Telegraphy – Systems – Position coordinate determination for writing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-05-29
2001-07-03
Shankar, Vijay (Department: 2778)
Telegraphy
Systems
Position coordinate determination for writing
C178S018030, C178S018050, C178S018060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06255604
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coordinate detecting device for detecting the coordinate position, designated with a pen or a finger, and a method therefor.
2. Related Background Art
For entering the coordinate there are already known devices of various types, such as (1) resistive film (pressure sensing) system, (2) electrostatic capacitance coupling, electromagnetic induction and electromagnetic exchange systems, (3) ultrasonic system, (4) stilus pen system and (5) photointerruptor touch panel system.
The coordinate input device of the system (1) is constructed with two superposed sheets of glass or resinous film provided thereon with a resistive film (hereinafter collectively called “conductive film”), wherein two resistive films come into mutual contact to transmit a current at a designated position. The potential at the contacting position is detected to determine the resistance from a reference plane to the contacting point, whereby the position of contact is identified and converted into the positional coordinate.
The coordinate input device of the system (2) is composed of one, two or more glass plates or resinous sheets bearing linear or loop coil-shaped transparent electrode patterns aligned in the x and y directions of the input face, wherein a signal detected by an exclusive pen through an electromagnetic wave is processed to specify the transparent electrode pattern closest to the position designated by the pen. Thus the designated position is determined and converted into the coordinate value.
The device of the system (3) is provided with plural vibration detecting means (sensors) on a tablet constituting the input plane, to detect the vibration entered by vibration input means, wherein the distances from the vibration input means to the sensors are detected from the propagation speed of the vibration and the time required for propagation, and the coordinate of the input position is determined.
The device of the system (4) is to detect the CRT scanning signal with a stilus pen contacting the CRT, wherein the position on the raster pattern is specified from the detected timing of scanning and the coordinate value is determined.
In the device of the system (5), light beams such as of infrared light are provided as a network on the display face. When one of the beams is intercepted with a finger, a touch input is detected, and the coordinate of the input position is identified from the sensor detecting the interception of the light beam.
Also an information processing equipment in which the coordinate input device as explained above and a display device such as a liquid crystal display are integrally superposed allows to enter a gesture as a command with a pen-shaped tool on the display plane, to enter characters as a memorandum on the display, and to enter characters by character recognition.
Also in such information processing equipment, it is proposed to display a keyboard as a “virtual keyboard”. In such case the coordinate input device utilizes the aforementioned system (1) based on the resistive films, since the input operations with fingers are required for use in place for the actual keyboard.
However such conventional coordinate input device, particularly that of the system (2), (3) or (4), requiring an exclusive pen for coordinate input, has been associated with a drawback that the input operation is not possible without such exclusive pen.
Also the device of the system (1), (3) or (4), only allows the coordinate input of a point at a time, do not allow entry of plural coordinates over a wide range at a time.
Also the information processing equipment utilizing the coordinate input device as explained above has been associated with the following drawbacks.
At first, a pen-shaped coordinate indicator is preferable for entering a gesture as a command, characters as a memorandum or a character for character recognition, but a conventional keyboard is faster and more convenient for entering text data (a large amount of character data). However, if the above-mentioned “virtual keyboard” is used instead of the ordinary keyboard, the entry of plural points is not possible on such “virtual keyboard” because the system (1) based on the resistive film has to be used.
As the input of plural points is not possible on the “virtual keyboard”, it is not possible, unlike the ordinary keyboard, to use a key while [shift] key or [ctrl] key is depressed, but the input operation has to be made one at a time, such as depressing the [shift] key etc. at first and then depressing another key. Consequently the method of manipulation has to be modified from the ordinary operation. Besides the input operation is not possible in certain cases, such as the shortcut keys, so that such “virtual keyboard” cannot be a complete replacement for the conventional keyboard and cannot be used for high-speed input of a large amount of data.
In consideration of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide a coordinate input device capable of simultaneous input of plural points.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to the present invention, in the following manner.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coordinate input device provided with two resistive films receiving voltages at respective ends thereof and adapted to determine the coordinate of a position entered by pressure on said resistive films from the output potential of the resistive films in response to the input state, comprising a selection area set in a part of the resistive films for selecting the input state; discrimination means for discriminating a one-point input state in which a point is entered by pressure outside the selection area on the resistive films and a two-point simultaneous input state in which, while a first point is entered in the selection area, a second point is entered in succession on the resistive films; storage means for storing the coordinate of the first point; memory means storing a calculation formula for deriving the coordinate of the second point, based on the coordinate positions of the first and second points at the entry of the second point, the output potential of the resistive films at the entry of the second point and the coordinate stored in the storage means; and control means for determining the coordinate of the second point from the output potential of the resistive films based on the calculation formula, when the two-point simultaneous input state is identified by the discrimination means.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a coordinate input device wherein the control means is adapted, in case the two-point simultaneous input state is identified by the discrimination means, to effect an inversion control on the direction of the voltages applied to the resistive films according to the coordinate stored in the storage means, and then to determine the coordinate of the second point from the output potential of the resistive films based on the calculation formula.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a coordinate detecting device provided with a panel composed of two conductive films, comprising:
discrimination means for discriminating whether two points are simultaneously depressed on the panel;
retaining means adapted, in case the discrimination means identifies the depression of a point on the panel, to the coordinate of the depressed position as latest coordinate data;
obtaining means adapted, in case the discrimination means identifies the simultaneous depression of two points on the panel, to obtain coordinate data based on the coordinate data retained in the retaining means and potentials in the x and y directions obtained from the conductive films; and
output means for releasing the coordinate data retained in the retaining means and the coordinate data obtained by the obtaining means as the coordinate data of the simultaneously depressed two point
Kobayashi Katsuyuki
Sato Hajime
Tanaka Atsushi
Tokioka Masaki
Yanagisawa Ryozo
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Shankar Vijay
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