JP2000311053A - Position measuring method and position input device using contact point of curved surface - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To work into a thin pad type and to improve input precision by measuring a position by a contact point of a projecting curved surface of a specified radius of curvature and a recessed curved surface of a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of the curvature of the projecting curved surface. SOLUTION: An operation member 1 has an operation surface on the upper surface, a projecting spherical surface of a radius of curvature R1 on the bottom surface while a reception member 2 has a recessed spherical surface of a radius of curvature R2 slightly larger than the radius of curvature R1 on the upper surface, has a comb shaped wiring 4 on this recessed spherical surface and has a position detector on one side of the reception member 2. In this case, when force is added to a force point on the upper surface of the operation member 1 in a vertical direction, elastic parts 5 and 6 are transformed and the projecting spherical surface of he operation member 1 and the recessed spherical surface of he reception member 2 contact at a specified contact point. The contact point such as this is obtained by calculating the radius of curvature R1 of the projecting spherical surface of the operation member 1, the radius of curvature R2 of the recessed spherical surface of the reception member 2, the specific gravity of the operation member 1, a length of the operation member 1 in a longitudinal direction, a length of the operation member 1 in a latitudinal direction, and a reaction to the transformation rate of the elastic members 5 and 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position measuring method and a position input device used as a peripheral device of a small information device such as a notebook personal computer or a word processor, and more particularly to a position measuring device which is small and has improved measurement accuracy. The present invention relates to a measurement method and a position input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a small computer such as a notebook personal computer, a position is input by a position input device such as a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, and a tablet.

[0003]

However, these conventional techniques have the following problems.

[0004] A mouse has a problem that it is difficult to use it in a place where there is no available space.

A trackball belongs to a class having a high accuracy as a position input device. However, since a sphere is used, it is structurally impossible to form the device with a thickness less than the diameter of the sphere. There is a problem that it cannot be used in a thin notebook computer.

Also, a tablet (pad type input device)
In this case, since the position is input using a soft object such as a finger, the area of contact between the finger and the pad increases, and the contact surface becomes indefinite. Therefore, it is difficult to input a position with high accuracy.

Further, in the joystick, since the mouse pointer is moved while changing the deformation rate by adjusting the force of the stick, it is difficult to perform quick and accurate movement.

An object of the present invention is to solve these problems and to provide a position measuring method and a position input device which can be processed into a thin pad type and have high input accuracy.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a convex curved surface having a predetermined radius of curvature, a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the convex curved surface are provided. The position is measured by the contact point.

An operation member having an operation surface on an upper surface, a convex surface having a predetermined radius of curvature on a bottom surface, and a concave surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the convex surface on the upper surface. A receiving member that receives the convex curved surface with the concave curved surface, and detects a position of a contact point between the convex curved surface and the concave curved surface,
And a position detecting device that outputs the position data. The operation member may have a concave curved surface with a predetermined radius of curvature on the bottom surface, and the receiving member may have a convex curved surface with a radius of curvature slightly smaller than the radius of curvature of the concave curved surface.

In order to facilitate the operation, the convex curved surface is preferably a spherical surface, and the concave curved surface is preferably a spherical surface. In addition, the concave curved surface may be a curved surface.

It is preferable that an elastic body is interposed between the side edge of the operating member and the side edge of the receiving member to facilitate the operation.

[0013] The position detecting means may include a sensor (electric, voltage, voltage, etc.) on a curved surface of the operating member and / or the receiving member.
A sensor for detecting capacitance, magnetism, piezoelectricity, light, etc.), and a means for measuring a physical quantity by the sensor, and a pseudo-parallel line or a blind on the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface, respectively. , Radial, circular, etc. pattern wiring, crossing the wiring on the concave curved surface and the wiring on the convex curved surface, the current at the contact point between the wiring on the concave curved surface and the wiring on the convex curved surface It is preferably a means for measuring physical quantities such as voltage, voltage and electric capacity.

The position detecting means uses the operating member and the receiving member as optical materials, provides a light emitting element at a predetermined position of the operating member, provides a light absorbing plate on the upper surface of the operating member, A light receiving element is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface,
It is preferable that the light receiving element receives the light from the light emitting element via the operating member, the contact, and the receiving member with a light receiving element, and measures a physical quantity such as a current, a voltage, and an electric capacity of the light receiving element at the contact. .

[0015]

According to the present invention, a contact is formed when a convex curved surface having a predetermined radius of curvature and a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the convex curved surface are brought into contact with each other. An almost constant small curved surface that is a point or a circle or an ellipse centered on that point. Then, the convex curved surface rolls on the concave curved surface (or the concave curved surface rolls on the convex curved surface), so that a contact point can be formed at a free position on the curved surface.

A member having the convex curved surface and a member having the concave curved surface are prepared, and an operation surface is provided on a back surface of one of the members (ie, an upper surface when the curved surface is a bottom surface). When the operating member is used as the receiving member and the other is used as the receiving member, the curved surfaces of the operating member are brought into contact with the curved surfaces of the receiving member by pressing the points on the operating surface (or tilting the operating surface). And the position of the contact point on the curved surface changes.

Here, when there is no rotation of the members about the contact point on the curved surface as an axis and there is no displacement (or slip) between the convex curved surface and the concave curved surface, the pressing on the operation surface is performed. The position (or the angle at which the operation surface is inclined) corresponds to the contact point on the curved surface, and the correspondence is reproducible.
Explaining the correspondence in this case, for example, when the curved surface is a spherical surface, the pressing point of the operating surface exists at the intersection of the line connecting the contact point on the spherical surface and the center of curvature of the spherical surface and the operating surface. I do. Also, if the angle of the operation surface is determined, the meridional angle in spherical coordinates is determined by the angle between the X axis and a perpendicular line on the XY plane formed by the intersection of the XY plane and the operation surface, Is determined by an angle between the ratio of the radius of curvature of the spherical surface and the Z axis and a perpendicular to the operation surface (that is, the radius of curvature of the larger spherical surface is R, the radius of curvature of the smaller spherical surface is r, and the Z axis is Assuming that it is the angle θ with respect to the perpendicular to the surface, the extra latitude is rθ / R), and the moving radius in spherical coordinates is equivalent to the radius of curvature of the spherical surface of the receiving member. The position of the contact point on the spherical surface is determined.

Even when the position is specified with a large contact area, such as when the finger is pressed (or tilted) with a soft object such as a finger, the position can be specified by the contact points. Or, a precise position can be specified at a point. Therefore, by sliding a finger or the like on the operation surface (or tilting the operation surface), the curved surface of the operation member rolls on the curved surface of the receiving member, and the locus of the contact point is accurately drawn on the curved surface. It is possible,
Further, the contact can be quickly moved by jumping the pressing position and pressing another position (or sharply tilting the operation surface).

The position data can be obtained by detecting the position of the contact point on the curved surface by position detecting means such as pressure, current, voltage, magnetism, static electricity, and an optical sensor.
Then, by sending the position data to an information device such as a personal computer, a position on the operation surface designated by a finger or the like (or a position of a contact point on a curved surface when the operation surface is tilted) is input to the information device. be able to.

By making the radius of curvature of the curved surface sufficiently large, the movement of the contact can be increased even with a slight operation of the operating member, and the thickness of the member can be made sufficiently thin.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A position measuring method and a position input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the position input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This position input device includes an operating member 1, a receiving member 2,
And elastic parts 5 and 6.

The operation member 1 has an operation surface on an upper surface, a convex spherical surface having a radius of curvature R1 on a bottom surface, and interdigital wiring 3 (pseudo-parallel linear wiring) on the convex spherical surface. A position detection device 7 is provided on one side surface of the operation member. The interdigital wiring 3
It is arranged on a convex spherical surface by a process such as pasting or printing. The position detecting device 7 is electrically connected to each wire of the interdigital wiring 3, and is connected to the interdigital wiring 3 of the operating member.
A one-dimensional position detecting function of detecting a line to which a signal (current or voltage) is input by contact between the receiving member and the interdigital wiring 4 of the receiving member.

The receiving member 2 has on its upper surface a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature R2 slightly larger than the radius of curvature R1 of the convex spherical surface of the operating member, and has interdigital wiring 4 on the concave spherical surface.
The position detecting device 8 is provided on one side surface of the receiving member. The interdigital wiring 4 is disposed on the concave spherical surface by a process such as pasting or printing, and is orthogonal to the interdigital wiring 3 of the operation member. The position detecting device 8 is electrically connected to each wire of the interdigital wiring 4, and a signal (current or voltage) is generated by contact between the interdigital wire 3 of the operation member and the interdigital wire 4 of the receiving member. ) Has a one-dimensional position detecting function of detecting the input line.

A power supply such as a steady voltage or a current or a pulse is separately supplied to the interdigital transducer 3 of the operating member and the interdigital transducer 4 of the receiving member so as to conduct electricity when the interdigital transducers come into contact with each other. ing. Although only a part of the interdigital wiring is shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of convenience, it is actually formed on the entire spherical surface of the operation member 1 and the receiving member 2.

The elastic parts 5 and 6 are made of an elastic material such as rubber or spring which can be deformed by an external force, and are interposed between the side edge of the operation member 1 and the side edge of the receiving member 2.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the position input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along line XX ′ (in FIG. 1) in an assembled state. This shows the radius of curvature of the spherical surface of the operating member and the receiving member, and the position of the center point, and the center point 2 of the convex spherical surface of the operating member 1.
9 and a case where the center point 30 of the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 is on the same line (that is, when the centers on both spherical surfaces coincide with each other). Curvature radius R of operation member 1
1 and the curvature radius R2 of the receiving member 2 have a relationship of R1 <R2.

The operating member 1 and the receiving member 2 are held by the elastic members 5 and 6 in a steady state with a small interval that does not make contact with each other. Here, the operating member 1 and the receiving member 2
The steady state refers to a state in which no stress is applied to the operating member from the outside, no force other than a constant load such as gravity is applied, or the operating member is negligible.

FIG. 3A shows an intersecting state of the interdigital wiring 3 on the spherical surface of the operation member and the interdigital wiring 4 on the spherical surface of the receiving member of the position input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is. This indicates that the interdigital wiring 3 of the operating member is electrically connected to the position detecting device 7 of the operating member, and the interdigital wiring 4 of the receiving member is electrically connected to the position detecting device 8. It is. For convenience, the length in the longitudinal direction of the operation member and the receiving member is L1, and the length in the short direction is W1. In FIG. 3A, the position detecting device electrically connected to the interdigital wiring is directly connected, but may be installed at a position separated from each wiring by using a cable or the like.

The radius of curvature R1 of the operation member 1 and the radius of curvature R2 of the receiving member 2 shown in FIG. 2 are larger than the length L1 in the longitudinal direction, the length W1 in the short direction, and (R2-R1) of the receiving member. It has a long enough length.

The interdigital wiring 3 on the convex spherical surface of the operation member 1 and the interdigital wiring 4 on the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 are shown in FIG.
It is preferable that they are arranged so as to intersect at right angles, as long as they are arranged so as not to be parallel.

FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the position input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along line XX ′ (in FIG. 1), showing the convex spherical surface of the operating member and the concave spherical surface of the receiving member. 3 shows the state of the contact. Power point 25 on operation member 1 upper surface
When the force is applied in the vertical direction, the elastic components 5 and 6 are deformed, and the convex spherical surface of the operation member 1 and the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 come into contact at the contact point 26.

The contact point 26 between the convex spherical surface of the operating member 1 and the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 has a radius of curvature R1 of the convex spherical surface of the operating member 1,
It is calculated from the radius of curvature R2 of the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2, the specific gravity of the operation member, the length L1 in the longitudinal direction of the operation member, the length W1 in the short direction, and the reaction to the deformation rate of the elastic component. It can be calculated by the following. Operation member 1
When the difference between the curvature of the convex spherical surface and the curvature of the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 is reduced, the magnitudes of R1 and R2 can be regarded as approximately the same value. When R1 and R2 are made sufficiently long with respect to L1 and W1 to reduce the specific gravity of the operation member, or when the operation member itself is made small and the weight of the operation member 1 is made sufficiently light, the operation is performed. The contact point 26 between the convex spherical surface of the member 1 and the concave spherical surface of the receiving member 2 can be regarded as being vertically below the force point 25.

Theoretically, the contact point 26 is a perfect point, but in actuality, it comes into surface contact (curved surface) due to deformation of a member or the like. At this time, the interdigital wiring 3 of the operating member and the interdigital wiring 4 of the receiving member in the contact surface are in contact with each other and are energized. Then, the position of the energized wiring is detected by the position measuring device 7 of the operation member and the position measuring device 8 of the receiving member, whereby the contact point on the spherical surface is measured. Therefore, since the position of the force point 25 applied on the operating member 1 and the position of the contact point on the spherical surface correspond to each other (there is no rotation of the members about the contact point on the spherical surface as an axis, and the If there is no gap or slip),
Horizontal coordinates according to the position of the force point 25 can be measured. The position is input by sending the measured position data (signal) to an information device such as a personal computer.

A position measuring method and a position input device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
(A) is an exploded perspective view of the position input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The position input device 24 shown in FIG.
Are operating members 10, receiving members 11, elastic components 12, 1
3, a light absorbing plate 14, and a light receiving plate 15. The operation member 10 has an operation surface on an upper surface, and a curvature radius R3 on a bottom surface.
And is made of an optical material having a refractive index higher than that of air, allowing light to pass through without scattering. The receiving member 11
It has a concave spherical surface with a radius of curvature R4 (R3 <R4) on its upper surface, and is made of the same optical material as the operation member 10. Elastic parts 1
Reference numerals 2 and 13 are made of an elastic body such as rubber or a spring that can be deformed by an external force, and are disposed between the side edge of the operation member 10 and the side edge of the receiving member 11. The light absorbing plate 14 is used for the operation member 10.
Have light emitting components 16 to 19 at predetermined positions, each of which emits light at a different frequency, and absorbs light. The light receiving plate 15 is attached to the bottom surface of the receiving member 11,
Light-receiving elements 20 to 23 which are divided into four on the surface and generate a voltage according to the intensity of the received light are provided.

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the position input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, taken along line YY ′ (in FIG. 4A). This is because the line connecting the light emitting component 16 and the center point 27 of the convex curved surface of the operation member is located at the center point 2 of the convex curved surface of the operation member.
7 shows an incident angle 28 of light formed by a tangent plane at 7. Similarly, the light emitting components 17 to 19 also have the center 2 of the curved surface.
7 is disposed on the surface of the light absorbing plate 14 or in the operating member 10 so that the incident angle of light that forms a tangent plane at 7 becomes the same as the incident angle 28.

Further, in the present apparatus, the incident angle 28 is set to be a critical angle at which light from each of the light emitting components 16 to 19 is totally reflected.

The spherical surface of the operating member 10 and the receiving member 11
When the spherical surface of the operating member comes into contact, the refractive indices at the contact point inside and outside the operating member 10 (the outside is the inside of the receiving member via the contact point) become equal, and the total reflection is normally performed on the spherical surface of the operating member 10 The light from the light emitting element, which should not be transmitted, passes through the contact and is detected on the light receiving element via the receiving member 11, so that the contact between the operating member and the receiving member can be detected ( (See FIG. 5).

In this device 24, an external force is applied to the operation surface (the upper surface of the light absorbing plate 14), and the operation member 10 and the receiving member 11
Is changed, the frequency component ratio of the light received by the light receiving elements 20 to 23 changes.
From the component ratio of the frequency of the light received by the operating member 1
The position where the external force is applied to 0 (that is, the light absorbing plate 14) can be calculated.

In addition, the position detecting means may be a means for arranging a sensor on the curved surface of the operating member and / or the receiving member and measuring a physical quantity of the sensor at the contact point (for example, FIG. 6). reference). Here are some examples.

[0040] The position detecting means may be provided by the operating member or / and / or
And the receiving member is made of an optical material, a light emitting element is provided at a predetermined position on one of the operating member or the receiving member, and a light receiving element is provided on the other curved surface, and light from the light emitting element is received by the operating member or the receiving member. The light receiving element may be a unit that receives light with a light receiving element at the contact point via a member and measures a physical quantity such as a current and a voltage of the light receiving element. For example, the operation member is an optical material, and a light emitting element is provided at a predetermined position of the operation member,
A sheet-like light receiving element may be provided on the curved surface of the receiving member, and light from the light emitting element may be received by the light receiving element at the contact point via the operating member, and the voltage at the light receiving element may be measured.

Further, the position detecting means arranges a large number of piezoelectric elements (PZT, several μm, sintered body, etc.) on the curved surface of the operating member and / or the receiving member, and the upper and lower surfaces of each element. A piezoelectric pressure sensor provided with an electrode may be provided to measure a physical quantity such as a potential difference of the piezoelectric pressure sensor at the contact point (here, a contact point on the surface of the sensor).

The position detecting means arranges a magnetic material (powder, thin film, etc.) on one curved surface of the operating member or the receiving member in a predetermined pattern (the whole surface may be provided), and A magnetic sensor (semiconductor, coil, or the like) may be disposed on the contact point, and a physical quantity such as a current of the magnetic sensor at the contact point (contact point on the surface of the sensor in this case) may be measured.

[0043]

According to the present invention, since the contact points are between curved surfaces, the contact points become a substantially constant small curved surface having a circle or an ellipse centered at one point or a point, and the position is determined by an irregular shape such as a finger. Is specified, the detection position is not ambiguous as in the case of a flat pressure-sensitive sensor, so that the measurement accuracy can be improved more easily than in the past.

By making the radius of curvature of the curved surface sufficiently large, the movement of the contact can be increased even with a slight operation of the operating member, and the thickness of the member can be made sufficiently small. , The components can be mounted on thin devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a position input device (current or voltage detection type) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX ′ (in FIG. 1) of the assembled position input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a convex spherical surface of an operation member and a concave spherical surface of a receiving member; It shows the radius of curvature.

3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a position input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A shows an intersecting state of interdigital wiring of an operation member and a receiving member, and FIG. This shows the contact point with the spherical surface.

4A is a development view of a position input device (light detection type) according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY ′.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a position detecting means in a position input device (light detection type) according to a second embodiment of the present invention (Y- in FIG. 4A).
FIG.

FIG. 6 is a center sectional view of a position input device having a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operating member 2 Receiving surface 3 Interdigital wiring (operating member side) 4 Interdigital wiring (receiving member side) 5, 6 Elastic component 7 Position detecting device (operating member side) 8 Position detecting device (receiving member side) 9 Position input Apparatus 10 Operating member 11 Receiving member 12, 13 Elastic part 14 Light absorbing plate 15 Light receiving plate 16-19 Light emitting component 20-23 Light receiving element 24 Position input device 25 Force point 26 Contact point 27 Center point on convex curved surface of operating member 28 Incident angle 29 center point for convex curved surface of operating member 30 center point for concave curved surface of receiving member 31 operating member 32 receiving member 33, 34 elastic component 35 sensor 36 position input device

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A position measuring method comprising: measuring a position by a contact point between a convex curved surface having a predetermined radius of curvature and a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the convex curved surface. 2. An operating member having an operation surface on an upper surface and a convex surface having a predetermined radius of curvature on a bottom surface, and a concave surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the convex surface on the upper surface. A receiving member for receiving the convex curved surface with the concave curved surface; detecting a position of a contact point between the convex curved surface and the concave curved surface;
A position input device, comprising: position detection means for outputting as position data. 3. An operation member having an operation surface on an upper surface, a concave surface having a predetermined radius of curvature on a bottom surface, and a convex surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the concave surface on the upper surface. A receiving member that receives the concave curved surface with the convex curved surface, and detects a position of a contact point between the concave curved surface and the convex curved surface;
A position input device, comprising: position detection means for outputting as position data. 4. The position measuring method or position input device according to claim 1, wherein said convex curved surface is a spherical surface. 5. The position measuring method or position input device according to claim 1, wherein said concave curved surface is a spherical surface. 6. The position measuring method or position input device according to claim 1, wherein said concave curved surface is a curved surface. 7. The position measuring method or position input device according to claim 1, wherein said contact point is a point or a curved surface having a circle or an ellipse centered on said point. . 8. The position input device according to claim 2, wherein an elastic body is interposed between a side edge of said operation member and a side edge of said receiving member. 9. The operating member or / and / or the position detecting means,
The position input device according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein a sensor is provided on a curved surface of the receiving member to measure a physical quantity of the sensor at the contact point. 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said position detecting means provides a predetermined pattern of wiring on said concave curved surface and said convex curved surface, respectively.
3. A means for intersecting the wiring on the concave curved surface and the wiring on the convex curved surface and measuring a physical quantity at a contact point between the wiring on the concave curved surface and the wiring on the convex curved surface. 10. The position input device according to any one of claims 9 to 9. 11. The wiring according to claim 2, wherein the wiring of the predetermined pattern is a quasi-parallel linear (interdigital) wiring.
11. The position input device according to any one of claims 10 to 10. 12. The position input device according to claim 2, wherein the intersection is an intersection at a right angle. 13. The position detecting means, wherein: the operating member and the receiving member are made of an optical material; a light emitting element is provided at a predetermined position of the operating member; a light absorbing plate is provided on an upper surface of the operating member; A light-receiving element is provided at a predetermined position on the bottom surface, and light from the light-emitting element is received by the light-receiving element via the operating member, the contact point, and the receiving member, and a physical quantity of the light-receiving element is measured. The position input device according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein: 14. The position detecting means, wherein the operating member and / or the receiving member is made of an optical material, a light emitting element is provided at a predetermined position on one of the operating member and the receiving member, and a light receiving element is provided on the other curved surface. And means for receiving light from the light emitting element by the light receiving element at the contact point via the operation member or the receiving member, and measuring a physical quantity of the light receiving element. 10. The position input device according to any one of claims 9 to 9. 15. A piezoelectric pressure sensor in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged on a curved surface of the operating member and / or the receiving member, and electrodes are provided on upper and lower surfaces of each element. The position input device according to any one of claims 2 to 9, further comprising means for measuring a physical quantity of the piezoelectric pressure sensor at the contact point. 16. The position detecting means, comprising: a magnetic body disposed on one curved surface of the operation member or the receiving member; and a magnetic sensor disposed on the other curved surface, and a physical quantity of the magnetic sensor at the contact point. The position input device according to claim 2, wherein the position input device is a means for measuring. 17. The position input device according to claim 2, wherein the physical quantity is a current or a voltage.