and the display device are provided separately, there are problems in that the system configuration becomes complicated and the area occupied by the system in the office becomes large.

Further, as conventional input devices, in addition to keyboards that can only input fixed characters, there are also light pens and mice that can input by handwriting, but they have the disadvantage of not being easy to operate.

On the other hand, it has a structure in which a liquid crystal display for display and a transparent electrostatic induction tablet for input are superimposed, allowing characters and figures to be entered in the same way as writing a document using a designated pen, and displayed immediately. An input/output device has been proposed that allows
October 5th issue, page 102, May 15th, 1989 issue,
Pages 213 to 216).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, conventionally proposed integrated input/output devices for input and display have been built into the main body of the microcomputer. Therefore, the content that can be displayed at a time is only for one screen, that is, one page, and if it is desired to display more content, it is necessary to erase the previous content and redisplay the new content. As a result, there has been a problem in that it is difficult to search for specific data from input data in a short time.

In addition, with the input/output device built into the main body, if you try to display more content, the device becomes larger and becomes difficult to carry, and if you make the device smaller so that it can be carried around, less content can be displayed at one time. There were also conflicting issues.

Furthermore, conventional display devices have a configuration that requires them to be integrated with or constantly connected to a microcomputer, which limits the content that can be displayed at one time. When communicating a large amount of information at once, searching for arbitrary information from a large amount of information, or checking the content, the input data is printed out on paper.
There was a serious problem that even with the progress of OA, the use of paper did not decrease.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an input/display type input/output device that can input and display the next content while leaving the previous display content intact.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an input/display integrated input/output device that can display a large amount of data at a time and is compact enough to be portable.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an input/output device that can store and transmit input information without printing it out on paper.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means for Solving the Problems] Representative inventions disclosed in this application will be summarized as follows.

That is, for example, a transparent input tablet is bonded on top of a sheet-like or panel-like liquid crystal display device, and the periphery is equipped with display or input data storage means, a backup battery, and an interface for connecting to an external computer. The present invention proposes an input/output device including a section, etc.

In the above case, the display device and the input tablet each have a dot matrix configuration, and the number of dots on the display device is at least twice the number of dots on the input tablet, and the display dots are divided into two display systems. However, one of them is used to display data input from the input tablet, and the other is configured to be used to display already registered data.

[Function] According to the first means described above, data input from the input tablet is immediately displayed on the display device below it, making it possible to input data as if it were on paper. Recording and storage becomes possible.

In addition, since multiple input/output devices can be used in combination, a large amount of data can be displayed at a time. It becomes easier.

Furthermore, according to the second means described above, already registered display data can be read out and displayed, and handwritten input data can be displayed on top of it, making it easy to create documents and drawings.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an input/output device according to the present invention.

The input/output device 1 of this embodiment includes a panel-shaped input/display section 11 formed by stacking a liquid crystal display device and an electrostatic induction tablet, and a drive section 12 provided at the periphery (bottom left corner in the figure). It consists of Of these, the drive unit 12 includes an interface unit 21 that is connected to an external computer, input pen 3, etc., a memory that stores display data, a liquid crystal drive circuit that drives the liquid crystal display device, and an electrostatic induction tablet. An input/output control section 23 consisting of an input conversion circuit etc. that converts an input signal, and a battery 1 that supplies power supply voltage to these sections.
5 is provided.

Further, on one side of the input/display section 11, a plurality of punch holes 13 are formed in a row.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the input/display section 11.

As shown in FIG. 2(B), the input/display unit 11 has a structure in which a transparent electrostatic induction tablet 33 as an input tablet is laminated on a liquid crystal display panel 31 as a display device. . The liquid crystal display panel 31 has a liquid crystal sealed between two glass substrates 31a and 31b, and on the inner surfaces of these glass substrates 31a and 31b, there are transparent electrodes that apply voltage to the liquid crystal, and an electrostatic induction tablet 33. Transparent electrodes are respectively provided on the front and back surfaces of the constituent glass substrates to sense the contact of an input pen 3 or the like to which a predetermined voltage is applied using an electrostatic induction method as a change in capacitance.

Among these, the liquid crystal display panel 31 is formed, for example, so that upper electrodes and lower electrodes intersect with each other to form a lattice shape so that display can be performed using a dot matrix method. Moreover, the liquid crystal display panel 31 of this embodiment is configured to have twice the number of dots as the number of dots of the electrostatic induction tablet 33 so that display data for two screens can be displayed simultaneously, and each pixel is Every other one belongs to a different display system,
Wiring is made so that the display is driven by a separate display drive system.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2(A), the dots e of the first display system and the dots f of the second display system are arranged alternately, and the dots of these two systems (display pixels )
The arrangement is such that the input sensing dots g of the input tablet 33 fit between the two. However, since the input tablet 33 is transparent, the dot g may be arranged so as to overlap the display dot e or f.

Alternatively, a microcomputer may be provided in the drive unit 12 so that input data can be processed and displayed independently.

FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the configuration of the drive unit 12.

In the same figure, reference numeral 21 denotes an interface section consisting of a terminal to which a microcomputer or input pen 3 is connected, a human output buffer, etc. This interface section 21 is connected to an external clock input terminal 22a and an external power supply, although this is not particularly limited. A supply terminal 22b is provided. Further, in this embodiment, the internal clock generation circuit 27 and the clock switching circuit 2
8, and an internally generated clock CL
The memory read/write, display drive circuit, etc. are operated in synchronization with either clock CK or externally supplied clock CK.

Furthermore, a power supply switching circuit 29 is provided, and when a computer or the like is connected to the interface section 21,
The power supply voltage on the external power supply terminal 22b side is selected, and when the external device is disconnected, the power supply voltage of the internal battery 15 is selected and supplied to each part in the drive unit 12. As the power supply switching circuit 29, for example, two diodes with different threshold voltages are used, and the diode with the lower threshold voltage is connected to the external power supply terminal 22b side,
This can be easily realized by configuring the power supply voltage to be supplied via a diode. By providing such a power supply switching circuit, it is possible to replace the internal battery without erasing the contents of the volatile memory.

In FIG. 3, 24a is an electrostatic induction tablet (hereinafter referred to as
An input data memory 25 stores data inputted from the input tablet (referred to as an input tablet) 33, and an input data memory 25 scans each dot on the electrostatic induction tablet 33 to detect and amplify changes in capacitance of the dot of interest. This input conversion circuit 25 converts the input signal into a signal of a predetermined level and transfers it to the input data memory 24a.This input conversion circuit 25 converts the input signal into the input data memory 24a in synchronization with the external clock CK or internal clock CLK.
4a and write. In this case, although not particularly limited, the number of dots on the input tablet 33 and the number of bits on the input data memory 24a are set to be the same, and each dot on the doublet is made to correspond one-to-one with a storage bit in the memory. Each dot is connected to the above clock CK.
(or CLK) and scans in order in synchronization with II I II or II OI depending on the state of each dot at that time.
An input data signal of I is formed, and this input data signal is serially transferred to the memory 24a in synchronization with the above clock. Similarly, on the memory 24a side, the clock CK (
Input data is written while updating the write address counter in synchronization with CLK).

FIG. 5 shows the timing of writing data to the input data memory 24a.

When a start signal S such as a reset signal is input, the input conversion circuit 25 synchronizes with the Glock CK and converts the input data from the dot at the coordinates (1, 1) of the input tablet 33 to X for each raster, as shown in FIG. The state of each dot is set to 1.
It is converted into a data signal DTi of IllZIIQ'' and outputted. On the other hand, the address counter of the input data memory 24a also receives the address O (A,) by the start signal S.
The count-up is performed in synchronization with the clock CK from
Input data from the input conversion circuit 25 is written into bits corresponding to each dot on the input tablet 33.

Separately from writing the input data, in parallel with this, the input data memory 24a is read bit by bit in synchronization with the clock GK (or CLK), and the read serial data is transferred to the display drive circuit. 26a, and in synchronization with the clock, the pixel group [
One of fl is driven according to read data. In this case, the number of pixels (the number of dots) of the second display system is the same as the number of dots of the input tablet 33 as described above, so it also matches the number of bits of the input data memory 24a.
There is a one-to-one correspondence between each dot of the display pixel group [fl and the storage bit of the memory 24a.

Therefore, the second display driving system of the liquid crystal display panel 31 scans the liquid crystal panel in synchronization with the clock CK (or CLK), and accesses the input data memory 24a sequentially in synchronization with the clock, thereby controlling the input data. Data memory 24
The data stored in a can be displayed.

In the above case, in order to smoothly execute writing and displaying of input data in parallel with each other, an address counter for writing and a separate address counter for reading are provided, and the start address is shifted by several cycles. clock G
It is preferable to update it in synchronization with K (or CLK).

Further, in this embodiment, a display data memory 24b for storing display data transferred from an external device such as a computer is provided separately from the input data memory 24a. The number of bits in the display data memory 24b is set to match the number of dots in the first display system pixel group [el] of the liquid crystal display panel 31, and the display data memory 24b is sequentially accessed using a clock. The read data is transferred to the display drive circuit 26b, and the pixel group [el] of the first display system of the liquid crystal display panel 31 is driven while scanning in synchronization with the clock CK (or CLK). It is configured to display.

FIG. 6 shows the first pixel group [
The data display drive timing for el is shown.

When the start signal S is input, the address counter of the display data memory 24b counts up from the address O (A) in synchronization with the clock GK, and reads data bit by bit. Read display data DT
o is transferred to the display drive circuit 26b in synchronization with the clock CK. The display drive circuit 26b scans each dot of the pixel group [el in the X direction from the coordinates (1, 1) in synchronization with the tally clock CK, and scans each dot of the pixel group [el] in the X direction from the coordinates (1, 1), and displays the display data DT transferred from the memory.
AC voltage is applied to each dot according to o.

The contents of the input data memory 24a can be transferred to an external computer etc. via the interface section 21, and the transferred data can be transferred again from the computer to the input/output device and stored in the display data memory 24b. It is possible to display input data on the first display system and to synthesize display data. Further, although not particularly limited, the start signal S may be generated by providing a power-on reset circuit and being generated when the power is turned on (when a Li battery is connected), or may be supplied from an external computer or the like. You can do it like this. of course,
A reset circuit may be provided in the input/output device, and the start signal S may be generated by this reset circuit.

In the above embodiment, an electrostatic induction type is used as the input tablet 33, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a tablet in which piezoelectric elements or Hall elements are arranged in a matrix, or A tablet in which light receiving elements such as photodiodes are arranged in a matrix may be used as the input tablet.

Furthermore, if the liquid crystal display panel is constructed from a liquid crystal display device that can be easily folded, it is possible to construct a flexible input/output sheet.

Furthermore, in the input/output device of the above embodiment, the first display system and the second display system are used to display the same image data,
It is also possible to use it as a display device with twice the resolution.

FIG. 8 shows an example of how the input/output device of the above embodiment is used.

Of these, FIG. 8(A) shows a conventional C
An example will be shown in which the device is used as an input/output device having functions in place of an RT display device and a keyboard.

FIG. 8(B) shows that the input/output device 1 of the present invention is connected to a conventional personal computer system equipped with a computer main body 5, a CRT display device 6, a keyboard 7, etc., and data registered in the computer is input. Output device 1
An example will be shown in which the input/output device 1 can be used as a substitute for conventional paper by displaying the following information.

Furthermore, although not shown, instead of directly connecting the input/output device of the present invention to a computer, data is temporarily stored in an IC card with a built-in microcomputer, and the
The card may be connected to the input/output device 1 for display and input.

Figure 9 shows a plurality of input/output devices displaying registered data as described above. The input/output device 1 is shown connected to a punch hole 13 provided on the negative side through a binding fitting 9 to form a notebook-like state.

In this way, one can be arbitrarily selected from a plurality of display screens and viewed freely. However, when each input/output device 1 is used as an input device, it is necessary to reconnect the extension cable from the computer to the interface section 2+ (inside the drive section 12) of the page to be used.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the page can be used immediately without reconnecting the cable from the computer to the desired page of the input/output device.

That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, a plurality of input/output devices 1 having substantially the same configuration as that of the embodiment of FIG. 1 are fixedly connected by a binding device 9'. A battery 15, a drive section 23, and an interface section 21 common to each input/output device 1 are provided inside.

Note that if the liquid crystal display panel of each input/output device 1 has an unbendable structure, a connecting portion 1a made of a flexible material is provided on one side of the input/output device 1 so that each panel can be spread open. It will be done. Further, within this coupling portion la, flexible printed wiring is provided to connect the liquid crystal panel, the input tablet, and the common drive unit.

In the case of the above configuration, although not particularly limited, it is preferable to assign a unique identification code or address to each input/output device so that the display contents can be organized and displayed to each member in an orderly manner.

In this embodiment, all the pages can be configured to form one screen, but it is better to configure each page to form an independent screen. These settings can be freely configured using computer software.

In addition, in the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 9, only the pages (input/output devices) connected by cables are placed under the control of the computer, but in the case of the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, all pages are managed simultaneously. It will be under the control of one computer. However, regarding the display, it is also possible to provide an optical sensor or the like for each member so that only the opened page is displayed.

This method is particularly effective when disconnected from external devices and backed up only by internal batteries.

FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the input/output device according to the present invention.

In the input/output device of this embodiment, a plurality of input/output units LB (16 in the figure) each consisting of a combination of a liquid crystal display panel and an input tablet are arranged in a plane, and a flexible member that can be bent between the units is used. 1c, and are configured as one input/output sheet. A driving section 12 consisting of a battery, an input/output control section, an interface section, etc. similar to the first embodiment is provided on one side of the seat.

Moreover, flexible printed wiring is built into the flexible member lc.

The input/output sheet of this example is as shown in Figure 12.
Folding along the flexible member 1C has the advantage of making it very easy to carry.

Next, an example of a method for editing data input by hand using the input/output device of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 shows a display screen when handwritten characters are input on the input tablet 33 using the pen 3. On this display screen, the two parallel lines 71 written above the word "LCD" are symbols that mean deletion, the △ mark 72 is a symbol that means there is an inserted sentence, and the numbers inside Δ are the symbols that indicate the inserted sentence. The identification code, symbol 73 with a wooden mark attached to a closed loop line, means that it is a character string to be inserted, and the Δ mark and number inside the loop identify the position where the character string is inserted and the inserted sentence. This is the code for

A function to define the various symbols mentioned above and have an external computer or an internal microcomputer decipher the meanings of those symbols, and an editing function to delete or move characters and figures according to the deciphered contents. If it is provided with , it can be automatically converted into an organized display screen as shown in FIG. 14. The decoding function and editing function described above can be easily realized by software.

In the above embodiment, an input/output device in which only one side is used for input and display has been described, but by joining two input/output devices of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 back to back, one
It is also possible to use two input/output sheets or panels so that both the front and back sides can be used for input/output. In that case, it is desirable to insert an opaque member between the two.

Further, in the embodiment, the battery, interface section, liquid crystal drive circuit, input conversion circuit, memory, etc. are arranged centrally in one place, but these may be arranged in a distributed manner along the periphery of the device.

Furthermore, in addition to the memory, a microcomputer may also be built in to provide the functions of a personal computer, such as an input data editing function, an output function to a printer, and other functions.

As explained above, in the above embodiment, a transparent input tablet is bonded to a sheet-like or panel-like liquid crystal display device. Since it is equipped with an interface section etc. for connection to a computer, the data entered from the input tablet can be immediately displayed on the display device below it, making it possible to input data as if it were on paper. This has the effect that information can be recorded and stored using only the output device.

The display device and the input tablet each have a dot matrix configuration, and the display device has twice the number of dots as the input tablet, and its display dots are divided into two display systems, one of which is the input tablet. One is used to display input data, and the other is used to display data that has already been registered, so the already registered display data is read out and displayed, and the handwritten input data is displayed on top of it. Because you can
This has the effect of making it easier to create documents and drawings.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically explained above based on Examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above Examples and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Nor. For example, in the above embodiment, the memory and battery are built into the periphery of the device, but it is also possible to omit the memory and battery and configure the device as an input/output device that functions only when connected to a computer.

In the above explanation, the invention made by the present inventor was mainly applied to the input/output device of a computer, which is the background field of application, but the invention is not limited thereto, It can be used as an input/output device for electronic notebooks, or as an electronic notebook or electronic notebook itself.

[Effects of the Invention] The effects obtained by typical inventions disclosed in this application are briefly explained below.

In other words, the data entered from the input tablet can be immediately displayed on the display device below it, making it possible to input data as if it were on paper, and also allowing information to be recorded and stored using only the input/output device. It has the effect of becoming.

Furthermore, since already registered display data can be read out and displayed, and handwritten input data can be displayed on top of it, it is possible to easily create documents and drawings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the input/output device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 (A) is a plan view showing an example of its dot configuration, and Fig. 2 (B) shows its cross-sectional structure. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of the drive unit, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the dot configuration and scanning method of the input tablet, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the scanning method shown in FIG. 4. Figure 6 shows the timing of input operation, Figure 6 shows the timing of display operation, Figure 7 shows the timing of display operation.
8A and 8B are perspective views each showing an example of how to use the input/output device of the above embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of display according to the timing shown in the figure. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the input/output device according to the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the input/output device according to the present invention. 12 is a perspective view showing the input/output device of the third embodiment in a folded and portable state; FIG. 13 is a handwritten input text using the input/output device of the embodiment FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a method suitable for editing. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a screen after editing. 1... Input/output device, 3... Input pen, 5...
Computer body, 9...Pinding fittings, 1
1...Input and display unit, 12...Drive unit, 13
... Punch hole, 15 ... Battery, 21 ... Interface, 23 ... Input/output control section, 31 ... Liquid crystal display panel, 33 ... Input tablet. Diagram (A) 6D Diagram 20 Rorororororo 30 Rorororororo 40 Rorororororo Diagram Input Data/Nanasu Ad Palace AI A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7
Figure K Figure ○○○○○○○ Quantity Figure 1O Figure 11 Figure 1G Figure 12 Figure 13 and Figure 14

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thin plate-shaped and transparent input device is bonded to a thin plate-shaped display device, and at least a driving means for the display device and the input device, and an external What is claimed is: 1. An input/output device characterized in that the input/output device is provided with connection means for connecting with the device, and is configured such that a plurality of sheets can be connected to each other in a stacked state. 2. The input device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in addition to the driving means and the connecting means, storage means for data inputted from the input device and a backup power source are provided on the periphery of the device. Output device. 3. The above-mentioned display device and input device each have a dot matrix configuration, of which the display device has a number of dots that is at least twice the number of dots of the input device, and is divided into two or more display systems. 3. The input/output device according to claim 1, wherein one of the dots corresponds to the dot configuration of the input device. 4. A memory is provided corresponding to each of the two or more display systems, and input data from the input device is stored in one of the memories, and the contents are displayed on any one of the display systems. 4. The input/output device according to claim 3, wherein the input/output device is configured as follows.