JP2017016567A - Electronic pen, touch panel device, and control method of electronic pen - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enter operation mode from power-saving mode, quickly.SOLUTION: An electronic pen to be used in an optical touch panel device includes: touch detection means of detecting that a tip of an electronic pen has touched the touch panel device; transmission means of transmitting a touch detection signal of the touch detection means to control means of the touch panel device; moving-state detection means of detecting whether the electronic pen is moving or not; and migration control means which starts changing the mode from power-saving mode where no power is supplied to the transmission means, to operation mode where power is supplied, on receipt of a moving-state detection signal indicating a moving state from the moving-state detection means, and starts changing the mode from the operation mode to the power-saving mode, on receipt of a stop detection signal indicating a stop state from the moving-state detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic pen, a touch panel device, and an electronic pen control method.

  A so-called “electronic information board” in which a touch panel is mounted on a large display having a size of about 40 to 60 using a flat panel such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display or a projector is commercially available.

A typical electronic information board will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing unit that houses an electronic information board 100 as viewed from the front side. A housing unit 600 shown in FIG. 1 includes a panel unit 601 that stores a PDP and a coordinate input device, a controller storage unit that stores a controller, and a stand that supports the panel unit 601 and the controller storage unit at a predetermined height. A device storage unit 604 that stores a computer, a scanner, a printer, a video player, and the like is also included.

  PDP is an abbreviation for plasma-display panel. Reference numeral 612 denotes a computer storage unit, 613 a video storage unit, 614 a printer storage unit, 615 a keyboard base, and 616 a caster.

  The PDP and the coordinate input device are integrated so that the coordinate input device is positioned on the front surface of the PDP, and is housed in the panel portion 601 so that the touch surface 201 of the coordinate input device is positioned on the front surface of the panel portion 601. As described above, the panel unit 601 houses the PDP and the coordinate input device, and constitutes the display surface and the writing surface (touch surface 201) of the electronic information board.

  Further, the controller is stored in a controller storage section provided on the back surface of the panel section 601. The panel unit 601 is attached to and supported by the stand of the device storage unit 604 via a stay so that the image display surface of the PDP and the touch surface 201 of the coordinate input device are positioned at a predetermined height.

  On the front side of the panel unit 601, reference numeral 606 denotes a speaker, and 607 denotes a PDP power lamp. Although detailed description is omitted, in the electronic information board 100, it is possible to switch the image output source for the PDP of a computer, a video player, etc., adjust the volume, etc. with a remote control. This corresponds to a remote control light receiving unit that receives the light of.

  This type of product can be used for presentations in meetings, etc., by connecting a personal computer and displaying a large screen of the connected personal computer. By using the built-in touch panel function, you can operate the personal computer that displays the screen by directly touching the displayed screen instead of using the mouse. (1) The personal computer operation function via the touch panel is provided. ing.

  In addition, electronic blackboard application software (hereinafter referred to as an application) that runs on a connected personal computer is provided with these devices. This app provides a blackboard screen, the function to draw handwritten characters and pictures on the screen via the touch panel, the function to capture the screen of the PC that provides this app, and the handwriting superimposed on it (2) A handwriting function via a touch panel is provided.

  The touch panel used in these electronic information boards is compatible with large screens such as 50-inch, and it is not necessary to attach a film-like mechanism to the display surface in order not to impair the image quality. Many touch panels are used. As examples of optical touch panels, for example, “XYFer” manufactured by IT Corporation, “Touch Data Series” manufactured by Minato Electronics, “Display Touch Screen” manufactured by next window, “Carol Touch” manufactured by Tyco Electronics, etc. are known. In specific product examples using these optical touch panels, for example, Hitachi Software Engineering's “Starboard” and Pioneer's “Cyber Conference” are already known. Furthermore, as an optical touch panel, for example, the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-176802 is known.

  As for the optical touch panel used in these, in the patent gazette, it is possible to touch anything using any pen-shaped bar or finger (hereinafter referred to as a stylus) that blocks or reflects light. It is disclosed that it can be written. This provides great convenience for the user because no stylus material is chosen.

  In these optical touch panels, whether or not the stylus has touched the display surface is determined by blocking a predetermined amount of light (hereinafter referred to as probe light) distributed near the display surface in the process of moving the stylus to the display surface. Or it detects by reflecting. That is, it is determined whether or not the intensity of light detected by a predetermined light receiving element has reached a predetermined threshold value. When it is determined that the threshold value has been reached, the touch position information at that time is issued as a mouse event to the connected personal computer to notify the personal computer of the touch position.

  However, there are problems such as the distance accuracy between the light source and the display surface, the spread of the probe light, and the spread of the image on the light receiving element due to the fact that the stylus image is not always formed on the light receiving element. For this reason, it is difficult to match the threshold value with the position of the stylus tip in the direction perpendicular to the display surface at the moment when the stylus physically contacts the display surface over the entire display surface. Alternatively, in order to match the position of the stylus tip with the threshold value, high mechanical accuracy exceeding a practical level is required.

  Most existing electronic information boards that use an optical touch panel are designed to allow a margin for the threshold and set the threshold just before the stylus physically touches the display surface. . As a result, the touch panel determines that the stylus has touched the display surface with the stylus floating slightly above the display surface from the position where the stylus physically contacts the display surface. Then, a mouse event at that position is issued. For the sake of explanation, this state is referred to as “state 1”.

By the way, the electronic information board provides a function for handwriting characters and drawings on a display like a white board by being started on a personal computer connected with application software providing a white board function.
When handwriting is performed on the white board function application in “State 1”, the physical contact of the stylus tip with the display surface cannot be detected sharply. Not separated as intended. As a result, the character becomes like a one-stroke stroke, or a noise like a whisker occurs at the end of each stroke. This is shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of problems of the conventional touch panel device. This is an example of writing the kanji “eye”.

  When the phenomenon as shown in FIG. 2 occurs, it is difficult to write characters, or the written characters are difficult to read, and the writing property is remarkably lowered as compared with a whiteboard written with conventional ink. As a result, users cannot use the electronic whiteboard instead of the conventional electronic whiteboard, and the user is forced to use the electronic whiteboard together. The appeal of the electronic information board as a product is significantly hindered. become.

  In order to avoid such a situation, the conventional electronic information board is equipped with a dedicated stylus (hereinafter referred to as an electronic pen) provided with a pressure sensor or the like that detects that the tip physically contacts the display surface. There are many. When an electronic pen is used, when the electronic pen blocks light, the pen tip physically touches the display surface, and the pressure sensor installed at the pen tip detects a predetermined pressure, the touch coordinate value is a mouse event. Issued. This state is referred to as “state 2”.

  In state 2, the coordinates are detected only when the pen tip physically touches the display surface. Therefore, when writing a character, the strokes are well separated, In addition, there is no noise such as whiskers at the end of each stroke.

  In general, in “state 1”, there is an advantage that writing can be performed with an opaque object that blocks light, that is, a finger or an appropriate stick. On the other hand, there is almost no problem with GUI object operations, but when writing figures and characters as in paint applications, strokes are not decomposed well as described above, and characters and figures are as intended by the user. It is difficult to write on.

In “State 2”, since the touch signal is not detected unless the pressure sensor signal is detected, GUI (Graphical User Interface) operation and writing of characters and figures can be performed only with a dedicated pen. However, as described above, since strokes are well separated, there is an advantage that characters and figures can be written as intended by the user.
An electronic pen used in the usage state of “state 2” is known, and even an existing touch panel product is introduced and marketed.

  In these electronic pens, when contact of the pen tip with the display surface is detected, the detected state is notified to the touch sensor by radio or wire using an electrical signal. In order to configure these mechanisms, an electric circuit board is provided in the electronic pen. This schematic is shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a conventional electronic pen.
An electronic pen 40-1 shown in FIG. 3 is an electronic pen that is driven by a display battery including a signal processing circuit 42-1, a pressure sensor 44, a pressure detection unit 43 having a movable pen tip 45, and a battery B. It is.
The movable nib 45 is a member formed in a conical shape made of a resin having a rounded tip, and the base of the cone is connected to the pressure sensor 44. The pressure sensor 44 is a member that converts the pressure from the movable nib 45 into an electrical signal, and includes, for example, a piezoelectric element such as Rochelle salt. The movable nib 45 also serves as a nib switch, and the signal processing circuit 42-1 processes an electrical signal from the pressure sensor 44.
The battery B is a battery for supplying power to the pressure sensor 44 and the signal processing circuit 42-1.
The input interface unit 41 serving as a transmission unit is a circuit that exchanges signals between the electronic pen 40-1 and the touch panel.

  The electronic pen 40-1 shown in FIG. 3 often uses the battery B as a power source in order to drive the signal processing circuit 42-1. In order to minimize the consumption of the battery B, for example, when the movable pen tip 45 as the pen tip switch is not pressed for a predetermined time, control for shifting the signal processing circuit 42-1 to the power saving mode is used. Further, when the user starts writing using the electronic pen 40-1 in the power saving mode, the electronic pen 40-1 is detected from the power saving mode by detecting that the pen tip switch has been pressed. Control to shift to the operation mode.

  The above-described conventional technology detects that the pen tip switch has been pressed due to the user starting to write using the power-saving electronic pen, and the electronic pen is activated. In order for the electronic circuit in the electronic pen to shift from the power saving state to the operating state, a recovery time of the order of milliseconds is necessary.

On the other hand, since the writing operation has already started when the user starts the writing operation and the pen tip contacts the display surface, it is necessary to notify the system that the pen tip has touched at this point.
However, in the conventional technology, since the time required for the electronic circuit to shift from the power saving state to the operating state is required, the coordinate signal of the coordinates is not notified during the transition time. Therefore, even though the user starts writing, the user does not write during this time, so that a short stroke such as a dot cannot be written, and there is a significant discomfort due to a delay in the beginning of writing.

In the electronic pen used in the optical touch panel, when the user starts writing from the power saving mode state, a predetermined writing signal is notified from the moment when the writing is started, and the power saving mode is set so that there is no delay in writing. It is desirable to quickly shift to the operation mode.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to speed up the transition from the power saving mode to the operation mode.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an electronic pen used in an optical touch panel device, and a contact detection means for detecting that the tip of the electronic pen is in contact with the touch panel device. , A transmission means for transmitting a contact detection signal of the contact detection means to the control means of the touch panel device, a movement detection means for detecting whether or not the electronic pen is in a movement state, and a movement state from the movement detection means. When a movement detection signal indicating that the transmission means is received, a transition from a power saving mode where the transmission means is in a non-power supply state to an operation mode where the power supply state is set is started, and a stationary detection signal indicating that the movement means is stationary is received And transition control means for starting transition from the operation mode to the power saving mode.

  According to the present invention, the transition from the power saving mode to the operation mode can be quickly performed.

2 is a perspective view of a housing unit that houses an electronic information board 100 as viewed from the front side. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the problem of the conventional touch panel apparatus. It is the schematic of the conventional electronic pen. It is a functional block diagram of a touch panel device in which the electronic pen according to the present invention is used. It is a block diagram of the pressure detection part of the electronic pen which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows other embodiment of an electronic pen. It is a hardware block diagram of the touch panel device according to the present invention. It is a functional block diagram of the pressure detection part of an electronic pen. It is an example of the flowchart which shows operation | movement of the touch-panel apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a configuration example of an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the structure inside the light emitting / receiving means 1 of a touch panel apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a touchscreen apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the position of the electronic pen as an instruction | indication means in a touchscreen apparatus. This is an embodiment in which one of the left and right light emitting / receiving means 1 described in FIGS. 10 and 11 is installed on the surface of the coordinate input area 3.

Embodiments will be described in the following order.
(1) An example of an optical touch panel device using an electronic pen to which the present invention is applied (2) Configuration of an electronic pen to which the present invention is applied

<An example of an optical touch panel device using an electronic pen to which the present invention is applied>
First, the principle of an optical touch panel device to which the present invention is applied will be described. The principle described here is an example related to an optical touch panel device, and the present invention is not limited to this method. The present invention is applied to all optical coordinate input devices.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The coordinate input area 3 has a rectangular shape, and includes a surface of a display that electronically displays an image, a whiteboard for writing with a pen such as a marker, and the like. Consider a case where the position 2 is touched on the coordinate input area 3 by a user's finger made of an optically opaque material, a pointing device such as a pen or a pointing bar. The purpose of such an optical touch panel device is to detect the coordinates of position 2 by the instruction means at this time.

The light emitting / receiving means 1 is mounted on both upper ends of the coordinate input area 3. A bundle (probe light) of n light beams of L1, L2, L3,... Ln is irradiated from the light emitting / receiving means 1 toward the coordinate input area 3. The light beam is actually a fan-shaped light wave that travels along a plane parallel to the coordinate input area that spreads from the point light source 81.
A retroreflective member 4 is attached to the peripheral portion of the coordinate input area 3 with the retroreflective surface facing the center of the coordinate input device 3.

  The retroreflective member 4 is a member having a characteristic of reflecting incident light in the same direction regardless of the incident angle. For example, when attention is paid to one beam 12 among the fan-shaped plate-like light waves emitted from the light receiving / emitting means 1, the beam 12 is reflected by the retroreflecting member 4, and is again sent to the light receiving / emitting means 1 as retroreflected light 11. Proceed to return. The light receiving / emitting means 1 is provided with a light emitting means and 1a light receiving means 1b which will be described later, and it is determined whether or not the recurring light has returned to the light receiving / emitting means 1 for each of the probe lights L1 to Ln. be able to.

  Consider a case where the user touches position 2 with his / her hand. At this time, the probe light 10 is blocked by the hand at the position 2 and does not reach the retroreflecting member 4. Accordingly, the retroreflected light of the probe light 10 does not reach the light receiving / emitting means 1, and by detecting that the retroreflected light corresponding to the probe light 10 is not received, the indicator member is placed on the extension line (straight line L) of the probe light 10. It can be detected that the electronic pen is inserted. The touch panel device 300 excluding the electronic pen is referred to as a touch panel device body.

  Similarly, the probe light is emitted from the light emitting / receiving means 1 installed on the upper right side of FIG. 10 to detect that no recursive light corresponding to the probe light 13 is received, thereby extending the probe light 13 (straight line R). ) It can be detected that the pointing means is inserted above. If the straight line L and the straight line R can be obtained, the coordinates at which the pointing means is inserted at the position 2 can be obtained by calculating the intersection coordinates by calculation.

  Next, the structure of the light emitting / receiving means 1 and the mechanism for detecting which probe light is blocked among the probe lights L1 to Ln will be described. An outline of the internal structure of the light receiving and emitting means 1 of the touch panel device is shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a view of the light emitting / receiving means 1 attached to the coordinate input area 3 of FIG. 10 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the coordinate input area 3. Here, for the sake of simplicity, description will be made on a two-dimensional plane parallel to the coordinate input area 3.

  The schematic configuration includes a point light source 81, a cylindrical lens 51 as a condenser lens, and a light receiving element 50. The point light source 81 emits light in a fan shape in the direction opposite to the light receiving element 50 when viewed from the light source. The fan-shaped light emitted from the point light source 81 is considered to be a set of beams traveling in the arrows 53 and 58 and other directions. The beam traveling in the direction of the arrow 53 is reflected by the retroreflecting member 55, passes through the cylindrical lens 51, and reaches a position 57 on the light receiving element 50. The beam traveling in the traveling direction (arrow 58) reaches the position 56 on the light receiving element 50 by the retroreflective member 55.

  Thus, the light emitted from the point light source 81, reflected by the retroreflecting member 55, and returned through the same path reaches the respective different positions on the light receiving element 50 by the action of the cylindrical lens 51. Therefore, when the pointing means is inserted (moved or contacted) at position 2 at a certain position and a certain beam is interrupted, the light does not reach a point on the light receiving element 50 corresponding to that beam. Therefore, by examining the light intensity distribution on the light receiving element 50, it is possible to know which beam is blocked.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the touch panel device.
In FIG. 12, it is assumed that the light receiving element 50 is installed on the focal plane of the cylindrical lens 51.
Light emitted from the point light source 81 toward the right side in FIG. 12 is reflected by the retroreflecting member 55 and returns along the same path. Therefore, the light is condensed again at the position of the point light source 81. The center of the cylindrical lens 51 is installed so as to coincide with the point light source position. Since the retroreflected light returning from the retroreflective member 55 passes through the center of the cylindrical lens 51, it travels in a symmetrical path to the rear of the lens (light receiving element side).

At this time, the light intensity distribution on the light receiving element 50 is considered. If the electronic pen 40 is not inserted at position 2, the light intensity distribution on the light receiving element 50 is substantially constant. However, when the electronic pen 40 is inserted so as to block the optical path as shown in FIG. 12, the beam passing therethrough is blocked, and a region with low light intensity is generated at the position Dn on the light receiving element 50 ( Dark spot). This position Dn corresponds to the exit / incident angle θn of the blocked beam, and the exit / incident angle θn can be known by detecting the position Dn. That is, the exit / incident angle θn can be expressed as a formula (1) as a function of the position Dn.
θn = arctan (Dn / f) (1)
Here, in particular, the emission / incident angle θn in the light receiving and emitting means 1 in the upper left of FIG. 10 is replaced with θnL and Dn is replaced with DnL.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the position of the electronic pen 40 as an instruction unit in the touch panel device.
Further, in FIG. 13, the angle θL formed by the electronic pen 40 and the coordinate input area 3 is obtained by Expression (1) by the conversion g of the geometric relative positional relationship between the light emitting / receiving means 1 and the coordinate input area 3. As a function of DnL, it can be expressed as Equation (2).
θL = g (θnL) where θnL = arctan (DnL / f) (2)

Similarly, with respect to the light receiving / emitting means 1 on the upper right of FIG. 10, in the same manner, the L symbol in the above formula is replaced with the R symbol, and the geometrical relative positional relationship between the right light receiving / emitting means 1 and the coordinate input area 3. This conversion h can be expressed as Equation (3).
θR = h (θnR) where θnR = arctan (DnR / f) (3)

Here, if the mounting interval of the light emitting / receiving means 1 on the coordinate input area 3 is w as shown in FIG. 13, the origin is the origin and the coordinates are as shown in FIG. 13, the electronic pen 40 on the coordinate input area 3 is used. The coordinates (x, y) of the specified point are expressed as in equations (4) and (5).
x = w tanθR / (tanθL + tanθR) (4)
y = w tanθL ・ tanθR / (tanθL + tanθR) (5)

  Thus, x and y can be expressed as functions of DnL and DnR. That is, by detecting the dark spot positions DnL and DnR on the light receiving element 50 on the left and right light emitting / receiving means 1 and taking into account the geometrical arrangement of the light receiving / emitting means 1, the coordinates of the point indicated by the electronic pen 40 can be obtained. Can be detected.

  Next, an embodiment in which the optical system described above is installed in the coordinate input area 3, for example, the surface of the display or the like will be described. FIG. 14 shows an embodiment in which one of the left and right light emitting / receiving means 1 described in FIGS. 10 and 11 is installed in the coordinate input area 3.

  Reference numeral 3 in FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the coordinate input area, which is viewed in the direction from the negative to the positive y-axis shown in FIG. Further, FIGS. A and B are displayed by changing the viewpoint as shown in the figure for explanation.

The light emitting means of the light receiving / emitting means 1 will be described. As the light source 83, a light source capable of narrowing a spot to some extent, such as a laser diode or a pinpoint LED, is used.
Light emitted perpendicularly from the light source 83 to the coordinate input area 3 is collimated by the cylindrical lens 84 only in the x direction. This collimation is performed by a half mirror 87 and then distributed as parallel light in a direction perpendicular to the coordinate input area.

After the light exits the cylindrical lens 84, the light is condensed with respect to the y direction in FIG. 14 by two cylindrical lenses 85 and 86 whose curvature distribution is orthogonal to that of the cylindrical lens 84. In order to explain this state, portion A in FIG. 14 shows the arrangement of the cylindrical lens group and the high-speed condensing state as seen from the x direction with the viewpoint rotated about the z axis.
Due to the action of the cylindrical lens group, a linearly condensed region is formed behind the cylindrical lens 86. Here, a slit 82 narrow in the y direction and elongated in the x direction is inserted. That is, a linear secondary light source 810 is formed at the slit position. The light emitted from the secondary light source 810 is folded back by the half mirror 87 and is not spread in the vertical direction of the coordinate input area 3 but is parallel light. It progresses along the coordinate input area 3 while expanding. The advanced light is reflected by the retroreflecting member 55 installed at the peripheral edge of the coordinate input area, and returns to the half mirror 87 direction (arrow C) through the same path. The light transmitted through the half mirror 87 travels in parallel to the coordinate input area 3 and enters the light receiving element 50 through the cylindrical lens 51.

  At this time, the secondary light source 810 and the cylindrical lens 51 are conjugated with respect to the half mirror 87 (D in the figure). Therefore, the secondary light source 810 corresponds to the point light source 81 in FIG. 12, and the cylindrical lens 51 corresponds to the lens 51 in FIG. 14 shows a cylindrical lens and a light receiving element on the light receiving side as viewed from the z-axis direction by changing the viewpoint, and corresponds to the lens 51 and the light receiving element 50 in FIG.

<Functional block configuration of touch panel device>
FIG. 4 shows a functional block configuration of a touch panel device in which the electronic pen according to the present invention is used.
An electronic pen 40 shown in FIG. 4 is connected to the touch panel device 300 via the input interface unit 41. A touch panel device 300 is connected to a PC 30 as an information processing device via an input interface unit 304.
The PC 30 includes a signal processing unit (driver) 302, an OS (Operation System) 301, and an application 303 that is software operating on the OS 301.
The touch panel device 300 includes a coordinate detection unit 402 and a touch panel control unit 401.

  In FIG. 4, the coordinate detection unit 402 calculates coordinates based on the sensor signal mounted on the optical touch panel device 300 described above, and notifies the input interface unit 304 at a predetermined rate.

  A coordinate value and a light blocking signal are output from the coordinate detection unit 402 at a predetermined rate and input to the signal processing unit 302 via the input interface unit 304. In the touch panel device 300, the light blocking signal is determined as “light blocking signal = true” when the stylus blocks light, and “light blocking signal = false” otherwise. The coordinate value is an effective value when the light blocking signal is true, and is an invalid value when the light blocking signal is false.

<Hardware configuration of electronic pen>
FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a pressure detection unit as an example of the contact detection means of the electronic pen according to the present invention. Note that the contact detection means for detecting that the tip of the electronic pen 40-2 has touched the touch panel device includes a sensor or a micro switch for detecting any one of pressure change, capacitance change, and surface acoustic wave.
The pressure detection unit 43 of the electronic pen 40-2 includes a signal processing circuit 42 serving as a transition control means for processing signals of the electronic pen 40-2 and a movable pen tip 45, a pressure sensor 44, and a pressure sensor 44 installed at the tip of the electronic pen 40-2. Has -2. The movable pen tip 45 is held by the tip of the housing of the electronic pen 40-2 with a spring or the like, and when the movable pen tip 45 comes into contact with the coordinate input area and a contact pressure is generated, the pressure sensor 44 is pushed by the reaction force It has become.

The pressure sensor 44 is a sensor whose resistance value changes depending on pressure, and examples thereof include Flexiforce manufactured by Nitta Corporation and Inastomer manufactured by Inaba Rubber Co., Ltd.
The signal processing circuit 42-2 includes a voltage conversion circuit, an A / D conversion circuit, a storage circuit, a threshold processing circuit, and an output circuit. When the signal processing circuit 42-2 receives a movement detection signal indicating that the movement is in progress from the movement detection unit, the signal processing circuit 42-2 starts transition from the power saving mode in which the transmission unit is in the non-power supply state to the operation mode in which the power supply state is set. The signal processing circuit 42-2 is a transition control unit that starts transition from the operation mode to the power saving mode when receiving a stationary detection signal indicating that the stationary state is received from the movement detection unit.

The conversion circuit is a circuit that converts a change in resistance value of the pressure sensor 44 into a voltage. The A / D conversion circuit is a circuit that converts the converted voltage into a digital value. The storage circuit is a circuit that stores a predetermined threshold value. The threshold processing circuit compares the pressure signal converted into a digital value with the threshold value stored in the storage circuit, and outputs a true value when the pressure signal exceeds the threshold value, otherwise. This circuit outputs false.
The output circuit is a circuit that sends the logical value output from the threshold processing circuit to the signal processing unit via the input interface unit at a predetermined rate.

  In the following description, a true / false signal that is input from the pressure detection unit 43 of the electronic pen 40-2 to the signal processing unit via the input interface unit is referred to as a “pressure signal”. That is, when the movable pen tip 45 is physically in contact with the coordinate input area, the signal processing circuit 42-2 sets “pressure signal = true”, and otherwise sets “pressure signal = false”.

An inclination sensor 46 is shown as an example of the movement detection means. The movement detection means may be a vibration sensor, a tilt sensor, or an acceleration sensor.
The tilt sensor 46 is generally known and is installed on a printed circuit board constituting the signal processing circuit 42-2. The inclination sensor 46 has a configuration in which, for example, a plurality of electrodes and a metal sphere are accommodated in a package. The metal sphere moves due to the inclination and vibration of the package. At this time, the metal sphere is in contact with any one of the electrode sets, and the contacted electrodes are short-circuited and become a conductive state.

<Hardware configuration of touch panel device>
FIG. 7 is a hardware block diagram of the touch panel device according to the present invention.
The touch panel device 300 includes a pair of light emitting / receiving means 101, a ROM 25, a RAM 26, an MPU 27, and a timer 28. The light emitting / receiving means 101 includes an LED 360, an LED driver 24, a PSD 20, an amplifier 21, an analog arithmetic circuit 22, and an A / D converter 23.
The coordinate detection unit 402 includes a light emitting / receiving unit 101 and a timer 28. The touch panel control unit 401 includes a ROM 25, a RAM 26, and an MPU 27. An electronic pen 40 is connected to the touch panel control unit 401 via the input interface unit 41.

  PSD is an abbreviation for Position Sensitive Detector (semiconductor position detection element), and is a sensor that detects the position of spot-like light. ROM is an abbreviation for Read-Only Memory, which is a read-only memory and stores a control program. For example, a mask ROM is used. RAM is an abbreviation for Random-Access Memory, and is a readable / writable memory that temporarily stores a control program read from a ROM. For example, a flash memory is used. MPU is an abbreviation for Micro Processing Unit, and is an element that performs overall control of a touch panel device. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. The timer 28 is an element that controls the light emission time interval, and includes, for example, a timer IC NE555.

  As a circuit for calculating the current output from the PSD 20, an amplifier 21 and a analog calculation circuit 22 are connected to the output terminal of the PSD 20. The current output from PSD 20 is input to amplifier 21 and amplified. The amplified current signal is processed in the analog arithmetic circuit 22, further converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 23, and passed to the MPU 27. Thereafter, the MPU 27 calculates the light receiving angle and the position coordinate of the electronic pen.

  The PC 30 connected to the touch panel device 300 has a normal configuration, that is, ROM 31, RAM 32, CPU 33, HDD 34, operation unit 35, display unit 36, and I / F 37. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disc Drive.

<Functional block diagram of electronic pen pressure detector>
FIG. 8 shows a functional block diagram of the pressure detection unit of the electronic pen.
The electronic pen 40 includes a signal processing unit 420 including a pressure detection unit 440, an inclination detection unit 460, and a power saving control unit 480. The touch panel device 300 includes an infrared light emitting means 101a, an infrared light receiving means 101b, and a touch panel control means 4010. The infrared light emitting means 101a and the infrared light receiving means 101b constitute the light receiving / emitting means 101.
The pressure detection means 440 shown in FIG. 8 is realized by the pressure sensor 44 shown in FIG. The inclination detecting means 460 shown in FIG. 8 is realized by the inclination sensor 46 shown in FIG.
The light emitting / receiving unit 1 shown in FIG. 8 is realized by the light emitting / receiving unit 101 shown in FIG. The touch panel control means 4010 shown in FIG. 8 is realized by the MPU 27, the ROM 25, the RAM 26, and the timer 28 shown in FIG.

  Here, when the electronic pen 40 is gripped by the user, vibration and tilt are generated, and the tilt detecting means 460 is instantaneously turned on. A pulse generated when the inclination detecting unit 460 is turned on is notified to the power saving control unit 480 installed in the signal processing unit 420, for example. When the power saving control means 480 detects the pulse signal, it shifts the signal processing means 420 to the operation mode. Specifically, a power source is applied to a circuit (not shown) such as an LED point mounted on the infrared light emitting means 1 that shifts a microcomputer (not shown) mounted on the signal processing means 420 from a power saving state to an operating state. Processing such as supply is performed. The tilt detection means 460 shown here is an example of implementation, and for example, a configuration using an acceleration sensor or a vibration sensor configured by MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) may be considered (see FIG. 6).

<Outline of electronic pen>
When the electronic pen shown in FIG. 5 is released from gripping by the user such as being placed on a desk, vibration and tilt are not generated, and the operation of turning on the tilt sensor 46 instantaneously is lost. A pulse generated when the tilt sensor 46 is turned on is not notified to the power saving control unit installed in the signal processing circuit 42-2. When the power saving control unit detects that the pulse signal is 0 for a predetermined period, it shifts the signal processing circuit 42-2 to the power saving mode.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the electronic pen.
The electronic pen shown in FIG. 6 differs from the electronic pen shown in FIG. 5 in that an acceleration sensor 47 is used instead of the tilt sensor.
The acceleration sensor 47 used in the electronic pen 40-3 may be any one of a capacitance detection method, a piezoresistance method, and a heat detection method. The electrostatic capacitance detection method is a method for detecting the electrostatic capacitance between the sensor element movable portion and the fixed portion, and the piezoresistive method is arranged on a spring connecting the sensor element movable portion and the fixed portion. In this method, a piezoresistive element detects a strain generated in a spring due to acceleration. The heat detection method is a method of detecting a change in convection due to acceleration by a thermal resistance or the like by generating a hot air flow in a casing with a heater.
The signal processing device 42-3 performs processing based on the signal from the pressure sensor 44 and the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 47.

<Flowchart>
FIG. 9 is an example of a flowchart showing the operation of the touch panel device shown in FIG.
The main operation is the MPU of the touch panel device.
First, when the electronic pen is placed, it is determined whether or not the electronic pen is lifted in the power saving mode (step S2). When the electronic pen is lifted by the user (step S2 / Y), the power saving mode is instantaneously switched to the operation mode (step S3).
When a certain time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses (step S4 / Y), the presence or absence of lifting is determined (step S2). When the electronic pen is lifted (step S2 / Y), the process proceeds to step S3. When the electronic pen is not lifted (step S2 / N), the process proceeds to step S1, switches from the operation mode to the power saving mode, and stands by ( Step S1).

Since the transition from the power saving mode to the operation mode is started at the moment when the pen is lifted, the operation state is set at the start of writing, and writing delay does not occur.
Furthermore, when shifting to the power saving mode after the pen tip is pressed, the time required for shifting to zero is required, but the time from the start of the lifting operation to the actual writing has a margin of about 1 second. Therefore, the circuit specifications can be relaxed, and the cost can be reduced.

  The above-described embodiment shows an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. is there.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light emitting / receiving means 2 Position 3 Coordinate input area 4, 55 Retroreflective member 20 PSD
21 Amplifier 22 Analog Operation Circuit 23 A / D Converter 24 LED Driver 25, 31 ROM
26, 32 RAM
27 MPU
28 Timer 29 Interface Driver 30 Personal Computer (PC)
33 CPU
34 HDD
35 Operation section 36 Display section 37 I / F
40, 40-1, 40-2, 40-3 Electronic pen 41 Input interface unit 42-1, 42-2, 42-3, signal processing circuit 43 pressure detection unit 44 pressure sensor 45 movable pen tip 46 tilt sensor 47 acceleration Sensor 51 Cylindrical lens 81 Point light source 100 Electronic information board 300 Touch panel device 301 OS (operation system)
302 Signal processor (driver)
304 Input interface unit 401 Touch panel control unit 402 Coordinate detection unit 810 Secondary light source

JP 2008-176802 A

Claims (4)

An electronic pen used in an optical touch panel device,
Contact detection means for detecting that the tip of the electronic pen is in contact with the touch panel device;
A transmission means for transmitting a contact detection signal of the contact detection means to a control means of the touch panel device;
Movement detecting means for detecting whether or not the electronic pen is in a moving state;
When the movement detection signal indicating that the movement is detected is received from the movement detection unit, a transition from the power saving mode in which the transmission unit is in a non-power supply state to an operation mode in which the transmission unit is in a power supply state is started. A transition control means for starting transition from the operation mode to the power saving mode when receiving a stationary detection signal indicating that
An electronic pen comprising:   The contact detection means is a sensor or a micro switch that detects any one of pressure change, capacitance change, and surface acoustic wave, and the movement detection means is a vibration sensor, a tilt sensor, or an acceleration sensor. The electronic pen according to claim 1. A display for displaying the locus of the contact point with the pen tip of the electronic pen at least, with the retroreflective member arranged so as to be orthogonal to the bottom and the left and right sides,
A first light receiving and emitting means for receiving light irradiated on the retroreflective member disposed at one end of the upper base of the display;
A second light emitting / receiving means for receiving the light irradiated on the retroreflective member disposed at the other end of the upper base of the display;
Calculation means for calculating the coordinates of the electronic pen moved so as to block the optical path between the light receiving and emitting means and the retroreflecting member, and the pressure detection means of the electronic pen for the calculation signal from the calculation means An optical touch panel device main body having a determination means for determining that it is true only when there is a detection signal from and displaying the locus;
Contact detection means for detecting that the tip of the electronic pen is in contact with the touch panel device;
A transmission means for transmitting a contact detection signal of the contact detection means to a control means of the touch panel device;
From a power saving mode in which a movement detection means for detecting whether or not the electronic pen is in a moving state, and a movement detection signal indicating that the electronic pen is in a moving state from the movement detection means, the transmission means is in a non-powered state. A transition control unit that starts a transition to an operation mode to be in a power supply state and starts a transition from the operation mode to the power saving mode when receiving a stationary detection signal indicating that the movement detection unit is stationary. An electronic pen,
An optical touch panel device characterized by comprising: A control method of an electronic pen used in an optical touch panel device,
When the movement detection signal indicating that the electronic pen is in a moving state is received, an operation mode in which the transmission unit is in a power supply state from a power saving mode in which the transmission unit that transmits the contact detection signal to the control unit of the touch panel device is in a no-power supply state. The electronic pen control method starts shifting to the power saving mode from the operation mode upon receiving a stationary detection signal indicating that the electronic pen is stationary.

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